Restore a wild food forest on granite hillside in Ucon, France

Infos

• 

  Description

  We're Sean and Clem — a South African-French couple who stumbled across
  Cassard during the Covid years while searching for a different way to live.
  Five years later, it's our full-time home. We work remotely in the design
  industry, our daughter Maddie spends her days buried in books, and Scruffy —
  our very enthusiastic Pyrenean Shepherd — considers herself co-owner of the
  whole property.
  
  We've been learning — hands-on, self-taught, and with great curiosity — ever
  since we arrived. We're not experts. We're people who fell in love with a wild
  piece of the Morvan and are genuinely committed to understanding it,
  restoring it, and making it abundant over time.
  
  We're bilingual English and French, and we love hosting people who share a
  curiosity about land, food, and slower living. Cassard is a real home and a
  real project — not a retreat or a business — and the people who come here tend
  to leave feeling like they were part of something, not just passing through.

• 

  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage d'entretien

  Projets DIY créatifs

  Aide dans une ferme

  Aide à la maison

  Petits travaux d'entretien

  Garde de maison et d'animaux
• 

  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  The exchange at Cassard is real but unhurried. Lunch is provided every day — prepared together and eaten at the table, either in the main house or outside when the weather allows. Once a week we sit down for dinner, which tends to turn into a proper conversation about the land, the project, life choices, whatever comes up. The rest of the evenings are yours — we're a family with a quiet rhythm and we think volunteers appreciate having their own space as much as we do.
  
  On the land, you'll learn by doing — food forest thinking, seasonal rhythms, practical permaculture in a real and imperfect setting. We don't pretend to be teachers, but we share everything we know and we're always learning alongside you.
  
  The Morvan itself is worth discovering. Friday mornings there's a local market. Weekends open up for walks in the park. Village life here has its own calendar — festivals, community dances, gatherings — and you're welcome to join us when we go.
  
  We're a South African-French household, bilingual in English and French, and the conversations tend to reflect that — two cultures, one project, a lot of curiosity about how to live differently.

• 

  Projets impliquant des enfants

  Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.

• 

  Aide

  The help at Cassard falls into two main areas — land and building — and we try to match tasks to whoever is here.
  
  Land & food forest
  The heart of the project. Depending on the season, this includes planting and mulching around our fruit trees, clearing and maintaining paths, composting, firewood processing, and general food forest development. There's always something to do, and we'll explain the thinking behind each task so the work makes sense rather than just being labour.
  
  Building & renovation
  We have an old barn in the final stages of renovation into a family home — primarily finishing work, with a focus on woodworking. We're also preparing to build enclosures for ducks & chickens, which will be a satisfying project for anyone who likes working with their hands.
  
  We adapt to the people who come. If you have a particular skill — carpentry, gardening, permaculture knowledge, something else entirely — we'd rather put it to good use than stick rigidly to a list. And if you're a complete beginner, that's fine too: we're learners ourselves.

• 

  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Afrikaans: Courant
  Anglais: Courant
  Espagnol: Intermédiaire
  Français: Intermédiaire

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  Although my partner is a native French speaker, I could do with improving my French. I'm fluent in English and happy to exchange in learning another language.
• 

  Hébergement

  Volunteers stay in our little stone house — ancient, renovated, and full of character. At 48m², it's compact but genuinely comfortable. Downstairs: a fully equipped kitchen, a living area, and a lounge. Upstairs: a proper bedroom and an additional sleeping nook tucked into the combles. Heating by wood stove, cooking on gas. A sunny south-facing veranda to start the morning.
  
  The house sits on the same plot as ours, separated by a 60-tonne granite boulder that stopped rolling here a very long time ago. You'll have the place entirely to yourselves.
  
  The bathroom has a full bath and sink. The toilet is a dry toilet — outside, reached by a short path through the forest. Romantic in summer, bracing in winter. We think it's worth mentioning upfront.

• 

  Autres infos...

  Cassard is in deep rural Morvan — there is no local public transport, so a car is useful if you want to explore beyond the property. We can make one available if needed. The nearest town for day-to-day shopping is Étang-sur-Arroux. For more, Autun and Le Creusot are both within easy reach. Further afield, Dijon, Mâcon and the wider Burgundy region are worth a day
  trip.

• 

  Informations complémentaires

  • 

    Accès Internet

  • 

    Accès Internet limité

  • 

    Nous avons des animaux

  • 

    Nous sommes fumeurs

  • 

    Familles bienvenues

• 

  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  We are both digital nomads working from home. We are working in the design industry working on creating memorable brands for our various clients. We have a fast (fibre) internet connection in the house that can be eventually extended to reach the traveller's accommodation (to be completed).

• 

  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  We have a dog (a female Pyrenean shepherd), who is 5 years old and very social. She loves people and gets along with most other dogs with similar temperaments. If you think your dog fits this description it could work. Unfortunately, we don't allow cats. We have a rich wild bird population here which is incompatible with cats. Also, I'm allergic to most cats.

• 

  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Deux

• 

  Mes animaux

  

  Scruffy (5 ans)

  A very chilled Pyrénéen Shepard that has the best life.

Sécurité du site

Discutez avec des workawayers qui ont séjourné chez cet hôte

Feedback (2)