Creating a permaculture smallholding in the pine forests of Kiila, Finland

Detalhes

• 

  Descrição

  Greetings fellow travellers!
  
  My name's Daniel. In 2016 I bought a derelict cottage in the west of Ireland and set about transforming the acre of land into a permaculture smallholding. In September of 2023 it was time for a change, and together with my partner, Angela, and five-year-old daughter, Juno, I moved to a hundred-year-old yellow cottage set on five acres of land in the pine forests of southwest Finland. Having survived our first Finnish winter (with temperatures down to -26° Celsius), we're now in the early stages of creating a new homestead, and just like in Ireland, we need your help.
  
  If you're interested in self-sufficiency; growing your own food, harvesting and processing firewood, building and maintaining your own home and outbuildings, keeping livestock and gathering resources from the land, then please read on...

• 

  Tipos de ajuda e oportunidades de aprendizado

  Cuidar de crianças/atividades criativas

  Ajuda a cuidar da casa
• 

  Interesses

  

  Sustentabilidade

  

  Fazenda

  

  Escrever

  

  Carpintaria

  

  Animais

  

  Jardinagem

  

  Camping

  

  Naturaleza

  

  Montanhas

  

  Praia

  

  Atividades ao ar livre

  

  Caminhada
• 

  Oportunidades de intercâmbio cultural e aprendizado

  Our cottage is surrounded by native forest, pine, birch and spruce, with many trails for walking, cycling, and discovering nature. It is situated on Kemiönsaari, a large island off Finland's southwest coast in the heart of the Turku archipelago. The sea is just 2km from our front door, where we have a boat for fishing trips and excursions. The Turku archipelago is the largest in the world, and one of the most beautiful regions of Finland, popular with tourists in the summer months. It is a breath-taking place to live and visit.
  
  Our nearest town is Kimito, a 20 minute drive by car, so if you're looking for an urban adventure, we're definitely not the right match. Salo is the nearest city, about 30 minutes by car, and pickup point for trains or buses coming from Helsinki airport. If you like the idea of escaping into nature, then there are plenty of opportunities for wild swimming, both in summer and winter (if you're brave enough), and we're happy to lend you bikes for exploring during down-time. The forest provides many foraging opportunities in the summer and autumn, for mushrooms, lingonberries, blueberries and much more. The nearby archipelago is a phenomenal place to go fishing.
  
  I'm a native English speaker (originally from the UK). Angela is South Korean by birth, but has lived in Europe all of her life, and speaks fluent Romanian, German and English as well as Korean. We are learning Finnish, but having been here for such a short time it's still very basic (Angela's is of course much better than mine, having a talent for language learning). There are many opportunities for cultural and language exchange, particularly if you're hoping to build confidence using English with native speakers. Our daughter is of course fluent in English too (and never stops talking).
  
  The ideal volunteer would be someone with a genuine interest in self-sufficiency, permaculture and working outdoors, who hopes to incorporate what they learn while staying with us into their own lives one day. A passion for how we live, and desire to learn is essential, as is a willingness to get your hands dirty, with much of the work being outside, whatever the weather! A good level of basic fitness is important, as you will be on your feet, and using your hands, for much of the day.

• 

  Ajuda Au Pair

  Para mais informações, consultar aqui.

• 

  Projetos que envolvem crianças

  Este projeto pode envolver crianças. Para mais informações, veja aqui nossas diretrizes e dicas.

• 

  Ajuda

  Edit May 2026:
  
  Over the summer of 2026 we're specifically looking for someone to help out with childcare for our five-year-old daughter while we work to complete lots of ongoing building projects around the house and on the land. Our daughter is highly social and loves to meet and play with new people. She's also a native English speaker as well as close to native in Finnish for her age, so if you want to practice your English (or even learn basic Finnish) this could be a great opportunity to do so.
  
  During this period we're not looking for practical helpers, but if you have a background and/or interest in playing with an energetic five-year-old, while also exploring the pine forests, beaches and nature that surround our house then do get in touch.
  
  Minimum stay is two weeks, but we'd prefer longer (1-2 months would be ideal).
  
  ------
  
  The help will vary significantly depending on the month that you visit. Right now, it's April, and I'm about to create a new compost area. I've spent the last two months felling trees and splitting logs, which I'm now stacking (the traditional way). I'm also about to build a propagator for vegetable seedlings, and prepare an area of land for planting out in mid-May. There's an orchard to maintain (we have around 50 fruit trees), with fences to build, paths to level and create, and in the Autumn, fruit to harvest and process for the winter. This summer I also hope to begin work on a new woodstore, and cabin, as well as beginning the restoration of our barn, which is in pretty bad condition. You could be digging, gathering, stacking, growing, harvesting, building, or any other practical skill as needed on the land. Be aware that we are in the very early stages of creating a homestead here.
  
  Angela is a medical graduate, currently revising for her licensing exam, so fitting in all the above, as well as working on the house, and looking after Juno, our little one, is definitely a challenge. If you enjoy playing with hyperactive toddlers, then we're also very open to incorporating some childcare into your daily work, as this frees up time for us to do other things.
  
  I studied Horticulture, and have been growing food on a one acre plot in Ireland for seven years. I'm an avid practitioner of permaculture, and have made several videos on the subject on my YouTube channel. I'm an amateur builder, but have taught myself many skills over the years, and I hope to teach myself many more in the years to come. I'm happy to share what knowledge I have with volunteers, and hope that in return you'll share your knowledge and ideas with me.

• 

  Idiomas

  Idiomas
  Alemão: Fluente
  Inglês: Fluente
  Korean: Fluente
  Romanian: Fluente
  Finnish: Intermediário

  Este anfitrião oferece intercâmbio de idiomas
  English is our native spoken language, but Angela also speaks fluent Korean, German and Romanian. We speak basic Finnish and our daughter speaks near fluent Finnish for her age (five years old).
• 

  Acomodação

  You'll have a bedroom in the house during your stay. It will be private, but you will have to allow us daily access to the cupboards as needed. There is of course free wireless internet, and access to our kitchen and bathroom. We usually cook a shared evening meal (most days), but you'll be responsible for your own breakfast and lunch.

• 

  Algo mais...

  As mentioned above, this summer (May to the end of August 2026) we're only looking for volunteers to help with childcare (one on one play with our five-year-old daughter). If this is you and you can stay at least two weeks (no shorter stays possible) then we'd love to hear from you.
  
  If you have any other questions just send use a message, preferably in English, with some background on yourself and why you're interested in volunteering with us.

• 

  Mais alguns detalhes

  • 

    Acesso à internet

  • 

    Acesso à internet limitado

  • 

    Temos mascotes

  • 

    Somos fumantes

  • 

    Pode hospedar famílias

• 

  Pode hospedar nômades digitais

  We have a great wi-fi connection, which volunteers can use 24/7.

• 

  Espaço para estacionar campervans

  There is loads of space around the house for a campervan or caravan, as well an external electricity hook-up and water tap.

• 

  Quantos Workawayers pode acomodar?

  1

• 

  Meus animais / animais de estimação

  Tuppence

Segurança do site

Converse com Workawayers que já visitaram este anfitrião

+5

Comentário (12)