Help us develop our alpaca farm in our own corner of Galician paradise, Spain
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: 15 mar. 2025
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Comentário (11)
Feito pelo anfitrião para o Workawayer (Klara)
Klara (and Lotta) were the first ‘friend duo’ Workaway friendship pair that we had taken on since embarking on our Workaway journey. Accepting a pair of friends has shown us (as Hosts) just how valuable and rewarding it can be.
There are many benefits, which include maximised productivity, sharing tasks that requires 2 people, companionship and
… read more moral support and having the confidence to share this adventure with a friend and fully embrace it, which might be hindered if travelling alone.
That said, Klara was AMAZING independently and worked consistently irrespective of working alone or as part of a team. A fast learner and forward thinker, Klara can demonstrate adept skill and proactivity to whatever task she turned her hand to. She showed a keen willingness to learn about our alpacas and their day to day care and showed real initiative, whereby she would crack on with jobs without needing to be prompted or supervised. I knew I could trust Klara to get the work done.
Klara also showed a genuine interest in us, not just as hosts, but a real sense of wanting to better understand our experiences and cultural commonalities. We had some great laughs, really fun and deeply intriguing conversations with Klara (and Lotta) after dinner. Anything from personal experiences, to history to science, truly fascinating. Back to Klara’s wonderful nature and multi skillset; Klara was instrumental in making a pair of window shutters for us, a new skill she acquired while on farm. This also included painting the shutters and the metal hinges and handles and she did this with such detail to attention. Gardening and using power tools confidently and professionally, mucking out our barns… there was no task too big or small that she would mind getting involved with. Klara too has a creative streak and also made magnificent decorations from alpaca wool. Klara is also a wonderful baker and made some lovely apple desserts with marzipan and homemade Gluhwein to warm up our cold wintery evenings.
Klara you are truly amazing, thanks again for all your efforts at New Horizons ❤️🥰
Deixado pelo Workawayer (Klara) para o anfitrião
Choosing Tony and Lauren for our first Workaway was truly the best decision we could have made. They are such wonderful people and made us feel so welcome that saying goodbye felt like leaving family when it was time to head back to Germany. We instantly knew we wanted to stay longer than originally planned, which is why we extended our Workaway
… read more for another month and enjoyed all of November and half of December in Spain.
I gained so much knowledge about alpacas from Lauren! She taught me how to check their health, understand how their teeth grow, and appreciate their unique personalities. The alpacas were absolutely adorable and so friendly! It took a little time for them to get used to us, but once they did, they were happily eating from our hands. And then there's Mickey, the little queen of the house (complete with a matching crown courtesy of Lotta). She is the best cat ever (just second to my own, of course) and would often curl up on my or Lottas lap in the evenings.
We also learned quite a bit about woodworking from Tony, including how to use different saws, a chisel, and how to prepare the wood before painting. He’s an excellent teacher who gave us the freedom to explore our own ideas and figure out the best ways to work with the wood. Ultimately, we built a pair of shutters almost entirely on our own, only needing a bit of assistance with a few tools at the start.
It was always fun to spend the evenings with Tony and Lauren and just talk about everything that came to mind. We picked up some new British (swear)words from them and happily shared some German ones in return. We compared British and German Christmas traditions, decorated the house together, made some delicious German Glühwein, and built a gingerbread house.They also drove us to nearby cities on our free days so we could explore Galicia more and took us to a christmas market in Vigo.
A huge thank you to all the alpacas, Mickey, Kimberly, Margaux, and of course, Lauren and Tony for being the best hosts we could have ever hoped for! I can't begin to express just how unique and amazing this experience was.
Feito pelo anfitrião para o Workawayer (Lotta)
I start this review by saying “Lotta, you are simply the BEST!” …As cliched as that may sound (using a Tina Turner song reference), it is absolutely true. You are the GREATEST and I mean that in every sense of the word.
Lotta came to us on the 2nd November with her good friend Klara (also one of the ‘WA Greats!’) and her enthusiasm and vitality
… read more shon through from the very beginning. By day 3 we instinctively knew that we wanted Lotta (and Klara) to stay longer than originally planned. Lotta was very eager to learn about our alpacas and all their nuanced behaviours and habits. She was conscientious & adept and always so observant. She is truly remarkable at seeing beyond the reality of our farm and has such zeal for our vision here at New Horizons, coming up with ideas and suggestions and making improvements to our processes and efficiencies. She recognises what we are trying to achieve here and wants to positively contribute to it.
Lotta’s greatest asset is her mind blowing creativity and unwavering generosity!! She arrived with a handmade gift for us and our alpacas; a stunning acrylic painting of a boy with his donkey and a thoughtful little snack bag for our alpacas that we now use on the alpaca walks to store their carrot treats. While working away with us, Lotta demonstrated amazing talent from crafting with our alpaca wool making unforgettable souvenirs, to creating a customised 2025 calendar for us, that we have been able to generate donations from for our alpacas. She also shared her wonderful German Christmas traditions with us, cooking gingerbread for the household and inspiring me (Lauren) to make alpaca gingerbread cookies for our visitors on farm. She also was not shy at getting her hands dirty, be it cleaning out the barns, poo picking or pulling out weeds in the paddocks, she always did it with a smile on her face. Nor was she overwhelmed when it came to learning a new skill in woodwork. Both Lotta and Klara were instrumental in making a new pair of window shutters for our living room and her crafts(wo)manship is effortless, she made it look so seamless.
Lotta truly is inspiring and has brought out the best in me and Tony these past few months. I am delighted to say that Lotta has returned to our farm for 2025 and still is just as wonderful today as the day she arrived. She is consistently wowing us both with her volunteer work ethic and her vibrant personality. We love you Lotta, carry on being you and like Tony says, you will go far in life, that we can be certain of. Here’s to your continued stay with us and we hope you come back for Cria birthing season ❤️🤭😜
Deixado pelo Workawayer (Lotta) para o anfitrião
During our stay with Lauren and Tony they opened their home, heart and snack cupboard to us.
I really don’t know how to put in words how amazing our stay with them was. They are incredibly open, friendly and cheerful. We had a lot of laughs as well as some meaningful chats. I loved the evenings by the fireplace that we spend watching a movie or
… read more just talking.
This was our first Workaway and we couldn’t have wished for a better first experience. Klara and I immediately felt at ease and comfortable with them. That’s why we extended our stay at New Horizons for another month after just four days :). We ended up staying the whole November and until the middle of December.
Especially Lauren always made sure we have fun doing the work and are also able to have a variety of tasks every day so it doesn’t get boring. Klara and I spend some time clearing out the new paddock from weeds, build a set of shutters and help a little bit with the fencing but we were also able to spend a lot of time with the alpacas. Each morning we helped to feed them and halter the boys up to get them outside. That was the perfect time to sneak in a few cuddles. I really felt like our efforts were very appreciated which made the work feel incredibly rewarding. Of course there is also a little bit of the dirty work like cleaning out the stables or poop picking in the fields. I actually found great joy in doing the poop picking. It‘s kinda relaxing and therapeutic. And we always put on some music and turned the stable cleaning into a jam session.
I am amazed with how clean the stables always are. They get cleared out daily and scrubbed from top to bottom with soap two times a week. The food bowles also get scrubbed and there is a foot dip at the stable entrance to disinfect the soles of the shoes. The alpacas are treated like royalty and every need of them is met. Lauren is extremely knowledgeable about alpacas and I learned a lot from her. We learned how to check if they are anemic, how their teeth grow, how to read their behaviour and how they get tested for parasites. I was able to observe how professional fecal testing works and how the samples are taken.
The alpacas are AMAZING!!! I was amazed how unique the character of each one of them is. I love them all and they really grow on you. It is so fulfilling to see them trust you more and more with each day. In the end Tuppence and Charlotte were eating out of my hand! Maple is affectionate as always, Petal loves you as long as you have food and Marmelade is the spawn of satan but grants you attention when she gets jealous. I of course don’t have favourites but Braun is my favourite. Monty is the goodest boy and can’t be bothered for the most time. Olaf is the most handsome and he knows it, he gives frat boy vibes. Carlitos is a sensitive little snowflake. Don’t you DARE to come near him with an EVIL GLOVE or an EVEN MORE EVIL PIECE OF HEADWEARE. He will hate you for days to come.
Of course I can‘t forget about Mickey the cat. She single handedly restored my faith in cats. She is the best cat in the whole wide world and now also the most stylish cat in the whole wide world because I crocheted her a bunch of different hats.
Tony is a wonderful teacher and showed Klara and me how to use some of the power tools like his DIY-sandblaster or the spray painting gun. I really love that he was also open to suggestions from us and let us figure stuff out for ourselves. It was always fun to work with him and I learned a lot of interesting British words from him that I don‘t think I can repeat here on the internet 🤣. He also let me sit on the front of Trevor the tractor and drove me around for a little bit. (unless this would lead to problems with the insurance, in that case he didn’t do that and I was hallucinating)
On our off days Lauren and especially Tony were always open to drive us somewhere so we could explore more of Spain and Galicia. Klara and I visited Lugo, Vilalba, Vigo and Santiago. In Vigo we strolled through the Christmas market together and looked at the beautiful lights.
The cultural exchange was also really fun. We compared British and German Christmas traditions, were educated where not to buy tea from under any circumstances and learned some fun British sayings and …words… in return we flooded them with gingerbread, prepared an authentic Glühwein and taught Lauren and Tony their new favourite German word which sound very similar to the English word for a specific tool.
I almost forgot! We also got the chance to felt with the alpaca fleece! A very big highlight for me :). I don‘t know how much more I can write but our room was amazing and very nicely decorated. Lauren always made sure we were well fed and showered us in little treats and delicious meals.
Thank you Lauren and Tony for believing in us and welcoming us with open arms, thank you Mickey for being the cutest cat in the universe, thank you Tuppence, Charlotte, Petal, Maple, Marmelade, Braun, Monty, Carlitos and Olaf for being the fluffiest little angels, thank you Kimberly for our wonderful jam sessions 🎶DU DU DU DU MAX VERSTAPPEN🎶 and merci Margaux de m'avoir parlé en anglais car Klara et moi ne parvenions pas à nous exprimer correctement ni en français ni en espagnol.
See you again in January and Merry Christmas :)!
Feito pelo anfitrião para o Workawayer (Margaux)
We thoroughly enjoyed having Margaux come and workaway with us. Margaux arrived the 21st October and stayed for a month. Margaux is an exceptional person in all senses of the word and was an incredible asset to us and our alpacas. She brought a vibrant and uplifting energy to our farm and her proactive can-do enthusiasm is not only an attractive
… read more personality trait, but highly motivational too. Her experience with farming and agriculture was hugely beneficial to us and our animals, especially having prior alpaca handling knowledge was personally great for me as I could be less hands on getting Margaux up to speed on what to do. She is a complete natural and has the greatest rapport and warmth with any animal, so I can see why she is the ideal candidate for any farm/zoo related work. At such a young age and with headstrong goals and dedicated work ethic, Margaux will go very far in this industry. She was not only vital in helping me with the daily alpaca care and chores, but instrumental in helping us facilitate our first off farm event. She played a key role in helping us train our alpacas and made wonderful suggestions with paddock maintenance, she is also a great cook! She made some lovely dishes which included Quiche Lorraine, tarte aux pommes, potato gratin, cookies and many more. I would have Margaux back in a heartbeat and she knows we will always have a place for her at our farm. We wish Margaux all the best in her new venture and I know this young lady will go far in the farming and agricultural world. We miss you Margaux!
Deixado pelo Workawayer (Margaux) para o anfitrião
Un super séjour incroyable, Lauren et Tony sont des personnes merveilleuses. J'ai été accueilli et intégré dans la famille dès le premier jour, une convivialité incroyable. De nouvelles amitiés ce sont créés. Le travail était super, les alpagas sont très attachants et nous apprenons a les découvrir les uns après les autres. Je recommande cette
… read more superbe expérience, j'ai pu partiquer l'espagnol et l'anglais, les échanges culturels ont été très enrichisamant. Merci beaucoup, j'espère revenirComentário
Essas classificações são opcionais e foram dadas junto com os comentários dos membros.A classificação média deixada por cada opção é exibida.
Precisão do perfil:
(5.0)
Intercâmbio cultural:
(5.0)
Feito pelo anfitrião para o Workawayer (Klara)
Klara (and Lotta) were the first ‘friend duo’ Workaway friendship pair that we had taken on since embarking on our Workaway journey. Accepting a pair of friends has shown us (as Hosts) just how valuable and rewarding it can be.
There are many benefits, which include maximised productivity, sharing tasks that requires 2 people, companionship and
… read more moral support and having the confidence to share this adventure with a friend and fully embrace it, which might be hindered if travelling alone.
That said, Klara was AMAZING independently and worked consistently irrespective of working alone or as part of a team. A fast learner and forward thinker, Klara can demonstrate adept skill and proactivity to whatever task she turned her hand to. She showed a keen willingness to learn about our alpacas and their day to day care and showed real initiative, whereby she would crack on with jobs without needing to be prompted or supervised. I knew I could trust Klara to get the work done.
Klara also showed a genuine interest in us, not just as hosts, but a real sense of wanting to better understand our experiences and cultural commonalities. We had some great laughs, really fun and deeply intriguing conversations with Klara (and Lotta) after dinner. Anything from personal experiences, to history to science, truly fascinating. Back to Klara’s wonderful nature and multi skillset; Klara was instrumental in making a pair of window shutters for us, a new skill she acquired while on farm. This also included painting the shutters and the metal hinges and handles and she did this with such detail to attention. Gardening and using power tools confidently and professionally, mucking out our barns… there was no task too big or small that she would mind getting involved with. Klara too has a creative streak and also made magnificent decorations from alpaca wool. Klara is also a wonderful baker and made some lovely apple desserts with marzipan and homemade Gluhwein to warm up our cold wintery evenings.
Klara you are truly amazing, thanks again for all your efforts at New Horizons ❤️🥰
Deixado pelo Workawayer (Klara) para o anfitrião
Choosing Tony and Lauren for our first Workaway was truly the best decision we could have made. They are such wonderful people and made us feel so welcome that saying goodbye felt like leaving family when it was time to head back to Germany. We instantly knew we wanted to stay longer than originally planned, which is why we extended our Workaway
… read more for another month and enjoyed all of November and half of December in Spain.
I gained so much knowledge about alpacas from Lauren! She taught me how to check their health, understand how their teeth grow, and appreciate their unique personalities. The alpacas were absolutely adorable and so friendly! It took a little time for them to get used to us, but once they did, they were happily eating from our hands. And then there's Mickey, the little queen of the house (complete with a matching crown courtesy of Lotta). She is the best cat ever (just second to my own, of course) and would often curl up on my or Lottas lap in the evenings.
We also learned quite a bit about woodworking from Tony, including how to use different saws, a chisel, and how to prepare the wood before painting. He’s an excellent teacher who gave us the freedom to explore our own ideas and figure out the best ways to work with the wood. Ultimately, we built a pair of shutters almost entirely on our own, only needing a bit of assistance with a few tools at the start.
It was always fun to spend the evenings with Tony and Lauren and just talk about everything that came to mind. We picked up some new British (swear)words from them and happily shared some German ones in return. We compared British and German Christmas traditions, decorated the house together, made some delicious German Glühwein, and built a gingerbread house.They also drove us to nearby cities on our free days so we could explore Galicia more and took us to a christmas market in Vigo.
A huge thank you to all the alpacas, Mickey, Kimberly, Margaux, and of course, Lauren and Tony for being the best hosts we could have ever hoped for! I can't begin to express just how unique and amazing this experience was.
Feito pelo anfitrião para o Workawayer (Lotta)
I start this review by saying “Lotta, you are simply the BEST!” …As cliched as that may sound (using a Tina Turner song reference), it is absolutely true. You are the GREATEST and I mean that in every sense of the word.
Lotta came to us on the 2nd November with her good friend Klara (also one of the ‘WA Greats!’) and her enthusiasm and vitality
… read more shon through from the very beginning. By day 3 we instinctively knew that we wanted Lotta (and Klara) to stay longer than originally planned. Lotta was very eager to learn about our alpacas and all their nuanced behaviours and habits. She was conscientious & adept and always so observant. She is truly remarkable at seeing beyond the reality of our farm and has such zeal for our vision here at New Horizons, coming up with ideas and suggestions and making improvements to our processes and efficiencies. She recognises what we are trying to achieve here and wants to positively contribute to it.
Lotta’s greatest asset is her mind blowing creativity and unwavering generosity!! She arrived with a handmade gift for us and our alpacas; a stunning acrylic painting of a boy with his donkey and a thoughtful little snack bag for our alpacas that we now use on the alpaca walks to store their carrot treats. While working away with us, Lotta demonstrated amazing talent from crafting with our alpaca wool making unforgettable souvenirs, to creating a customised 2025 calendar for us, that we have been able to generate donations from for our alpacas. She also shared her wonderful German Christmas traditions with us, cooking gingerbread for the household and inspiring me (Lauren) to make alpaca gingerbread cookies for our visitors on farm. She also was not shy at getting her hands dirty, be it cleaning out the barns, poo picking or pulling out weeds in the paddocks, she always did it with a smile on her face. Nor was she overwhelmed when it came to learning a new skill in woodwork. Both Lotta and Klara were instrumental in making a new pair of window shutters for our living room and her crafts(wo)manship is effortless, she made it look so seamless.
Lotta truly is inspiring and has brought out the best in me and Tony these past few months. I am delighted to say that Lotta has returned to our farm for 2025 and still is just as wonderful today as the day she arrived. She is consistently wowing us both with her volunteer work ethic and her vibrant personality. We love you Lotta, carry on being you and like Tony says, you will go far in life, that we can be certain of. Here’s to your continued stay with us and we hope you come back for Cria birthing season ❤️🤭😜
Deixado pelo Workawayer (Lotta) para o anfitrião
During our stay with Lauren and Tony they opened their home, heart and snack cupboard to us.
I really don’t know how to put in words how amazing our stay with them was. They are incredibly open, friendly and cheerful. We had a lot of laughs as well as some meaningful chats. I loved the evenings by the fireplace that we spend watching a movie or
… read more just talking.
This was our first Workaway and we couldn’t have wished for a better first experience. Klara and I immediately felt at ease and comfortable with them. That’s why we extended our stay at New Horizons for another month after just four days :). We ended up staying the whole November and until the middle of December.
Especially Lauren always made sure we have fun doing the work and are also able to have a variety of tasks every day so it doesn’t get boring. Klara and I spend some time clearing out the new paddock from weeds, build a set of shutters and help a little bit with the fencing but we were also able to spend a lot of time with the alpacas. Each morning we helped to feed them and halter the boys up to get them outside. That was the perfect time to sneak in a few cuddles. I really felt like our efforts were very appreciated which made the work feel incredibly rewarding. Of course there is also a little bit of the dirty work like cleaning out the stables or poop picking in the fields. I actually found great joy in doing the poop picking. It‘s kinda relaxing and therapeutic. And we always put on some music and turned the stable cleaning into a jam session.
I am amazed with how clean the stables always are. They get cleared out daily and scrubbed from top to bottom with soap two times a week. The food bowles also get scrubbed and there is a foot dip at the stable entrance to disinfect the soles of the shoes. The alpacas are treated like royalty and every need of them is met. Lauren is extremely knowledgeable about alpacas and I learned a lot from her. We learned how to check if they are anemic, how their teeth grow, how to read their behaviour and how they get tested for parasites. I was able to observe how professional fecal testing works and how the samples are taken.
The alpacas are AMAZING!!! I was amazed how unique the character of each one of them is. I love them all and they really grow on you. It is so fulfilling to see them trust you more and more with each day. In the end Tuppence and Charlotte were eating out of my hand! Maple is affectionate as always, Petal loves you as long as you have food and Marmelade is the spawn of satan but grants you attention when she gets jealous. I of course don’t have favourites but Braun is my favourite. Monty is the goodest boy and can’t be bothered for the most time. Olaf is the most handsome and he knows it, he gives frat boy vibes. Carlitos is a sensitive little snowflake. Don’t you DARE to come near him with an EVIL GLOVE or an EVEN MORE EVIL PIECE OF HEADWEARE. He will hate you for days to come.
Of course I can‘t forget about Mickey the cat. She single handedly restored my faith in cats. She is the best cat in the whole wide world and now also the most stylish cat in the whole wide world because I crocheted her a bunch of different hats.
Tony is a wonderful teacher and showed Klara and me how to use some of the power tools like his DIY-sandblaster or the spray painting gun. I really love that he was also open to suggestions from us and let us figure stuff out for ourselves. It was always fun to work with him and I learned a lot of interesting British words from him that I don‘t think I can repeat here on the internet 🤣. He also let me sit on the front of Trevor the tractor and drove me around for a little bit. (unless this would lead to problems with the insurance, in that case he didn’t do that and I was hallucinating)
On our off days Lauren and especially Tony were always open to drive us somewhere so we could explore more of Spain and Galicia. Klara and I visited Lugo, Vilalba, Vigo and Santiago. In Vigo we strolled through the Christmas market together and looked at the beautiful lights.
The cultural exchange was also really fun. We compared British and German Christmas traditions, were educated where not to buy tea from under any circumstances and learned some fun British sayings and …words… in return we flooded them with gingerbread, prepared an authentic Glühwein and taught Lauren and Tony their new favourite German word which sound very similar to the English word for a specific tool.
I almost forgot! We also got the chance to felt with the alpaca fleece! A very big highlight for me :). I don‘t know how much more I can write but our room was amazing and very nicely decorated. Lauren always made sure we were well fed and showered us in little treats and delicious meals.
Thank you Lauren and Tony for believing in us and welcoming us with open arms, thank you Mickey for being the cutest cat in the universe, thank you Tuppence, Charlotte, Petal, Maple, Marmelade, Braun, Monty, Carlitos and Olaf for being the fluffiest little angels, thank you Kimberly for our wonderful jam sessions 🎶DU DU DU DU MAX VERSTAPPEN🎶 and merci Margaux de m'avoir parlé en anglais car Klara et moi ne parvenions pas à nous exprimer correctement ni en français ni en espagnol.
See you again in January and Merry Christmas :)!
Feito pelo anfitrião para o Workawayer (Margaux)
We thoroughly enjoyed having Margaux come and workaway with us. Margaux arrived the 21st October and stayed for a month. Margaux is an exceptional person in all senses of the word and was an incredible asset to us and our alpacas. She brought a vibrant and uplifting energy to our farm and her proactive can-do enthusiasm is not only an attractive
… read more personality trait, but highly motivational too. Her experience with farming and agriculture was hugely beneficial to us and our animals, especially having prior alpaca handling knowledge was personally great for me as I could be less hands on getting Margaux up to speed on what to do. She is a complete natural and has the greatest rapport and warmth with any animal, so I can see why she is the ideal candidate for any farm/zoo related work. At such a young age and with headstrong goals and dedicated work ethic, Margaux will go very far in this industry. She was not only vital in helping me with the daily alpaca care and chores, but instrumental in helping us facilitate our first off farm event. She played a key role in helping us train our alpacas and made wonderful suggestions with paddock maintenance, she is also a great cook! She made some lovely dishes which included Quiche Lorraine, tarte aux pommes, potato gratin, cookies and many more. I would have Margaux back in a heartbeat and she knows we will always have a place for her at our farm. We wish Margaux all the best in her new venture and I know this young lady will go far in the farming and agricultural world. We miss you Margaux!
Deixado pelo Workawayer (Margaux) para o anfitrião
Un super séjour incroyable, Lauren et Tony sont des personnes merveilleuses. J'ai été accueilli et intégré dans la famille dès le premier jour, une convivialité incroyable. De nouvelles amitiés ce sont créés. Le travail était super, les alpagas sont très attachants et nous apprenons a les découvrir les uns après les autres. Je recommande cette
… read more superbe expérience, j'ai pu partiquer l'espagnol et l'anglais, les échanges culturels ont été très enrichisamant. Merci beaucoup, j'espère revenir
Feito pelo anfitrião para o Workawayer (Antonia)
Antonia’s energy, willingness and enthusiasm were a pleasure to share; they made the jobs easier and the time truly flew by.
We did mostly manual jobs that were all done well and always with a smile! Some great suggestions that we ended up using in the drainage project also showed her intelligence.
She will be a great help to any potential
… read more host who is looking for a workawayer who is good to be around but will also help where needed and maybe we’ll see her again oin next years tree house project!
My feedback comes much too late.
I spent some wonderful and interesting days with Lauren and Tony and their alpacas. It was a great experience for me, the alpacas all have their own character and it was great to watch them, feed them, take them to the pasture, even though I sometimes had respect for them. The work also included mucking out the
… read more barn, which was sometimes physically demanding for me but also grounding and relaxing at the same time.
It was impressive to see Lauren and Tony pursuing their dream and not letting the many obstacles stop them. Keep it up.
Both are open-hearted, very lovely and hospitable people, always interested in the other culture - we had nice conservations. Thanks so much for the beautiful memories I take with me and for letting me be part of your family and dream for these days. This is a great place to volunteer, I recommend it to everyone. All the best.
Monika volunteered with us from the 9th to the 18th October and although her time workawaying with us was shorter than what we would usually host (which is a minimum of 2 weeks), she made a significant contribution to the workload, had a great impact on us and our alpacas and we would’ve happily hosted Monika for longer.
Monika was instrumental
… read more to helping me care for the alpacas with their daily routine of feeding, walking, barn cleaning and paddock management. Speaking both Spanish and English, it was great to speak to Monika in both languages where possible and help me (Lauren) to improve my Spanish. Monika was also very keen to help with gardening chores, which included cleaning our very old wall removing all the vegetation and moss that has grown over it during the summer months. Monika also helped collect apples from trees for eating and picked out the mushrooms and acorns from our alpacas paddocks (as these can pose risks to the alpacas health). Monika was not afraid of getting her hands dirty and mucked in as and when she could. Monika is friendly, polite and very well mannered, tidying up after herself. We shared some interesting cultural anecdotes; both in German, English and Spanish so there was always good chatter in the kitchen during meal times.
We would gladly host Monika again if she were to revisit Galicia. We wish you all the best Monika in your future endeavours.
Feito pelo anfitrião para o Workawayer (Tino)
Tino stayed with us for 6 days at the end of September and the first week of October. Although this was the shortest Workaway stay that we have ever hosted at New Horizons, it was by no means the least. Tino was a great addition to our volunteering programme. In the 6 days he was here he worked exceptionally hard helping out with a multitude of
… read more things from day to day care of the alpacas, cleaning out the barns to help weeding in the paddocks. He also spent his penultimate day with us helping me to paint our upstairs landing as the weather was too bad to do any work outdoors. He was not only hardworking, but a great energy to be around and we enjoyed some of the very interesting conversations in the evenings we had with him after dinner. He is very adaptable to any environment, including farming and home improvements. He has a great command of Spanish and we would recommend him for any volunteering opportunities that he puts himself forward for. Thanks for your help Tino and all the best of luck in your future endeavours.
Deixado pelo Workawayer (Tino) para o anfitrião
My stay on the farm with Lauren, Tony, the cat and the alpacas was very very exceptional. I can only use all the English superlatives I know for the time I have been with them. From the very first minute I felt immediately welcomed, included and very comfortable. Lauren and Tony are super lovely and kind-hearted. I enjoyed every moment on the farm
… read more and I'm super grateful for this experience. Not only learned I a lot about alpacas and farming, I also learned many things about life and habits in Galicia and the UK. Unfortunately I had not more time. It was a pleasure. Thank you for hosting me :)
Feito pelo anfitrião para o Workawayer (Sophie)
This was Sophie’s first workaway experience ever and her first solo trip to Spain, and with that in mind, I can truly say that Sophie is an exceptionally courageous young person and enthusiastically diligent. Wow, are we truly honoured she chose our farm to workaway at!
Sophie arrived on the 12th September and stayed 2.5 weeks with us and our
… read more Pacaniños until her departure on the 30th Sept. Sophie is SUPER nice and the first workawayer ever to arrive with souvenirs for us from her native Denmark. Such an immensely kind and generous person. Toms Skildpadder danish chocolates are divine by the way and the kit to make Danish Frikadeller was such a wonderful gift idea…thank you! I thoroughly enjoyed learning how to make these delightful meatballs and will definitely be making these again in the near future. What a superb offering for a cultural culinary exchange!
During her stay Sophie helped with an array of different project tasks, which included so many types of skillset and talent. From assisting me with alpaca duties and care; like preparing breakfast for the alpacas and taking them out to their paddocks to mucking out the barns and disenfectanting, which is the least rewarding of tasks, but Sophie did it so thoroughly and with notable dedication. She was responsible for cleaning bowls and changing waters to even paddock maintenance and preparing hay feeders for the evening feed. Sophie was strategic in supporting me to help administer vitamin drench’s by keeping the alpacas calm and reassured. She had a natural and gentle rapport with our herd, especially with Olaf who took quite the shine to Sophie. He would follow her and actively seek out kisses, which if you know our Olaf will know he is the least affectionate out of our boys, but for Sophie was very tender. Sophie was very confident handling our alpacas and demonstrated a genuine care and affection for them. When Sophie wasn’t helping me with the alpacas she would collect fruit from our trees and bushes and help with cutting back the brambles and thorns. When the weather was not great, Sophie would join in with the indoor DIY tasks, such as priming and painting the downstairs entrance hall along with me and my parents. She works wonderfully as part of a team, a great team player mucking in to get the job complete and works very efficiently and well independently. Sophie also learnt the art of repurposing old furniture by upcycling my side table in the hall and giving it a fresh new look. It seemed like something she truly enjoyed and has a natural talent for, so perhaps a new pastime or hobbie unlocked in this kind of creative craft! It was humbling to see Sophie flourish in all the tasks she turned her hand to, be it creative DIY or alpaca care, she did it with such grace and to the best of her abilities. It was lovely to share this workaway time with Sophie and with my parents staying too, it made it all the more fun and philosophical. Seeing the connection she had with my parents was truly fascinating. Each day really did feel like a little family gathering, which is truly heartwarming and what a laugh we had.
We wish Sophie all the very best in her next workaway adventure and we hope she returns to New Horizons one day. We miss you Sophie and there is only one thing left to say… “all good 👍 , sort of 👉” 😂
Deixado pelo Workawayer (Sophie) para o anfitrião
It has been amazing! I spended two weeks and a half with Lauren and Tony at their alpaca farm and I truly enjoyed and loved every single moment of it!
This was my first workaway experience and also first time traveling solo so of course I was a bit nervous about it but from the very first moment I met Lauren and Tony I felt 100% safe and
… read more comfortable all the time. They were so welcoming and kind and they both really are good people on this earth. Throughout my whole stay at their place, they always made sure that I was good, that I enjoyed my time and that I felt at home.
During my stay I also had the great pleasure of meeting Laurens parents who also are funny, careful and generous people. We had lots of good times and laughs together which I am truly grateful for. It felt like as if I were a part of the family and it was just so amazing.
We had lots of great and interesting conversations whether they were about something funny or literally anything in life which I very much enjoyed. They were all more than happy to tell me about tell me about Spain, England, the cultures and also their personal experiences and understandings in life which I also truly enjoyed and found interesting. In addition to that, I also ended up with getting an insight in both the Galician and british culture which were awesome.
I honestly feel like I have learned so much in such a short time about both cultures, life and of course also about the alpacas!
The alpacas are so loving and funny creatures and it was absolutely wonderful being around them all they. Something I surely learned is that each alpaca certainly got their own unique and affectionate personality. It’s impossible not to love them!
What’s just as amazing is to see how much Lauren and Tony both genuinely love their alpacas and how passionate they are about them. They dedicate a lot of time to making sure that they all are good and healthy and they are more than happy to share all their knowledge about them. Throughout my stay with Lauren and Tony Ive learned so many incredible things about the alpacas. They genuinely are amazing creatures!
Most mornings I would help Lauren with getting the alpacas their breaksfasts ready and making sure they all were good and then getting them out to their paddock.
Day to day care of the alpacas also included checking if there were any toxic plants in the paddocks, chancing the water, and cleaning the barns. Most of the time I would do these things with Lauren and sometimes by myself. Both Lauren and Tony were very helpful and I could always come to them at any time if I needed something. They always made sure that I liked the work and that it was varying. I also helped with picking the apples, blackberries and on rainy days I could stay inside and help with painting. Beyond that, I was so lucky that I got to help with repurposing an old furniture which indeed were interesting - maybe a new hobby of mine!
In short, my time at Lauren and Tonys alpaca farm were absolutely fantastic and I couldn’t come up with anything there could have been better. Im so grateful for all the memories there has now been added to my life. Being able to come back one day would be absolutely great. Thank you and I wish you all the best in the future!
Deixado pelo Workawayer (Maggie) para o anfitrião
Firstly I have to say that this is by far the best workaway experience I’ve ever had. Lauren and Tony are the most welcoming, generous, friendly hosts.
They are everything a workaway host should be, I immediately felt at home with them.
They are very flexible with the work that you do, I wanted to hang around the alpacas as much as I could, so
… read more Lauren made sure my jobs either involved them or being near them! There’s always daily feeding/mucking out to be done, as well as keeping on top of enclosure/outdoor maintenance.
Lauren would always check in on me to make sure I was comfortable and happy with the work I was doing, which was lovely.
Lauren is extremely patient and happy to share her wealth of alpaca knowledge. It’s very clear that both her and Tony love the alpacas very much.
Both Lauren and Tony made sure my days off were spent exploring the many towns/beaches/pools in Galicia. Tony went out of his way to drive us to many different places ,and even indulged my frisbee golf hobby. Hopefully they’re now hooked, and future workawayers can enjoy a round!
Lauren is an amazing cook! She whips up plenty of food for lunch and dinner every day, and is very good about everyone’s different dietary requirements. There’s always plenty of snacks to choose from in between meals.
I cannot recommend this workaway highly enough, I hope to be able to return one day!Feito pelo anfitrião para o Workawayer (Maggie)
Maggie came to workaway at our farm from the 6th-30th July and I can honestly say it was an absolute delight to have her valuable help and wonderful company throughout this period.
Maggie was so great and easy to get along with and quickly picked up the daily chores and alpaca care regime in record time. She would assist with the morning (and
… read more evening!) routine of getting the alpacas fed, sprayed (fly spray) and out of their barns and in to their paddocks. She would change their waters, clean out their feed bowls and then muck out their barns, which included a disenfectant (twice weekly). Maggie excels herself as a workawayer, she would check the paddock (without me asking or instructing to do so) for “nasties” (things that could be harmful to the alpacas). I would often see her picking out the mushrooms that grew overnight, so there was no danger of the pacaniñas eating them. She developed a fondness for our alpacas overtime and it was lovely to see that rapport blossom, especially with Petal and Charlotte.
I also felt very fortunate to share conversations with Maggie regarding veterinary practices and recommendations. She helped me to treat our Cat Mickey and I felt so at ease when Maggie supported me with the husbandry task of toenail clipping the alpacas, which is required every 3 months. She reassured the alpacas, caressing them (rather than full on restrain), which made things far more simpler for me to focus on clipping and managing the task more efficiently. Maggie also helped out with paddock and walkway maintenance, which included using a lawnmower and strimmer. Maggie was always so gracious when it came to lunch and dinnertime and her polite manners made life so much more straightforward for me; always assisted with loading/unloading the dishwasher etc.
We enjoyed playing Harry Potter Scene it and completed 2 online pub quizzes during Maggie's stay, which was great fun! She is quite the quizzer and a reigning champ of disc golf (she thrashed both me and Tony…haha!) if you’re lucky to have Maggie contact you for a workaway opportunity, I implore you seize it as I promise you will not be disappointed. Maggie, we hope you come and stay with us again when you return to do camino! Good luck with everything.
Feito pelo anfitrião para o Workawayer (Xavier)
Xavier joined us after answering our plea for a second workawayer to help out on our alpaca farm throughout the month of May. It was quite a quick turnaround for us from introductory video call with Xavi to pick up, but wow am I glad Xavi agreed to come and stay with us for his workaway experience.
Xavi is quite simply an outstanding human being
… read more with exceptional determination! From the very beginning he immersed himself in to farm and country living here in Galicia and showed a real genuine interest in us and our vision for a new life here with our alpacas. In his first week Xavi was super keen to learn our alpaca farming processes; from nutritional requirements to health monitoring and supervision to biosecurity etc. He was exceptionally thorough at observing and adhering to our ever-evolving practices. Our alpaca were still requiring coats during the cold nights and Xavi would be so kind and courteous to ask if I needed assistance with putting coats on/off, putting on halters and handling in general. We would make a concerted effort to alternate daily chores and duties, so that it didn’t seem so monotonous, but Xavi was utterly brilliant at cracking on with whatever was needed, allowing me invaluable time to catch up on admin, emails and even a global alpaca veterinary conference call! Thank you Xavi, you made it possible.
During his time here Xavi assisted in the build of a shelter in our female paddock, built a brand new gate (from scratch!) for the staircase entry point to our barns. He mowed (the entirety) of the “summer” paddock, so that we can move our male alpacas in there, while the pasture recovers on theirs. He repaired the male alpacas shelter, which got damaged in strong winds. Strimmed both the male and female paddocks (in areas where vegetation had gotten too high). He even turned his hands to skirting alpaca fiber (for wool production) when the weather stopped work outdoors. There isn’t anything this multi-talented individual couldn’t do!
The most memorable and biggest achievement (from my perspective) would be the emptying out and cleaning of the room underneath our hórreo. That day Xavi and I discovered some intriguing finds from antique glass demijohn wine casks to vintage Guy Laroche beauty products - random, yet fascinating. I think Xavi’s thrilling finds was a fire salamander and a slow worm impersonating a snake!
Xavi has a light-hearted, caring nature both with the alpacas and with us! He offered many times to cook and knew how to lift our spirits after a hard day; by cooking pancakes and the most delicious homemade spinach and ricotta lasagne…yum! We also had a very entertaining evening watching (and mocking!) Eurovision. Just one of the many highlights of his stay with us.
We wish you all the very best of luck in your future Workaways Xavier and honoured to have made a new friend. Stay in touch!
Deixado pelo Workawayer (Xavier) para o anfitrião
I spent four weeks at the alpaca farm and I loved it.
Before committing to this Workaway, I had a call with Lauren who gave me all the information I needed and sent me pictures of the farm. This level of transparency and communication was an important factor in my decision to participate in the project, and turned out to be a constant throughout
… read more my stay.
Tony and Lauren went to great lengths to make me feel at home and well taken care of, for example by always making sure I had plenty of tasty vegetarian food available, driving me and the other volunteer (hi Ethan!) on day trips to visit Galicia, providing everything I needed at home, or telling us about local customs. They both make impressive efforts to integrate into Galicia and to maintain good relationships with their neighbors.
I loved witnessing Lauren's enthusiasm about alpaca veterinary knowledge. She knows a lot about her animals and she is always ready to share facts about their diet, social behavior, anatomy... I learned so much and it was fascinating. And when a new engineering or construction problem prompted a discussion with Tony, he would often start by asking me what ideas I had to solve it, and we would develop from there. It might look like nothing but it's actually really solid engineering mentorship practice, because you get the opportunity to come up with solutions yourself instead of just doing what you're told.
I found the house to be very comfortable, clean, and quiet. The farm was clean and well organized. Tools were always where I would expect to find them, which helped a lot to work efficiently. There were many power tools that saved time and energy (I mention that because I've been in other places where all the tools were manual, which can be fun but everything takes longer). It was clear to me which area of the farm was for what, and where I should go to perform a given task. And since potential sources of infections have to be minimized in order to keep alpacas healthy, the facilities were cleaned daily.
Typical work I did was to help feeding the animals in the morning, clean their barns, take them for little walks on their halters (#blessed), mow the grass in the paddocks, or perform some construction tasks. The work time was fair and flexible, and I could choose to do more of the tasks that I enjoyed and less of what I didn't. I deeply appreciated that Lauren and Tony generally had an already thought out process to perform tasks (for example cleaning the barns), which they would explain, but they were always open to new ideas and suggestions. This helped me to be an active part of the farm and to learn not only how to do things but also why.
The animals are fantastic and each one has their own personality. They can be shy, adventurous, goofy, cuddly, mischievous, majestic... I never got bored trying to figure out their behavior and their relationships with each other. Their vocal range is amazing, you'd never guess beforehand that they can make such a variety of sounds. Some of their instincts border on the supernatural -- I'm completely puzzled at how they can perceive so much. They're also super cute, like when they yawn profusely if you wake them up too early, or how even the most timid of them will make a beeline to you if you offer to spray their legs with water on a hot day. Being around them was incredibly enriching and I'm so grateful for that experience.
In short, I had a wonderful time at the farm, learned a lot about alpacas, was very well taken care of, had fun conversations with Tony, Lauren, and Ethan, and left thinking that other Workaway hosts should come incognito to this farm and take notes on how to create a great Workaway. Thank you so much!Só é possível entrar em contato com Workawayers com assinaturas ativas.
Deixado pelo Workawayer (Ethan) para o anfitrião
This experience with Tony and Lauren and their precious alpacas is gold standard! From first contact Lauren was friendly and clearly laid out their situation, transport and accomodations and mutual expectations to ensure there were no surprises.
The alpacas themselves are charming and fascinating animals and Lauren & Tony hold a wealth of
… read more information about their behavioural and psychological quirks. Their unique nature and strong personalities make them a pleasure to interact with and even just watch. Lauren and Tony have the upmost love and care for their alpacas and I’m confident their animals receive best practice. Mickey the cat couldn’t care less about them though, he’s more interested in naps, pats and stealing bread from the kitchen!
The house is an old farm villa with its own quirks and history based in a quiet farming village. The view from most of the farm is nothing but forest, beautiful rolling hills and of course the alpacas. I had a very comfortable private room and shared a bathroom with another workaway.
Lauren was always diligent in making sure there was enough food to fuel us and took special interest in ensuring I had a taste of as much Spanish and Galician cuisine as possible. To list some I tried: Pulpo, tortilla, empanadas, jamón, croquetas, zamburinas, churros and flan de huevo. They even took us to local bars, restaurants and neighbours to show us the full Galician experience!
The actual work was satisfying and relatively diverse. The only routine tasks involved alpaca feeding and barn maintenance however this took 1-2 people only a couple hours each say. Other tasks involved basic shelter construction, alpaca water cooling, lawn mowing/strimming, rain pipe system construction, fire wood chopping and tractor operation. Tony has an arsenal of different tools and enough projects on the go to allow some flexibility in completing projects based on interests and levels of experience and comfort.
Public transport from the property is limited but Lauren and Tony were very keen to show us the surrounding areas. The highlights for me were Praya de Cathedralas, a beautiful beach with amazing rock formations and caves, A Coruña, a stunning beachside city with a famous football team, As Pontes, a coal quarry turned lake and the beautiful historical local towns of Vilalba and Lugo.
In the end, I stayed three weeks and left wishing I had longer. Lauren and Tony are now good friends and I’ll be sure to pass back through to see them and the alpacas again soon! Highly recommend this experience.Feito pelo anfitrião para o Workawayer (Ethan)
We have had the absolute pleasure of Ethan workaway with us this past 3 and a half weeks. Ethan arrived on Sunday 28th April and stayed with us until Thurs 23rd May. He arrived a day after alpaca shearing (which was full on) so we were still caught up in the aftermath of that, but Ethan was superb in settling straight in to alpaca farm life and
… read more keen to learn about Spanish culture, food and traditions.
He was still recovering from a cold that he had from the previous week, but he did not let that deter him from mucking in to help where he could. Ethan showed great enthusiasm with our alpacas, helping with daily alpaca care and maintenance. Furthermore, he was super adept at “strimming” (or weed whacking as it is called in New Zealand!) and trimmed a majority of perimeter fenceline, pathways and stubborn land areas that had simply overgrown. He has also mastered the art of pulling out “lebazas” (dock plant) which can be toxic to alpacas if ingested in quantity. He cleared a large section of our boys paddock of these plants and demonstrated great initiative pulling out another spiky plant that may have caused a foot injury, if it had not been for Ethans discovery.
Ethan was also instrumental in assisting the build of a shelter in our girls paddock, laying and fitting pipes for drainage, supporting the workers with digging and back filling trenches for pipes, removing hardcore rubble from outside the house, paddock and barn cleaning and general farm maintenance. He was also highly responsible when using power tools for chopping wood. He was reliable and thorough with tasks that he undertook and did them with such gusto. He takes pride in his workmanship and made a stunning wall hanging hook stand for our girls halters to hang.
He was always so gracious when it came to trying new Spanish (and in particular Galician) cuisines and even tried ‘Pulpo a Feira’ a traditional Galician dish. During his time here with us Ethan was learning to speak Spanish and we enjoyed teaching Ethan some new Spanish (and Gallego words such as “sta bon”) which he could practice when he visited our neighbours last Sunday for bread and empanada making experience.
On his last day with us Ethan said farewell to our alpacas and 4/5 of our girls gave Ethan a departing kiss. Marmalade sat in front of the door in protest as she did not want him to leave until she had her back massage from him 🤣
We wish Ethan a safe and enjoyable onward journey and hope that one day he may return to see us again at New Horizons.
Feito pelo anfitrião para o Workawayer (Alexandria)
Wow, wow and more WOW!! when it comes to Alexandria and her workaway ethic, personality and morale.
Alex joined us on the 9th April and stayed a little over 3 weeks with us and was our 2nd ever workawayer on our farm. I thought our first workawayer set the bar high, but Alex really did astound us with her enthusiasm, stamina and wonderfully
… read more vivacious personality. From the moment we met I felt a warmth from Alex and knew that she would be a perfect fit for us, our animals and farm needs and requirements.
Alex is highly adaptable, an incredibly fast learner and she showed a genuinely deep interest in us and our “pacaniños” and their daily care management. Alex was instrumental in helping me perform the farm chores from mucking out the barns, to cleaning bowls and water troughs, paddock maintenance to alpaca health care management. This included the morning/evening routines of feeding and getting alpacas in and out of barns/paddocks and more importantly supporting us in the lead up to shearing time. We were fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on how you look at it!) to have 28 degree weather in mid-April however this meant we had to keep our full-fleeced alpacas cool and well hydrated, to avoid heat stress. Alex had fun spraying the pacaniños down in their paddling pools and ensuring they were not overheating. We were also very lucky to have had Alex’s help and assistance during the shearing day, where she showed great initiative and skill supervising the herd and making sure they were well fed, watered, warm and not distressed from their shearing experience. I honestly could not have done shearing day without her tremendous help and keeping me on track with timings.
She coordinated and often organised lunch & dinners, especially on days where the animals needed our extra care, I knew I could depend on Alex. She made super suggestions for efficiencies in the kitchen with making meals for everyone and together I feel we made a fabulous team for cooking up different cuisines and dishes. Recipes I will be sure to utilise again and again! Her vegetable satay curry is DEVINE! She was never shy to help out in the house too, with chores (always helping to clean the kitchen and load the dishwasher).
Alex also had the opportunity to learn about our wool practices and has able to turn her hand to “skirting” the alpaca fibre post-shearing. She did a superb job with this rather tedious job of pulling out any VM (vegetational matter) from the fleece so it can be ready for processing. No matter what Alex was working on she had an unwavering ability to approach it with such optimism and grace.
Of an evening we would retire to the living room and share stories and play games, which was alway great fun! Our house simply doesn’t feel the same since Alex left and I feel privileged to have shared our home and our love of alpacas with Alex, who I know has now caught the love bug for our pacaniños (especially capturing Brauns little heart).
We wish Alex all the very best in her future workaway endeavours and feel honoured to have gained a truly remarkable friend. We are excited to be organising a reunion in June with my girl Texas!! Watch this space…
Deixado pelo Workawayer (Alexandria) para o anfitrião
If you have the ability to come and do a workaway with Lauren and Tony, then seize it! I've spent the last three weeks with them, their nine alpacas, and cat Mickey. The time there has flown, with lots of laughs and learning to fill the days.
The alpacas are not early risers, so you can calmly eat your breakfast, drink coffee, and get ready
… read more before you head out to check on them. The barns need to be cleaned daily as well as giving the alpacaniños their brekky. Once the barns were cleaned and prepped, we would do other tasks, such as weeding or ensuring the paddocks were clean. I was fortunate to have mostly sunny, or at most, cloudy days to work.
I arrived without much knowledge about alpacas and now know so much about them! It's been great to absorb so much information about their diets, needs, and daily life. I got to know them as puffs of fluff with their winter coats and was present the day they were sheared. Before we had to make sure they didn't overheat on those sunny, warm days. Now they look quite different and have to keep checking on them to ensure they are warm during the cooler nights. Lauren and Tony love their alpacaniños and their attention to their wellbeing is admirable. Each alpaca has their own personality and it was a lot of fun getting to know them and their quirks. They are sweet, intelligent animals that keep themselves clean and unlike other animals, their poop really doesn't stink! I'm going to miss hanging out with them.
I also helped Lauren cook, and they were very accommodating to make sure I enjoyed my meals and that I had a vegetarian option available if I desired. We ate a variety of foods and made sure I was full and satisfied. In our spare time, we would sit around and chat, play board games, and did an online pub quiz one night. On days off, we would go on trips to neighboring cities or beaches. I got to see quite a bit of the Lugo area as well as Santiago de Compostela. They are well connected with the local community and I got to meet a number of neighbors during my time there. You definitely get a multi-cultural exchange as I got to deepen my understanding of British and Gallego culture.
If you are lucky enough to visit them, i would recommend you bring slippers or house shoes for colder nights. They provide you with all the tools you will need for the jobs, but make sure you bring appropriate clothing for warm days as well as cold and rainy days since Gallego weather changes quickly and dramatically. Lauren and Tony go out of their way to make sure you feel comfortable and at home, always checking in to make sure you are comfortable with the tasks and taking a break with a cold drink. When it was sunny out and we had a moment in the afternoon, it was lovely to sit in the paddock and admire the landscape with the alpacas.
It was such an honor to work with Lauren and Tony on making their dream become a reality. It's hard work for them and I'm happy I was able to help and try to ease the load. We are already planning on meeting again in June and I look forward to the next time I'm on the farm with them, Braun, Goofy Charlie, Monty, Olaf, Queen Tuppence, Maple, Marmalade, Petal, Charlotte, Baby Alpaca, and Mickey!! Graciñas por todo!!
Feito pelo anfitrião para o Workawayer (Quentin)
Where to begin… Quentin was our first ever Workawayer and I can honestly put my hand on my heart and say this young man (of only 18 years old!) is truly, truly remarkable! I had reservations about opening our home up to a workaway experience, but Quentin has not only proven that I had absolutely nothing to worry about, but has exceeded my
… read more expectations 100 times over. He began his journey with us on the 22nd Feb and the agreement was initially 2 weeks workaway experience with a view to extending, if both parties were happy to do so. We were not only happy that Quentin was able to extend his time with us, but we were tremendously overjoyed that he spent an entire 7 weeks assisting and supporting us with caring for our alpaca and undertaking farm work and chores.
Quentin is exceptionally hardworking and so diligent with every task he put his mind to. He demonstrated initiative, making valuable suggestions for efficiencies in our day to day farm tasks. For example, he made a little rig for our hosepipe, so it could be left unattended to fill up the water troughs while we tended to other duties. He was very adept like this and when weather stopped us from doing projects outside, he would happily turn his hand to other things like chopping wood for our log burner and getting our stove fired up, so our farmhouse was warm when we came in after seeing to the animals. He is incredibly thoughtful like that and way beyond his years in terms of his maturity and positive attitude. He is a great communicator, has a wonderful personality, easy to get on with, enthusiastic and has the most phenomenal rapport with our alpacas. It was truly heartwarming to see Quentin’s development over the weeks with our alpaca. He genuinely shares a love and affection for our “pacaniños” as much as we do. Seeing him softly tend to our youngest alpaca Marmalade was adorable as he would gently massage her back and stroke her fleece and in return she would shower him with kisses. Our animals were comfortable and confident around him and he made them feel special. I know Marmalade was sad to see him leave, as were we. Even on his free days he was kindly making videos and short films of our farm and animals. He is an expert when it comes to audio-visual and a very talented drone operator!
Quentin along with helping out a great deal with our animals also helped with demolition of a barn wall, cementing, bricklaying, preparing posts, clearing land, upkeep of our barns and paddocks and most importantly putting our alpacas health and care at the forefront. He is quite simply an exemplary person and an extraordinary young man; who we now consider to be like family (…my 5th nephew!). He treated us, our animals and our home with the greatest respect and care and we will miss him terribly. He has set the bar phenomenally high and we will always be grateful for his help and will keep the door open for his return (hopefully in the near future). We wish him all the very best with his onward journey and workaway experiences.
Deixado pelo Workawayer (Quentin) para o anfitrião
Incredible, is the first word I would use to describe my stay with Lauren and Tony.
I spent just over a month and a half with them and every day was a learning experience, they taught me so much, whether it was about alpacas, their experience in Galicia or their personal knowledge.
From the moment we met, I could count on their kindness and
… read more attention to make me feel comfortable and at home. Throughout my stay they made sure that I lacked nothing and always paid great attention to my comfort.
I really enjoyed seeing all the love they have for their alpacas, and I learnt that raising them is a lot of time and patience, they want the best for them and make sure they get it.
The work was very different, which is a good thing! Although this one isn't 'easy', you can always count on Lauren and Tony to tell you it's time to take a break and have a refreshment.
Their farmhouse is perfectly situated and offers magnificent views of the mountains and the horizon (when the weather is good).
It's the perfect place to watch the sunset!
Now let's talk about their awesome animals! This is my first experience with alpacas and I couldn't have wished for anything better, between their strange expressions, their extraordinary curiosity and their very different behaviours, I haven't had time to get bored.
We had such a good time talking about them, they're always a source of laughter 😊
And let's not forget Micky, their adorable cat!
The food is varied and, being vegetarian, they've always made sure to find an alternative.
Thank you for the delicious dishes, which I already miss...
I really enjoyed the times we shared after dinner, it was a time to talk about the day but also to exchange anecdotes. We always had good stories to tell!
Lauren and Tony are very open people with who you can talk freely about anything.
Thank you, thank you for your kindness, your attention, your respect and all the happiness that you and the alpacas brought me during my time with you.
All this to say that I've met more than two hosts, I've met 2 friends that I'll never forget.
See you soon :)Só é possível entrar em contato com Workawayers com assinaturas ativas.
Help with our eco farm project in Guimar, Spain
Help me improve my ceramic studio and social medias in El Medano, Tenerife, Spain
Reparamos que o seu perfil tem menos de três fotos. Com o novo modelo dos perfis de anfitriões, recomendamos ter mais do que três fotos para seu perfil se destacar visualmente.
Reserve um tempo para escolher algumas imagens que mostram onde você vive ou a região:
Por favor, entre em sua conta Workawayer para contactar esse anfitrião, ou
inscreva-se aqui!
Help us develop our alpaca farm in our own corner of Galician paradise, Spain
Espanha
Se não reside na União Europeia e estiver planejando visitar a Espanha para voluntariar, trabalhar ou estudar, você precisará do visto adequado. Para obter mais informações, é necessário entrar em contato com a embaixada localizada em seu país, antes de viajar.
Prática de idiomas
Ajuda em projetos ambientais
Jardinagem
Construção/faça você mesmo
Cuidar de animais
Ajuda em fazenda
Manutenção geral
