Profile information
Host rating
80 %
Feedback
8
Email verified
Badges (2)
Details
Description
Hello everyone!
We are Upe and Marieke, both artists who fell in love with this old priory. At the moment we are 3 people, one semi-permanent guest/volunteer Chantal and a funny cat, a dog and five chickens.
Our native language is Dutch, but we can also welcome you in French, German, Spanish and English.
We are working on a major project for the renovation of a beautiful old mansion and its 9 outbuildings in Lithaire, Montsenelle, La Manche, Normandie, France.
The whole site is actually more a hamlet, set on 6 acre meadows with its own pond. It's located in two counties really, Varenguebec and Montsenelle, it's huge. We have two mayors. :))
We have a variety of jobs to offer including clearing the garden (which has not been well managed for years), assisting with internal and external renovations of the buildings, helping to build stone walls, plastering, bricklaying, installing underfloor heating, there is plenty to do!
We ask volunteers to stay with us for a minimum of two weeks. We are especially looking for skilled workers who have experience with bricolage and other construction works.
There's a fine bakery 1km away and the town of La Haye du Puits is 5 km away with many facilities such as bars and restaurants and shops. The endless beaches are 15 km away with lovely historical villages such as Port-Bail, Sainte Mere-Eglise and Barneville-Carteret. On the many capes around the coast you can hike for days. In summer there are many flea markets and (Jazz) festivals.
Usually we eat together, in the afternoon a hot meal. We like to cook for you, but we also like it when you surprise us with your own specialties. We grow our own fruit and start growing our own vegetables.
Although we are in rural France there is a good mix of culture and activities to meet and interact with the locals or other travellers.
We love meeting people and inviting others to enjoy this corner of France that we have decided to call home.
For those who do not have transport, we are happy to take you by car to the nearby beaches, towns or public transport for trips to Bayeux or Caen or Le Mont Saint Michel.
For more impressions of our project- ask us for our links
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
- Restoration projects
- Gardening
- Permaculture
- DIY and bricolage projects
We offer an versatile and ambitious plan in which we can use (a lot of) specialist (technical) construction supervision. Experience with renovation and masonry is super welcome.
The regenerative way of farming, learning and making use of nature and its circular processes really appeals to us and a permaculture setup would fit in well with the structure and our plans, so experience and knowledge are very welcome there too!
If you enjoy cutting down trees and branches with a brushcutter and pulling weeds there's plenty of work to do too.
Knowledge of food forests, permaculture and the like are most welcome.
Help
Help needed:
- DIY bricolage
- plastering
- bricklaying (with old stones)
- gardening
- cooking
We could really use the help of people with experience in plastering and restoration.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
German: Intermediate
Spanish: Intermediate
French: Intermediate
Accommodation
- four bedrooms in the house
- two toilets, for the moment one bathroom but soon it will be two
- unlimited wi-fi
- bicycles available
- car transport if needed
- train station close by
- outdoor with camper/caravan or tent
What else ...
Activities and interesting places nearby:
• The site of Mont Castre is nearby: ancient stony carrier has remnants from neolithic, gallo-roman et medieval periods.
• Hikes & Walks along Cape Carteret and La Hague with possibility of paragliding
• A variety of beautiful and endless beaches along the coastline of La Manche from Avranches to Cherbourg
• Lovely city of Bayeux, rich in culture and of course the famous Musée de la Tapisserie
• The lovely historic capital of Contention Coutances with the Notre-Dame Cathedral an example of Norman Gothic art.
• The Jazz sous les pommiers festival takes place every year in Coutances in the heart of the Cotentin
• The lovely city of Caen rich in culture
• Hikes & Walks in Le Mont-Saint-Michel
• Musée D-Day Omaha Beach, Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
People who want to work online and use our internet can do so in the common living room. We have Wi-fi, fiber has not yet been installed on the property. Last summer, several people worked online, despite the fact that it is not a super-fast connection, there were regular zoom meetings that could take place without any problems.
Space for parking camper vans
The site certainly offers enough space for campervans. In the courtyard, which is flat, there's room for at least 3 or 4. In the fields is enough space for (many) tents.
Can possibly accept pets
We have a cat of our own, her name is Charlie, usually she goes along fine with all the dogs staying with us.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (4)
Martina is open-minded, good fun and always sociable with… read more
I shared my time there with another workawayer with whom I restored an ancient pathway in a learning-by-doing process. Starting a project from zero and being able to complete it has been a truly rewarding experience for me. As for Marieke and Upe, they are quite… read more
Emily is a sweet girl, open minded and very social, always with a good laugh.
Colin is a good teammate, nice to have around and very reliable and eager to do a good job.
They both worked on the restoration of an old staircase, always with a… read more
Flora was a lovely guest, easy going and with a good sense of humor. She was a little timid at first, but that passed very quickly, we had a lot of interesting talks.
She was determined to do her job well and was very precise in what she… read more
As my first workaway experience I couldn't wish for a better staying.
They are very easy-going, flexible and friendly people. I felt immediately at ease.
Marieke is an enthusiastic person, she has always a smile on her face, I laughed a lot especially when "we got lost".
Upe is a multi-tasking… read more
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
Martina is open-minded, good fun and always sociable with… read more
I shared my time there with another workawayer with whom I restored an ancient pathway in a learning-by-doing process. Starting a project from zero and being able to complete it has been a truly rewarding experience for me. As for Marieke and Upe, they are quite… read more
Emily is a sweet girl, open minded and very social, always with a good laugh.
Colin is a good teammate, nice to have around and very reliable and eager to do a good job.
They both worked on the restoration of an old staircase, always with a… read more
Flora was a lovely guest, easy going and with a good sense of humor. She was a little timid at first, but that passed very quickly, we had a lot of interesting talks.
She was determined to do her job well and was very precise in what she… read more
As my first workaway experience I couldn't wish for a better staying.
They are very easy-going, flexible and friendly people. I felt immediately at ease.
Marieke is an enthusiastic person, she has always a smile on her face, I laughed a lot especially when "we got lost".
Upe is a multi-tasking… read more
