Organic smallholding by the sea

Nordland
Organic smallholding by the sea
Organic smallholding by the sea Organic smallholding by the sea
9 reviews Updated 2 years ago
We, a family of 4, have a small farm where we have sheeps, 2 horses of norwegian breed, henses, cats and 10 Alaska Huskies. We also have a big greenhouse and a kitchengarden. We're transmitting our farm into eco-certified now, but we have been practicing ecological principes for ceveral years. We use solarpanels and bio-energy to heat up some buildings at the farm. We do a lot of forrest work, animal care, fencing and so on at our farm. We mostly eat vegetarian, but we sometimes eat fish and if we have voulenteers that eat meat we sometimes serve meat too. We have been hosting voulenteers since 2018, and we have very good experience with hosting voulenteers from all over the world. The voulenteers normally work 5 hours per day, 5 days a week. A normal day could be work from 9 - 13.30, and 30 minutes feeding animals in the evening. This depends on the time of the year and what we're working with. You normally start working the day after your arrival, work for 5 days and then have 2 days off. We will help you to find activities for your days off if you want. If you love nature and hiking, there's a lot to do around here. You can also join us for our activities if you'd like. If you like city-life - our place is not for you since we live far away from the city. You prepare and eat dinner with us in our house, and we provide for bread and toppings for your other meals that you can eat at your place. You have to bake bread yourself, we provide for flour and yeast. There is only one warm meal per day. If you'd like to have several warm meals you can of course buy ingredients yourself and make at your place. As a hobby we have horses for rideing and dogs for dogmushing. If you're interested it's possible to learn about this in your sparetime while staying with us. In winter you will live in a house or a cabin at our farm, togehter with other voulenteers. There is kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms of good standard. In summertime you'll live in a caravan. There is toilets and showers available nearby the caravans.
Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Sheep or goat farming
Raising of other farm animals
Wild foraging
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Traditional crafts
Renewable energy production
Methods or systems
Permaculture
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
Certified organic
100 Hectares | 247.1 Acres
Accommodation
4+ WWOOFers
Bedroom
Camper / RV
Campsite
Cabin / Mobile-home
Children accepted
Pets accepted
Meals
Omnivore
Vegetarian
Vegan
Length of stay
3-4 weeks
Over a month
Anette
Anette
Member since 2023
Languages spoken: English, Norwegian, Spanish
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 99% Response time: typically within 4 days
Nordland
Mosjøen. Take the bus to Leirfjord.
Reviews
Gaspard
Gaspard
France • March 2026
I stayed three and a half weeks on this farm and it was a great experience, Anette is welcoming and will be attentive. The accommodation was spacious and well equipped being three volunteers at that time we were able to have more each a single room. I really enjoyed working with animals, there are horses, sheep, huskies, cats, chickens and rabbits on the farm so if you like animals you are in the right place. :D The location of the farm on a hill offers a superb view of the fjord and the surrounding mountains, it is possible to take several walks offering you superb landscapes, a monumental waterfall is also not far away. The farm being out of the way from everything it will nevertheless be mandatory to take the car to access the nearest bus stop, take into account that if you do not have a vehicle you will have to organize with the hosts for your visits to surrounding cities. A ferry is an hour's walk away and will allow you to visit the city of Nesna. For the work on site you will have to be independent, Anette and André have a lot of work and are often busy. They trust the volunteers and are reachable if you have any questions. Meals are also at changing times from one day to the next, they offer real moments of conviviality with Anette, André and their children ! The house is often lively as they welcome other children from other families but this creates a lively and joyful atmosphere.
Florens
Florens
Germany • February 2026
Well where should I start. It was my first woofing experience and I had a very good time. I've been there for about 7 weeks during December/January, so quite the darkest time of the year. But that made me feel very calm and cozy. I had my own cabin at the beginning, which I really appreciated because it gave me a lot of space and time to arrive and adapt. The tasks were very clear and routine. There was never a 'have to' but a 'want to' what I value a lot. The working times were extremely flexible so you could work longer on one day to work less on another. Sometimes it got a bit chaotic BUT I think that this is totally normal when you have to coordinate a lot of stuff. A little 'chaos' is part of life. What I really want to point out is the hospitality and the support I received. The family was very welcoming and I could go or join for any activity - they helped me out, invited me or drove me somewhere when it was possible. Tusend takk for all the opportunities and experiences!
Maxime
Maxime
France • March 2025
I stayed at Anette’s for about two months and it was great ! The farm is nice, the animals pretty funny and the family is welcoming and energetic. The surroundings are nice, though the farm is a bit isolated. But it’s no big deal as Anette or Andre will gladly drop you in the town nearby if needed, or bring you along if you want to go on a dog sled adventure ! If you need some lovely place in nature to think and breath, come here ;)
Loic
Loic
France • March 2025
I stayed at Sjøbakken for six weeks in winter and it was a very good experience. Anette, André and the kids are very nice. I took care of the dogs in the kennel, the two horses, the sheep, the chickens and the cats. The dogs are Alaskan huskies, perfect sledgedogs. They trained almost every day like sportsmen. They all have their own personalities and are very friendly. I had my work schedule each day and did some carpentry projects such as building a bird feeder. I and other wwoofers stayed in a nice guest house where we felt home with all we needed. We also had the chance to see wonderful northern lights on several occasions. It's really something you have to experience at least once in your life. Moreover the landscapes are amazing with many possibilities for hiking. And if you like fishing, this is a perfect place for it and can find all you need. I recommend a stay at Sjøbakken.
Lea
Lea
Germany • March 2025
I spent four wonderful weeks on the farm in February and I really enjoyed my stay. Winter is a great time to stay if you enjoy a quieter and slower pace of life. But don’t worry, there’s still a lot to do :) After work, you can explore the beautiful snowy landscapes and go for a hike. At night there are some amazing northern lights that will definitely prevent you from going to sleep. If you love animals, especially dogs, you will love it there. The farm is home to 14 really cute Alaskan Huskies. Alongside cats, sheep, and horses, you’ll always find an animal to cuddle with. Exploring places further away can be a bit challenging without a car, but if you enjoy hiking, you’ll have plenty of opportunities, as there are beautiful trails starting right next to the farm. I also went on walks with the dogs and horses as well as trying some cross country ski, which by the way really gets all your muscels working:) The family is very welcoming and makes you feel comfortable from the start as they are just very nice people. The guesthouse we stayed in is very cozy and offers a stunning view over the bay and the surrounding mountains. With the simply amazing nature, cute animals and nice people I would definitely recomend a stay there.
Julie
Julie
Germany • October 2024
My time at the Farm was mixed. The family is nice, the information given is correct and it is safe to go there. The length of work was fair and time flexible. The labor was not too intense. If you have any concerns doing something, you are given something else. The Caravan was adequately private. However, there was a problem with chaotic planning of the host and cleanliness. For example, it was often communicated that dinner will be eaten together, then you wait around for information about it and if you ask, you will find out, that the hosts are not coming home until very late. At work, I had to clean up after the host, as she left nice harvested vegetables lying around, sometimes until it was rotten or half eaten by magpies. Also, the two hosts often asked you to ask the other one about something, if one didn't have time and the other one did not know either. Concerning cleanliness: Cooking in the host kitchen, there was always rotten food lying around, and the fridge had giant rotting stains and smelled bad. Many things you are given are over the exp. date (up to 2016!). The dogs spend most of their time chained to their dog houses. The greenhouse was overgrown, therefore hard to walk through & full of mildew. Tipp for the host: If you take the first day to explain all of the tasks to the volunteer or at least give them a list on the first day, you dont have to keep running out explaining snippets of tasks. Check what is still there before you buy new food.
Anette
Reply from Anette
I'm sorry that you have mixed feelings about your stay. What would have been nice, would be if you told me about any conserns while still staying here, instead of writing about it on the internet after leaving. What bothers me the most, is actually that you write that the dogs were mostly on the chains. The dogs have been training 498 kilometers from august till todays date. As well, the other voulenteer took them in the dogyard 1-2 hours per day. When there's more than 12 degrees it's not good for the dogs to be trained. The fact that you didn't notice that the dogs were trained in the afternoon says a lot about how little interest you showed in the animals and how little interested you seemed in your stay here. You were also very little talkative and showed little initiative, and i tried to be including - but it's difficult to communicate when it feels like there's no interest. Also, about the food, i would always ask you if you needed anything from the shop, and i told you you could take vegetables from the greenhouse or garden, so it's not true that we provided you with old food. Maybe by a mistake there was some old dry-food in the pastry, but then you should really say something. I have more on my heart, but i will leave it at that.