Family farm

Trøndelag

9 • Updated 7 months ago

We are a young couple with 4 small children living on a farm located on an island called Jøa in the county Nord-Trøndelag. We have sheeps, 2 horses, hens and 2 dogs. Peder Works on the farm, and he also has a boat-building workplace at the farm. Hilde works as a veterinarian beside the farm. Hildes parents lives and works close to the farm (they are making sails for traditional wooden boats). We are looking for someone who wants to stay together with us at our farm, and join the daily work. We have lambing from arpund 15.04-15.05 every year. We are usually expecting around 180-200 lambs. It`s a busy, but very nice time in the year. Worktask for woofers in spring will be assisting during lambing, giving small lambs milk, fencing for the animals and maybe assist making dinner. We offer accommodation in a guesthouse at the farm. The guesthouse has a bath, small kitchen, livingroom and two bedrooms. The farm has been organic since 1980. WIFI available. No smoking on the farm. Send us a message for more information. More pictures can be seen at our website or facebook profile. We are looking forward to hear from you! Certifications: DEBIO Internet access available

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Poultry farming

Sheep or goat farming

Forestry

Flower farming

Meat processing

Bakery

Traditional crafts

Methods or systems

Holistic management

Host type

Production farm

Certified organic

80.9 Hectares | 200 Acres

Accommodation

4+ WWOOFers

Bedroom

Children accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Length of stay

1-2 weeks

3-4 weeks

Hilde Sloot

Member since 2015

Languages spoken: Dutch, English, Norwegian

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Response rate: 100%

Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Trøndelag

Airplane to Værnes (Trondheim) airport or Namsos airport. Buss/Train from Værnes to Namsos. Car/Boat from Namsos to Brakstad.

My past WWOOFers

Alexis

June 2026 • 31 - Haute-Garonne, France

Emmamaja

May 2026 • Central Jutland, Denmark

Gundula

June 2025 • Bayern, Germany

Lisa

January 2024 • Quebec, Canada

Lilibeth

May 2023 • 45 - Loiret, France

Feedback

Alexis

France • August 2026

Thank you so much, Hilde and Peder! We spent three weeks staying with Hilde and Peder with our two-and-a-half-year-old son, and this first experience of woofing was brilliant ! We stayed in their guest house, which was very comfortable. Their four children were absolutely lovely; they even made an effort to speak English with us. We would have preferred to learn a few words of Norwegian before we came so that we could communicate better with the youngest, but even without that he was very kind and played a lot with our son. My wife and I took turns : one of us would work on the farm with Peder whilst the other looked after our son, and whenever possible we’d lend a hand to get involved too. Hilde, Peder and their children really gave us a very warm welcome, including us in their activities and family life, and it was very enjoyable. We were able to go to the swimming pool with them, to the harbour, and we accompanied them to a local race. We even got to attend the children’s end-of-year school concert, which was impressive! As for the work on the farm, it was varied and interesting. Sometimes we worked on our own, and sometimes with Peder. Working hours were respected, as were days off. Communication with them was really smooth. We were able to borrow some bikes from them to cycle round the island (it was magnificent!) and we also went hiking on the island on our days off – it was really lovely. Thank you again, Hilde and Peder, for this wonderful experience :)

Gundula

Germany • August 2025

We stayed with Hilde, Peder and their four children and two grandparents for 10 days in June and had a wonderful woofing experience. The whole family is very openhearted. It was great, that they took us hiking and canoeing and to a small beach by boat. We had interesting talks about their life on the small island. The accommodation in the traditional log cabin is super cosy and the landscape is magnificent. As it never really gets dark at this time of the year, we enjoyed very long days and had plenty of time after dinner to go for a walk on the peninsula next to the farm with lots of free strolling sheep or to the lovely private harbour to watch sunset at midnight! The daily tasks were great: Peder takes care to ensure that the work is varied, not exhausting and does not exceed six hours. So beside the daily routines, like giving milk to the bottle lambs and feeding the chicken, we did different works each day: we cleaned the sheepfold with a high pressure steamer, painted (part of) the barn, took down fences or cleared them from undergrowth, helped in the vegetable garden, walked the dogs. On our last day, Peder had a special surprise for us: With his carpenter skills we build a little wooden hut for the lambs. Most of the time we worked alone while Peder did something else, but there was always time to chat and learn. Dear family, thanks for everything, we'll never forget the happy and fulfilled days we spent with you on Joa!!

Phoebe

United States • May 2019

Our family just completed a three week stay at Brakstad farm with Peder and Hilde from mid-April to early May, and we cannot say enough good things about it! Probably the most important is that Peder and Hilde are very easy-going, maintain a sense of humor and are kind and helpful. We are a couple with an 11 year old daughter who loves to talk, wants to be part of everything, and has a lot of quesitons. They were both very patient with her and with us. Sometimes one of us had to "check out" from work to help her with school. Peder was very flexible with expectations when this occurred. We went during lambing season and that is mostly what we did. We went in the morning to help fill water and silage in the barn and weigh and record new lambs that were born overnight (which Peder had been on hand for). In addition we bottle fed lambs, assisted bottle lambs with adjusting to a feeder, and helped herd moms and lambs in and out when it warmed up. We observed A LOT of lamb births and helped get mothers and newborns into pens and again with the weighing and record keeping. I even got to assist with a very straightforward birth, which was rewarding. If the barn wasn't too busy in the afternoon there were various projects we could assist with. For us this ranged from finishing varnish on boats, to putting up and repairing fences, to mulching trees, and clearing horse manure. There was also walking the dog and collecting eggs. I will say that many projects seemed to require some involvement from Peder to complete. This makes sense but somehow timing was challenging and the lambing very busy so I was wishing there were some more projects that we could just do on our own during free time. We did what we could though and I think we managed to get all the pasture fences ready so animals could be put out. We stayed in the guest house which was perfect. Hilde and Peder have 3 young children which makes the main house vibrant, engaging, busy and loud. As a family, it was nice to retreat sometimes and I'm sure this was good for their family as well. We had some meals on our own and others with the family. Mealtime is a bit hectic so not always possible to have an extended conversation...this is part of having a young family so no big deal. The guesthouse was a nice environment and there was a separate room for our daughter. When we arrived Hilde was gone with the kids to visit Peder's mom right before Easter. Then her extended family came to visit for Easter not long after. It was nice for us to meet people and we were invited to some really fun events. It was also quite busy for all and the kids were occupied with family during their time off of school. This had up and down sides. It was nice to get a quiet start the first few days and it was nice to go on some family outings and see this big extended family (all very nice and interesting to meet). However, it was also hard to know when we might be underfoot and we couldn't really engage with kids or Hilde during that time. Again, this is all totally understandable but it meant that it took longer than it might otherwise for us to engage directly with the family. I would suggest staying a minimum of four weeks and trying to arrive several weeks before any major holiday (or wait until after). This would allow time to get to know eachother and the routine more before any disruption occurs. When we left I was wishing we had one more week. For free time, as others have commented, we were usually invited to participate in planned activities and were also encouraged to go explore the island on our own. In three weeks we never left the island and did not feel the desire to. With the family, we went on a picnic in a horse drawn wagon, went overnight camping on a fjell, went fishing on a big boat and went to kids' swimming at the pool. We also took the dog for lots of walks and explored on our own. In addition, the fencing projects allowed for more exploration. We were introduced to people in the community and were invited to also visit a dairy farm which was super interesting. Hilde's parents are present most days at the farm running their sailmaking business. They are both quite involved with the community and Margaret (Hilde's mom) also invited us to various events and was fun to converse with in English. We went to their pub when it was open during an amazing sunset. I also went to the neighbor's house to see the loom and a project Margaret was working on and chat with the women about politics. We had many lunches with Margaret and Froda. The only other critical feedback I have is that I think the Brakstad Farm Wwoof page could be updated a bit with other pictures and updated info. It is really a beautiful place and the family is quite fun and vibrant but there aren't many pictures reflecting that on the page. Only some pics of sheep and from the top of the fjell. More pictures would allow people to see what the house looks like, what the family looks like, the weather possibilities, etc. I also pictured spending more time at the water fishing or boating during free time. I think this might have been possible but the logistics of making this happen weren't very clear and we felt a bit shy to ask. I guess the take home point is just ask. We are so grateful to Peder and Hilde and extended family for hosting us. Tusen Takk! We really recommend this farm.

Arienne

Netherlands • December 2017

For two month’s I stayed at this amazing farm. It was the first time I travelled alone and the first time on a farm for me. But luckily I found this farm. Hilde and peter are super kind and they have three amazing kids. I did not have any experience with animals, repairing, building fences etc. They explained and showed me everything. If I was not able to do it myself they always helped me. Peter is a really good carpenter who was making the new roof for the old barn. When I helped him on the roof he never got tired of me, he always showed me how I could work better and easier with the instruments we used. Because I didn’t had any experience I wasn’t really fast, it took me a while to learn, but that was never a problem for them and they were always happy with my help. You work six hours a day and in the weekend you are free. In the weekends they always had some really nice things on the planning and they always ask me if I want to join. Every time if they were going somewhere I could come with them. So I went to Namsos with Peter to pick up their own meat, I went to the Christmas market with Hilde and the kids, we went to a performance which was made by the school kids, I played a lot with the kids and in the weekends they often make a fire and during lunch time they have sausages with some fresh baked bread. During my stay on the farm we had to catch the sheeps from the islands. The best experience ever, I will never forget that. Hilde, hilde’s dad, peter, me and the most lovely dogs ever went by boat to the islands. We had to make a couple of trips before we finally catch all the sheeps but the view from the islands is amazing and it is always fun. The last few sheeps we had to catch by hand. It is hard to catch them, sheeps are fast, strong and they can come at places where we can’t come. But luckily Hilde is really good in catching the sheeps. It was always fun to work on the farm. The tasks where different every day and if there was not so much to do you could do whatever you wanted. What I really liked to do was taking the dogs for a walk. Oh what do I miss the dogs! In the morning you start with feeding the animals which will take about one hour, after that you do some smaller tasks which had to be done. For example colleting trees and wood, cleaning the barn, making a fence, take down a fence and put some new silage on the ground for the sheeps. Hilde’s parents live really close to the farm and they always join for lunch. It was a pleasure to meet them. They live in a beautiful boat at the harbor. They showed me how to catch and prepare fish. They invited me and the other to wwoofers for dinner and they always ask me if I wanted to join them for a boat trip. Thank you so so much Hilde and Peter for everything! It was amazing!

Harry

France • October 2017

My wife and I, and our two dogs spent two months at Brakstad Gård. Our time on Jøa was very special. Not only did we get the opportunity to learn a great deal about Norwegian farming practices (Hilde and Peder are exceptional modern farmers), we got the chance to experience life on a small island community, with an active and welcoming population. The work was varied, interesting and rewarding. Farming in a unique environment like Jøa had its challenges, and over the course of a day we used boats, tractors, dogs, bikes and feet to check, herd and tend to the livestock. Transporting sheep via boats after herding them over the beautiful uninhabited islands where they graze, watching eagles soar overhead is certainly an experience that stays with you! Our daily tasks included feeding the animals, walking the dogs, checking on livestock and other small jobs that needed to be done. While we were there we also got the opportunity to be part of some more substantial ongoing projects, like: fencing, repairing the roof on the old barn, the straw and silage harvest and clearing areas of woodland for further grazing. Hilde and Peder didn't expect us to work every hour of the day, it was up to us to dictate the amount of work we felt comfortable doing. The thing that made it very special for us was living with such a lovely family. We really miss sharing wonderful meals at the table with the children; we were welcomed with open arms and both felt a lump in the throat when it was time to leave. Everyone spoke perfect English, and we loved trying to improve our Norwegian. Hilde's parents live and work in Brakstad, they are warm and welcoming people, they took us fishing and even invited us for dinner on their boat and joined us for lunch most days; it was so nice having them around. I could go on forever about the experience, it's something I will cherish for life. We arrived at Brakstad with the intention of staying for two weeks, but ended up staying for two months, that tells you all you need to know! We miss you all dearly and are already dreaming of returning. We hope you can come and stay with us in Britain soon! Harry and Hermione

Eva

Germany • December 2016

My stay in Brakstad Gård was very lovely and interesting. Hilde and Peder welcomed me nicely into their family and never got tired of answering any of my questions. This way, I learned a lot about the life on a farm, their animals and the island. The work I had to do was mostly daily animal care, which is in the morning and in the evening. And then during the day work depended on what was going on, it went from fencing to cutting trees to painting furniture. So I hardly ever got bored by the tasks. And when there is not much to do or I wanted to go hiking that was okay as well. I highly recommend going to Brakstad. It has been a very nice experience for me and I might even wanna go back some day!