Hobby farm. Horse breed. Horsemanship. Vegitables, herbs, berries. Firewood produktion.
Nordland
Would you like to expirience life on a small farm north of the polar circle?
Our little farm has in total 17 hectar land, mainly forest and moorland, only about 3 hectar hilly meadow/ grassfields. We are logging in the woods, making firewood. For self sufficiency we grow potatos and vegetables and herbs in a small scale kitchen garden. We also grow a variety of berries, have some fruit trees. If the time allows, we pick wild berries, mushrooms and herbs.
Growing vegetables this far north is challenging. Fishing and livestock is a natural and important part of farming and sustainable living due to our climate and soil and fish, seafood, meat, cheese and other milkproducts are a natural part of our nutrition. A vegan diet will not be possible with us. An ovo- lacto- pesco- vegetarian diet may be possible during summer, but during winter it is too difficult for us.
We are minor breader of the very old and rear north norwegian horse bread "nordlands/lyngs horse" which is FAQ listed as extinction threatened. It is very versatile, has a calm and gentle nature and is in size and exteriour similar to the icelandic horse. If there will be an opportunity for volontiers to ride horses is depending on how long you are staying, your riding skills, you choosing to put effort into building a relationship with the horse, our work load atvthe farm and spare time for following up and making sure you are able to safe and kind riding and horse handling. It is off course also depending on the current status of mares/foals and, due to beeing small horses, also your body size. We will unfortunately not have the time to give beginners an opportunity riding horses. Prior expirience with horses is preferable, but not abslutely nessesary to stay with us during the summer. If you would like to join us during the winter though, prior horse expirience is needed and prior riding scills would be preferably.
There is always a lot to do at the farm and the work is physically demanding and the climate can be ( but does absolutely not have to be) challengingly cold, windy and wet. We can provide some items, but in general you need to bring suitable clothing and most important, motivation for outdoor work, also when the weather is unpleasant.
Due to beeing a self sufficiency type of farm and at the time beeing still non profit, we are both having a full time work and doing farming in addition. You need to be able to tasks independantly after beeing tought, to have the ability to entertain yourself and enjoy your free time by your own as well as enjoying teamwork.
We usually only host one wwoof volontier.
Please note, we can unfortunately not host visitors having an allergy to horses, cats or hay, and we can not accept visitors bringing their own pets.
We are my husband 56, me 54 and 3 teens and you will have your room in our family home and share daily life with us.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Sheep or goat farming
Forestry
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Meat processing
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Bakery
Renewable energy production
Methods or systems
Holistic management
Permaculture
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
17
Hectares
|
42
Acres
Elin arneberg
Member since 2020
Languages spoken:
English, German, Norwegian
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
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Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 4 days
Nordland
Reviews
Juliette
Switzerland
•
August 2025
These four weeks in summer 25 with Elin and her family were wonderful! It was my first WWOOFing experience and I was a little bit apprehensive about how it would go, but as soon as I arrived I immediately felt included and listened to. They are really kind, caring and open-minded, and we had a great time together, whether working with the horses or in the garden, sharing meals, or watching movies together:)
I had the opportunity to participate in training horses to be harnessed. It was new to me and very interesting. We also built fences for the horses, painted the stable, picked berries and vegetables and went horseback riding in the forest. I never found the work boring and Elin always made sure I had free time, which allowed me to go on many hikes.
It was very motivating to work with her, especially because she has lots of plans for developing the farm in the future. I was also touched by the bond she and her daughters share with their horses. They really take care of them and make sure they have everything they need and that they can grow and learn in a safe and comfortable environment.
I also had the opportunity to learn more about their culture and try traditional dishes. The fish and seafood were particularly well cooked:)
After these wonderful moments spent with them, I can only highly recommend a stay here!
It was harder than I had imagined to say goodbye.
Tusen takk for denne måneden sammen:)
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Ludivine
Belgium
•
December 2023
I stayed for approximately 2 months at Sjyhaug gård during November and December.
My stay was absolutely incredible.
Elin and her family welcomed me into their home, it is such a lovely, caring, funny family.
I felt at home with them.
My work during the colder times was to make all of the meals, take out the poos, go on walks and care for the horses, make sure they always had water to drink and everything that Elin would plan to do during the day which is very different from day to day ( fix fences, go to the arena,…).
All of the work was always really enjoyable and Elin made sure I was comfortable and that I understood well the work I did.
Elin has a lot of plans for the future of her farm, you won’t get bored there. She is a really impressive person, I learned a lot from her !
The room is really comfortable and the meals are always so good.
Since I left right before Christmas I had the chance to experience all of their family traditions which were amazing, we decorated candles, went to search the Christmas tree in the woods, baked gingerbreads and much more.
It was such a perfect time to go there.
The landscape and the weather made it even better. It is truly beautiful there, feels like a movie. It is a comforting place.
Going to the center of Bødo takes only 20 minutes by bus and they are a lot of different things to see or experience.
I strongly recommend going there, it is a dream place and family.
My mind is filled with amazing memories. ☺️
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Selma
Germany
•
May 2023
I had a really great wwoofing experience at the farm. I want to thank Elin and the family for making me feel so welcome and at home while I was staying there. They are really great hosts and include their guests in their every day lives.
It was my first wwoofing experience and I didn't really know, whether I would enjoy farm work. But I really appreciated working around and with the horses everyday and to help Elin and the family take care of them felt like a really valuable task. Working outside in all weathers with the horses really gave me a glimpse of what farm live could be like.
After four weeks it felt like I had arrived for real and I knew my way around the farm a little, but had to leave. Back at home, I find myself scrolling through my phone and looking at pictures of the farm and the horses, missing them a little. :)
Thanks for the great experience, I would recommend it to fellow wwofers!
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Elisabeth
Germany
•
January 2023
I was able to spend a very enriching and wonderful time on this farm.
From the end of November until Christmas 2022, I was allowed to be part of a family that I did not know until I arrived. But after a lovely introduction, I felt that I was immediately welcomed. The daily tasks structured my day and with increasing experience, I found it easier and faster to complete them. Making the hay was especially fun. :)
Despite the increasing darkness, there was always a bright and relaxed atmosphere within the family and in the home. The work with the horses and handling them got easier after some time and I got to learn the many mannerisms and characteristics.
If there were any questions, I could turn to anyone at any time and therefore there weren’t any problems that were unsolvable.
The welcome was as heartfelt as the goodbye. It was a wonderful time, made even better by the new experiences with nature in Norway‘s winter and the time spent with a family that was foreign to me at first.
Best regards to you all and a big THANK YOU!
Elisabeth
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Karlotta
Germany
•
December 2022
I honestly don't have a single negative thing to say about my stay at the farm, everything was amazing!
Elin and her family are very welcoming and made me feel at home.
During the time of my visit from August until November the kind of work on the farm was really divers, in the late summertime we did a lot of fence building, harvesting of berries and vegetables as well as taking care of the sheep and horses. Later in the autumn my daily job was to prepare hay for the horses and later working on different projects, like building a small horse shelter on one meadow for the winter.
The work never got boring and even when the weather was bad or the work was hard I always enjoyed doing it. The balance between work and free time was great. But since Elin is really considerate and caring and made sure I was okay with everything, most days it didn't even feel like work.
I also learned a lot during my stay, not only did I learn many new skills, Elin shared a lot of her experiences and ideas about sustainability with me.
I got the chance to ride the horses regularly too which was really fun. They treat their horses so well and it's obvious their wellbeing is a top priority.
The family was very open and included me, in the evening we liked to watch the news or movies, talked and had a good time.
The accommodation was good, the food was awesome and I'm glad I got to try some traditional dishes, but their homemade bread and pizza were delicious too.
I can only recommend a stay here!
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Reply from Elin arneberg
Thank you for everything, Karlotta. It has been a joy to have you with us and you have been a really great help and working companion!
Sophia
Germany
•
September 2022
I stayed at Sjyhaug gård for 3 weeks in Aug/Sept and had a wonderful time.
Elin is a very warm and impressive woman and a great host. She and her family make you feel at home and part of the family very quickly. Everyone is very helpful and with each of them you can have interesting conversations and lots of fun.
Elin is usually at work from Monday to Friday. For that time she gave the second wwoofer and me easy tasks like picking berries or painting the barn. Besides that we had a lot of free time to explore Bodø and the beautiful landscape around and near the farm.
In the evenings (after Elin's work at the hospital) and on weekends during the day we worked, which meant taking the horses to and from different pastures, feeding the lambs with milk or moving their fence, harvesting vegetables, building different kinds of fences for the horses or just spending time with them. They are rightly careful with the horses. Riding is only allowed if you have extensive experience.
Elin knows a lot about sustainable living and animals, especially horses - there is a lot to learn from her. It was also a great enrichment to philosophize about life with her while working and benefit from her life experience.
In the evenings, we often together with the family, talked, watched the news or a nice movie. I always enjoyed that very much.
The food (largely vegetarian) was consistently great and that is the final point why I can absolutely recommend a stay with Elin and her family! :)
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Reply from Elin arneberg
Liebe Sophia. Ich habe leider versaumt rechtzeitig ein revue zu schreiben. Was für eine doove Regel! Karlotta ist auf reise, oliver ist in Deutschland und ich habe die letzten tage wieder schwierigkeiten mit dem rücken....
Ich möchte mich aber bei Dir nochmal herzlich bedanken für Deine Hilfe und Hilfbereitschaft, Dein wille anzupacken, Dine gute Laune, Dein freundliches Wesen , Humor und die vielen guten gespräche. Es war uns eine freude Dich kennenzulernen und bei uns zu besich zu haben.
Liebe grüsse von Elin und familie
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