Restoration project, smallholding

Argyll & Bute

46 • Updated 1 month ago

We are founder members of Action West Loch, a local group seeking to restore the loch's marine ecosystems, the rivers feeding it and the land on its coast, which consist of rainforest fragments. We are committed to working with local communities and are growing collaborations with Alliance for Scotland's Rainforest, Forestry and Land Scotland, Roslin Institute and Marine Conservation Society. Since 2016 we have owned a 40 acre ancient coastal temperate rainforest known as "Ferry Wood" and since then have cleared all the large invasive rhododendrons. We have also put up a deer fence to exclude deer the wood and now need help monitoring vegetation changes. So, if you are interested in rainforest restoration, this is the place for you! As of 2022 we have been living in our newly built home, a timber-framed Passiv-house. This has a large bedroom for wwoofers (two double beds). The wood is 3 kilometres away and has a comfortable cabin beside it (which also can hold up to two wwoofers). The cabin and the wood are in a field right by the loch, which includes a wild swimming beach. We have a sailing dinghy, canoe and kayaks and use these to gather seaweed (both for compost and eating) and to fish. We do not aim for total self-sufficiency but grow substantial vegetable crops and both soft and top fruit. Carina is the main gardener now retired from her work as the village G.P. (doctor) and is still closely involved with Tarbert Community Healing Garden at the Health Centre in Tarbert. Ed has now retired from teaching permaculture but is still interested in bioregionalism (bioregioning.com). He sang in a Gaelic choir for many years and is always keen to meet fellow singers. He is also a keen bread maker and wild swimmer. We both do T'ai Chi and Xiang Gong and have a big book collection.

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Fruit or nut farming

Forestry

Wild foraging

Seed saving or production

Vegetable or fruit preservation

Bakery

Green Building

Renewable energy production

Mechanics / tools / technology

Methods or systems

Permaculture

Host type

Self-sufficiency property

Former WWOOFer

17 Hectares | 42 Acres

Accommodation

4+ WWOOFers

Bedroom

Campsite

Cabin / Mobile-home

Children accepted

Pets accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Vegetarian

Vegan

Length of stay

1-2 weeks

3-4 weeks

Over a month

Ed

Member since 2009

Languages spoken: French

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Response rate: 100% Response time: typically within 3 days

Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Argyll & Bute

Buses run from Glasgow 5 times per day - Citylink 926 bus to Campbeltown. Buy a ticket to Tarbert turning circle and we will meet you there.

My past WWOOFers

Miguel

September 2026 • Greater Manchester, United Kingdom

Tegan

September 2026 • Washington, United States

Soraya

August 2026 • Gelderland, Netherlands

Lilly

August 2026 • Berlin, Germany

Bianca

August 2026 • Gelderland, Netherlands

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Feedback

Tegan

United States • September 2026

I am so grateful for my time with Carina and Ed! I stayed with them for two weeks, during which we worked in their permaculture garden (making compost, digging potatoes, sowing cover crop) and rainforest (removing invasive rhododendrons). They both have a wealth of knowledge to share about local ecology, gardening, cooking, Scottish history, and much more. We shared many delicious meals together and had lots of opportunities to talk - I really enjoyed all of our conversations and learned a lot. They are both very welcoming hosts and generously shared their lives with me outside of our work together: by inviting me to attend community volunteer events with them, introducing me to neighbors, and taking me out on an adventure in their boat. Ferry Wood is a beautiful place, and one of the highlights of my stay was exploring the rainforest and the nearby shoreline. This is a great place to visit for anyone interested in ecosystem restoration - Ed and Carina have worked hard to restore the wood and the results are inspiring. Thank you, Ed and Carina!

Katie

United Kingdom • June 2026

I had a wonderful time on my first WWOOFing experience at Carina and Eds. They are absolutely lovely people who are so knowledgeable and live such a sustainable, beautiful life that they so kindly share with those around them. I will always be grateful for this experience, getting to see a beautiful part of the world and how you work both the land and forest, with great company. thank you both.

Jesslyn

United Kingdom • April 2026

We spent a wonderful 4 weeks with Ed & Carina at [Host]and had a truly meaningful and enriching experience. During our stay, we learned a wide range of practical and ecological skills, including loch maintenance, identifying invasive species, understanding lichens, and harvesting edible sea kelp. We also took part in creating seaweed compost, enriched with charcoal, and contributed to various projects such as planting vegetables, building kitchen shelves, constructing concrete pedestals for a fountain as part of water management around the home, and planting willow along a pond to help prevent erosion. Winter was slowing with spring on the way with frog spawn, budding trees & emerging plants. The work was varied & rewarding, balanced with time to enjoy the surrounding natural beauty—woodland walks, canoeing & walking the sea loch labyrinth were all highlights. Ed and Carina are exceptional hosts—warm, generous, and deeply knowledgeable. Their commitment to responsible land stewardship and sustainable living is evident in every aspect of the experience. They provided delicious, healthy meals, often sourced directly from their garden, and created a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere with enjoyable evening conversations. The accommodation was spacious, comfortable, and thoughtfully prepared, with all our needs more than met. We highly recommend [Host] to anyone interested in learning, contributing, and experiencing a genuine connection to land, food, and community.

Camille

France • November 2025

I had a very nice time at Carina&Ed's! It was a wonder to discover this area of Scotland that they are helping to protect. Thanks to them I found out the incredible world of seaweeds among others. They shared their knowledge about gardening, mushrooms, the rainforest...and so much more. Carina helped me to plan my next trips, she has a very good knowledge of the area, buses and ferries (on top of all her other knowledge!!). I was genuinely inspired by how much they are involved and committed to their community. I was lucky to stay in a room in their lovely house. The daily work was quite diversified according to the weather between the wood, the garden by the sea and the garden by their house. I had the chance to enjoy a sauna and wild swim session, it was bliss. Thank you!

Ian

United States • October 2025

My time at [Host] was quite a unique experienced. This was my first international WWOOFing experience. I stayed in the off grid cabin by the wood for about 2 weeks helping Ed and Carina with clearing rhododendron, mulching the garden with seaweed, creating compost piles, repairing fences and all sorts of other things. The work was enjoyable to me and felt productive. The location on the coast of western Scotland was so beautiful, waking up in the cabin each morning to the coastal view was quite a treat. Ed and Carina are wonderful hosts, cooks, gardeners, foragers, and people of the land. Their mission is inspiring and they’re both always glad to talk and teach about what they’re doing. I also gained some valuable culinary insight during my stay. As someone whose diet is largely meat based I adapted without hitch to the delicious vegetarian meals they made. I learned how to ferment kimchi and how to whip up a stir fry in minutes. To me this was both a new way of living and a refreshing example of more options and opportunities for health and wellness. I highly recommend a stay at [Host] for anyone looking to reconnect deeply with wilderness, pursue a more holistic and natural lifestyle and learn more about restoration and permacultural practices.

Jacqui

Australia • September 2025

Our two weeks with Ed and Carina was varied, educational and in a wonderful setting. We came primarily to learn about Atlantic rainforest restoration and left with a good understanding of this, along with practical experience. We were delighted to see a badger regularly, and a red squirrel. Ed and Carina were welcoming hosts and great company. They went out of their way to assist us with planning the next stage of our holiday, so we could observe otters on Mull. As well as rainforest restoration, we helped with their community work (healing garden), the permaculture food garden and food preparation and preserving. The accommodation in their home was very comfortable, and the food was very healthy using seasonal produce from the garden as much as possible. We enjoyed learning some new recipes.