Smallholding
Essex
We only offer short stays of 4 to 10 days. We prefer wwoofers who have a good conversational level of English and will prioritise those who are interested in Permaculture and self reliance. We would prefer wwoofers who are over 18 years old (sorry), We usually ask our WWOOFers to walk our small dog for half an hour or so in the afternoon.
We are a family of two and a dog (Two grownup children live elsewhere) living by the sea in the east of England, trying to be as self sufficient as possible without being fanatical about it. We structure our garden on organic, Permaculture principles, recycling our rainwater and grey water through a reed bed. Our home uses solar energy and wood for cooking, space and water heating and we generate solar electricity. We grow and eat our own vegetables, fruit, eggs and honey, we don't eat meat but occasionally eat fish. We are creating this ourselves (DIY) mostly from recycled materials.
We have a piece of ancient woodland and some of our time is spent there managing the wood; logging, planting trees and clearing bracken and brambles. We are a Permaculture Land Learning Center so we are keen to have visitors who are interested in Permaculture. We are now the proud owners of an electric car (a Leaf)
We are active supporters of Extinction Rebellion and the Green party and try to build our thinking around fighting climate change and adapting to it. We are becoming more involved in trading networks - swapping logs for labour in the wood and surplus garden produce with others with different surpluses. We are developing a Community Supported Agriculture scheme for wood fuel in the wood. We prefer wwoofers who have a working level of English and will prioritise those who are interested in Permaculture and self reliance. We mostly have one WWOOFer at a time unless they come as a couple.
We are active supporters of Extinction Rebellion and the Green Party and try to build our thinking around fighting climate change and adapting to it.
Organic methods: No-dig, composting, mulching, coppicing, liquid feed, bee-friendly bee keeping, seed saving, chick rearing under our own hens,
Certifications: We grow organically and use no chemical herbicides etc
Internet access available
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Poultry farming
Forestry
Beekeeping
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Bakery
Renewable energy production
Food justice / sovereignty
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
No-till farming
Permaculture
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
Former WWOOFer
0.2
Hectares
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0.5
Acres
Chris
Member since 2009
Languages spoken:
English
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 2 days
Essex
Directions will be provided
Reviews
Wei Jun
United States
•
April 2026
I had a lovely time here. I got to work the compost, rebuild a garden bed, harvest veggies, prepare firewood, and so much more! It was wonderful to see a permaculture and self-sufficiency project in action.
Suhn young
South Korea
•
February 2026
Chris and Rosie's place was so relaxing and lovely! It was my first WWOOFing experience, and I got to explore regenerative living up close — so much more varied than what I'd seen back home.
I absolutely loved the retro furniture and the cozy vibes around the house. Walking Pippin was a highlight too — I loved how he'd always be waiting for me, ready to go every single time.
And the food! The cooking, apple dessert!, banana bread, steamed veges, egg, duck, the bread, the cheese and more — all incredible. Chris lent me his work clothes and Rosie lent me her slippers, which made everything feel so warm and welcoming.
During my stay I got to trim trees, do chipping, arrange food, weeding in the woodland, move trees, and so much more.
Thank you both so much — it was truly a wonderful experience! 🌿
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Thomas
Germany
•
September 2025
If you think you already know everything, I can only recommend a visit to Chris, Rosie and their dog Pippin.
Despite my professional background, I still learned a lot about fruit and vegetable growing.
Rosie's cakes are especially delicious and Chris has always provided me with very good food.
The walks with Pippin were a nice change. Are you afraid of dogs? With Pippin, you'll lose your fear; he's so sweet.
The fact that we were on the same wavelength in our worldview rounded off the stay wonderfully. And I'll certainly adopt some of the sparing use of resources in my everyday life in Germany.
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Agata
Poland
•
August 2025
We spent such wonderful two weeks at [Host]!!! Chris and Rosie are exceptional hosts and human beings, we learnt so much from them. Throughout our whole stay they treated us with great warmth and kindness. We will always cherish the conversations we had over the delicious meals. Besides, you don't wanna miss on Rosie's baked goods - she really is a pro :)) The tasks that we carried out during the week were varied and interesting - for instance they included weeding, picking apples, figs, greengages, mowing, cleaning the veranda. The farm is so beautiful - the variety of different crops that Chris and Rosie have is truly outstanding. Also, their dog, Pippin, is so cute!! Taking him for a walk was one of the highlights of our days. We truly couldn't have hoped for a better WWOOF-ing experience :)))
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Lukas
Sweden
•
July 2025
Chris and Rosie are wonderful hosts. Both are very knowledgeable about many aspects of permaculture, including gardening, preservation, and energy and material reduction. The tasks were varied and will be seasonal, but for us they included pruning trees, weeding, and harvesting fruit (in addition to daily dog walks). The overall workload was quite good, possibly even on the light end, so plenty of time to explore Clacton and other towns around Essex. Many interesting conversations about all kinds of eco-related topics. Overall highly recommended!
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Rajesh
United Kingdom
•
June 2025
I had an incredible first WWOOFing experience with Chris, Rossie, and Pippin. I learned so much about the art of permaculture while enjoying delicious, homemade food and Rosie’s amazing bread. The entire experience was truly inspiring. I deeply appreciate the work they’re doing and the positive impact they're making in their community. I highly recommend spending time with them!
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