House and garden
Cornwall
The renovations of the cob cottage is nearly complete, which has taken 10 years. That has meant we’ve learnt a lot about eco-materials, and are happy to share practical experience.
There is still more to finish downstairs, i.e earth/lime plastering and carpentry.
Also there is plenty to do in the garden, i.e weeding, brambles, pruning, mowing. Some help with finishing the porch on the cabin.
It is situated in the far south west of Cornwall, 2 miles to the beach, 6 miles to the closest big town with train and bus station, on a good bus route and 15 minute walk to the nearest village with local shops, post office and 2 pubs.
The house is situated down a bumpy lane and is away from traffic etc. So it's very peaceful and secluded., with great walks near by.
It is not a working farm, and I have no animals. I don't usually a lot of visitors in one go. Use of a toilet and hot shower in out buildings. Some vegetarian or vegan meal will be provided, Other meals separately.
Sorry unable to provide any insurance so you would need to be covered yourself.
Organic methods: Composting
Certifications: I try to be as organic as possible
Current projects: Lime/earth plastering, painting.
building work on cabin
Beginning a forest garden.
Read more
Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Forestry
Traditional crafts
Green Building
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Holistic management
No-till farming
Permaculture
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
0.4
Hectares
|
1
Acres
Christine
Member since 2016
Languages spoken:
English
Response rate: 78%
Response time: typically within 5 days
December 2025
- Mon
- Tue
- Wed
- Thu
- Fri
- Sat
- Sun
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
Open
Planned visit
Closed
Cornwall
Train or bus to Penzance. I can pick you up from here. Or transport can be arranged from Penzance.
Reviews
Caroline
United Kingdom
•
November 2025
I enjoyed my stay with Christine, my visit was quite late in the year so I helped tidy up the site before winter and also did a bit of work inside painting which was a really great opportunity to gain some new skills. The site is walking distance to a really beautiful bit of coast and also a short bus ride to Penzance, great to spend some time here. Christine is a thoughtful host, she gave me some lifts so I could play some pool and get some extra time at the beach and even invited me to a table tennis group which was awesome, thanks for my stay :)
Read more
Gregoire
Switzerland
•
September 2025
Very quiet location. Various tasks between gardening and manual work. The room in the house was spacious. Christine gives us a degree of autonomy in our activities. Sometimes the information was not very clear. She opened her private domain to us to watch the football final. Very nice. The food was sometimes frugal.
Rachel
United Kingdom
•
March 2025
Had a lovely sunny 2 weeks with Chris in her gorgeous cob cottage. Chris was welcoming and patient explaining how to work with various lime based mixtures we used. Plenty of space for me to park up...although be warned, the lane is very narrow in places. Beautiful area, beaches are stunning and in walking distance.
Willem
Netherlands
•
September 2024
We had a fantastic time spending 10 days at Downs Farm with Christine. We kept busy with garden maintenance, painting and building a cabinet/staircase closet. Christine was a lot of fun to work with, a great cook and not a bad table tennis player ;), we had great meals everyday and learned alot about life around SW England (and jewelry making).
The accommodation and way of daily living was fantastic and something we will be wanting more of, also a great village with fantastic pub music around the corner from her property.. we will be back!!
Read more
Judith
Switzerland
•
August 2023
We spent 2 weeks in southern England this summer and 8 days of it at Downs farm. How lucky we were with Christine. We had a really, really good time. Our tasks consisted of helping Chris maintain her large garden, trimming hedges, shredding garden debris, weeding beds, extending the roof of a shelter that had already been started, putting in a wall, treating the wood with wood preservative, an interior wall to paint in an extension of the pretty cottage and to clad another inner wall and prepare it for insulation. In the end we were even able to install three windows and in the whole time we were able to learn a lot. Christine selected, assigned and always prepared all work according to our strengths and preferences. She is a very competent contact person regarding gardening and permaculture and also construction work. Every morning she agreed with us which daily goals we wanted to achieve. And every day we were able to practice conversation during the work meetings, the coffee and tea breaks and the meal together on her beautiful seat and learned a lot about England, the region, current political challenges and also sightseeing. Christine is a great, focused, committed power woman with a lot of life experience, a wonderful sense of humor and a very interesting conversation partner. We would like to come again!
Read more
Matthias
Switzerland
•
July 2022
Chris spared no effort to make our stay as comfortable as possible. A great cabin with its own kitchenette, expanded into accommodation for the five of us, and a varied work, adapted to the weather conditions and each individual's capabilities. It’s amazing what Chris achieved on Downs farm and we loved the time working at that place.
