Smallholding, orchard

Devon
Smallholding, orchard
Smallholding, orchard Smallholding, orchard
69 Updated 2 months ago
Hello, We are an off-grid 14-acre cider farm, that specialises in making cider vinegar. We are set in beautiful countryside, but the property still needs some work! If you are an experienced horse rider you will love it, as you can make the most of this beautiful part of the world on horseback. If you are interested in cider making or orchard management you will also find this ideal.  We presently have an ensuite downstairs room, which is quite cosy and the whole property is heated by wood burners with back boilers, using the wood from our woods, along with a cosy caravan in the orchard. We have parking for camper vans on a short term basis. We enjoy cooking here, so meals are together. Check our reviews! We make cider vinegar and have a small glamping /horsey holiday business here as well as trying to produce our own food and beverages. Jobs vary throughout the seasons but include: Clearing brambles, collecting wood , foraging and helping with the poly tunnels veg patch and flower beds. Helping with the cider vinegar production, which will include apple pressing in the Autumn and pruning the orchard in Winter. Helping with preserving, brewing and cooking. Cleaning (rainy days and music welcomed!) The current main people staying here are myself (Becci), and my partner Mark. Expect to see some of our other previous volunteers and team members making guest appearances. We accept all types of Wwoofers, we don't mind if you are here to improve your English, we certainly would love to improve our foreign language skills. We obviously welcome skilled Wwoofers but it's not essential, the most important thing is a good attitude and work ethic. You must have a love for animals though! Ruby (the dog) Smudge and Olla (the cats) Bob (especially) and Cleo (the horses) are also very sociable and are often after attention. Please have a look at our website to find out more about us! https://www.ostlerscidervinegar.com/ Organic methods: Organic fertilizer, horse manure and manual labour. Certifications: Organic Farmers and Growers Current projects: Currently, we have 8 acres of orchard and a small veg patch and 3 acres of woodland. Internet access available You will need to get to Barnstaple and we can pick you up from there.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Sheep or goat farming
Wild foraging
Flower farming
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Beer, cider, wine, or juice making
Renewable energy production
Food justice / sovereignty
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Host type
Production farm
Certified organic
5.7 Hectares | 14 Acres
Accommodation
4+ WWOOFers
Bedroom
Camper / RV
Cabin / Mobile-home
Children not accepted
Pets accepted
Meals
Omnivore
Vegetarian
Vegan
Length of stay
1-2 weeks
3-4 weeks
Over a month
Rebekah
Rebekah
Member since 2019
Languages spoken: English
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 99% Response time: typically within 4 days
Devon
Barnstaple bus or train station. Bristol or Exeter airport.
Feedback
Andrea
Andrea
United Kingdom • July 2026
I had an amazing time at [Host} .Rebekah was a perfect host .She is very fair minded,kind and also funny ! Plus she cooked vegan food for me and is a great cook .I worked mainly sorting horses fields out (pulling ragwort/poo picking ) but also gardening ,helping out with cider vinegar production and a bit of cleaning .It was varied work and Rebekah is really cool about working hours and keeps you within a five hour daily limit .I can’t really say enough about my great experience ,the calm beautiful surroundings in rural Devon ..The living quarters are a comfortable,simple caravan that has electric .I would highly recommend this to any woofers .Oh and Rebekah actually organised me to be taken out for the day to be driven around north Devon and I got to swim in the lovely Atlantic .It was just the icing on the cake !
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Anne
Anne
Germany • June 2026
If you want to stay in the most beautiful surroundings, in a friendly and inspiring atmosphere, with a delightful collection of happy animals, and a huge variety of tasks to keep you entertained ... this is the place! Thank you Becci, Mark, Mia ..... and Bobby.
Sal
Sal
France • May 2026
This was my first Wwoofing experience and I had a great week with Becci, she is a lovely person with a beautiful soul. I stayed in my van and the other Wwoofer had the caravan (also a very lovely lady!) I couldn't take my eyes off the spectacular view that she had from both her house and the barn atthe top, just stunning 😍 and a great setting for her farm. The 'whole gang' was welcoming and friendly including the animals Smudge, Ola and Ruby -not forgetting Cleo and Bob the horses! We were gratefully entertained, educated and impressed by a lady who came to work on one of the horses one afternoon - such an interesting couple of hours. Jobs were seasonal and included weeding, cleaning, poo-picking and repairing a willow hedge. Becci let me cook a couple of times, which I enjoyed and which seemed to free her up for the many other jobs that keeps her a busy lady. Of course I will be agreeing with the other comments about the food she served as it was truly delicious 😋 😋😋 Thanks Becci! 😊
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Holly
Holly
United Kingdom • May 2026
I had such a fantastic time and want to extend my upmost thank you to Becci. The food was fantastic and I felt so welcomed onto the farm. I learnt about growing vegetables and helped with furniture restoration and some jet washing. Becci was really patient in her teaching. The hours are typical 9am -12pm and one hour for lunch. Then 1-3pm.
Mathilde
Mathilde
France • May 2026
I’ve really enjoyed my stay at [Host] ! Becci was a very kind and accommodating host, the food was delicious and the place is very nice. The tasks were varied (worked in the vegetable garden and polytunnels, in the horse barn, learned to upcycle furniture, …) and not to exhausting. The surroundings are also beautiful and there are plenty of bus to travel around ! Thanks again Becci, Mark, Mia !
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Ilse
Ilse
United States • April 2026
I had the most amazing time at [Host] with Becci, Mia, Mark and the other woofer ! I truly felt welcomed into such a beautiful place with such kind and amazing people. Becci is an outstanding host and a superhero with all that she does running her orchard, home, and businesses. I found this experience to be a nice blend of being in someone's family home and also working on the production/business side of agriculture. My tasks included learning to forage for native plants such as wild garlic and to use them in recipes such as fermenting garlic and making wild garlic pesto. I also helped prepare the area for the horse glampers to stay when that business opens for the season. I learned a lot about the uses of apple cider vinegar and energy efficiency living off the grid, and the local culture. I also helped take care of the chickens and the vegetables in the polytunnel every morning, and helped with bread making, cooking, washing up, etc. Becci made sure our tasks were varied and we were working on something we were interested to learn about, while still making sure we did what needed to be done. Work was typically 9-12 and 1-3 with two days off a week whenever suited us and the weather. So many beautiful local things to explore! It was great being with another lovely woofer and there's lots of interesting visitors. It's especially lovely if you can ride as Becci was kind enough to take me out on trails and in the arena and her horses are truly lovely!!
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