Smallholding
Ayrshire
We are a Scottish couple in our mid 40’s who moved from a large town to our fairly remote 10 acre smallholding in 2019 for a change of lifestyle. It hadn’t been occupied for around 20 years so the house requires some renovation work. Our main focus has been on restoring our land which was mainly covered in rushes (and much of it still is).
So far we’ve established an organic no dig vegetable garden with large polytunnel, we’ve planted an informal hedge around the perimeter, using mainly edible tree and shrub species, we’ve planted hundreds of spring bulbs, and we’ve started an small orchard with the longer term plan of expanding it into a food forest. We’re also managing an area to encouraging wild flowers.
We have an excitable cocker spaniel, three cats, two heritage breed pigs, peafowl, and chickens and ducks who supply us with eggs. All our animals are treated as pets.
There is plenty to do all year round and tasks will vary with the seasons. Tasks include:
* preparing beds, sowing, planting, weeding, harvesting, composting
* baking bread in our bread maker and preserving our harvest
* Mowing, mulching, shredding, and path and fence maintenance
* Tree and bulb planting
* Log splitting
I’ve an interest in permaculture and foraging and while no expert I’m more than happy to pass on the knowledge I’ve built up so far. My husband is a joiner/carpenter so there is an opportunity to learn woodworking skills if desired. We are fairly new to this lifestyle so anything you can teach us would be appreciated.
We are best suited to enthusiastic woofers who are genuinely interested in the smallholder lifestyle, and have the ability to sometimes work on their own as I work full time on the computer at home and my husband’s main project this year is building three holiday cabins. We are unable to host smokers/vapers.
The accommodation is in one of two cosy off grid pods, which have limited electricity generated from solar panels, a wood burning stove, and compost toilet. There is also access to the shower room and living/kitchen area in our house where you’d be welcome to spend your evenings with us. WiFi is available in our house but not in the pods.
We mainly eat healthy, mostly vegetarian, home cooked food. We mainly prefer to eat meals together with cooking and washing up being a joint effort.
We’re looking for WWOOFers to contribute 5 hours a day for 5 days a week plus help with cooking and washing up.
We can only host wwoofers for up to 12 nights. Longer stays may be available for returning wwoofers.
Our small holding is fairly remote so is better suited to those looking for a quieter experience. The nearest village is 5 miles away. However, we are in a beautiful location, perfect for walking, cycling, running, swimming in the nearby lochs, and spending time in nature. We are surrounded by wildlife and with beautiful dark night skies.
We’re happy to involve WWOOFers in activities that we have planned on days off. My husband usually goes swimming at our nearest town a couple of times a week and woofers would be welcome to join him. He also plays the guitar. When suitable, we can drop woofers off at the nearest train station or bus stop and collect.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Wild foraging
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Methods or systems
No-till farming
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
4.1
Hectares
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10
Acres
Lisa
Member since 2023
Languages spoken:
English
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 94%
Response time: typically within 3 days
Ayrshire
Barrhill train station - trains run from Glasgow and Stranraer
Reviews
Toby
United Kingdom
•
April 2026
I really enjoyed my two weeks at Lisa and Colin's place. I got so lucky with the weather so working outside in the garden was a pleasure. The work was varied and Lisa was around if I had any questions. I stayed in one of the pods on their property which was super cosy and equipped with a log burner and compost toilet. Also we were welcome in the main house to use the bathroom, share meals and relax etc. on days off I visited the local towns and got to visit the pub in Denure which was so much fun. Thank you so much for a great experience and would definitely recommend visiting Lisa and Colin!
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Greta
Germany
•
April 2026
My stay with Lisa and Colin was absolutely amazing! They were really welcoming and kind and explained every task well so that I never felt overwhelmed. I can only recommend to stay with them :)
Marie
Germany
•
April 2026
Our 9-days stay at [Host] Farm was really inspiring! The farm is quite remote, but you can easily get to Barrhill by train which is a 15-min drive away. Colin and Lisa are really experienced hosts when it comes to Wwoofers and we felt warmly welcomed. Also Wallace the rascal Cocker Spaniel greeted us happily :))) On the farm there are 9 beautiful peacocks, chicken, ducks, three cats and two really sweet hairy pigs.
The tasks were not too physical and dependent on the weather - which can be quite cold and rainy in March. We helped Lisa with gardening to prepare the beds for spring, mugged out the pig area and planted potatoes. When it rained we helped Colin in the barn with log splitting which was also enjoyable! We slept in a cozy wooden pod close to the house (which is still in progress). Even though it was quite cold at night, it was nice and warm inside the pod with a stove.
We worked 5 hours a day starting from breakfast until the delicious lunch that Colin cooked for us everyday. After dinner we usually had nice talks and a cup of tea together. The afternoons were free and we got 2 days off where Colin drove us to the beautiful coast or to the train station. We really enjoyed our hikes there & our visit to the Pub in Dunure!
Overall we enjoyed our first Wwoofing experience and we wish Colin & Lisa all the best! Hope to see you soon, once the cabins are done ;)))
Cheers Marie & Piet
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Jyoti
United Kingdom
•
March 2026
[Host] farm was such a special experience. During my stay Colin had an emergency (Colin I hope you have recovered well now and the cottages are complete :) ) and was hospitalized. Lisa was handling the farm and her day job and the gazillion animals they have -- Oh how I was impressed with her and still am.
Lisa and Colin both of you have created such a beautiful sanctuary for all your animals and for yourself. My stay with you guys was so rich and fulfilling. Each day spent with you guys cooking, maintaining the veggie patch, wood chopping left me wanting for more of that life. Views from the farm were breathtaking especially when I could see the milky way on most clear nights. My stay in the new pods with wood burning stove, was cherry on top. Days at [Host] farm started around 8.30-9 Am and ended around 4-5 PM. We cooked meals together and baked bread. There was another Wwoofer during my stay there, who had his own pod.
On my day off I hiked around the nearby trail and foraged mushrooms. Would love to return someday.
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T
United Kingdom
•
January 2026
I spent two weeks with Lisa and Collin as my first WWOOF experience, and it was great! The massive reviews they receive are not lies, as they are really friendly and welcoming hosts. Even though Scotland is cold and wet in January, the experience is pleasant as long as you are dressed enough; and the tasks which involved a lot of moving around (such as mucking the animals, cleaning the polytunnel, building the dead hedge) helped keep you warm. Lisa and Collin were great at explaining the tasks, so I didn’t feel like I wasn’t sure what I was doing and they had a lot of very interesting facts and stories to share as well. The food (and tea) they made was also incredible and I can’t thank them enough for the stay.
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Paul
France
•
January 2026
Lisa and Colin are great hosts. I spent a week at their place with another wwoofer. We did various task as taking care of the animals and the garden, doing some construction and cutting some wood. The cooking was delicious and the meals was great moments, sharing about our personal experiences and points of view. The accommodation in small personal pods is very comfortable and cosy. The dog Wallace is very friendly.
I definitely recommend spending some time at Lisa and Colin's to help them in their smallholding.
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