Sustainable smallholding in East Devon

Devon

8 reviews • Updated 2 months ago

I live with my wife, Ruth, in a very old house near Axminster in east Devon, where we keep sheep, pigs and chickens and let some of our land to a local cattle farmer. We have a large kitchen garden, orchards and coppices. Depending on your definitions, we are either a small farm or a large smallholding. Sustainability is at the heart of all we do, whether on the agricultural side, the gardens, or our energy generation and use. We have a dog and two cats. Throughout the year we look after our livestock, lambing in the spring, shearing in early summer, bringing on table and laying birds, rearing pigs from weaners, and then in the autumn arranging for slaughter and butchery and charcuterie. The hedgerows, coppices, orchards and gardens are managed throughout the year, with lots of activity in the spring and summer, when we typically enjoy the fruits of our labour. We heat the house with a log boiler so I spend about one day a week dealing with firewood in one form or another. We have solar pv and thermal and a large rainwater harvesting system, all of which need periodic maintenance. Cider making in the late autumn. We work a lot in wood from our own woodlands, occasionally have a sawmill on site and build a lot in durable hardwoods using traditional framing techniques. We have a lot of stone walls and structures and typically spend time throughout the year repairing and renewing these using local stone and lime mortars. WWOOFers might be helping us do any of these things, depending on preferences, confidence and experience. There are always things to do in the garden (planting and weeding), maintenance (fencing, walling, hedges), and animal husbandry (feeding, helping with transporting, shearing, and moving between enclosures) and occasionally deer management. WWOOFers with an interest in forestry and woodworking will be particularly well-suited. WWOOFers who have stayed with us recently have looked after our sheep, including bottle-feeding triplet lambs, moving them between enclosures and dagging; helped put up fencing and gates; helped lay out and cut joints for a timber frame structure; butchered a side of beef; cleaned out and prepared poultry houses; erected various garden structures, including welding edging; done a lot of weeding, including clearing nettles, balsam and bamboo; helped move building stone and laid stone steps and copings; split and stored firewood; made faggots from hedge cuttings; and helped finish off a new wildlife pond. We eat together as a family for all meals. We may be joined by our adult children and their friends, as well as our own friends, from time to time. All of our meat is home produced by us or (in the case of beef) our neighbours, and most of our fruit and vegetables (particularly in the summer). WWOOFers will have their own set of rooms (bedroom, bathroom, sitting room) in our house, and would be expected to eat with us. Lunch and evening meals will generally be prepared for you, but you will be expected to prepare your own breakfast (we will provide usual breakfast items, bread, cereal etc.). WWOOFers will be expected to help with washing up, loading/unloading dishwasher etc. During the spring and summer months we frequently cook and eat outside, including pizzas and roasted meats from our large outside bread oven. Wwoofers have also done some cooking and baking and you will be welcome to do the same. I enjoy woodworking, metal working and maintaining our farm and private vehicles using our large workshop facilities. I do most of the cooking. In the summer I sail a very old wooden dinghy out of Lyme Regis. We read a lot (with hundreds of books (fiction, non-fiction and practical) available for WWOOFers to borrow), and enjoy playing games. We are very close to the Jurassic coast which has spectacular walks and sea sports, as well as the countryside nearby (Blackdown Hills).

Learning opportunities

Fruit or nut farming

Poultry farming

Pig farming

Sheep or goat farming

Forestry

Seed saving or production

Meat processing

Beer, cider, wine, or juice making

Bakery

Mechanics / tools / technology

Host type

Self-sufficiency property

12.1 Hectares | 30 Acres

Accommodation

2 WWOOFers

Bedroom

Children not accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Length of stay

1-2 weeks

3-4 weeks

Clive

Member since 2025

Languages spoken: English Response rate: 98% Response time: typically within 1 day

December 2025

Open

Planned visit

Closed

MapLibre | Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Devon

Axminster

Reviews

Maja

Germany • October 2025

A nice and cosy room with bathroom and lovely library, one agile dog, cuddly kittens, curious chickens, sweet sheep and (the best!) two wonderful openminded cheerful hosts with ideas and knowledge. I didn't expect getting the opportunity to try out so many different and interesting things: helping in the garden, welding, butchering, driving the machines, learning a lot about constructing and building, collecting apples and pressing juice for cider, preparing firewood, ...Clive is also an excellent cook. Some afternoons or the weekend I used for exploring the Devon - a beautiful landscape. I had a jolly good time!

Matteo

Belgium • September 2025

We really enjoyed our stay with Clive and Ruth. They are both really friendly and take care of their wwoofers. We stayed for 9 days and the work we had to do was very varied and we were never bored. We fed the sheeps, we split logs, we moved stones and wood. We also worked in the garden (we weeded, planted beans and moved shrubs). Because it was our first Wwoofing experience, some activities were new for us and we learned a lot. Through those days, we ate amazing local meals cooked by Le Chef Clive ! They always wanted to be sure that we were well fed. We felt really part of the family. We played games with them, baked and cooked together and they took us to discover the surrounding area and their friends. If you would like to learn, discover a very beautiful region with fantastic people, we strongly recommend ! Thank you Clive and Ruth for everything !

Chris

United Kingdom • September 2025

I stayed with Clive and Ruth for 2 weeks and I had a great time! I was very well fed, my accommodation was extremely comfortable and private, the hours were reasonable with weekends off. The tasks were varied and Clive was very patient showing/teaching me things I'd not done before, like welding. I was taken out to the local town and the seaside a few times, which was much appreciated. All in all it was a fantastic wwoof experience!

Jillian

United States • August 2025

I had a really great time staying with Clive and Ruth! They are both quite welcoming and hospitable, and they made me feel apart of the family. I got to help out with feeding/moving sheep, pressing apples, plucking a chicken, moving firewood, a bit of gardening, and various other projects. The accommodation is very nice and private, and Clive is a great cook as well. They also took me on several family outings which was so kind of them. Overall would definitely recommend staying with them!

Bastien

France • July 2025

I just stayed with Clive and Ruth for almost two weeks for my first WWOOFing and had an amazing experience. They are both very friendly and very welcoming, and they really wanted me to feel included in the family. During these two weeks I did a lot of diverse things: every morning I was in charge of feeding and counting the sheep (including bottle-feeding two of them), I learned new skills by helping Clive to build steps and walls, I plucked a chicken, helped to collect some wood and little stones in the forest and helped with weeding. At the end of each workday, Clive prepared a delicious meal and always made sure I was well fed. They often took me with them when they went out, like to the pub or for a walk in nature. Clive even took me sailing on his boat, which was a really nice moment. I would recommend doing WWOOFing With Clive and Ruth to anyone who wants to do some in this area.

Jonathan

United Kingdom • June 2025

My recent stay with Clive and Ruth was a joy. They were both very welcoming and inclusive. My accommodation was ideal being private but within the family home. For me the level of work and variety of tasks was spot on. I felt relaxed, valued and appreciated. This was a highly positive first WWOOFing experience. Jonathan