Hill of Balmaghie House

I have been welcoming volunteers into my home for over 10 years.
I have remained in touch with many of them.
Come and stay with me and experience this beautiful part of scotland.
if you are over 25 and have a drivers licence and can drive a manual car, you will be able to borrow my car on your days off
I am looking for someone who is flexible and who wants to help with a country way of life. I would not expect you to do anything I would not do myself but I would expect volunteers to be kind and helpful and do what I asked. Your day would consist of set tasks and of joining in to help me.
It is particularly suitable for animal lovers and a person who likes an outdoor life.

I am looking for help with my house and garden and particularly with my two lovely horses. I have live in a lovely old farmhouse in the most beautiful setting. I am widely travelled and returned to live here 10 years ago. I have dogs, a cat and horses. For the right person there is plenty of opportunity to ride horses, wonderful walks and bike rides. You will have your own room and shower room and will either get your own meals with food I will provide or share meals with me. For the right person who wants to be part of a country life it will be a very special experience.

Top Host
This host receives a lot of worldpackers and has a high average rating.

All experiences

Home and pet help in rural Scotland and enjoy Dumfries and Gallow

Housekeeping Gardening Animal Care

Castle Douglas, United Kingdom

Reviews

4.5
(33 reviews)33

Staff & Host

4.5

Hours & Tasks

5.0

Hostel

4.0

Learning & Fun

4.5

United States

2

I would’ve highly recommended the experience (tasks, place, and family are amazing!), but unfortunately I cannot recommend the host. Susie can be sweet but the day chores + evening tasks and animal care can go overtime. When I tried to coordinate my days off with her, she changed tone abruptly saying I didn’t work hard enough to have ALL of them. I was shocked; she’d never expressed this before and I’d done the tasks she gave each day. She said she’d take away fun activities if I insisted and implied I was ungrateful for them. I felt manipulated, taken advantage of, and left a week early.

2 months ago

Susie replied

Kirsten was a great help especially in mentoring Lisa from Hong Kong who had never experienced country life before. The weekend she was with me was particularly stressful as I had warned both worldpackers it would be. When we had finished a happy family supper Kirsten asked me for a day off and I reacted , wrongly, in a bad tempered way. All other world packers would have understood and we have worked things out together.This was sad and unfortunate for us both.

Costa Rica

4

Susie’s place is beautiful 🌄 The views and nature are amazing. Tasks with animals and garden are easy and enjoyable. Susie is kind and includes you in local dinners. Driving her car while she was away let me explore freely 🚗 I recommend clarifying schedules to balance work and free time. It’s a great place for reflection and independence, though at times I felt more like an employee than a volunteer — clearer task limits would improve the experience.

3 months ago

Colombia

5

Susie welcomed us very warmly! We worked with the dogs and the horses, and also helped with other tasks like painting and mowing the lawn. Susie has everything you might need and really cares about your wellbeing. She gave us lots of benefits and many opportunities to learn. Her family is also very kind.

4 months ago

Italy

5

Second, longer stay at Susie's. I have loved my journey, I totally recommend it, and I'm thankful to her for this opportunity. Despite this, I would like to make some notes: it can happen that Susie is far from the house and you are in charge of everything. During my month there, she was away for ten days: I was safe and had good time, but I couldn't have my days-off since pets need care everyday. Second, you often get to know about her changes of plans on the very last minute and you have to be ok with that. I recommend to get in touch with Emma if you need anything when you're alone.

4 months ago

Austria

5

I had a wonderful time staying with Susie! The work was a mix of helping care for the animals and household tasks. I had lots of opportunities to go riding and could use one of Susie's cars to go on trips in my free time. She also involved me in get-togethers with her friends and family as well as local events. Would recommend to anyone looking to spend time in nature and around dogs and horses!

6 months ago

Perfect for you if you're looking for

Contact with nature

Rural

Contact with animals

Family

Adventure Sports