Ballard

ISLAND LIFE IN THE BEAUTIFUL HEBRIDIES, OFF THE WEST COAST OF SCOTLAND.
LEARN ABOUT BEEKEEPING & HAVE AN UNFORGETTABLE, TRULY AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE.

Our place is really happy and friendly, we speak good English, we are used to having travellers visit. I must emphasise that the help we need centres around our new built house with bee keeping involvement an optional extra as not everyone can work with bees. (However, we have found, that once volunteers have a go they really enjoy learning valuable practical skills in the Apiaries) We would also welcome anyone who can help me curate our website and take professional photos for that purpose. There is a lot of incredible scenery, including seascapes. Our Island has Dark Skies Status, therefore is an excellent place for night photography and star-gazing. This is a Hebridean Scottish Island, which is 2.5 hours ferry travel from the port town of Oban. It is 3 hours by train or bus to Glasgow/Edinburgh. We frequently travel to and from mainland Scotland. For anyone staying more than 3 weeks, opportunities for you to travel while staying with us can be accommodated . In addition we are very flexible with our volunteers due to the varying demands of our apiaries, our volunteers have also had opportunities to connect with the wider community This is a quiet and remote place, with a relaxed atmosphere. In summer we have a lot of tourists and regular visitors who come to enjoy the gorgeous clean beaches and quiet island life Please do not use AI to communicate with us, or if you have used AI in the creation of your profile as we want to be able to communicate with you as a person, not a robot! we do not want or need a slick introduction! We are a married couple, Graham & Val, between us we have 4 daughters all in their 20's who visit. we have a rescue dog, 2 cats and 4 hens We are surrounded by the livestock farm which is run by my sister and other family who live nearby We ourselves have apiaries and a very busy beekeeping schedule in summer with breeding and honey production. We breed rare native black bees, supplying & mentoring other similar start-ups. Graham is a Merchant Seaman and I a part-time health worker Our home is a detached new build in a rural area close to beaches for surf and swimming The island has a large Bird nature Reserve which surrounds our place There is a big community centre with a gym, many islanders play sports, swim, run and cycle There is a good hotel with bar/restaurant and a café. Lots of yachts and holiday-makers visit in summer Volunteers will be treated as part of the family but they will have their own space for privacy, rest and recreation We have a fairly relaxed schedule, eating one main meal together around 7 30 pm but volunteers can opt to cook for themselves especially on their days off. We have several tents, kayaks and loads of camping gear to loan out We have good 4g wi-fi