Family farm on an island in lake Vänern - only accessible by boat or hovercraft

Västra Götaland

18 reviews • Updated 2 months ago

We have a small farm on the island Storön in lake Vänern. We have animals (sheep, hens, bunnies, and cats), a kitchengarden, several older buildings that require care and maintenance and some farmland. There is always a lot to do on a farm so we should be able to find something that suits you. Some of the things that has to get done are: Animals - Daily care, food and water - Shearing and trimming hooves etc - New pastures - Cleaning, bedding - Trimming pastures Gardening - Making cultivation beds - Weeding - Watering - Harvesting Buildings - Painting - Replacing gutters - Building new storage/sheds - Renovating dock Other: - Cutting grass - Trimming pastures - Chopping wood - Woodchip - Clear small trees and sly While on the farm you will live and eat together with us . There will be chores that you can perform by yourself and other chores that we will perform together. For the tasks that you do by yourself you can choose if you rather do them in the morning or in the afternoon depending on what you prefer, while the tasks we do will depend on our schedule. We are a family of two adults and two children (5 and 3 years old) and one more on the way (December). We are the only one living on the island all year round. Judit works as an urban planner with climate adaptation while Alexander mostly does the work on the farm and works with tourists in summertime. Storön is a wonderful place with beautiful nature. This is where we feel most at home and live with the seasons. We like to be out working on different projects or going on small trips to explore places close by. The farm is located close to the lake, so after working you can easily go for a swim or a sauna. In winter you can often skate or ski on the lake. It is also close to the forest and there are several walking paths but also a lot of forest. To the east, where the farm is located, you can enjoy the sunrise over Otterbäcken and in the west, where the other houses are located, you can enjoy the sunset over lake Vänern. There is also a lot of wildlife in the forest and a lot of birds. Since the farm is located on an island, you have to be able to appreciate being disconnected and only be able to get ashore whenever there is a boatride. We usually go to the mainland a few times a week so there will be opportunities but they will be limited - but you will most likely want to go out to the island again as soon as you have left it :) But as someone said, "It's easy to live in the city, but hard to be human, while on an island, it's hard to live, but easy to be human." If you want to see more from the farm you can check out: https://storongarden.com/ https://gullspangnasta.se/berattelser/judith-och-alexander/

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Poultry farming

Sheep or goat farming

Raising of other farm animals

Forestry

Meat processing

Vegetable or fruit preservation

Bakery

Mechanics / tools / technology

Host type

Self-sufficiency property

2.9 Hectares | 7.2 Acres

Accommodation

3 WWOOFers

Bedroom

Children not accepted

Pets accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Vegetarian

Vegan

Length of stay

1-2 weeks

3-4 weeks

Over a month

Alexander

Member since 2023

Languages spoken: English, Swedish

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Response rate: 81% Response time: typically within 8 days

MapLibre | Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Västra Götaland

Ankarvägen, Gullspång

Reviews

Hugo

France • December 2025

J'ai effectué un super séjour chez Alexander et Judith : la ferme, seule sur l'île de Storon, est un endroit magnifique, paisible et très proche de la nature. Alexander et Judith se sont montrés très accueillants et sympathiques, et le courant est passé très naturellement. La charge de travail n'était pas très importante : nourrir les animaux et préparer du bois pour l'hiver. J'ai donc vécu beaucoup de moments très sympathiques : partage du repas, sauna, bain nordique, balade dans la forêt et sur les bords du lac... Je n'oublierai pas ce superbe séjour qui a été pour moi très enrichissant : Storon me manque déjà ! Un grand merci à Alexander et Judith pour cette expérience.

Natalie

United States • November 2025

My stay at Storön gården was everything I could have hoped for. Both Alexander and Judit are really kind and welcoming people, making you feel like part of the family. The home itself is beautiful and cozy, with everything you need (and the bonus of the sauna, which I loved using!) The kids are amazing, and even though we didn't speak the same language, I had a great time playing and hanging out with them and will miss them dearly. I came at a time of year when it was essential to start stockpiling more firewood for the winter, so a good amount of my time was spent helping to split and move firewood into the barn. I also helped out with continued renovations on their tiny house and a few tasks around the garden, as well as some general daily tasks, caring for the farm animals. The island is incredibly peaceful and beautiful, especially in the fall when all the trees are changing color. I loved walking to the beach and seeing the other cabins. I truly enjoyed all my conversations with Alexander and Judit and was always happy to help out however I could. They trusted me for a few days to work on my own and watch the house when they had to travel for work, which I did not mind at all. The food was great, I was always well fed, and I knew I could ask them if I ever needed anything. Getting to the island is a bit of a trek, but it is totally worth it. I truly hope I get to visit again one day!

Reply from Alexander

Thank you for everything you did for us! And we hope that your next adventure was everything you hoped for!

Janine

Germany • July 2025

The two weeks we spent on Storön were truly wonderful. My sister and I were welcomed into the family so warmly and openly that it felt like home. We gained many new experiences and had great conversations, whether during various tasks or in our free time. We especially enjoyed helping with gardening and the animals. Fresh produce from the garden was often used in cooking, and we learned how to bake typical Swedish bread. In addition, there were everyday household chores and we were able to organize most of them ourselves and decide when to do what and when to take breaks. Alexander and Judit are lovely hosts and they made sure that we could experience a lot of their life, such as jet skiing, boat trips and enjoying the beautiful nature and tranquility of Storön. We really enjoyed our time on the island and grew very fond of the family, so it was difficult for us to say goodbye to Alexander and Judit and their children. We can highly recommend a stay on Storön to anyone!

Sophie

Germany • March 2025

I was only a week in Storön garden, but I really liked it! Judit and Alexander made me feel very welcome and home and even cared for me when I got really sick for some days. I also instantly fell in love with the two kids and spend time with them outside and reading swedish books (even though I cannot really speak swedish:D). Even though it was such a short stay, I got to experience a self-made swedish sauna with ice bathing, explored the little island and one day we we even went with the hoovercraft (I didn't even know such vehicle exists:D) over the ice to go ice skating - an experience I'll never forget! Thank you so much, I really hope I'll see you and the kids again!

Luzie

Germany • February 2025

I stayed on Storön for almost 4 weeks but the time really flew by. Alexander and Judit took me in during a chaotic time since a waterleak destroyed the guest apartment and everyone had a lot to do. Nevertheless I felt warmly welcomed in their home. They always made sure that I felt comfortable with the work and my stay in general and when I got sick for a day I felt like I was in good hands. My work consisted of taking care of the sheep, chickens and bunny every day and then there were projects like opening up a new haybale for the sheep, covering the garden beds with straw or helping sort the materials from the guest apartment that they were renovating. But apart from that the island is definitely worth seeing, especially when it’s nice weather it’s really beautiful and the sunsets on the other side of the island were stunning. We also baked cinnamon buns (they were DELICIOUS) and I got to try the sauna plus icebathing. During my stay I only went back to mainland twice and the saying is true, once you get of the island you miss it already. Thank you Judit and Alexander! I had a wonderful time and hope one day I’ll get to see the new apartment :)

Luca

Germany • December 2024

A Very Special Place Even though it was my first experience WWOOFing, I decided to go for it and stayed for four weeks. During those four weeks, I truly saw and did everything—from tackling hard projects to enjoying relaxed moments watching the kids or feeding the animals. Everything I did was appreciated, and if I ever felt a limit, I could just communicate it. Are you worried about working on a farm because you can’t even build an IKEA shelf without second-guessing yourself, but still dream of experiencing farm life in Sweden? This is the perfect place for you. After my four weeks, I still can’t read IKEA instructions, but I can now move an entire wooden house attached to a tractor. Thanks a lot Family Ernvik!<3