Hobby Farm, Family farm

Central Jutland

20 reviews • Updated 8 months ago

Welcome to Samsø, Denmark’s renewable energy island in the middle of Denmark. We, Irene and Tom, are two of Samsø’s 3700 inhabitants, living on a small farm in the southwest part of the island with fields directly to the sea. Irene has been working as a school teacher and -leader and stopped working 10 years ago and then moved to Samsø. Tom has been living on the island since 2003 and is a musician by profession and has had a career as performer and director in danish children theatre. On the farm we have 10 sheep, 15-20 lambs, two donkeys, 30 chickens and a cat. When Tom bought the place, he turned it into organic farming. The first many years the fields were plain grass, but then ten years ago the first four sheep arrived. We are partly self sufficient from our vegetable garden, fruit trees and animals, and our aim is not to have a production to sell, as we have so many other interests to maintain. We need help to maintain the buildings, gardening, taking care of the animals, stable work, checking fields and fences. Tranebjerg, the island’s capital is 7 kilometers away with shops, cinema, cafés - can be reached by bike or local bus. You can make beautiful walks, take a swim in the sea and enjoy the silence of the island. Certifications: Miljø- og Fødevarestyrelsen Internet access available

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Fruit or nut farming

Poultry farming

Sheep or goat farming

Meat processing

Food justice / sovereignty

Methods or systems

Holistic management

Host type

Self-sufficiency property

Certified organic

5 Hectares | 12.4 Acres

Accommodation

3 WWOOFers

Bedroom

Children not accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Vegetarian

Length of stay

1-2 weeks

3-4 weeks

Over a month

Tom Nagel

Member since 2016

Languages spoken: Danish, English, German, Swedish

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Response rate: 100% Response time: typically within 3 days

MapLibre | Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Central Jutland

Ferry from Jutland: Hou or Aarhus. Ferry from Sealand: Kalundborg

Reviews

Andrea

Germany • August 2025

I have been Wwoofing fort two weeks at Tom and Irene’s farm. During this time I did many varied works. Among other, together with Tom, I repaired fences, fixed and painted some loose planks in one of the sheep stables and fixed one of the food cribs. In their garden, I harvested potatoes and onions, I collected blackberries for jam (which they always produce themselves), and collected the caterpillars off the vegetables. I cleared out the compost and together with Tom laid the ground for the new one. I shredded a lot of wood from cut twigs with a machine. Together with Irene I groomed and fed the donkeys and I also fed the chickens. Tom and Irene explained all works clearly and very well, and so I could support them in a useful way. Working times were from 9-14 o’clock and breakfast was every day from 8-9 o’clock. The free time was from 14.00 to 8.00 o’clock the next day. One day in the week was off. I very much enjoyed the meals with Tom and Irene, which we took all together. The delicious food was mostly from their own garden and organically grown. We talked a lot and Tom and Irene explained many things to me about living a life close to nature and the principles of organic farming. I had an own room which was beautiful and very cozy. I personally liked the time with Tom and Irene very much and I spent an unforgettable time with them. Both of them are very nice, polite and showed great hospitality. Thank you very much for everything!

Reply from Tom Nagel

Thank you very much, Vladik! As I have already written elsewhere it was a great pleasure getting to know you and working together with you! You have extraordinary energy, a creative mind and most of all a wonderful humour! Keep up! Love Tom and Irene

Silke

Germany • May 2025

I was very happy to stay two weeks in May with Tom an Irene. They made every day very valuable for me. I enjoyed planting and weeding in the garden or working with the animals, they really care about. I also loved all the nourishing meals we spent together as much as talking about a lot of things or watching and discussing movies. I also wanted to improve my Danish and Tom an Irene were all the time very patient listening and creative guessing what I wanted to express in Danish. They are both very interested people and take a great afford, to make you feel welcome and to get to know Samsø. Synkefri with its daily chores, its landscape, the animals and Tom, Irene and Maria was a calm yet impressing place for me.

João Paulo

Portugal • April 2025

And the sky so close to us. Immense, over the vastness of the sea. Sunrises and sunsets add even more colour to the long coastline and green meadows. The sound of silence is sometimes interrupted by the chirping of a new bird returning. Synkefri, which I like to call ‘paradise’, takes us to the bleating of lambs, the cat Lillebror who has an addictive sweetness, tidy donkeys, sheep and chickens. Spacious places, where little by little one smile and another appears, where owners and neighbours have become like family here. We find the security of the wonderful Danish culture in the candour of these smiles. Having the opportunity to come to Synkefri is to experience the peace of happy people. I express my gratitude for this privilege to WWOOF Denmark! I am deeply grateful to the lovely couple Tom and Irene, the owners of the farm. They welcomed me with great sensitivity and kindness. The days fly by, and we live with tasks and quality breaks. Excellent music, conversations that cover the whole spectrum of culture from cinema to literature. But there is still another daily journey: the extraordinary Scandinavian flavours that each meal introduces us to. My thanks also go to Maria, a marvellous human being! All the best to you all! All the best to WWOOF Denmark! All the best to WWOOF!

Reply from Tom Nagel

Thank you João for your poetic and sweet review of your stay at Synkefri. We have just said goodbye to our latest wooofer (a german woman from Berlin) who continued your work in the vegetable garden - so now everything is looking great, also thanks to you! We both hope you are fine back in Portugal and will send your thanks to Maria on to her. Best wishes Tom

Kara

United States • August 2024

This was my first time WWOOFing and I am so grateful I was able to stay with Tom and Irene. They are wonderful hosts, provided me with everything I needed, made me feel welcomed and comfortable in their space. I was able to do a good variety of tasks, all of which were enjoyable and I felt confident doing. They showed me around the entire island, we went to a show at the local cinema, and I got to meet some of Irene's good friends which I really loved. I cannot thank them enough for my stay and would love to visit again in the future :)

Gabriela

Colombia • June 2024

I spent three weeks in December and, although it was very cold, it was a wonderful experience that really transformed my worldview and helped me distinguish between work time and leisure time. It's a very good option if it's your first time doing wwoofing. Tom and Irene are very sweet, patient, understanding, and they cook delicious food, so you'll get to try very interesting things. Additionally, they will make you feel very comfortable speaking or asking questions. On the other hand, the farm is very cool and there are different tasks, so I learned many new things, for example, related to woodwork, pruning, and, of course, tasks with the animals like sheep, chickens, chicks, horses, donkeys, and the house cat, which is adorable. I’m truly grateful :)

Alexandre

France • April 2024

Tom and Irène were very lovely and happy to receive woofers and share their knowledge with me. The farm and the accommodation are very nice. Thank you for your hospitality, I hope everything is doing well for you and the lambs !