Comfortable Country Cottage under Northern Lights with Sauna, next to Nature Reserve, 2 cats

About this assignment

Looking for a nature and cat loving person or a couple with a driver's license, for a peaceful winter getaway in the nature, yet not far from the city. The sit period would be 4 weeks in November. We can work out the details together.

What responsibilities are required of the house sitter

Both the house as well as our 2 cats are low maintenance. The cats' food bowls need to be filled twice per day. The house is heated with an electric air pump and needs additional wood stove or oven heating in case of lower temperatures. For this reason it's recommended for the house sitter to feel comfortable and confident with fire making. The house does not need much upkeep outside of normal cleaning (depending on how much snow or ice you may need to clear outside). There are a few house plants to water once a week. One of the cats likes to be outdoors most of the time but come to stay inside when the weather is too cold for her. The other (Piux) stays mostly inside and prefers to hang out close to you. She is super friendly and cuddly. Her mom, former street cat Tessa likes to keep her distance but sometimes would like to head-butt you.

What are the good features of the property and location

We are a peaceful retreat in a quiet village in the heart of Estonia with the waterways, lakes, hiking trails, view towers and bogs of Endla Nature Reserve on our doorstep. The nature reserve is a thrilling place to explore. A unique walkway takes you over the bog pools. There is also a watchtower along the way, from where you can enjoy the view of the surrounding bogs and forests. Warm seasons offer the opportunity of a cooling swim or an ice bath in bog ponds. Lots of opportunities to hike for several kilometres, enjoy inspiring nature walks, forest tracks, the spectacular northern lights, the spaciousness and tranquility, away from the crowds. There's an authentic wood burning sauna for you to use and relax in whenever you feel like it. The fire wood is provided. You can also fire up the kitchen stove in the cottage for added coziness (there's also an electric stove for cooking). The cottage has all the comforts such as running water and shower and WC room with floor heating. Also a smart TV with Netflix and international cable channels (e g History, Discovery, Natural Geographic, TLC, several news channels etc), fast WiFi, sound system, PC, full kitchen, dishwasher, washing machine.

What does the house sitter need to consider before applying for this assignment

We were house sitting through MindMyHouse twice ourselves - on the island of La Gomera in 2013 and on Madeira in 2014 and loved both experiences. Now we have our own little nature retreat where we host guests in the summer months. As the retreat is closed for winter, there will be no guests around while you are house sitting. It will be just you here. The neighbors are very friendly and helpful, but otherwise keep to themselves. There will be a person next door ready to assist in case of any emergencies. You'll have two cars to explore Estonia from this convenient central location. One car is an automatic, the other with manual gearbox. B category driver's license is enough for both. Depending on the weather, there are also bicycles and cross country skis (for shoe sizes 40, 42 and up) for you to use. The closest grocery store is 4 km away, bigger supermarkets and restaurants 13 km away. An online supermarket also makes deliveries to the door (delivery costs 5 eur). Daily buses leave 1,5 km away to closest bigger towns Jõgeva (15 min), Tartu (1 h) and Rakvere (1 h). Closest train stop is 7 km away in Vägeva with direct lines to Tallinn (1,5 h), Tartu (1 h) and Riga via Valga.

Can I bring my own pets?

No, sorry.

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