Profile information
Host is looking for help immediately
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
29 Mar 2024
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 2 days
Feedback
82
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Details
Description
Laura and Andrew own a small farm in Central Portugal. We are committed Christians. We aim to become as self-sufficient as possible on our land, producing wood for fuel, vegetables and fruit for food and wine and keeping some livestock for meat and composting waste. We have been here seven years and there is still a lot more we would like to do!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco ProjectsGardeningDIY and building projectsAnimal CareFarmstay helpCreating/ Cooking family mealsHelp around the houseGeneral MaintenanceCultural exchange and learning opportunities
Travelers will learn how agriculture was carried out a generation ago as this part of Portugal is both very rural and relatively poor, so that things have not been modernised as in other places. Local festivals and events have been disrupted by the Covid 19 situation as might be expected, so cultural exchange at present is limited.
Help
The volunteer would help mostly with the goats - milking, moving, feeding, mucking out their stall - and with cooking some meals.
More generally, volunteers are needed to help with all the tasks necessary to maintain the gardens, vegetable plots, animals and the woodland areas. Our goat needs milking twice a day and the milk processed into cheese, yogurt and so on and we are happy to teach volunteers how to do this. We also make a good deal of wine, not only from our grapes but from fruit, pea pods and so on, and we are happy to share our brewing methods. We also can always use help with cleaning the house and we love it when volunteers cook us their favourite meals.Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Portuguese: Intermediate
German: Beginner
French: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
We very much want to become fluent in Portuguese, so any volunteers who want to teach us Portuguese in return for some English language tuition would be extra welcome.Accommodation
We rent out the top part of our house and live in the basement flat. Volunteers generally stay in a caravan which is situated in a pleasant woodland area about 100m from the house. It is also possible for them to sleep in a double bed which is in our storeroom in the house.
Volunteers should expect to help out in some way with either the preparation or clean-up of the meals in addition to their allotted daily tasks elsewhere on the quinta. Breakfast usually consists of toast or muesli, porridge, yogurt or scones. On special occasions we make pancakes! Lunch is our main meal when everyone eats together, and we tend to browse on snacks in the evening.What else ...
Volunteers could take advantage of the many walking and cycle trails in the area. Anyone with an interest in wildlife would be delighted with the range of flora and fauna here. There are river beaches for swimming and relaxation, the highest mountains in the mainland of Portugal, the Serra Estrela, are quite close, and it is not far to visit cities like Coimbra and Viseu which offer much of interest to visitors. Bus and train links between major centres are good and quite cheap.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have a mobile router that volunteers can use when they stay in our caravan, or indeed wherever they take it.
Space for parking camper vans
There is enough space for a large campervan but no electricity or water hookups for it
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (37)
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(4.8)
Cultural exchange:
(4.7)
Communication:
(4.8)
This is one passionate and soulful couple who put so much love into everything they do, and you can definitely feel that through the amazing home-cooked meals (using produce straight from their farm!) you'll have here, the kind and patient… read more
The work was done throught our preference, we took care of the garden (prune, plant and weed), took care of the goats and other animals and did some construction (solar oven)
We could also spend some time playing board games, watching films together or having… read more
Recebi a oportunidade de um novo voluntariado na França, e… read more
We basically just helped in the garden, mostly… read more
First of all, they accepted me immediately when I messaged them, and one day after I was at their house already.
QUINTA is super amazing!! Basically they have everything. there are vegetables, fruits, flowers, chicken, rabbits and goats etc here. It’s… read more
We very much enjoyed our time on the farm and fear that our first workaway has set the bar very high indeed. Thank you for having us. We hope to be able to have you over when you take a well earned break :)
The jobs that I had to do, were all in my areas of interest, which caused that longer helping days still did not feel like real working days.
- The chickens, rabbits, cat and goats need daily care. I milked the goats, cleaned their stable, gave food… and… read more
Thank you so much!
Leo
They also gave… read more
It was wonderful to help and be helped! I wish every success with… read more
I wish Andrew and Laura all the best with ongoing/future… read more