Maintain an indigenous forest in the Serra da Estrela mountains, Guarda, Portugal

Details

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  Description

  We are a retired couple (in our mid 60's) living a somewhat isolated and off-grid existence with some animal companions (6 goats, 4 sheep, 3 chickens, 3 dogs, 2 cats) on a densely forested 10ha plot in the mountains of the Serra da Estrela Nature Reserve in Central Portugal. The land we have chosen to make our home, was abandoned for 40 years prior to our arrival, so is quite wild (although we have been attempting to "groom" it a little!) and supports a youngish oak and chestnut forest (40-year-old trees and younger: the natural forest took over after the land was abandoned). We came here at the end of 2019, after having decided to retreat from the consumerist lifestyle we were experiencing all around us in the UK, where we were living and working before. Our vision is to pursue a more sustainable, peaceful, and self-sufficient way of life, while sharing the experience also with like-minded others.
  
  We are looking for some animal- nature- and peace-loving human companions to share our vision and provide help, for 2 hours per day, with some land maintenance tasks to keep things on track. The property is a bit too big for us to manage on our own.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We invite you to share our own off-grid learning journey, offering you the opportunity to experience some of the joys and frustrations of trying to live in a natural forest, in a more sustainable and non-consumeristic way. We are learning about things as we need to, and are more than happy to receive advice from more experienced others, and/or share the knowledge we have so-far gained about forest maintenance, no-dig gardening, and very basic timber construction. Although you will be spending a substantial amount of time working on projects we have prioritised as being urgent, we'd also welcome a project or idea that you initiate yourself, that we feel we could support. In this way you will have the opportunity both to help shape the way in which this beautiful forest farm evolves and to learn from the experiences you have on the farm. There are many and varied existing tasks to occupy yourselves with, and abundant opportunities to initiate new things. We like the idea of different people bringing new ideas to the place, and we are curious about the possibilities this may afford.
  
  We would like to make clear, that to enjoy your stay with us, you would need to be fairly self-reliant in terms of entertaining yourself. This is because, as a couple, we are fairly reclusive. Neither of us is great at (or even interested in) small talk and time spent at the farmhouse is normally by invitation only.
  
  That said, one of us (Peat) is a self-taught Irish folk musician (Irish bag pipes, whistles, guitar etc) who has largely given up due to neuromuscular issues with one arm. Peat would love to play again but needs encouragement and support from other musicians. It would be a real bonus if you are a musician, and interested in jamming with Peat some nights!
  
  For the more socially minded, there are opportunities to socialise in the village. A small market every 3rd Wednesday of the month enables some interaction with the local villagers and there are 3 bars, where locals hang out. The village is a unique and special place with a very close-knit community that is warmly welcoming to outsiders.
  
  Although we are passionate about the lifestyle we have chosen for ourselves, we appreciate that our somewhat isolated existence, which also entails some pretty hard work on occasion, is not for everyone. If you are looking for some peace and quiet, and an opportunity to work on something quite meaningful (maintaining and caring for an indigenous forest) and perhaps also have your own work or interests to get on with in between times (eg reading, writing, painting, hiking, study, photography, etc), then this could be for you.

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  Help

  Our long-term aim is to create a beautiful edible garden that blends in with our natural forest surroundings. We have made substantial headway with this, but land maintenance tasks keep taking priority... so we are currently looking for a person or persons who can help, for 2 hours a day, with some of the more urgent land maintenance tasks.
  
  Some tasks you could help with include:
  - weeding the vegetable gardens.
  - removing invasive plant species where they have started becoming problematic on the land.
  - using hand tools to clear some bushy undergrowth along parts of the stream.
  - assisting with making or repairing log stairways on paths through the forest
  - assisting with some small construction projects using dead wood collected from the forest. as well as pallet wood and other materials.
  - clearing dead wood from some areas of the forest as the fires of August 2022 left a lot of fallen trees and other debris (most of this is done, but there are still some patches of forest requiring attention).
  - helping construct and place cages around vulnerable chestnut trees to protect them from the goats (who range freely in the forest).
  - preparing stacks of firewood for winter.
  
  One of us, Deborah, is an artist, and needs substantial time on her own to paint, so just about anything that you can do to help ease her many and varied activities on the land, it will always be very much appreciated!
  
  Because we ask for only 2 hours of assistance each day,
  you will have much of the day to yourself, so be sure to come prepared to entertain yourself during your "down time".

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Portuguese: Beginner

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  Accommodation

  You will have the exclusive use of a tiny home (classic Bedford TK horse box/campervan conversion) that sleeps up to three people. It is situated about 200m from the main farmhouse, and has its own a small verandah.
  
  Inside it has a double bed as well as a large sleeping sofa and a wood burning stove (only needed in winter). There is a small kitchen, with cooking and cleaning utensils as well as gas for cooking, provided by us. There is no fridge, but you can use shelf space in the farmhouse fridge, should you need it. There is also a washing machine in the farmhouse, which you are welcome to use.
  
  Outside the Bedford is piped spring water, and a rudimentary solar shower that provides warm water on sunny days. You will have your own composting toilet (dry toilet) and we provide the sawdust you need to operate it.
  
  At the Bedford there is a small solar panel for charging phones and a 4G phone signal is usually available. However, the phone signal can be erratic, especially after rain. It is recommended that you bring your own power bank for phone charging when the solar panel is not generating electricity on overcast days (not usually a problem during summer!). You would also need sufficient data from your phone provider as we do not offer Wi-fi.
  
  Kitchen facilities are provided in the Bedford and the expectation is that Workaway volunteers arrange their own meals and purchase their own supplies on our once-weekly supply trip into town or provide us with a list of things we can purchase on their behalf. That said, when supplies are plentiful, we are more than happy to provide, free of charge, vegetables, fruit and eggs from our own organic gardens and free ranging animals.

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  What else ...

  We primarily offer a peaceful forest environment for people to come and do something a bit different than normal.
  
  The place is somewhat isolated, so you’d have to like the peace and quiet of a fairly solitary (except for us) existence while here, and have your own interests to pursue while here. The area we live in is picturesque, with broadleaf forest, some open spaces, massive granite boulders, mountain streams and pools, and an abundance of granite ruins.
  
  Visible from the house is an array of giant wind turbines which have a beauty and elegance all of their own. We have a lovely reservoir on our land, which can be used for swimming on hot days and there are many exceptional walks through the mountains, one of which includes rock pools (Poco das Pias) big enough to swim in which is 4km from the house. We are close to a section of famous trail known as The Pilgrim's Way, and there are also 2 other hiking trails in the area. One of them (Poco das Pias to Quinta da Taberna) is a circular 10km hike which will take you past the start of the spectacular mondego wooden walkways (the Passadicos da Mondego, a 12 km hike) which run through the steep valleys of the Mondego River, from the pretty village of Videmonte to Caldeira dam. There is a public river beach about 10km away (on the Zezere river in the town of Valhelhas) which is open in Summer and is dog friendly. This beach has a restaurant and bar but there are several other quieter and more private river beaches in the area too. Our tiny village, Famalicão, is about 3km away by foot (a 20-30 minute walk). It has a small grocery shop, 3 bars, 2 bakeries and a pharmacy. The historic and beautiful city of Guarda is 20km away and from Guarda there are bus and rail routes to anywhere else in Portugal. We are also about 20km away from the historic and beautiful town of Belmonte, which has a castle as well as some quirky bars and shops.
  
  If you arrive by bus or train, we are more than happy to collect you in either Guarda or Belmonte when you arrive.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Animals are welcome as long as they are friendly towards our own dogs, cats, chickens and goats, all of which are at liberty on our 10 hectare property.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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