Help on my off-grid land to become self-sufficient in Carlao, Portugal

Informationen

• 

  Beschreibung

  In the summer of 2023 i purchased a small piece of land in the north of Portugal, just outside a village called Franzilhal, in the region of Vila Real, located about 40 minutes to the east of the main city of the region, which is also called Vila Real. I live here on site and am in the process of developing the once abandoned land into a small farm.
  
  My name is George, and I am doing this project by myself, with the help of my dogs and several kind neighbours who have helped me out a lot.
  
  The land is 1 hectare in area and i aspire to develop the land, and live my life, in harmony with other animals and humans. To me, this means i do not use chemicals on the farm and use sustainable methods, and generally live life according to Ahimsa or non-violence.
  i am very much at the early stages and have been clearing the land of brambles, plants ( a lot of broom ) old vines and long grass. i’ve repaired the roof of the old ruin, which i use as a kennel for the dogs to live in. At some point in the future i look forward to getting other animals, such as hens and goats. I know it will be hard work, and the goats will eat everything in sight, but then it will start to feel more like a farm and plus i get to enjoy fresh eggs and cheese : )
  
  im so excited because i am just about to get two kittens from a friend, they are only two months old and soooo cute, im going to pick them up this week : ))
  
  Last month I also planted my first veggies and potatoes here, so i cant wait to start eating the fresh, organic food from my own land, that will be a milestone and a dream come true and is such an important part of living a healthy and happy life.
  
  I’ve had plenty of experience working on farms in India, Portugal and UK, all through workaway so i know what it is like to be a volunteer, which i feel is an important pre-requisite to being a host.
  Currently, i dont work elsewhere, so i’m able to put all my efforts into working on the land and being a poor but very happy Portuguese farmer!
  i aspire to live a simple life in nature, i wash myself in the well and have made a dry compost toilet. I have just finished building a small yurt for me to stay in, which alongside the solar panels feel like living in luxury to me, seeing as i've lived in my van or stayed in people's homes/farmsteads for several years prior to this.
  
  I also have some belongings I brought over from UK, which include music decks and a pool table, plus im looking forward to the euros football championship next month, so get in touch if you want to do some work on the land combined with watching loads of football !
  
  Another important principle is that the farm is not a commercial venture. I will not sell anything i produce on the farm for money, i prefer the concept of ‘gift economy’ or just giving what you can. The local people of the village have been so kind to me in giving me all manner of things for my yurt and land, as well as their knowledge and food that they grow.
  My neighbour Isabel is a prime example of this and gives me food she produces and lends me her tools all the time, which i do my best not to break.
  It is an inner attitude of giving and no expectations of receiving in return, but what happens is that many people end up supporting each other in different ways.
  Its a no-brainer that human beings have always lived like this - with a sense of community, giving and helping each other - and this has to be the way forward for human beings to live together.
  
  I firmly believe it is important to integrate these principles of community living into our hearts and lives. This provides an alternative to the capitalist, consumer society in which most of us have been brought up, which is also sadly congruent with a divided and distant society, which also has far higher levels of inner loneliness, depression, crime etc.

• 

  Arten von Hilfe und Lernmöglichkeiten

  Sprachpraxis

  Hilfe bei Ökoprojekten

  Gartenarbeiten

  Heimwerker- und Bauarbeiten

  Mithilfe auf einem Bauernhof

  Handwerkliche Arbeiten
• 

  UNO-Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung, die dieser Gastgeber verfolgt

  ...

  ...

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Was ist das?
• 

  Kultureller Austausch und Lernmöglichkeiten

  The life and experiences on the farm are far greater than me or any individual; there is so much more to enjoy than just the projects developing the land.
  
  my own life completely changed when i started to work on small organic farms and spend time in nature, and it is a seminal part of my beliefs to give this opportunity to other people too. No matter what your skills, all you need is energy and enthusiasm and Bob’s your uncle !
  
  i went to India with the idea of learning about permaculture / growing my own food, but whilst working on the first farm there, i realised it is not only growing vegetables that i wanted/needed to know about, but the entire way of life, including learning about cooking, making clothes, natural construction, teaching others, sharing, and learning through experiencing anything and everything to do with a sustainable way of life. some of my highlights of India were making a sunhat out of coconut leaves, working in a children's school and getting to know so many wonderful people.
  A wonderful quote which a friend told me at Sadhana forest, a reforestation project in south India, is that farms grow people ( and not that people grow things on farms ), this is so true and is the main reason why i hope people can come and experience life in nature on my farm.

• 

  Arbeit

  Projects i hope to do soon include to build an outdoor shower with hot water from the sun ( luckily we get quite a lot of that here in north Portugal, even in winter ), clear the stream on my land, set up irrigation system, and also clear the rest of the land with a strimmer. After this i can grow stuff; basically, I plan to plant some trees in Autumn, grow as much food as possible and live happily ever after : )

• 

  Sprachen

  Gesprochene Sprachen
  Deutsch: Fließend
  Englisch: Fließend
  Französisch: Gute Kenntnisse
  Portugiesisch: Grundkenntnisse

  Dieser Gastgeber bietet Sprachaustausch an
  I am learning Portuguese at the moment and would enjoy contact in the Portuguese language, i am also willing to help others learn english, indeed i have worked as an english teacher before.
• 

  Unterkunft

  I live and sleep in my yurt, i also have a 5 metre bell tent and a smaller tent, which will be usable from April to October. The tents both have comfortable mattresses and sheets, i ask that guests bring their own sleeping bag, and i have extra blankets if required.
  
  People are of course welcome to bring their own van, tent or other sleeping accommodation.
  
  i eat vegetarian food, and am happy to cook either vegetarian or vegan food for guests. My eating pattern is such that i have got into the pattern of eating fruit in the mornings, and working from around 7am to 10am, then having a big breakfast at around 10am, this usually lasts me until the evening when i have a cooked meal again.
  
  i am of course willing for others to have a different eating pattern to me, we’ll just let it flow and see how it all works out.

• 

  Was noch ...

  My land is situated a few hundred metres from the small village of Franzilhal. There is one cafe in Franzilhal, however, the next village called Carlao has several cafes and a small shop. The nearest towns are Alijo, which is 18km by road or around 10km on the farm tracks, or Vila Real, which is 40km / 40 minutes drive away.
  
  Vila Real is an old and picturesque city, with lots to do for visitors. There is a university and accompanying night life as well as beautiful walks through the old city and along the river. I mainly use the supermarkets in Alijo, and sometimes go to Vila Real for more specialist goods such as farm tools and equipment.
  
  There is one bus a day to and from Alijo, leaving at just after 7am and returning at 5pm. I travel to Alijo or Vila Real once or sometimes twice a week so guests are always welcome to get a lift with me.
  
  Visitors to the region can also enjoy the neolithic paintings called Pala Pinta and a visit to the hot water spa at Sao Lorenzo is a must. The abandoned village of Sao Laorenzo has a Roman spa with warm, eggy water, which is really purifying and healing. i visit regularly to take a bath and enjoy the spa.
  
  There is also a chapel on the highest point of the region, which is called the Senhora da Cunha. This is one of the seven sisters, seven chapels, located at the 7 highest points of the region. I have been for many walks to and around the Senhora da Cunha, its a really beautiful area and is only located a few kilometres from Franzilhal on the farm tracks, further by road.
  
  what else is there to do in the region?
  
  The rio Tua is the name of the river, which flows only 2 km from Franzilhal. It used to be a small winding river until around five years ago, when a large damn was built and the valley was flooded, so there is now a huge river and damn a few kilometres away.
  
  The Parque Natural Regional do Vale do Tua is the organisation promoting tourism in the Tua valley. You can check out lots more information about walks, bird watching and see lots of pictures of the area on their website.
  
  I have a bicycle that visitors can borrow, you need to be pretty fit to use it on the steep roads here, i dont do a lot of biking these days, but its nice to bike to the next village of Carlao in the summer, it’s only 3km away.
  
  There is a very old traditional village called Pinhao, which is considered as one of the most beautiful villages in the world. It is located 25km away and has among the biggest and most celebrated vineyards in the world. Pinhao has an old steam train, known as the historical train.
  
  Also, the N222 road runs from Pinhao to Regua and is widely considered one of the most beautiful regions of Portugal.
  
  The Douro region is a world heritage site as is the Terra Quente and Terra Fria. We are located on the edge of these regions.

• 

  Etwas mehr Information

  • 

    Internet Zugang

  • 

    Eingeschränkter Internet Zugang

  • 

    Wir besitzen Tiere

  • 

    Wir sind Raucher

  • 

    Familien möglich

• 

  Kann Digital Nomads unterbringen

  i have an internet connection via wifi. The best connection is in the yurt, where the router is located. If people want to use the internet to work thats no problem, it's unlimited and has always been a good network connection thus far.

• 

  Platz zum Abstellen von Camper Vans

  there is space to park a car / van / campervan at my place

• 

  Hier sind Haustiere in der Regel willkommen

  i accept people with animals, as long as they can get on with my dogs, who are very friendly then its fine.

• 

  Kapazität - wie viele Workawayer maximal

  mehr als zwei

• 

  Arbeitszeiten

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week