Become part of an agroforestry project while enjoying surf and nature in Vilar de Mouros, Portugal

Informationen

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  Beschreibung

  Dear community,
  
  We’re a young couple who chose a path rooted in simplicity, practical skills, sustainability, and building something real with our own hands. In the quiet hills of northern Portugal, we’re transforming an old place from the ground up using natural building techniques, permaculture systems, and collaborative work. Our vision is to create a circular living environment.
  
  Here we focus on:
  
  - Natural building with clay, wood & stone
  - Permaculture & food forest design
  - Collective living & creative exchange
  - Surf & flow with nature
  
  Whether you’re experienced in diy-skills, curious about building with clay, or looking for a surf‑friendly project with meaning, you’ll find something valuable here.
  
  Before you take your time, to dive deeper into our profile, please do a self-check:
  
  IS THIS THE RIGHT PLACE FOR YOU?
  
  You’ll probably feel at home here if you:
  
  - Have a real interest in homesteading, growing food, caring for animals, and rural life.
  - Enjoy making things happen and find satisfaction in practical tasks and visible results.
  - Are considering a similar lifestyle yourself and want to experience its everyday routines, responsibilities, and challenges.
  - Already have some experience with physical tasks, relevant skills (carpentry, natural building, agroforestry, landscaping) countryside living, and being around animals.
  - Are reliable, independent, and comfortable asking questions when you are unsure.
  - Enjoy sharing a home while also being able to organise your own free time.
  
  This exchange is unlikely to suit you if you:
  
  - Mainly want a holiday, with helping being something you do only to access free accommodation.
  - Are primarily looking for an alternative to a hostel because of your travel budget.
  - Have no previous experience or limitations prohibiting you from enjoying physical outdoor tasks, rural living, or animals.
  - Need frequent entertainment, close supervision, or someone else to organise your day.
  - Prefer a predictable environment without mud, insects, animal noise, or changing weather.
  
  We value maturity, self-awareness, and practical experience. Please tell us honestly what you have done before, what attracts you to this lifestyle, and what you hope to learn here.
  
  More info on events, availabilities, and ongoing projects below ⬇️

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  Arten von Hilfe und Lernmöglichkeiten

  Hilfe bei Ökoprojekten

  Leichte Gartenarbeit

  Kreative Heimwerkerprojekte

  Betreuung von Tieren

  Mithilfe auf einem Bauernhof

  Hausarbeiten
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  Interessengebiete

  

  Architektur

  

  Vegetarier / Veganer

  

  Nachhaltigkeit

  

  Haustiere

  

  Farmarbeit

  

  Gärtnern

  

  Musik

  

  Zeichnen & Malen

  

  Gartenarbeiten

  

  Heimwerken & DIY

  

  Kochen & Backen

  

  Tischlerarbeiten

  

  Tiere

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Wassersport

  

  Segeln / Boote

  

  Outdoor-Aktivitäten

  

  Natur

  

  Gebirge

  

  Wandern

  

  Fitness

  

  Tanzen

  

  Camping

  

  Erlebnissportarten
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  UNO-Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung, die dieser Gastgeber verfolgt

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  Was ist das?
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  Kultureller Austausch und Lernmöglichkeiten

  As a Workawayer with us, you'll be part of a hands-on environment where learning, creativity, and cultural exchange is available upon you initiative. You can gain practical experience in natural building techniques, permaculture gardening, sourdough baking, fermenting, and vegetarian / vegan cooking with organic ingredients.
  
  During the week, Emma works at her desk job in sustainability. Jannis is working on the project full days. This being said, many tasks he and the non volunteers / construction workers onsite are doing, might not be related to your volunteering experience. You’ll have a good mix of guided tasks you can explore independently / together with the other workawayer present. On weekends, we come together for our “big do-time”, working as a team on ongoing projects.
  
  We love sharing our journey: from following a classic career-oriented path to choosing a more minimalist and sustainable lifestyle, using what we have and what we know to build something meaningful. If you're curious, we’re happy to share knowledge in areas like natural building, permaculture design, yoga, and surfing. We also welcome you into our daily life, from local events and regional trips to casual evenings.
  
  What you take from your time here depends not only on the projects happening during your stay but also on your own curiosity and proactivity. There's always something to learn for those who are open, present, and ready to get involved.
  
  OUR DAILY SCHEDULE
  07.30 - 08.00 Community Task
  08.00 - 12.00 morning session
  after: Community Lunch / off time
  19.00 dinner, is usually prepared in rotation and not a default community dinner to give flexibility for privacy needs.
  
  Our helping schedule can vary depending on the weather and the type of tasks at hand. The workaway exchange covers 4 hours of help per day, not including your participation in daily household chores (community tasks: preparation of meals, cleaning the shared spaces), which we all share as part of living together. You'll have 2 days off during the week, usually either Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday.

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  Arbeit

  GENERAL AVAILABILITY
  Winter time: longer stays for people that are happy to give a hand in household, help with the animals and if you bring prior formal training, also wood construction tasks (this is not part of the workaway exchange). Winter is our hibernation mode. You have to be comfortable with a quiet and independent lifestyle.
  
  We prefer stays of 1 to 3 months, and invite people who enjoy living closely with others and becoming part of a temporary co-living. If you bring special skills, that reduce your kickoff time on the projects, we are also open for shorter stays.
  
  PROJECT AREAS
  
  NATURAL-BUIDLING
  We're currently building with wood, straw, and clay. Experience in related crafts is very welcome. Those with formal training in a relevant craftsmanship can request to participate, outside of the workaway agreement including a compensation. If you do not have any formal training you can engage in assisting and learning techniques that do not require power-tool use, such as rammed earth, straw insulation, clay-brick making.
  
  PERMACULTURE
  We’re developing a 1000 m² homestead agroforest with edible trees, berries, and medicinal plants. The design is still unfolding. There’s always work to do: from weeding and grass cutting to planting and experimenting. If you are a trained Permaculture Designer, we’d love to hear from you! 👋🏻 End of August / September we help our neighbors in the vilage with the wine harvest.
  
  CARE & HOUSEHOLD SUPPORT
  This is your slot, if you want to contribute but don't bring in specific skills: We always appreciate people who love caring for animals, the home, and the people around them.
  
  ARRIVAL INFO
  Please try to avoid arriving on weekends. We use the weekend to get you settled in, introduce you to the space and rhythms, and make sure you feel at home before diving into the week.
  
  Important:
  Please do not bring your own animals - we already share our home with quite a few 😊

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  Gesprochene Sprachen

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

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  Unterkunft

  YOUR ACCOMODATION
  Summer: We have spacious "glamping" tents (3x3m - 4x4 m in size), equipped with real beds and high enough to stand in.
  Autumn/winter: You'll have a bed in the mezzanine of the big house.
  
  SANITATION
  We have a shared bathroom with a shower inside the house and a beautiful composting toilet outdoors.
  
  WATER
  We have well and are connected to the tap water (not drinkable). There is a river with water from the mountains next to the property. We collect drinking water from nearby natural springs.
  
  ELECTRICITY & WIFI
  Provided + super speedy glass fibre internet. It's the best.
  
  NUTRITION
  We provide all meals als part of the workaway exchange. We are living mostly vegan and sugar reduced - so will be our food. We are still developing the habits around it, and it’s very difficult if we’re continuously surrounded by other types of food. Therefore, if you need sweets to survive, I’d ask you to keep these things out of the “main” areas - otherwise the munchies are hitting and we’ll go back to spooning Nutella 😂
  
  LAUNDRY
  There will is a washing machine available for use and a communal washing line, Using the washing mashine is not covered by your workaway exchange, Cost is 1,5 EUR per wash (including organic washing liquid). You can also share this with other guests.You can also buy your own organic laundry detergent and do a hand wash.

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  Was noch ...

  SURFING, MOUNTAINS & MOVEMENT
  
  The property is located:
  
  15 minutes by car from excellent surf spots
  directly by a clear river stream, connected to one of the purest estuaries in europe
  close to hiking and mountain biking areas
  
  If you don’t have a car, be prepared to cycle, walk, or uber. We provide bicycles you can borrow. The next town and beach are reachable in 30 minutes by bicycle. The closest train station is Seixas (30–40 min walking). You’ll find trains to all beaches and bigger cities.
  
  We also offer, not as part of the workaway exchange:
  
  Surfboards & wetsuits for beginners & experts, rental 15€/day
  Blow up canoe rental to paddle along the coura river, which starts directly by the house, or from any location of your wish, 50€/day
  For the experienced, we have fishing equipment to rent
  
  Initially we didn’t take any money for sharing our equipment, but beginners luck and wear & tear includes that repairs and replacements are needed, hence we decided to take financial contributions. These are not negotiable and not part of the workaway exchange.
  
  TRAVEL INSTRUCTIONS
  Big sorry beforehand: We don't pick-up workawayers from train stations. Most of the time, your arrival times are somewhat within our working hours and with the flow of workawayers in and out of this house, we can’t handle it. But there are ways to get here even without our help, and many have done it before you ;)
  
  > Generally, Seixas is the clostes train station. If you don't find trains to Seixas, try Caminha.
  > Take the Autna Bus from Porto Airport to Vila Nova de Cerveira. Take a train from Vila Nova de Cerveira to Seixas.
  > Take the train from Porto to Seixas.
  > A taxi / uber from Caminha or Seixas to Vilar de Mouros should be around 5 - 15 €.
  
  Trains and Buses in Portugal are super cheap - so don't hesitate to try them out.
  
  THINGS YOU SHOULD BRING (SUMMER EDITION - June - September)
  - A mosquito net to throw over your bed
  - Working gloves (we have some you can use, but some people prefer their own)
  - A hat
  - Mandatory: Biodegradable Sunscreen (mineral based), 100% Biodegradable toothpaste and soap (our water directly flows out watering our plants. If you don't find suitable products, you can buy homemade soap and shampoo (each 5€) and toothpaste from us.)
  - Yoga mat and games if you like :)
  
  THINGS YOU SHOULD BRING (WINTER EDITION - October- March)
  Same as in summer, and:
  - A warm hat, warm socks, and warm clothes in general. It gets really chilly during the night and in the mornings.
  
  HOUSE RULES
  Some practical basics that help the place function:
  
  no smoking or drinking on the property without exceptions
  no smoking outdoors in summer outside concrete areas (fire risk)
  no touch, no talk no eye contact with our dogs whenever you meet them, unless advised other by us. This is generelly the approach you should treat any dog you don't know. We keeo a strict training protocol with our dogs and if we have dozens of people coming over the year, that don't play along it doesn't work.
  respect chickens and animals. We have free ranging chicken & geese. They are friendly. Behave calm and friendly around any animal you encounter. When you are stressed, they are stressed.
  do not remove natural materials from land
  remove shoes indoors
  If you break something due to incompetence or maltreatment, replace, repair asap
  If you move something, put it back
  no use of power-tools without formal training
  clean tools after use
  return tools properly
  sharpen tools before working
  attend morning meetings
  attend weekly community meetings
  only use organic hygiene products
  Don't pull a weed out or take a plant unless you know what it is and have been asked to do so. We have lost so many lovely plants due to people being unaware that the grass was onions. Also, this is a good learning exercise for you.
  In case you cannot meet your working hours / day, you have the option to shift your hours to another day, in agreement with us and alignment with the workaway guidelines.
  
  If rules are repeatedly ignored, we may end the stay with one day notice. We ask the same notice if you decide to leave early. In severe cases, we ask you to leave the house within a shorter timeframe.
  
  TREE PLANTING
  If you'd love to give something back to the land / compensate your travel emissions or help us grow this place, literally, you can. We're building a food forest and nursery, and every new tree helps shape the future here. You're welcome to sponsor a tree: we’ll go to the market together, pick one, and you can plant it yourself, with a little handmade sign in your name or for someone you love.
  
  We also gratefully receive useful things! If you're visiting, it means the world when people bring along:
  - Art & craft supplies (paints, brushes, paper, thread)
  - Books, musical instruments, seeds, essential oils
  - Old comfy work clothes, mugs, plates, tools, or any beautiful handmade objects
  
  These optional contributions are help keep this place alive, creative, and wild. They find their way into our exchange box: a small open system where you can swap clothes, books or small items. Leave something, take something, and help keep the circle flowing.
  
  IMPORTANT TO KNOW
  By staying with us, you agree to follow the house rules outlined above. Everyone staying with us is responsible for arranging appropriate health and personal liability insurance before arrival and checking that their cover includes their stay and planned activities. We do not ask for any financial contributions outside those described in this profile, which are optional and not part of the workaway exchange.

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  Etwas mehr Information

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    Internet Zugang

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    Eingeschränkter Internet Zugang

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    Wir besitzen Tiere

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    Wir sind Raucher

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    Familien möglich

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  Kann Digital Nomads unterbringen

  We have Fibre glass super high quality internet and one room with a desk.

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  Platz zum Abstellen von Camper Vans

  You can park either on a public parking space close to a nearby chapel or on a piece of land next to our property. The access to the land is very steep and requires you to drive carefully. Very deep vans might have difficulties.

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  Kapazität - wie viele Workawayer maximal

  mehr als zwei

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  Meine Tiere/Haustiere

  Babbitty Rabbitty & Cottontail

  Chicken & Ducks

  Benjen

  Totoro

  Cat

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