Rural life in a passivhaus, sustainability, permaculture and more in Nelas, Portugal

Details

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  Description

  We are a bilingual English Portuguese family living in a beautiful rural area of central Portugal, 1 hour drive to the Serra da Estrela mountains. My parents are Portuguese immigrants they live next door and share their home with workaways, and we returned to our roots 8 years ago with our two children. We now live on an old stone property with land, where we are creating the first Passivhaus in our area something still quite rare in Portugal.
  
  Our land has been affected by the major fires of 2017 and every year since, so a big part of our journey is restoring ecosystems and bringing nature back to life. We are working with permaculture and food-forest principles, planting trees, improving soil health, and encouraging biodiversity. We already have many fruit trees and vines, and there are always garden and land projects on the go. All Year round there are jobs to be done outside.
  
  Both adults work remotely, and our children (aged 9 and 11) attend the local school. They are very aware of where food comes from and love being involved in growing and caring for plants and animals.
  
  We are active in the local community — both Seb and Matt play trumpet in the local band — and we enjoy sharing Portuguese culture, language, and food, as well as learning from others. We are fully bilingual in Portuguese and English.
  
  In our free time, we love walking and swimming in the mountains, exploring nature, and working on creative or physical projects. We used to explore caves as a hobby and have a small training space at home for aerial silks and single rope technique.
  
  We share our home with chickens, two dogs, and two cats, so animal lovers will feel very at home here.
  What we offer
  
  We offer welcoming, family oriented home
  Bilingual environment (Portuguese & English)
  
  Beautiful nature, mountains, rivers, and local history
  
  Cultural exchange and involvement in village life
  
  Shared meals and meaningful conversations
  
  We’re looking for Workawayers who:
  
  Enjoy outdoor work and being close to nature
  
  Are interested in sustainability, ecology, gardening, or regeneration, don't mind getting dirt on their clothers
  
  Are respectful, open-minded, and comfortable around children and animals
  
  Can work independently and with care
  
  Are happy with a rural lifestyle (this is not a party place)

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Elderly Companionship

  Teaching

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  House & pet sitting
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  Interests

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Performing arts

  

  History

  

  Books

  

  Vegetarian or vegan

  

  Technology

  

  Sustainability

  

  Self development

  

  Pets

  

  Movies & TV

  

  Farming

  

  Events & social

  

  Culture

  

  Plant care

  

  Music

  

  Languages

  

  Gardening

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Art & design

  

  Animals

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Nature

  

  Mountain

  

  Hiking

  

  Cycling

  

  Camping

  

  Beach

  

  Adventure sports
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We are fully bilingual in English and Portuguese, so this is a great place to practice language skills in everyday life while getting to know rural Portugal from the inside.
  
  We enjoy:
  
  Walking locally and hiking in the surrounding countryside and Serra da Estrela mountains, especially at weekends
  
  Going to local events, village gatherings, and traditional festivals
  
  Sharing food, stories, and daily life with people from different backgrounds
  
  Workawayers will have the opportunity to:
  
  Experience authentic rural Portuguese life
  
  Learn about small-scale agriculture, seasonal rhythms, and land care
  
  Understand how food is grown, harvested, and processed at home
  
  If you’re curious and physically inclined, you’re also welcome to:
  
  Try aerial silks in my home training space
  
  We value curiosity, exchange, and learning together — this is as much about sharing experiences as it is about helping on the land.

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  Help

  Availability :Looking for help from the end of March 2026
  
  About the Help We’re Looking For (March2026)
  
  Someone who can do a bit of everything, not limited to just one job is what we are looking for!
  
  Life here is based around caring for our animals, garden, and ongoing farm projects. Tasks vary day to day and are a mix of daily responsibilities, garden work, and shared projects and working individually with tasks. Some Project are even completed with the kids, it all depends on what's going on with the weather too! We cannot always predict this...
  
  Daily Tasks
  
  Walking and caring for our dogs – this is a very important part of the role. We’re looking for someone who genuinely enjoys dogs and is willing to get to know them properly. Previous experience with dogs (especially large dogs, St. Bernard size) or puppies is strongly preferred.
  
  Caring for chickens – checking food and water, cleaning them out.
  
  General cleaning and cooking
  
  Squeezing fresh orange juice
  
  Garden & Outdoor Tasks
  
  Cutting grass (including in the vineyard)
  
  Weeding and planting trees
  
  Cutting up branches into suitable piles for woodchipping
  
  Harvesting seasonal vegetables
  
  Cutting back brambles
  
  Projects We Do Together (Garden & Housework)
  
  Wood chipping
  
  Cutting and stacking firewood
  
  Planting
  
  Building projects (e.g. making a chicken house or shed)
  
  We always discuss current projects in advance and like to understand each Workawayer’s skills and confidence level. If you have particular skills (e.g. building, gardening, DIY, animal care), please let us know — we’re happy to adapt tasks and include things you enjoy or want to learn.
  
  Health & Responsibility
  
  We understand that illness can happen and is often unplanned. However, if you are unwell for more than 3 days, we expect an open discussion about medical care and whether it’s appropriate to continue the stay. This is important as we have children and vulnerable adults (including my parents) living with us.
  
  Length of Stay
  
  Our standard stay is 2 weeks.
  If you’d like to stay longer, we start with a 1–2 week trial period, followed by a catch-up conversation to make sure everyone is happy. Longer stays typically range from 6 weeks to 2 months.
  
  Building relationships is important to us we value communication, shared experiences, and creating a positive environment for everyone.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Portuguese: Fluent
  German: Beginner
  Spanish: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  We are interested in learning German, we often visit Germany for holidays.
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  Accommodation

  Accommodation
  
  While we are restoring our main house, Workawayers stay next door in a small rural country house with my parents on the same land. It is comfortable and functional.
  
  There are two bathrooms:
  
  one indoor bathroom
  
  We offer flexible accommodation options, depending on your preference and the season:
  
  A bed indoors in the country house
  
  Camping on the land
  
  Space for a campervan or vanlife setup (for those with their own accommodation)
  
  The house has:
  
  Hot water/Showers
  
  Washing machine/Dryer
  
  Dishwasher
  
  Heating for colder months
  
  Life here is rural and close to nature — not luxury, but warm, practical, and peaceful. We value clear communication and will always be upfront about what’s available at the time of your stay.

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  What else ...

  Our home is very well located for exploring central Portugal:
  
  1 hour from Serra da Estrela, the highest mountain range in Portugal
  
  1.5 hours from the beach
  
  1 hour from Coimbra, with its historic university and lively cultural scene
  
  The nearest town is Nelas, just 2 km away, where you’ll find supermarkets, pharmacies, cafés, and basic services.
  
  The area is rich in:
  
  Vineyards and local wineries
  
  Historical buildings and villages
  
  Seasonal events and traditions, including wine festivals, mountain cheese festivals, carnivals, medieval festivals, and saint days with traditional parades
  
  We are also close to several river beaches, perfect in summer. Most places are easiest to reach by car, but with planning it’s possible to use buses, and lifts can sometimes be arranged.
  
  For those who enjoy being active:
  
  We have mountain bikes you can borrow
  
  There are local walking and mountain biking trails nearby
  
  Life here is busy and family-focused. At the moment, with house restoration and daily life, we usually take Sundays off to rest, go walking, take a day trip, or visit family and Workawayers are welcome to join when it fits.
  
  This is a great place for people who enjoy nature, culture, and a slower rural rhythm, while still having access to towns, festivals, and the wider region.

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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 host digital nomads

  We work from home ourselves so we have a good internet connection for this, various of our workaways have used internet to give online classes.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have space for a campervan in our patio area that has access to electrical point.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

  

  Skye and Chase (8 months)

  2 family cats very loving and entertaining

  

  Lobo and Hope (1 year)

  Lobo is a Portuguese 5 year old mountain dog, and Hope is a 1 year old Doberman. They are best of friends!

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