Portugal
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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 five years and there is a lot more we would like to do!
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
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.
We have some new projects in mind, such as constructing a solar cooker from an unused satellite dish, building some structures out of cob, fitting out a room to be a proper workshop, and so on.
Throughout the year, 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 can always use help with cleaning the house and we love it when volunteers can cook us their favourite meals.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Portuguese: Intermediate
German: Beginner
French: Beginner
This 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.
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.
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.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
We have a mobile router that volunteers can use when they stay in our caravan, or indeed wherever they take it.
There is enough space for a large campervan but no electricity or water hookups for it
Two
5 hours a day, 5 days a week
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Accuracy of profile:
(4.6)
Cultural exchange:
(4.4)
Communication:
(4.6)
