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Host rating
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Last replied
30 Sep 2024
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Description
Hello! We're Rik, Henrietta and baby Joy. We live off-grid in Arrábida Natural Park with our dog and 2 cats.
We're co-creating a regenerstive farm to slow down in nature and grow together. A space to play, learn, create and eat delicious food with new friends. Having a baby this year has shifted our focus on our home, and less on community gatherings and events, but we'll get back to that when we feel ready.
Rik is English and works part-time as a freelance consultant. He's also a relentless optimist, insurgent pharmacist and disco dancing DJ. Hen is Swedish and works part-time as a massage therapist. She's also a designer, empathic leader and all-around hostess with the mostest.
From November to April we also run a co-living villa nearby, 20 min walk from the farm.
Our land is situated amidst stunning hills, forests and beaches. A natural paradise just 45 min south of Lisbon. The farm is a space for people to slow down and connect; with nature, with others and with themselves. Our purpose is to live sustainably and support people's wellbeing and creativity.
We're very excited to now have an awesome solar power system that can power everything we need. We've also recently upgraded our kitchen and shower facilities with hot water and mountain views.
We practice small-scale regenerative farming for enjoyment, learning and personal consumption. We also host open days for people to escape the city, and are excited to start hosting creative gatherings like art, music and wellbeing events as we slowly get more infrastructure.
We’re creating this space because we need it - to live a slower, more sustainable and balanced life. And we want to share it. So we invite you, current and future friends, to come to enjoy our farm and be part of the project. You can help make it happen.
Join us in learning about permaculture, renewable energy, compost toilets, biogas, building a geodesic dome, natural swimming pool, amphitheatre, and treehouse we can all play in.
This will be your home in Portugal to learn, have fun, go hiking, biking, SUPing, paragliding, swimming, yoga, dancing, chill…
Come and play.
See you soon.
Love Hen and Rik xx
Now we have a baby we have less time to be fully involved in the work and free time. So you may be left to yourself or with another workaway a few evenings or mornings. Perfect if you sometimes like to be sociable, but also love to be independent and can get on with work without too much guidance.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We live in an incredibly epic place, Arrabida Natural Park. Beautiful mountains and paradise beaches with lots of amazing hiking trails, mountain biking, SUP boarding, snorkelling, diving, coasteering...the list goes on! We host community events to help fund the project, centred around art, wellness food and fun! Great opportunities to meet the locals and visitors from Lisbon. Working on the project there's lots of opportunities to learn and experience setting up an off-grid sustainable farm from the beginning. We're very small scale so there's a chance to get involved in a wide variety of growing and building projects.
Help
As we now have a baby, we're even more grateful for help cooking and keeping the space clean and tidy!
In the winter we're focused on building projects such as the kitchen, showers, art studio, chicken run and yoga deck. We're also planning to start work on a natural swimming pond. Knowledge of basic hand tools and power tools is a must.
In the autumn we'll also be doing lots of preparing of beds and planting and some general garden maintenance. The summer we rent out the yurt and have dog sitters and farm caretakers staying in the caravan whilst we visit family.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Swedish: Fluent
Portuguese: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
We're currently learning Portuguese so eager to practice. We're fluent in English & Swedish.
Accommodation
We welcome campervans! We have lots of Fresh and Black pop up tents with comfortable mats, sleeping bags and pillows. We also have a caravan which will be more comfortable for staying in the winter months. This can sleep a maximum of 3 people sharing so is subject to availability. There's a semi indoor/outdoor kitchen with a sofa for us to cook shared meals and hang out. In the evenings we chill by the campfire (in the winter). Perfect if you're up for living in nature - camping, showering in a tree and using a compost toilet.
What else ...
Step out of the farm and straight onto trails into the forest with streams, a natural spring, a lake, mountain and cliffs. Walk, cycle or take the bus (25min walk from the farm) to get to Praia da Arrabida, the village of Azeitao or even the popular seaside town of Sesimbra.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
If you just need to work a couple of hours here and there, then you're welcome to work from the caravan if it's available, sit in a hammock under a tree, or in the communal kitchen. We use 4G hotspots and the internet is generally good.
Space for parking camper vans
We have space for a couple of campervans. During the winter we encourage people in campervans to join us as you'll be more comfortable! We are off-grid using compost toilets and solar power, so no power hook-ups and no chemical waste disposal on site.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
(20 hours max per week)
Feedback (11)
We mainly did gardening tasks such as streaming, planting vegetables...we also helped setting up a fence and decorated the deck of the caravan where we stayed (which was… read more
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(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(4.9)
Communication:
(5.0)
We mainly did gardening tasks such as streaming, planting vegetables...we also helped setting up a fence and decorated the deck of the caravan where we stayed (which was… read more
I highly recommend this experience! I met some beautiful creatives souls and explored stunning landscapes. The farm is surounded by nature and also very close to… read more
It was amazing! They are a very lovely and chill couple. We've been there after a very intense Erasmus month, so it was so nice to chill out a bit at the farm.
Rik and Hen are never in a hurry but still, we made a lot of progress every day. We always had time to cook and… read more
