Come and experience rural life in the beautiful Monchique hills, Algarve

Details

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  Description

  Hello,
  we are Tina and Annwen a couple who are embarking on a new adventure in the hills of the Algarve. Having lived on the south west coast of the Algarve for over 10 years we wanted a change from the busy coast and headed for the tranquil hills of the Monchique.
  
  We purchased an old overgrown fruit farm with neglected trees such as orange, lemon, apple, kiwi, persimmon, fig, peach, pear, olive, walnut and chestnut trees, two water mines and an old ruin. The land is made up of various flat agriculture terraces and some fairly steep hillsides as is the case with many of the farms in the area.
  We are surrounded by nature from old cork oaks, huge butterfly's, to plentiful birdlife, seeing birds of prey is common place as is hearing the owls sing into the starlit sky. We have plentiful walking trails nearby in fact the Via Algarvania way route goes past the top of our land.
  
  Our vision: It is our vision to have a self sufficient small holding with animals, organic fruit & vegetable gardens, we will be making products from the fruit ie cider, preserves, dried and baked goods.
  And eventually to restore the ruin, which was built in the traditional way of rammed earth (Tapia)
  
  The farm is located around 1 km outside of a village named Marmelete a traditional picturesque "mountain" village which has everything you need for day to day life, such as two bars / restaurants, two convenience shops, post office and a petrol station. Here it feels like Portugal unlike some of the busier tourist towns on the coast, but you could be down on the south or west coast in less than 30 mins by car. We are blessed to be in the green, verdant hills just about in the middle of Lagos and Aljezur - the best of both worlds.
  The land itself is situated in an old traditional farming area, where we have a small pig farm & a small sheep farm nearby also many fruit / vegetable plots, the area is very fertile indeed!

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Having lived in the Algarve for over 10 years we have lots of local knowledge and are happy to share our tips.
  Tina has general knowledge of building works / carpentry and will be working alongside volunteers during any future restoration works sharing skills and creative ideas. We both enjoy meeting new people from different cultures as we enjoy travelling. We are both very creative and enjoy sharing and discussing new ideas, and open to discovering new methods and concepts.

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  Help

  Initially on the farm we will be looking for help with fruit picking / harvesting, land clearing, making pathways/ steps. repairing and building dry stone walls, digging, gardening, tree care, pruning trees, planting trees, setting up water systems, We are learning along the way with the trees so if you have any knowledge regarding fruit tree care then that be a bonus!

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  Welsh: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Portuguese: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  Portuguese
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  Accommodation

  We offer a comfortable, private and secure caravan with a large double bed, complete caravan kitchen with fridge, the caravan has its own outside space, and is hooked up to mains electric.
  
  Alternatively you could always camp on any of the flat terraces, you would need your tent as we do not have any at the moment.
  
  Or bring your own live in vehicle as we have one camper spot up top where you could plug into the electric and one well behaved, cat friendly doggy is welcome.
  
  We have a compost toilet but currently no shower ( we use the free hot showers in the village - 10 minute walk or 2 minute drive away)
  
  In exchange for 3 hours work per day 5 days a week ( must be flexible on working days as our schedules differ from week to week) we offer comfortable private caravan with mains electric and a full caravan kitchen. We will stock up the kitchen cupboards / fridge with food essentials for you so you can cook your own meals. There are 2 mini mercados and an organic shop withing walking distance so any other requirements outside of what we provide are easily obtainable. We also encourage you to take as
  much fruit as you want to pick from the trees (subject to seasonal availability) and supply drinking water, tea / coffee and gas for cooking your own meals.

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  What else ...

  To enjoy the local area fully we would strongly recommend your own vehicle due to Marmelete not being very well connected by public transport. However there is a bus service to main town of Monchique, where you can sample the local fire water called Medronho and tradition mountain fair such as wild boar or piri piri chicken and visit the highest point of the Algarve, the Foia where on clear day you get panoramic views to the west and south coasts . From Monchique you may then take an onwards service to Portimao which is much better connected to the transport network along the south coast.
  With a car you have lots of options of beautiful beaches both south and west coast, where you can find waves to suite your surfing level if that's your thing, wander around the little cobbled streets sampling the freshest seafood of the fishing villages west of Lagos or just chill and watch some amazing sunsets.
  Visit Lagos for its colourful nightlife, Aljeuzr for its history and beaches, just to mention a couple of close towns.
  We have plenty of hiking trails literarily on our door step and many opportunities for bird watching.
  Volunteers must respect our rules for no fires/ bbqs as we are in a high risk fire area and no overnight guests unless discussed with us first.

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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

  Must have own internet. The best coverage for the area is Vodaphone.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have a spot for one camper at the top of the land and can provide electrical hook up if required

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Well behaved Cat / Chicken friendly dogs are welcome. Please be aware that the land is not completely fenced so it is the owners responsibility to make sure the dog does not go onto neighbouring land.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

  Jigsaw

  Walnut

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