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Host rating
85 %
Last replied
20 Apr 2024
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Details
Description
We are a family of three. Kayley, Rick and our son Martin. We have lived in Portugal since 2018 but come from The UK. We moved here to start a family and live more sustainably. We have achieved the first of those things and know the second is a lifelong journey.
We always have plenty to do so if you’re looking for a long stay or short we’re always able to accommodate.
Our land is really diverse as we have pine woodland, water meadow, huge granite boulders and ancient walls on our 4ha plot. Along with 2 cats and Honey the dog we are Restoring what we can (the old stone house, ancient drainage and watercourses), Regenerating what’s been lost (soils, hillsides and biodiversity) and Reclaiming land that’s overgrown and bringing it back to usefulness.
We are all about long term goals. We know our project is one of lifelong stewardship of this place and sharing it with people is as much part of that as the day-to-day graft.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We offer a warm family environment and feel that having you stay on our land is the same as inviting you into our home. We are British but live here in Portugal with a wealth of experience from travelling and volunteering ourselves. We use permaculture and sustainability as our starting point and have been continuing to learn on the job since we bought our place. We love to share skills and ideas and know this is not a one way street, we’re sure there’s something we can learn from you too!
This part of Portugal in often overlooked but has so much to offer from Neolithic stone circles to epic mountains and tiny, from cute stone villages up to the green, garden city of Viseu (which has great bars, and a vibrant music, theatre and arts scene).
We try to go places when we can and will always be happy to invite you along, we enjoy sharing time with easygoing, interesting people and like to imagine we’re interesting easygoing people too. Also, it’s important for us to be engaged with all of our diverse range of neighbours and would hope to share with you the range of lives being lived in this beautiful part of Portugal!
Help
We are slowly regenerating our semi abandoned 4ha farm into a functioning, healthy mixed landscape. There are jobs we really want to get onto, we just need he right volunteer or volunteers to come help us see one though.
Right now the projects we just need the right volunteer for are:
-Building a permanent compost toilet
-Restoring stonework foundations in the house
-Planting trees and restoring land with water management systems
-Building a water tank
-Preparing an area to house chickens
-Gardening and preserving produce.
For all you need is a good work ethic and a have-a-go spirit and we can always achieve something together. We have skills we can share and it’s great if you do too. If you know how to just muck in and join in with life here then we’re happy to have you whatever other skills you have.
We also have a semi-regular work swap with our neighbours where we share skills and resources to help one-another with our projects. We live within a diverse area with an extremely rural Portuguese way of life at one extreme and an influx of people from all over Europe making lives and projects at the other.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Portuguese: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
We are both qualified English teachers with years of experience between us. We are happy to share that. We work hard with our Portuguese but it’s a slow road and we are always open to finding ways to improve. If you’re a fluent speaker then we’d love to learn something from you. A game, a story, a phrase… the future conditional… anything really, we’re always keen to learn!
Accommodation
We have a comfortable, well looked after caravan for volunteers with its own cooking facilities and independent electricity. It has a double bed, heater and everything you will need to be comfy. We have a solar shower when the weather is warm and sunny but no gas boiler for conventional showers at the moment as we don’t have the water pressure. We do provide facilities to wash though through the cooler less sunny months.
We tend to share meals as it’s more convivial but you’d be welcome to evenings doing your own thing as your caravan has everything you need for cooking. We’re mostly veggie but can generally accommodate vegan needs and other dietary requirements, just let us know so we can be prepared.
What else ...
There’s are plenty of nice villages nearby particularly our own, Algodres, which has a rich history hidden down twisty lanes overlooking the Serra da Estrella. It’s a short walk into the village with its bar and a cafe and a drive to town. There are several stone cicles and an old Neolithic fort within walking distance and loads of walking routes. A sunny day losing yourself down old wooded tracks and finding romantic looking ruins is a day well spent.
We’re near to good train and bus links from the local town of Fornos De Algodres which can take you as far South as Faro or North to Porto should you wish and everywhere in between. We’re regularly in and out of town as well as Viseu and other places hereabouts. In the summer there’s always trips to river beaches and into the mountains and we’ll happily show you the sights. Plus we can always offer a lift whenever we’re going out .
We try to live conscientiously and sustainably, We ask that if you come you join us for a while you join us in the effort. Our water comes from a well, our power from solar and we have a compost toilet. We are definitely off grid. We use nature friendly soaps and washing products as it will all go back into the land. As yet the garden isn’t suppling all our needs, but we’ll get there one day.
It’s important that you feel welcomed by us and that you join in with life here. be it doing a bit washing up, petting Honey the dog, chatting to the neighbours when we do work exchanges or they pop by, maybe doing a bit of cooking… We want you to take part in what we can offer, a warm family home and a more eco way of life.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
Couldn’t get anything bigger than a large van down our track but we have a flat area in the woods for park ups. We also have alternative parking just off site so we can accommodate just about anything
Can possibly accept pets
Cat, dog and baby friendly pets are as welcome as cat, dog and baby friendly people.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
