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Host rating
100 %
Last replied
23 Mar 2026
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 5 days
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Details
Description
We are Rick and Kerensa. We have live off grid for over 10 years on a beautifully peaceful mountainside quinta with our two children (age 9 and 11) and a bunch of animals! We've worked hard to rebuild and renovate the old structures, reveal and restore neglected and overgrown terraces, regenerating the over ploughed landscape and begin our reforestation project. We have established our growing gardens and spend time caring for the animals that help us in all of this. We have implemented a spring fed, gravity water system which provides water to the house and gardens and we manage an effective humanure system that provides us with lots of amazing compost. We use cell grazing techniques to keep our animals and land happy and healthy.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Interests
Water sports
Farming
Self development
Pets
Sustainability
Events & social
Plant care
Music
DIY & crafts
Books
Art & design
Languages
Gardening
Cooking & food
Carpentry
Animals
Yoga / Wellness
Nature
Fitness
Camping
Sailing / Boating
Mountain
Dancing
Beach
Outdoor activities
Hiking
Cycling
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We are very lucky to live in such a beautiful space close to nature. Our quinta offers a space for quiet reflection and learning. Here we have begun to implement some of the wonderful things we have seen and observed over our years of study and travel and we want to share in this with others. We have built our knowledge by working and supporting other sustainable projects, completing a permaculture design course and more recently, spending time learning the old ways with our wonderful elderly neighbours. The local people here love to talk about all things but especially about growing, raising animals and cooking! We have been welcomed and accepted into the local community here and enjoy spending time in the village cafe, chatting with our neighbours. We also have many other like minded neighbours of many nationalities who support each other and provide wonderful living examples of off grid living. We are always keen to share our tales of triumphs and failures and to learn more ourselves from the life experiences of others.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Natural building opportunities;
We are continuing to develop the old granite house; spring/summer 2026 will see us tackle the last space, creating at long last a bedrooms for our daughter. We have already dug out the floor and broken through to the space. We now need to open up a window in the old stone wall and finishing the room with natural clay rendering, lime putty render finishes, lime washing, wiring, plumbing, tiling, etc. ... as well as taking on some more the external lime pointing.
Vermiculture;
If all goes to plan (hahaha) we hope that this will be the year we are able to design and implement a vermiculture flush toilet system taking guidance and inspiration from a number of neighbours around us who have working examples.
Land maintenance;
The land has changed a lot in the time we have been here. We have slowly uncovered the old terrace walls and the drainage systems and installed fencing to help manage via cell graze strategy. There is still much to do as we continue to discover more and more areas of land and tracks hidden by time and clear the land for fire prevention. There are hours of satisfying fun to be had, chopping, clearing, chipping and burning. There are also many parts of the old granite walls that have suffered over the years and could really do with some attention from someone who enjoys working with stone and would like to rebuild areas that have been damaged by the flow of waters left unmanaged over the years the land was abandoned.
Water systems;
All our water needs are met with natural mountain sources and are managed by gravity fed systems. This requires ongoing maintenance and development as our quinta grows.
Food gardens;
Our permaculture food garden is coming along nicely, each year presents different challenges and learning. We have a mix of raised and no dig beds that need a little maintenance plus we have lots of space to move into and are keen to implement new ideas. There is always something to do; weeding beds, pruning trees, planting out new areas ect.
Composting & humanure;
We use hot composting methods and regularly make our own cover material for our composting toilet system. Here we safely process our own humanure which completes the cycle back to the garden.
Animal husbandry;
We keep two family ponies and are passionate about providing them with the best environment and stimulation to encourage natural behaviours. No one stands in a stall or an over grazed field here. We have built a 'paddock paradise' track system which allows us to cell graze the land whilst encouraging movement and natural grazing patterns as well as protecting and enriching the diverse landscape that surrounds us. The tracking approach has proved to be a great success and we continue to expand on this by creating more grazing areas and look to add further enrichment, appropriate fodder trees, herbs and bushes around it.
We also keep two separate groups of chickens. Our egg layers free range the quinta and reward us with the most amazing eggs. Then we have a mobile coop that we move around the growing garden for raising meat birds. Its a small scale meat production set up, focused on providing a good quality of life for the birds and high quality meat for our family.
Of course, no farmstead would be complete without dogs and cat. We have a great bunch, full of personality, each taking on their own role amongst the group and importantly, guarding and protecting the farm.
Olives;
We have 70 Olive tress here, some 100 years old. We conduct the harvest during November/December depending on the years weather. We go to a local traditional lagar/press for the olives to be stone crushed and pressed through reed mats and the taste is just amazing!
Heating our home;
We use a wood fired oven and back boiler system to provide us with heat for both cooking, radiators and hot water during the winter months, and so we need to manage the woodlands around us, cutting and processes our own firewood between October - march. In the summer our systems change. We rely on the sun to heat our water and provided electricity to run slow cookers... and enjoys lots of bbqs!
Work loads run with the seasons but there is always many varied tasks to tackle and something for everyone.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Portuguese: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
Accommodation
We have a separate private guest house to offer just next to our home. There you will enjoy a comfortable bed, seating area and private shower room with composting toilet. There is a wood burner to make a winter stay with us nice and cosy and a small kitchen set up.
What else ...
We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful area rich in nature. There are loads of amazing trails to take around the Serra da Gardunha and wonderful river beaches to enjoy dotted around the pretty little villages. There is a festa somewhere close by pretty much all year around and the local community is incredibly diverse. We have many different eco markets, at various times of the month in the local villages. Yoga and Pilates classes are available a short distance away. The local town holds a market twice a week and has all the usual in terms of shops and services. We are a short drive away from the Serra do Estrella mountains where you can walk, climb, ski or just admire the beauty and wonder of it all. We are also close by to the historic village of Monsanto and the geological site at Penha Garcia. There are opportunities to book climbing, kayaking and horse riding with local clubs.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
With thanks to Starlink, we now have a fantastic internet connection at the quinta. There are plenty of peaceful areas to work outside in the shade of the trees, tables at our veranda space and of course the private guest room offers a desk area within the light and bright room.
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
My animals / pets
Frank
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It really was a pleasure to have Cat stay with us. Cat is a very kind,… read more
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It really was a pleasure to have Cat stay with us. Cat is a very kind,… read more
