Come and join us and develop our beautiful home near Lousa, Portugal

Details

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  Description

  We are Stefan, Olya, Boris, and Vanessa, a small, hands-on team bringing a 13 acre farmhouse in the hills of Central Portugal back to life. Our place sits in the Lousã foothills, surrounded by forest, orchards, and a crystal-clear river beach 10 minutes on foot.
  2026 is our year of building, planting, and restoring, and we are looking for people who want to be part of that, not just passing through.
  
  What we're working on
  This is a real project where you can leave a mark. If you want to leave something behind that will still be standing in ten years, this is the place.
  
  Current focus areas:
  Building & infrastructure: Extending the workshop, finishing the outdoor kitchen, stabilising the barn
  Land & growing: Maintaining our reforestation project, managing orchards and kitchen gardens
  General upkeep: Keeping a 100-year-old farmhouse running (basic repairs, creative problem-solving)
  
  We welcome both short-stay contributors (2–4 weeks) and longer-term project leads (1+ months) who want to own a piece of the work.
  
  What the exchange looks like
  
  - A private room or comfortable bell tent, your own space to rest properly
  - Home-cooked shared meals and a genuinely welcoming table
  - High-speed Wi-Fi and reliable infrastructure (this is not off-grid roughing it)
  - A community that speaks English, German, and Ukrainian
  - Access to one of the most underrated corners of Portugal: river beaches, pine forests, medieval villages
  
  Who fits here
  You know your way around tools and don't need step-by-step supervision. You're self-directed, resourceful, and comfortable with the pace of hands-on restoration projects. You care about what you're building. Experience in permaculture, or land management is a great plus.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Light maintenance
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  Interests

  

  Vegetarian or vegan

  

  Sustainability

  

  Pets

  

  Van life

  

  Farming

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  History

  

  Music

  

  Plant care

  

  Gardening

  

  Hitchhiking

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Carpentry

  

  Astronomy

  

  Books

  

  Architecture

  

  Animals

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Hiking

  

  Mountain

  

  Nature

  

  Fitness

  

  Camping

  

  Beach
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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

  This place has been farmed for over a century. The land holds that history, in its stone walls, its terraces, its orchards, and part of what we're doing here is learning to read it and work with it rather along the natural rhythm rather than our own plans.
  Living and working through a Portuguese summer teaches you things you can't get from a course:
  
  - Seasonal rhythms: When to plant, when to cut, when to rest the soil, and why it matters
  - Restoration work: Bringing degraded land back gradually, with patience and observation
  - Team and community: How a small, mixed team makes decisions, shares hard days, and gets things done as a group
  - Local knowledge: The history of the Quinta, the region's agricultural traditions, and the people who still carry that knowledge in the surrounding villages

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  Help

  The help varies by season and by what you bring to it. Here's a little overview of what we're focused on right now.
  
  Land & Gardens
  The heartbeat of the Quinta. Weeding, planting, mulching, harvesting, watering, and propagation, sowing seeds, repotting, keeping the growing spaces alive and expanding.
  
  Composting & Soil Health
  We take soil seriously. You'll help collect material, turn piles, and apply new soil to beds.
  
  Orchards & Harvesting
  Depending on your timing, you may join us for fruit or olive harvest from our established orchards. Seasonal, hands-on, and worth being here for.
  
  Forest & Land Management
  We are actively managing 13 acres, clearing brambles and invasive species (mimosa in particular), pruning, moving timber, and collecting firewood.
  
  Winter Prep (in Summer)
  Summer is when we stock up. You'll help cut, split, stack, and organise firewood for the kitchen and heating through winter.

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  Languages spoken

  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Russian: Fluent
  Ukrainian: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  For the 2026 season, we have several bell tents tucked among the trees, each with its own privacy and views over the land.
  
  The setup: Double air mattress with regular bedding (blanket, pillow, etc.), storage for your kit, and power for charging
  Campervan / van life: Plenty of space to park if you're travelling in your own home-on-wheels
  
  If you are more adventurous you are also welcome to pitch your own tent.

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  What else ...

  Your Time Off
  
  We work hard in the mornings. Afternoons and evenings are yours.
  The river beach is 10 minutes on foot. Crystal clear water, shaded banks, and almost no tourists. One of the best things about being here.
  
  - Lousã is the nearest town, 5 minutes by car. Weekly market, cafés, a medieval castle, and everything you need for supplies.
  Serra da Lousã is the mountain range on our doorstep. Excellent hiking, trail running, and some of the most dramatic schist villages in Portugal (Talasnal, Casal Novo) perched on the hillside above the valley.
  
  - Coimbra is about 40 minutes away. One of Portugal's oldest university cities, with a remarkable old town, great food, and a lively evening culture.
  
  -The Atlantic coast at Figueira da Foz is about an hour's drive.
  
  Getting Around
  A car or bicycle makes life significantly easier here. Public transport in the interior is limited. If you're arriving by bus, Lousã has a connection from Coimbra and we can usually help with pickups from the nearest stop if you give us notice. Having your own wheels opens up a lot more of the region.
  
  A Good Match
  We want everyone to have a great experience. Being honest about the lifestyle here helps.
  You'll fit well if you:
  
  - Enjoy physical outdoor work and find real satisfaction in finishing something properly
  - Can take initiative, look at a task, figure out the approach, and get on with it
  - Are comfortable with community life during the day and your own company in the evenings
  - Treat shared tools, spaces, and the bell tents with the same respect you'd give your own
  - Are genuinely curious about the land, the history of the place, and how things grow
  
  This probably isn't the right fit if you:
  
  - Are looking for a social retreat or a party scene. We value the quiet of the forest and our evenings to recharge
  - Need constant company or supervision. We're a busy team of four and while we're always there to support you need to be able to work independently

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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

  We all work remotely, so have strong wifi connection (1000MB) and indoor areas where you can take calls etc.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We had dedicated areas close to the the outdoor camping facilities (kitchen, showers, toilets) where you can park your campervan.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Yes, we welcome cats and dogs!

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

  Snow (11 years)

  Shiba Inu

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