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Description
**Outside painting work available last half of September**
We are Gail and Mike. We moved from rural Devon to our quinta in Portugal in 2020. We left our jobs and been working on the house and cottage/annexe and our land/forest ever since.
If you come and work with us you will have your own ( attached) cottage, although you will be sharing it with a couple of cats!
We love nature, the outdoor lifestyle, and of course our furry family. We have Jazz , our 18yr old cat who moved with us, two young rescue cats ( Molly and Mabel), one old dog ( Mitzy), and one young dog ( Frankie).
Our quinta is fully organic and we grow many fruit and veg as well as making our own wine and olive oil.Our quinta is in a peaceful setting (but not off grid) near Cabril dam and lake.
Positioned in Central Portugal it is only two hours from Porto or Lisbon and is near to the iconic N2 road and the convenient IC8. The Grand rota de Zêzere walking trail passes through the nearby woods along the lake.
Our terraced land has olive groves, rows of grapevines, cork oaks and young fruit trees. Beyond that we have a juvenile pine forest (which will be gradually changed to deciduous woodland) Seasonal wildlife around the quinta includes; deer, javali, pine Martens, foxes, mongoose, and birds such as the hoopoe, owls, nightjars, bee eaters, plus praying mantis, glow worms, carpenter bees, ghekkos and swallowtail butterflies etc. We also have some lovely singing frogs in the nearby tanks that join in with the night chorus of grasshoppers and(in the summer) cicadas.
Shaded forest trails through pine and ecalyptus woodland lead right from our back garden with no need to step foot on the road. Many of these trails overlook the nearby lake.
A swimming spot on the lake is 20min walk away through these woods. You are not likely to meet another walker or swimmer.
The more public shore is a 10min drive away. Here there are cook out areas and many more swimming spots. It is possible to hire kayaks and paddle boards at the nearby lake.
Our nearest village, the schist/granite village of Pedrógão Pequeno has a daily bread van in the mornings, cafes, petrol station, hardware store, and two convenience stores, a small museum, a Sunday market and butchers.
Across the dam, Pedrógão Grande is only 15 min drive. Here you will find a good few restaurants and cafes/bars. Including our favourite, Pachamamas, a vegetarian tapas bar which welcomes dogs. There is a lovely bakery, library, church with a gold dome roof, and beautiful small park. Both historic village and town are enjoyable places to explore.
In between on the dam there are seasonal bars and a pizza cafe.
Sertã is only 20 min drive away and is a full and functioning town with three supermarkets, more lovely parks and restaurants by the river and a 24 hour medical centre.
25min drive from us is São Simão, a stunning river and shist village. There are other pretty river beaches close by eg. Mosteiro, and there are many well signed walks in the area.
We will leave information on the local area and highlight interesting places to visit/ trails.
Coimbra and Tomar are both 45 min drive away. Porto and Lisbon two hours drive.
You will be staying in a self contained connected 'cottage', independent from the main house. This has a fitted kitchen with dishwasher, oven etc. There is a shower in a wet room and all towels and linen will be provided. There are plenty of outdoor seating areas around the cottage, with a covered/shaded verandah and a terrace so you can always find your spot either in/or out of the sun and the perfect place to enjoy sunset.
There are ceiling fans, and also aircon (daylight only please as we try and use solar power as much as possible...to be honest it isn't needed at night anyway.) available in the bedroom. The cottage has thick stone walls and usually keeps a nice even temperature. There is a TV on which you can access normal streaming services. Prime will be already available.
If heat is needed there is a pellet burner in the living room for evening use and for daytime use the aircon unit in the bedroom also has a heat settings. Quinta das Andorinhas is at the end of a lane which then turns into a forest trail. For the last year there has been no traffic past the house at all. It is in a peaceful location but' on grid'. However we have a fossa, borehole, PV solar, and will provide spring water to drink ( tap water is however potable).
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Interests
Vegetarian or vegan
Pets
Farming
Plant care
Photography
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Animals
Outdoor activities
Nature
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We love meeting fellow travellers and learning about different cultures.
We live in an area that has not ( yet) been invaded by the likes of a McDonald's and burger King. Here you will find Portuguese family businesses, and many people here live a simple life. The best way to meet the community is to visit the Portuguese cafes, and bars. Depending on the time of year there are festas galore.
There are also cafes where you are guaranteed to bump into other ' estrangeiros'.
There is also a local environmental group which we are in the process of trying to join! ( Technical issues!).
We are happy to talk about our experience on the quinta here as well as our previous life in rural Devon..We did manage to make some great red wine last year. It is always totally organic with no additives or sugar added. However we are not greatly skilled with vine care! We are also happy to talk about the production of olive oil and our experiences. The olive oil is delicious.
Workawayers need to be happy in their own company, and be happy exploring the local area independently.
Help
We would like a person or a couple who would be happy to stay a couple weeks to help out on our land. This could be clearing brambles, strimming, mulching, watering trees and some plants( main garden is irrigated). We also would like help with the forest - clearing trees, logging, creating paths and improving the habitat. And gradually changing the pine forest to a deciduous one. There always seems to be a lot of moving things from one place to another 🙂.
Unfortunately the house and land isn't suitable for families or children.
Some jobs you will be able to do autonomously and other others we will be doing with you.
Suggestions and ideas welcome.
We do put the most importance on nature and preserving, encouraging wildlife.
There will be various projects - repairing walls, building structures, tiling, making bird boxes, so any carpentry or dry stone walling skills are very welcome!
It is important you have a great love of animals, and are happy to share your house with two cats. And perhaps be willing to help out with a dog walk or two to free us up some mornings.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Portuguese: Beginner
Accommodation
You will be staying in a self contained connected 'cottage', independent from the main house. This has a fitted kitchen with dishwasher, oven etc. There is a shower in a wet room and all towels and linen will be provided. There are plenty of outdoor seating areas around the house and cottage, eg a covered verandahs and terrace so you can always find your spot either in/or out the sun and the perfect place to enjoy sunset.
There are ceiling fans, and also aircon (daylight only please as we try and use solar power as much as possible...to be honest it isn't needed at night anyway.) available in the bedroom. The cottage has thick stone walls and usually keeps a nice even temperature. The cottage is available for a few days before and if you wish, after, the house sit. There is a TV on which you can access normal streaming services. Prime will be already available.
If heat is needed there is a pellet burner in the living room for evening use and for daytime use the aircon unit in the bedroom also has a heat settings. Quinta das Andorinhas is at the end of a lane which then turns into a forest trail. For the last year there has been no traffic past the house at all. It is in a peaceful location but' on grid'. However we have a fossa ( no chemicals or paper in toilets please), PV solar, and will provide spring water ( tap water is potable though).
We will stock the cupboards with your food . This will be basic veg, fruit and cupboard items and will be vegetarian or vegan. More expensive items such as meat/fish/ avocados/mangos/grapes) special milks etc won't be provided( we don't buy these for ourselves and Gail is vegetarian). . We can discuss food requirements before and I can send a list of what we will provide to ensure you are happy with this.
The first night we will plan to eat together and perhaps some other days but this can be discussed before arrival/ while here.
What else ...
We are looking for workawayers that can stay about two weeks.
It is essential you have your own transport. There is no public transport.
In the local village it is possible to hire an electric bike ( through an app).
Please see my previous description of our home for ideas about what to visit in the area.
It is important to us that peace is maintained on the quinta so for example, no loud music please.
No smokers only.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
The internet is good, it works on 4g.. The cottage has a table but not a specific desk.
Space for parking camper vans
We have drive you can park in.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
4 hours a day, 5 days a week. Time of Hours depend on the weather/ season.
