Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
29 Apr 2025
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 1 day
Feedback
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Details
Description
I am living my dream to revive this beautiful old farmstead in the Algarve hills and turn it into an organic food forest farm. Since arriving in 2020 we have planted a lot of fruit and nut trees, berries, medicinal plants, mushrooms, and many beds with mixed annual and perennial vegetables. We follow the principles of permaculture and aim towards increasing self-sufficiency. There are always new projects on the go. As well as myself, there is Mocca my dog, Ace, the cat and the chickens.
#couples particularly welcome#
There are always plenty of jobs to do :-)
Please note that the land is remote and you will need your own transport.
life on the land
This is a 10,000m2, south-facing, terraced hillside, nestled in the Monchique mountains. It has a spring, a stream running along the bottom, a small wooden house, a stone house, lots of drystone walling (some need rebuilding) and a camper van. Before I came, the terraces were last farmed 100 years ago. There are established cork oaks, olives, walnuts, figs, grapevines and an orange tree. Since arriving we have planted sweet chestnut, almond, walnut, hazelnut, peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, cherries, apples, persimmons, pomegranate, blueberries, raspberries, mulberries, blackberries, strawberries, feigoa, passion fruit, and much more. Along the river there are a lot of large alder and willow trees and also some eucalyptus. On the land there is a wooden house which is rented, my old stone house, the camper van and a bell tent ( if needed) and a compost toilet.
The hillside is in a valley and overlooks a natural forest. It is secluded and the nearest neighbours (5 houses) is about 1 km away. The closest village, Marmelete, is 3 km up a steep hill. Once you’re up there, Aljezur is 17km to the west and Monchique about the same to the east. In Aljezur you have incredibly beautiful beaches and surfing opportunities.
you?
Are you fit and active? Do love being “in the middle of nowhere”, surrounded by nature? Do you enjoy time alone? Do you enjoy working hard? Do you have a passion for growing food or tackling a little building project (wood or stone)? Do you enjoy eating healthy food fresh from the land? Do you have your own transport?
the help
The chores on the land are often hard. It is a steep hillside that hasn’t been farmed for 100 years! You will need to be fit and will leave fitter :-)
I work in my office for part of most days so can't always be there.
Tasks include:
caring for the fruit and vegetable gardens
regenerating soil
drystone walling - repairing ancient terrace walls.
creating new gardens - fruit and veg
strimming and land clearing
carpentry work
building steps on slopes.
felling trees and chainsawing - Only permitted from October - April and only for people with experience.
reforesting the hillside (winter work only)
I'd love to hear from you if any of these jobs sound fun to you.
my offering
There is a camper van and a bell tent on the land, both of which can accommodate a single person or a couple. I can cook for you 5 days a week or we can happily share this task. There are a lot of vegetables growing on the land and this is our fresh food source. You can use the bathroom in my house for hot showers or hose down by your van / tent or bathe in the stream. We also cook and eat at the house, which is where I live.
I’m a shiatsu therapist and an English teacher. I know a lot about gardening organically, growing medicinal herbs, making herbal medicines, living self-sufficiently, shamanic practice and more. I am happy to share my gifts and experience. As many ask, please not that I do not offer plant medicine ceremonies but am open to sharing my knowledge of shamanism and animism.
me
I'm now 57 but already in my childhood I realised that something wasn’t right with the way humanity lives. My reaction as a teenager was to become an eco-anarchist, live in a truck and “fight the system”. Once the travellers' lifestyle became difficult in the UK in the late 80s, I left, travelled through Europe in my truck and landed in SW Portugal. I fell in love with the nature and life here. The incredibly beautiful ocean and the amazing open and clear night skies healed me of my need to fight. I remembered “to be the change you want to see”. I became a solutions person. I built a house (in those days it was so cheap here) and a garden and lived in peace with nature and the community.
In 2003 as a struggling single mum it became too much to manage on my own and we moved to Germany. The plan was to stay 1.5 years but it ended up much longer. I set up a business English coaching company, my daughter went to school and the years went by.
During this time I also did a shamanic apprenticeship and trained to become a shiatsu therapist.
In 2020, at long last, I came home. Home is a beautiful, steep, terraced hillside nestled in the Monchique mountains.
I meditate, do yoga, practise shamanism, grow food, work hard, experience nature, live rustically and very simply.
These are the things that make me happy.
I’m kind, honest, open, respectful, aware, hard working, often inspired and always interested. I dream of a world with clean water, healthy nutritious food, fresh air, communities of people supporting and caring for each other, working together as part of Nature. I’m a doer and a creator and I love working towards manifesting this dream.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
General Maintenance
Interests
Sustainability
Self development
Farming
Plant care
DIY & crafts
Gardening
Animals
Nature
Yoga / Wellness
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
I've had a large vegetable garden for many years and have grown a lot of herbs from which I make medicine - tinctures, creams, ointments, teas etc. I'd be happy to pass this knowledge on. I make many things like soap, sourdough bread, kombucha, ginger beer etc I'm also a Shiatsu therapist and an English teacher. As many helpers ask, please note that I don't offer plant medicine ceremonies, but am happy to share my knowledge of and experience with animism. You will be surrounded by nature, trees, a stream, a garden with many herbs and healing plants.
Help
We working in the organic, permaculture garden. Off-grid maintenance jobs. Land clearing. Farming jobs. Chopping wood. Simple construction jobs.
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Portuguese: Fluent
Accommodation
An Iveco Daily (camper van), kitted out to live in.
What else ...
There are many hiking routes in the area and my land is only 20 km from Europe's most beautiful beaches (Aljezur, Portugal) and surfer's paradise. Please note that you need to have your own transport.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
The land is mainly terraced and accessed down a steep hill so it is only suitable for robust small and medium sized camper vans. You can then either park in the shade near the entrance. 4x4s can also find lovely park-ups elsewhere on the land.
Can possibly accept pets
I have a dog, a cat and chickens. If you have a pet that's ok with that, they are welcome, too. My dog, Mocca, is a land dog and people frightened of dogs often find her robust nature difficult as do more sensitive dogs.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Feedback (16)
Was our first workaway experience and we live in a natural paradise, surrounded by nature, a lot of peace and Ildi was very kind and lovely. We felt at home. We worked in the garden and she was really clear in explaining to us what we should do. Ildi… read more
Ildi was such a lovely, warm and above all very caring host. I very quickly felt like a part of her.
She was also always very patient to tell me a lot about the farm as I had never worked or lived on a farm before.
Thank you very much for everything Ildi!!
I… read more
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Was our first workaway experience and we live in a natural paradise, surrounded by nature, a lot of peace and Ildi was very kind and lovely. We felt at home. We worked in the garden and she was really clear in explaining to us what we should do. Ildi… read more
Ildi was such a lovely, warm and above all very caring host. I very quickly felt like a part of her.
She was also always very patient to tell me a lot about the farm as I had never worked or lived on a farm before.
Thank you very much for everything Ildi!!
I… read more
I am glad that I… read more
Thanks again for being so flexible and for sharing your time and garden! ☀️
For 2 weeks, I learned the ins and outs of the garden with its beautiful flowers, plants, veggies and fruits. Her gorgeous dog Mocca was the cherry on top: love at first bark!
Ildi is a loving, powerful woman and an inspiration. Her view… read more
Ildi is a very Kind, Open-hearted, caring women. She helpes you, where she can.
i really enjoyed the chats with Her. She is a wise women with a lot of experience, that she shared with me.
I Liked the time in the Garden. The Land ist challenging and requires a lot of energy but it is lovely and… read more
Our conversations were profound and important to me! Ildiko is a wonderful woman, full of energy, ideas and respect! I learned so much about herbs and life in general!
Thank you very much and I hope that all of us, little workawayers,… read more
They were here for 4 weeks and I very much enjoyed their stay. During their visit they tended the garden, looked after my new puppy, built a dog pen, put up a chicken coop and run, strimmed the land and inoculated the mushroom logs. They… read more
Ildi is a warm, generous and welcoming host with much knowledge of the land and growing food. I worked in her garden and at first I thought all the weeding would be too much for my back… read more
The situation is in a beautiful valley… read more
