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30 janv. 2026
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Séjour min. souhaité : Au moins deux semaines
Infos
Description
Are looking for a longer term escape in nature- back to basics, un-plug from the world and re-connect to your wilder side - or maybe you are interested in a taste of living off grid and what it really means!
(we ask for a mimimum two week stay, but ideally longer!)
*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️Vegetarian/Vegan Happily accommodated.
Permaculture. Natural alternative upcycling building. Food forest design. Re-wilding in Nature. Perennial garden design. Wild swimming. Re foresting. Post Fire landscape regeneration, working hard and goofing about with laughter Is our Vibe, and afternoon beer and games in the sunshine.
Hello Hello!
2026 will be our 15th year of hosting volunteers.
From experience, we have learnt it is important to give you as much information as we can, for you to manage expectations and make an informed and realistic decision if you would like to come and stay.......so apologies for the waffle to follow!
We are Hannah and Duncan.
An English couple in our , now forties! 🫠 We have been off-grid for 16 years in Portugal.
....After 12 years elsewhere in Portugal, We are now underway with our second project, totally from scratch, again! Some might say we are suckers for punishment!!
in the last decade and a half, we have-
Using permaculture principles for our growing and life ethos in general,
successfully experimented with creating different micro climates to extend our food growing seasons.
Built two and a half stone houses.
Created water infrastructure, solar systems, sculpted landscape, (made loads of mistakes, cried, laughed and learned so much!)
We've messed around with super adobe, clay and cobb.
We have built two underground geodesic domes and a HUGE, double reciprocal, green round timber structure, with our own harvested round wood. All, exclusively with volunteers.
Its been so much fun....
We are so grateful.
We still have many more techniques we'd love to try.
Excited, with help again, from excellent volunteers, to Build lots more fun and exciting things to share with all those who come to stay and learn with us on our latest project.
But,
Our new home, new project is still a building site...''the pioneering phase" which is code for - a bit of a mess!
its been a slow couple of years of progressing in our new adventure.... but we try celebrate the wins
to us, it remains, our little piece of beautiful wilderness, mountain views, forgotten by people for a long time and reclaimed by Nature.
Apart from the occasional plane, the only sounds are the birds, the wind in the few remaining trees recovering post-fire, The occasional shepherd and his sheep or goats and the stream that flows.
We seek help from those of you who relish living close to nature and have a good sense of humour (this is crucial!!)
if you have strong work ethic along with a pioneering & creative spirit. Who do not mind carrying water, bathing in a bucket and pooing in the woods you will fit right into our vibe!
We have been hit by the forest fires too many times unfortunately, but we find the drive to keep going. But we are very strict with fire safety , meaning lots of our ongoing winter activities, and projects, mostly un-glamorous such as: clearing the stream old dead burnt trees, chopping down broom, mulching, chipping, making paths, land clearing - its quite the work out on rough terrain. But made easier with music in a team!
Other unglamorous jobs a plenty- dont worry!!....
Throwing cement, chopping down broom, and new steps, throwing cement, building fences, chopping firewood, carrying water, throwing cement, chopping down broom, moving rocks, re-pointing ruins, pruning the regenerating oak trees, weeding and composting. Digging- lots of digging. And lots of dragging dead burnt trees. Tiling, painting, carrying heavy things, And did i mention..... chopping down broom and throwing cement!
We will have a few building jobs on, but it's mostly finishing bits...
A few things to plant...
Our huge garden needs a total overhaul this winter which will only be a weeks work though, do not apply if you think you'll just be gardening....this is just the cream of jobs!
The list goes on and on and on!
BUT It is A FAIR representation of this life, if you have a dream of living offgrid one day and being fully responsible for your own existance.
And we do try and keep the work as balanced as we can...
We love integrating different ideas and skills and many of our longer term volunteers by this we mean a few months not a few weeks... (longest stay is 14 months!) have had autonomy over certain creations. If you have the time to mess around with an idea- but never had a space in which you can, we invite you to come and try!
One of our main objectives as hosts, is for you to gain confidence and trust in your own abilities in general. Using a selection of hand tools, to understanding the basics of permaculture and the general vibe of living off grid. Growing and harvesting food, vegetarian/vegan cooking. Holistic approaches to life. Making new friends. being silly.
And to HAVE FUN!
Working from 9am to 2pm winter
7-12pm summer
*changes due to season, temperature and the type of work and other plans.
We do work hard! Part of staying here is that you get stuck in to the best of your ability.
You are then free to enjoy your afternoons/remaining hours/days and weekends however you choose. We have no neighbours or few people to disturb you throughout this entire valley.
I (Hannah) am a professional cook, and pride myself on creating super-exciting, highly nutritious, seasonal, colourful feasts that are super-duper healthy (95 percent of the time).
The food and feeding our volunteers as best we can, has been hugely important to us, we can guarantee that we can provide you with utterly excellent lunch and dinner time meals. during the days we ask for your help.
The diet here is mostly vegetarian, but vegans happily/easily accommodated.
On Sundays we head to our local market to support local farmers. There we buy the extra fruit, veg, cheese, pulses, dried herbs and spices, bread and honey.
But most importantly, Sundays are my ''day off''
we go to eat bbq grilled chicken/vegetables/
with bread, hand cut potato chips(fries) and fizzy white wine(if you like!) for breakfast!
We love it when our volunteers can join us!! Its very FUN!
(this is at your own personal cost usually around 10/12 euros)
We also TRY very hard to only eat Portuguese seasonal and locally grown produce, so if you cannot survive without bananas or other foods from the other side of the world, you might want to stock up on these too. Likewise with luxury items like sweets/chocolate/crisps etc
*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️****️️️️️️️️️️️️️️do you have any special dietary requirements or allergies?*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️PLEASE TELL ME IF YOU DO!!******
****if you suffer from DUST allergy- please do not apply!****
**and the pollen can be pretty bad in the spring**.
We are trying to live a balanced lifestyle, no drugs and only small amounts of alcohol that we ask volunteers to pay for.
We operate an ''honesty'' bar ......Or you are welcome to buy (and carry) your own booze. We enjoy a beer after work, a glass of wine with dinner and games around the table, but all things in moderation.
We do NOT invite you into our home to get drunken..
We are a fun and easy going couple, who love to play games and joke about, but we do not consider this a party zone. We are up early, we work hard and we like our sleep at night..... most of the time!
Hannah likes to put loud music on at least one EARLY morning a week and dance (like an idiot) It is her meditation, if you like......
If you have transport, its easy to take trips up the mountain to swim in the lakes (ski in the winter!) or to the river Mondego for a change of scenery. we can direct you to some pretty incredible secret plunge pools and very cold waterfalls.
We ask you to be conscientious and tidy and responsible for your belongings and most importantly your LITTER.
our almost finished house , we share with you, is small... so tidiness and cleaning up after yourself is important to me!
washing up and general tidying/sweeping floor/trying up is shared by all and not considered part of your volunteering hours- thats just part of life! this goes for sundays too....it is a day off for us, but i still cook and clean and appreciate HELP!
This also goes for the shared dome accomodation- tidy! tidy! TIDY!!
Due to the huge fire risk in summer we ask you only smoke in our designated safe zones. NOT in your tent. NOT in the dome.... NO candles or incense or anything with potential to burn, in tents/dome either.
STRICTLY NO FIRES! (it is against the law)
We can not stress this enough and sadly we will not hesitate to ask you to leave, if you can not respect these wishes.
In the summer it get REALLY REALLY HOT!! But at night as it does cool down.
We recommend you bring loose-fitting long sleeve clothes to get dirty in and a sun hat. We, on behalf of the stream or river's inhabitants- are very much against sun tan lotion, so just cover your skin up.
Please note, we use only natural products, i.e shampoo/toothpaste, as all our grey water feeds the ground/garden. Likewise if you are enjoying the river, or a ''shower'', no chemicals, i.e harsh moisturisers or sunscreen or heavy make-up. We can supply you with delicious hand made alternatives, for a small fee.
We have very limited hot water in winter...but if the fire is lit, water is heating. Which can be sufficient for regular simple hot water bucket bird baths.
Using the gas shower is a once a week luxury item type vibe.
If you gather firewood you are welcome to heat the outdoor bath tub. But this is not an invitation to use our pre cut seasoned firewood!
If the sun is shining you can use washing machine for clothes, we do sometimes take large amounts of laundry to town and pay to use large machines to dry stuff if its raining too much , (can happen!)
Winter- believe it or not , gets COLD... freezing or below at night through January/february is not rare , and when it rains.... it pours!!
the dome accomodation sleeps up to six people, mixed sex.
is essenially a tent! it is not insulated and we only offer hot water bottles and blankets , many blankets....we have spent two winters in a tent- it is not for the faint hearted!
when the sun is out by day- its what we fell in love with 15-20degree afternoons- yay winter!!!
Bring stout footwear, head-torch, non glass water bottle, socks! And always know the whereabouts of your towel.....
or if you travel in your van , plenty of flat space to park up in.
any questions- don't hesitate to ask!
our warmest wishes
Hannah and Duncan
HAVE FUUUN!!
x
Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre
Projets artistiques
Pratique d’une langue
Aide avec des éco-projets
Jardinage
Bricolage et construction
S’occuper des animaux
Aide dans une ferme
Cuisine/repas pour la famille
Aide à la maison
Entretien général
Aide informatique/internet
Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre
Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre
One of our main objectives as hosts, is for you to gain confidence and trust in your own abilities in general. Using a selection of hand tools, to understanding the basics of permaculture and the general vibe of living off grid. Growing and harvesting food, vegetarian/vegan cooking. Holistic approaches to life. Making new friends. being silly.
And to HAVE FUN!
Aide
We will have many projects beginning.
Here is a list of a few.......
And we are always open to volunteers ideas/designs/input.....
Permaculture design.
Making compost.
Making hugel beds.
Digging swales and troughs.
Food forest design and planting.
Decking.
Green roofing of a ruin.
Shade house.
Compost toilets.
Outdoor shower.
Water infrastructure.
Gardening design and planting.
Perennial Planting.
Seed collections and germination.
Cobb work.
Digging!
Wood work using our own harvested round wood.
Peeling trees.
Chopping wood.
Carrying water.
BUILD A HOUSE!!
Langues
Langues parlées
Anglais: Courant
Portugais: IntermédiaireCet hôte propose un échange linguistique
help us learn Portuguese!
Hébergement
tent/van/ geo dome
Autres infos...
flying Into Porto:
Just outside Porto airport is a metro, take this to stop- campanha, the bus station is a 10 minute walk from here.
Ask for a ticket to Oliveira do Hospital.
if you are (or look) under 28 years old ask for a ''bilhetta jovem'' you will get a discount.
to book online ahead of time is cheaper-
www.
rede-expressos . pt
Lisbon is a bit further but the bus is also to oliveira do hospital. above website still applies.
From Oliveira-we strongly encourage our volunteers to try find their own way to our quinta,
a taxi will be around 20euro
or there is a local bus to Travancinha....
But we are willing and able and can collect you, for a petrol donation, if you are not comfortable to navigate alone.
please speak to us before you book bus tickets regarding us collecting you from somewhere. we do not like to leave the Quinta after 6pm!! and if we have other volunteers arriving is always nice to car pool.
Our Quinta is about 15km from oliveira. We try to only visit once per week, so make sure you stock up on the essentials before coming.
There are a few small bars/cafe/restaurant in local towns, each about a 50 min walk away.
Lagares and Travancinha and Ervedal
Our social activities are made by ourselves on the land. We make and play lots of games eg. frisbee golf, ping pong, Klugg, Carcassonne, Backgammon, Dice and Cards and we are always open to learn new games. There is a library (English) of educational books and novels to borrow.
We are in the foothills of Serra da Estrela mountains which are great for skiing, walking, cycling and swimming. The track along our top boundary is part of route 22 of the Portuguese mountain trails. Its Beautiful.
We have had many many ''first timers'' volunteer with us and all have loved it and return every year!
look forward to hearing from you,
our very kindest regards
Hannah and Duncan
Informations complémentaires
Accès Internet
Accès Internet limité
Nous avons des animaux
Nous sommes fumeurs
Familles bienvenues
Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads
Cet hôte a indiqué qu’il aimait accueillir les digital nomads.
Espace pour garer des vans
Cet hôte a de la place pour les vans.
Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux
but this needs to be talked about (my dog is getting old and grumpy!) BUT WE HAVE HOSTED PETS TOO!
Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?
Plus de 2
Mes animaux
Discutez avec des workawayers qui ont séjourné chez cet hôte
Feedback (56)
we was always so eager to get stuck in with any Job.
he worked great in group activities and even stayed positive when we were working in the grey, wet and cooler elements - infact i think this is when this irish man was in his element!!
he was great to have in the house and was respectful and consciensous of timings… read more
Their home is really beautiful, with lots of permaculture projects to admire. It is nearly completely surrounded by nature, and it’s very relaxing to hear the birds and… read more
She worked really well in a team, and developed skills using hand tools, and muscles that she didnt even know she had!
she listens well and follows… read more
Words cannot begin to describe what an exceptional workaway this was and what am amazing experience I had with them as my first workaway experience
Hannah and Duncan from the minute you meet them are warm and… read more
Photos
Discutez avec des workawayers qui ont séjourné chez cet hôte
Feedback
Ce sont des évaluations supplémentaires en option lorsque les membres laissent un feedback. La note moyenne pour chaque option est affichée.
Exactitude du profil:
(5.0)
Échange culturel:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
we was always so eager to get stuck in with any Job.
he worked great in group activities and even stayed positive when we were working in the grey, wet and cooler elements - infact i think this is when this irish man was in his element!!
he was great to have in the house and was respectful and consciensous of timings… read more
Their home is really beautiful, with lots of permaculture projects to admire. It is nearly completely surrounded by nature, and it’s very relaxing to hear the birds and… read more
She worked really well in a team, and developed skills using hand tools, and muscles that she didnt even know she had!
she listens well and follows… read more
Words cannot begin to describe what an exceptional workaway this was and what am amazing experience I had with them as my first workaway experience
Hannah and Duncan from the minute you meet them are warm and… read more
She relaxed into our home and rhythms with ease, she observed and learnt quickly and effeciently with various tools and wasnt scared to get stuck into the physical stuff.
She was great to share a space with, clean and tidy and appreciative.
She asked intelligent questions and showed a genuine interest in… read more
she communicates excellently and is happy to get her hands dirty and make the most of nature. It was breath of fresh air to meet a 19 year old that isn't attached to her phone screen.
She is curious and a seeking soul, for adventure and… read more
The work is hard and at the same time rewarding. It is appreciated to see how all our work translated into a better place to live. Looking back, I realize that we have done many things (raise a stone wall, prune, cut down trees,… read more
Really enjoyed my 19 day‘s at their place.
It was my first workaway experience and i couldnt be happier of how it turned out.
Learned a lot of basics, like:
Managing land, growing plants, permaculture, tools and some cooking secrets by hannah.
She‘s a great chef and there will always be plenty of food.
Hannah and… read more
I spent my time there doing some carpentry, building work and planting lots of trees. Duncan is really… read more
If Kyle requests to volunteer with you. Say yes!
It's been a breath of fresh air to give autonomy of some jobs to Kyle and have trust in him to just get on with it sensibly, efficiently and skillfully.
He can drive well, reverse… read more
Easy going, clean and tidy, excellent sense of humour, super conscientious and considerate and honest- a rare, far too good of a type of human.
AND FULL OF ENDLESS POSITIVE ENERGY!
Extremley hard working.... above and beyond the call of duty! Even with a broken arm!! He got so stuck in with everything big, small,… read more
This is a true family style workaway, delicious nutritious home cooked food eaten altogether, games after,… read more
Sorry it took a minute to write this. I miss you both! What lovely, relaxed and knowledgeable people you are. I felt very comfortable and restored being at your place and helping with James' project.
I spent about two weeks here while we were helping build a food forest on a neighboring Quinta. The land has been burned… read more
We arrived at the start of their permaculture project, observing and absorbing the beginnings of a lifelong food forest. We truly learned the importance of sustainability… read more
Their genuine hospitality creates a homey atmosphere, Hannah and Duncan are amazing individuals who are lovely, enjoyable, and… read more
Hannah and Duncan are kind and funny people, full to the brim with knowledge which they are happy to share with you!
Their quinta is beautiful, the work is rewarding (and made fun with lots of music and humour). You’ll also have plenty of time to explore the land and local area
Don’t pass up the opportunity to… read more
This elegant and gracious young lady has wisdom FAR beyond her years.
Her Friendly and calm disposition was a pleasure to be around. Not only for us as hosts, but also for our other volunteers.
She has incredible work ethic, can lead from the front, offered encouragement to others when they needed it. Has fantastic… read more
creative and jolly and happy to get her hands dirty!
Planting, gardening, digging, dragging logs, carrying, pushing wheelbarrows, cementing, painting.... she gave it all a good go!
Do not be put off by her lacking in years, she is far more mature than many 20 year olds we have hosted before!
and what she lacks in experience… read more
she contributed to planting 3000 trees- which was our objective by the time… read more
The work was varied- we helped create a run off for the new duck pond, seeded the area and planted a lot of trees!
They also made sure we had plenty to do and took us to events in the area- great to see some traditional Portuguese… read more
Strong and capable with common sense and hardy dispositions. They slotted into our rustic lifestyle with excellent humour and grace.
they embraced all of the work we shared with enthusiasm and ease.
Love playing games and can be trusted to… read more
Super hard working, able, strong, tidy, conscientious, hardy souled yet easy going, fun with a sense of humour AND common sense! AND GAMING KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL!
HUZZAAAR....
They are the FULL PACKAGE, REAL DEAL!
We really can not recommend them enough.
Thanks so much… read more
You were really lovely and I learnt a lot about this lifestyle and also new games :)!
Your new land is a paradise and I wish you good luck with all the projects.
I'd love to be back !!!
muchas gracias
The place they live at, actually comes close to heaven on earth. Incredible nature, quiet, a river, a lake, rocks and a beautiful quinta, with domes, pizza oven etc. (there would be so much more to mention). They love to bring together fun groups of volunteers and… read more
Thanks for all that we had shared during these few weeks... Thanks to Hannah&Duncan and all the volunteers that we met there ! Such an inspiring experience... We can just recommend you to join them as volunteers ! The opportunity to live into the wild, work for an inspiring… read more
They got totally stuck in with everything from gardening, peeling and chopping wood, food prep, walking the dogs, cooking, cleaning and any other task we needed help with.
Super conscientious, smiley, self motivated, clean and tidy, enthusiastic and fun.
It was wonderful to be part of this… read more
I can recommend this willing volunteer to any host.
She was happy to turn her hand to what ever we asked of her. Content on days of rain where less got done. Great at helping keep the house clean and tidy. Amazingly… read more
Learning and experiencing the tribulations and benefits of living off-grid was just what I needed! I loved foraging edible mushrooms, Quinta hunting, permaculture art and building my first ever compositing loo!
The Quinta is such a… read more
We spend 2 weeks, way too short, in their small paradise. A place filled up with love. They balance between work and relaxing was perfect and we have learned a lot. Besides facts about woodwork and stuff about the nature, their spirit inspired us a lot. We were with a… read more
Their enthusiasm, drive, happiness and motivation to 'do life' was utterly inspiring.
They are a self reliant, self motivated, self teaching bundle of excellence.
Their work ethic was outstanding (they totally put us to shame during the bad weather!)
They made the absolute most out of their… read more
You were a pleasure to host Anna and thank you for all your hard work and emotional… read more
She turned her hand to every task we offered her, even when it was out of her comfort zone she gave her all.
Thanks Violet for all your help.
xx
We had an amazing crew of people in the building workshop to built the roof for the eco structure. The work was diverse, creative, and enjoyable.
Duncan and Hannah make an incredible team for this environment. They are open hearted, giving and honest. I really appreciated their direct… read more
We miss her very much.
Always bubbly and enthusiastic with an excellent sense of humour.
She was a great addition to our life.
Totally competent to turn her hand to helping where ever it was needed. In the kitchen, cleaning and gardening, chopping down trees, peeling and prepping wood, using power tools and… read more
It was my first experience as a workawayer and it just gave me the desire to do it again and again (and come back to their farm)! I learnt so much things about me (I now know that I enjoy to off-grid lifestyle) and working in this farm gave me a lot of skills in wooden construction,… read more
We helped building a roof, including all the other steps you need to do if you want to build with wood: chopping down trees in the forest, dragging them to the House, peel… read more
In the few days we were… read more
I spent almost 1 month on the farm and I found an amazing environment perfect for a first experience in workaway. Perfect meals , good music and freedom freedom freedom
Thanks so much for your great spirit and all the people i have met during this trip.
Nature, animals, friends, rocks, rivers, stars, jokes, deep conversations, hugs, singing, sharing, food, forests, vision quest, chapping, carrying, pilling,… read more
I spent there about 10 days and enjoyed every second of chicken's poo lifting, wood carving, pig house painting, vegetables bed making, and so on..… read more
I ended up staying on the land for a whole month.
Partially because i got to eat a wonderful variety of foods everyday which were both healthy and... wait for it... Vegan!
I know it sound unreal, but it's true... If you are veg, fear not, you will always leave Hannahs kitchen with a full stomach and… read more
Our jobs included caretaking of the vegetable garden, dog walking, gathering and… read more
With delicious fresh food and lots… read more
Seriously thou these guys are amazing… read more
The land was really hudge with many possibilities to make a project.
Sometimes, we used to work on the commons duties (animal duties, mosaics, chopping wood, cutting wires, cooking… ) which are pretty various, then you don't really… read more
The work is various and and interesting, his project is a little bit crazy, but I'm sure I will do it and it will be fantastic :)
