Making my dream come true and building a natural green oasis together near Castelo Branco, Portugal

Infos

• 

  Description

  ABOUT US
  
  Hi! I'm Peter and I'm from Belgium, very close to Antwerp. I used work in sandblasting, carpentry and on the renovation of old buildings, churches, schools, offices-, and residential buildings.
  
  About 8 months ago, I moved to Portugal together with my girlfriend Sylvie. We procured a nice bit of land of several acres in the country just outside of Castelo Branco where we live together with our cat Tommy and three lovely, people-friendly dogs- Fidal, Tina, and Luna.
  
  Having retired, we're looking to create a peaceful, green space in a clean, sustainable natural environment. A place that can function as an relaxing oasis for animals and people alike. Sylvie and I are very interested in building, architecture, permaculture, food forests and sustainable living.
  
  A BIT ABOUT THE LAND
  
  There's some chickens, and ducks and a group of wild sheep that came with the land. Sometimes the sheep also come up near the house. Unfortunately, they are still people shy, but hopefull they will come around some day and become more tame. If you happen to know how to tame wild sheep you are more than welcome to teach me about and implement your techniques.
  
  Also, there's a cascading waterfall in walking distance from where we stay, where some locals and tourists can go to relax in the shade and come to peace by listening to the sound of the water hit the plunge pool. Unfortunately the waterfall isn't alwas active as the water flowing to it is controlled by the local municipality. So it's a hit or miss sort of situation...
  
  MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT
  
  What can we tell you? We're still at the beginning phase to realize the dream. which could take several years. At the moment, the majority of the work involves land maintenance, keeping the grass at an acceptable lenght in the field and around the house, weeding, cutting bushes and the like. We have plenty of ideas, one of which is to create a proper passage or pathway to the cascading waterfall because momentarily, it's not as easy or safe to access as it could be.
  
  There's an old ruin on the land which we would need help in restoring to make it liveable. Furthermore, we would like for there to be several tiny houses on the land for volunteers to stay in either made out of wood mostly, or in combination with other materials (I'm still thinking about this one).
  
  This should become a place where tamed animals can roam safely and freely as a safari of sorts, and in hamony with people. A place where those who feel they have been burned out by the stresses and pressures of everyday society can come and get resfreshed and reinvogorated by spending time with, and building a relationship and connection with the animals on this land, other like-minded people and the surrounding nature.
  
  I recently finished building a dining table with canopy for volunteers to sit and eat comfortably. And more side-projects to make it more comfortable for volunteers are in the works.
  
  DISTANCE FROM THE MAIN STATION IN CASTELO BRANCO
  
  We live about 15 minutes, (or 5.1 km) by car from Castelo Branco train station. If you decide to join us and help me realize this dream, I could meet, and pick you up at the bus/train station of Castelo Branco.
  
  You can read more about the type of help needed down below...

• 

  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Bénévolat

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  S’occuper des animaux

  Aide dans une ferme

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général
• 

  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Dev. durable

  

  Technologie

  

  Animaux de compagnie

  

  Vie en van

  

  Ferme

  

  Histoire

  

  Architecture

  

  Jardinage

  

  Menuiserie

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Animaux

  

  Activités en plein air

  

  Randonnée

  

  Montagne

  

  Nature

  

  Camping
• 

  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  Some of the skills and knowledge you could learn here and what I can share with you is my experience in metal work, welding, carpentry, sustainable- and offgrid living, plumbing, wood working, basic electrician works, taking care of chickens, solar-pannel installation, stone masonry, and using power tools etc.
  
  In return among other things, we would like to hear about your travel stories, life experiences, ideas, further, travel plans, cultural background, food recipes, and if you can and like to, we would love it if you felt comfortable taking charge in the kitchen and can whip up delicious, nutricious meals :-)
  
  And anything else that we might not know about or things that interests you...

• 

  Aide

  As I mentioned in the introduction, We're at the beginning phase of my project. Besides maintenance and help on the land (which is primary), you could:
  
  * Help me plant grape vines
  * Build a chickin coup
  * Build an outdoor shower and kitchen
  * Help start and keep a compost pile
  * Build a compost toilet
  * Restore an old ruin
  
  We are quite open for other suggesions if you have any and many more ideas are welcome. I hope you can feel at home with us to discuss how else you would like to contribute to the project.
  
  SCHEDULE
  
  The expected amount of work is 5 hours a day, 5 days a week, from Monday to Friday with weekends off.
  
  As it's gets quite hot in the day during the summer here, it would be best to be finished doing any physical activity as early as possible. My idea for our schedule is as follows:
  
  08:00 - 12:00; Start work for the day after a simple and quick breakfast.
  
  12:00 - 13:00; Lunch together
  
  13:00 - 14:00; Last hour of work for the day
  
  14:00 - 22:00; Free time to either rest, hang around for conversation, hike, walk, learn more about the surrounding area or go sightseeing

• 

  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Hollandais: Courant
  Portugais: Débutant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  Portuguese
• 

  Hébergement

  ABOUT YOUR LIVING SPACE AND SURROUNDINGS
  
  # There's enough wifi, so no trouble getting access to the web.
  # I have a washing machine, so no need for you to hand-wash your clothets ;-)
  # There's a dryer as well for days without sun or if it's too cold and you need to dry your clothes quickly.
  # You can recharge your phone/laptop etc.
  # There's fresh running water available.
  
  SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS
  
  Currently, we have place for two people in the house. A sofa-bed and a foldable bed.
  Certain parts of the house are still in the works, but is well isolated, warm and more than comfortable enough for sleeping, depending on the situation and necessity, more room for sleeping spots could possibly be made inside the house.
  
  If you are happy with camping, tents could be provided as well as needed. There's enough space here on the land. Please let us know in advance so that we can make the proper arrangements.
  
  SANITATION
  
  There's one toilet inside the house, but needs to be flushed by using a bucket of water, we always keep several buckets standing next to the toilet. The surrounding area of the toitlet is still in the works, the floor is still bare concrete and the walls consist of visible red bricks. An extra compost toilet is in the planning.
  
  We have one modern regular shower which works just as it should. A clean volunteer, is a happy one!!

• 

  Autres infos...

  THINGS TO DO DURING YOUR TIME OFF
  
  There are plenty of places to visit in and around Castelo Branco such as, parks, and gardens, and the 12th century Castle of Castelo Branco at the top of the hill with amazing viewpoints of the city. You can go on beatiful hikes and nature walks starting from where you'll be staying.
  
  The city boasts two large shoppig malls where you can go bowling, grab a bite to eat, can find all sorts of shops to stock up on any necessities. If you like swimming, during the summer in the months of July and August, there's the possibility to visit Piscina Praia de Castelo Branco for a relaxing day of leisure. It's a huge beach swimming pool with recreational and educational activities for children and lots of activities for older visitors as well.
  
  PARKS, GARDENS, AND GREEN SPACES IN CASTELO BRANCO:
  
  Parque do Barrocal
  Jardim do Paço Episcopal
  Parque Da Cidade
  Parque Urbano Cruz do Montalvão
  Zona de Lazer
  
  WHAT'S MORE?
  
  You can take a walk through the old part of the town and experience the culturally rich and historical side of the place, visit Castelo Branco's main 17th century cathedral (Church of São Miguel) or the Center for Contemporary Culture right in the center of town. And lastly, there's a possibility to go for a drink at Docas, a square with several bars with music where you can go dancing and have some drinks.
  
  Lastly, you can always hop on the train or take a bus to any of the other nearby towns, villages, or cities for a visit during your time off at the weekends. There's Fundão, and Covilhã, a scenic, bustling student city. And then there's Coimbra, which is definitely worth a visit and less than two hours away by bus. And of course the myriad of other authentic Portuguese villages in the area...

• 

  Informations complémentaires

  • 

    Accès Internet

  • 

    Accès Internet limité

  • 

    Nous avons des animaux

  • 

    Nous sommes fumeurs

  • 

    Familles bienvenues

• 

  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  Good for digital nomads and long stays for up to two months or longer.

• 

  Espace pour garer des vans

  We have space for several campers or caravans. Do let me know in advance if you plan to come with one.

• 

  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  Yes, we can accept volunteers with pets, but your pets need to be child-friendly and acustomed to meeting strangers. No dangerous dogs!! The most important thing is that need to be able to get a long with the other animals here.

• 

  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

• 

  Nombre d'heures attendues

  Maximum 4-5 hours, 5 days a week (2 days off)