Eco-creative nest and creekside sauna in the mountains of Gerês, Portugal

Infos

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  Description

  Welcome!
  This homestead explores the reconnection to self, land, and the creative pulse that moves through both. Our space for this is a peaceful hectare of terraced oak forest, nestled in a valley fed by numerous springs. A fresh creek runs along its base, offering magical bathing spots on warm days, and from the top of the land, you can see the distant Peneda-Gerês mountain range.
  
  I (Eska) came to this land a few years ago as an experiment in off-grid living and natural building. Though I'm a mechanical engineer by education, the patterns of humans and natural systems will always be infinitely more beautiful to me than machines - and this forest is where this passion has taken root. The land is on a slow journey of recovery from a fire that passed through two decades ago, and our work here is a gentle, creative rehabilitation from that. This expresses itself in two intertwining streams: regenerating the land through agroforestry, and creative, ecological architecture. This Autumn our primary land project has been transforming the upper part of the property—a dense stand of eucalyptus regrowth—into a biodiverse, living firebreak and native food forest. In parallel, we are gradually crafting new, soulful structures using clay, timber from the land, and primarily salvaged materials. We have been hosting experimental, not-for-profit gatherings among the local community, asking ourselves the question "How can we engage more deeply with ecological restoration as a creative, communal process?".
  
  A core piece of this project is the creekside sauna I built last winter. Held in the tradition of a Slavic banya, it often hosts not-for-profit steam ceremonies using infusions of wild and medicinal plants from the garden. The practice encourages embodiment and quiet contemplation; an opportunity to connect with the heat of the fire and the cool of the creek.
  
  This is a place of active creation, devoted learning, and deep meditation. I hope you can find yourself here, as I have :)

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Projets artistiques

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  Entretien général
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Randonnée

  

  Activités en plein air

  

  Vie en van

  

  Dev. personnel

  

  Soin des plantes

  

  Photographie

  

  Auto-stop

  

  Jardinage

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Menuiserie

  

  Art et design

  

  Architecture

  

  Nature

  

  Cyclisme

  

  Camping
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  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

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  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  The surrounding area is rich ecologically as well as culturally. The land is nestled in a small valley along the foothills of Gerês National Park, with a view of the mountains across the river. Historically, the Minho valley is sometimes referred to as the cradle of Portugal, holding the oldest medieval villages in the country.
  
  The community in these hills is always growing and changing. I'm involved in a few local cooperatives including the building of a small-scale sociocratic school along with some families in a nearby town, and there are often meetups and exchanges between cultures.

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  Aide

  The nature of the tasks on the land varies depending on the season and which projects are on the go! However, there is almost always energy to be poured into landcare (building new beds, pulling brambles, propagating plants, clearing thickets, designing and planting new sections of food forest), and consistently natural building or diy tasks around the property. We're also open more creative and artistic ways of engaging with the land, so very open to suggestions and seeing if we can turn your dream into a reality here.
  
  This is a very 'hands in the dirt' site; so if you want to expand your experience of hands in the soil or on tools, this is the place for you!

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Français: Intermédiaire
  Portugais: Débutant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  I am actively learning Portuguese, and very eager to practice :)
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  Hébergement

  At the moment we offer mattresses and bedding in a shared 6m bell tent with a sunrise view over the Gerês mountains, pitched within a beautiful grove of forest. It is rustic but spacious.

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  Autres infos...

  The coastline of the Atlantic is a 40 minute drive to the West, and the mountains of Peneda-Gerês National Park 20 minutes to the East.
  There are natural hot springs, hikes through ancient oak forest, a coastline with surf spots, medieval towns, all within 45 minutes driving. The two nearest [tiny] villages are within 10 minutes walk away.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  The property is accessible by van, and there is a spot to park within a few dozen metres of running water, [solar] electricity, and a comfortable compost toilet. The access is a steep concrete track - the traction is excellent, however the turnaround space atop the hill limits vehicle length to ~6m max.

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  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  We love animals! However, we don't love when they dig up the garden- we trust you to ensure your lovely beast doesn't do this while on the land. Also please note that Nimbu, our little black cat, is very sweet with people but does not get on so well with dogs, so inside of the yurt is a no-dog zone. If your dog is known to have problems with cats (chasing them up trees etc.), we ask that they don't stay on the land for extended periods.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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  Mes animaux

  

  Nimbu (2 ans)

Sécurité du site

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