We need permies to come and live in our area (Monsanto - Castelo Branco, central Portugal)

Calling all permaculture enthusiasts..

We live around the sacred mountain of Monsanto in the district of Castelo Branco, in central Portugal. There is a lot of land that needs tender loving care and we need people to come and live here who want to practice soil rehabilitation, reforestation, and self-sufficient life-styles.

There is land for sale for affordable prices. All different sizes and situations. If you are genuinely interested in putting your permaculture enthusiasm to work, please consider coming to see whats here.

best wishes
yours
pina

Soon

If Pina doesn't mind, i dare to say that we also need people around Castelo Branco city (Alcains, Tinalhas, Salgueiro do Campo, Mata and Escalos de Cima )

Hello Pina and Andre,

I will be moving to Portugal hopefully later this year so i have time to start preparing land and planting by spring. I am looking at land i could buy in the areas of Tomar and Castelo Branco. I have had Portuguese friends in the past and they were very friendly.

I am excited about starting a new permaculture based life in Portugal.

Maybe i will see you guys in the near future.

Adam

Hi Adam
Thats great news! Be in touch closer to the time and maybe we can meet up.
best best
pina

Thanks Pina, i have been looking at lots of properties in Castelo Branco online lately (remax + era) but all the properties that i think would be very good sites for permaculture are just land without any house. Is living in yurts etc a possiblity in your area or does the local camara not allow this?

I would like to find out about things like this before i arrange to come down and view some land in the next month.

Thanks for your help,
Adam

 

Hi Adam. I cant say for sure what the legalities are but so far there seems to be no problem with people living on their land in anything they like. Hopefully this continues. If you give me an idea of what kind of land you are looking for and what your budget is i may be able to put you in touch with people who know of land for sale that is not advertised on the internet.
Please also give me a brief description of what you intend.to do with your land. What are your permaculture  interests?
pin

Olá Pina,

I want to be as self-sufficient as possible and i need land that is big enough to be able to grow enough food for myself. I have always kept chickens and i want to breed rabbits for most of my meat. I have cats as well and they like rabbit so that will cut down on their food bill. They pay for themselves anyway with keeping down the rats, mice and moles etc.

On the permaculture front, i want to grow plenty of perennial vegetables and i want to start a food forest so will need land that is ideal for that. I grow a lot of squash and melons etc so would need a good size plot for them also. Fruit trees will be important, i will bring some of my smaller trees with me but they will take a while to start producing so it would be great to have established fruit on the land already. I will grow herbs and as many other things as i can.

I think that i will need at least 5000 sqm. I grow some shade loving plants so it would be good to have some trees on the land. Firewood would be good as well. Here is some land on remax.pt that is the sort of thing that i would like, just to give you an idea....https://casa.sapo.pt/Detalhes.aspx?UID=325936da-7487-11e7-9d7e-00155d644625. I don't drink alcohol so am not bothered about having vines unless they produce grapes that are edible (not like the ones they grow here in France...yuk:). Water seems to be available on most land over there so i think that will be no problem. A fenced piece of land would be really good to try and keep some of the unwanted wildlife off of my veggies. I would like to spend under €20.000 on the land but more if the property had a small but habitable house with it. It is the land that is important though as i could consider a yurt or other temporary housing.

Just to let you know a bit about me and my background..... I am a gardener here in France and have been doing it for years so i am no stranger to plants and i went to college for two years after i left school to learn about animal care so i can look after my animals quite well also. I have always wanted to live a more natural and simple life and now i have the opportunity i want to go for it 100%. I lost my father a few years ago and we shared the same love for self-sufficiency which makes me determined to do it, for us both.

Thanks for your time
Adam

Hi Adam. Wow thanks for painting that beautiful image of your new place! I love it! Well in my experience what you are looking for you could defo's find around here where we are. There is a lovely piece of land near is actually that has everything you have mentioned plus a ruin, 2 hectares, for 13k if i remember correctly. iys a lush fertile piece of land. well, right now it looks quite dry of course but it has quite a few orange trees that are doing fine without irrigation which tells you something. it has at least one big well. there are two things that people might not like. one is that access is difficult the last 50m.(yes fifty meters). the owner says its possible to get the municipality to sort that out but looks tricky to me. but what do i know?! nothing a jcb couldnt sort out. and anyway our own access is way further from our barn than that. the wheel barrow is our best friend! the other thing is that you can see the shepherd(our neighbour)s whole house and outbuildings from the land. he kind of overlooks a lot of it. for some people that could be a plus cos its quite remote so its nice to have other people around. him and his wife have a flock of about 100 milk sheep. they are very nice people. good neighbours. but for some people the proximity might be too much. anyway if it sounds like it could be interesting for you send me an email on pinnih@gmail
cim and i will put you in touch with the people mediating for the owner. they might have other stuff you are interested in too. send me a message here too to let me know if you email me so it doesnt get lost in my spam.. best wishes. pin

sorry thats dot com of course! pinnih@gmail.com

Hi Pin

Thanks for your last reply. I have sent you an email.

Monsanto looks like a very pretty place!

Adam

Monsanto area is a great choice, full of great people, beautifull landscape and villages but Castelo Branco area is just as great

hello to everybody
i have been reading this post and other about portugal and like-minded people getting together in neighboring area, it sounds very interesting! at the moment i am based in greece, with the idea of looking for a land for self sustainable living, etc (i am in a friend's property for the summer, in a northern island)...the land over here is fantastic as well as the weather and the sea (as everybody knows!!) but for me it was (and is) very difficult to find like-minded people...i grew quite isolated (even though i have been living in greece for the past 10years) and this is one of the reasons i am still a bit indecisive about it, not to mention the fact that i am a single woman (jack of all trades never the less!) and it is not always that easy to get help around here! i have been also considering  the idea moving to another country (i thought about spain or portugal already), as long as i know i move to an area where other people with same interests are around me i am ok almost with whatever country i choose, because i do believe it is the social network and not the country itself that makes you love one place rather than another...i like the idea of helping each other out, knowing that even if i am living isolated, there is somebody in my neighborhood i can relate to and by the same occasion, knowing that i can be helpful to somebody else it is kind of "healthy living" if i can say so...or also getting together once in a while for a party, for a full moon gathering..i had some similar experience in sicily almost 25 years ago, where an international community lived spread across many valleys and got together as a big family once in a while, and i still remember this experience like one of the happiest of my life.
i got in touch with a friend who lives seasonally in portugal, so maybe i can come to have a look. if this is the case, i hope i can get in touch with some of the people who posted here to understand how the vibe is and what can be purchased as land.
i dont speak Portuguese and i was wondering how difficult it could be to get around and communicate...
as i mentioned earlier, i am a single woman (with two dogs) and i am ok with it, nevertheless i can be interested in friendship or partnership for building up a bigger project
love, light and laughter to all of you

Hello all! My partner, Tobi, and I just bought 2 hectares in Aranhas (halfway between Penamacor and Monsanto) and are looking forward to connecting with the local community, especially with people working on similar projects to our own (permaculture, earthbuilding, water management, off-grid...). There's so much to learn and this will be quite the change of pace so we're excited to see what awaits us!

We'll be spending a week on the land mid-October before moving there permanently in March. If anyone would like to connect in October (and next year), let us know! We'd love to make some new friends!

xx

Hi Jazz and Annael,
The area around Castelo Branco, from the city to Idanha, Penamacor and Fundão has hundreds of people who lives a more sustainable life, so you will find people that suits you.
The vegetarian restaurant Livre Cor in Castelo Branco is a great place for putting people in contact with each other.

Welcome

Thanks for the tip! :) Looking forward to getting connected with the community.

And by the way, for others looking to buy land in Portugal, my partner and I just put together a little video with some tips we wish we'd known before we started. If you have any other info that you think we missed, feel free to post them here or in the Youtube comments :) xx

https://youtu.be/n2U-nlve2ew

WOW Pina, Great Post and also from all others who replied earlier, very encouraging. This seems to be exactly what we're looking for, very interesting what you have there.. our family we’ re on similar path in many ways, Unschooling, sustainable living, moving back to the land, permie mentality, bonkers about permaculture, green minimalistic life etc etc..so was immediately interested in your post.

We're a family of 4, 2 kiddies (3&5) and for us big important factor is being nearby other families with kids, we' re planning to do unschooling but we would love and consider very important to be nearby other families with kids also unschooling to do unschooling activities together, share knowledge, support  etc plus.. kids just love and need other kids, ours are very social and they just needs kids... I know the locals are unfortunately moving away ad many are old (and adorable!) but that you know off, are there other families with kids already in your region? expats mainly I assume but that is Ok

I applaud you for your initiative.... trying to bring people to these beautiful region, I'll try to share your post in FB group called Worldschoolers ... lots of families I'm sure would love and be interested in your post in there.
I saw you wrote your email in this thread earlier.. pinnih@gmail.com  correct? may i write to you directly? I'd like to start talking to people even visit sites and get our permie project moving forward, i cant wait to get out of the corporate rat race I'm stuck in.

Initially we had thought of Spain since Spanish is my mother tongue, but as annael Kone here very well said it... is not the place but the community around you what makes great the place and from your description seems amazing, I just only assume learning Portuguese would be easy as Spanish speaker.. i was disappointed though by another comment that speaking spanish to a local is easiest way to upset them :-( ..  being sister languages I can already understand lots of Portuguese (spoken slowly) only assumed as a start while i learned i could get by with some spanish but... intensive portuguese  lessons would need to be then :)

cheers!

Hi Pina

We found your post truly inspiring!  We have recently started looking to tap out of the UK and live a more meaningful and sustainable life - being novices we have questions!  We're at the early stages (having the house valued today, so fingers crossed we can get enough out of selling it to start up over there!).  We've been looking at lots of properties across the central area of Portugal - wells - are they ok to consider drinking from? I know we'd have to get the water tested, but is this an actual viable source of water aside from using for irrigation?  How self sufficient have you managed to get?  There would, of course, be some items we would need to buy, but we'd be looking to spend as little as possible on a regular basis.  We've looked up ongoing costs of living in Portugal, such as the property tax (tiny compared to the tax we pay here in the UK!), but would we have to pay social security payments to 'be in the system' - or is it possible to be out of the system?  There's so much conflicting information on the internet it gets confusing - we would rather trust someone living over there now!  We've been trying to think of ways that we could earn a small amount of money - selling surplus food we've grown, jam, honey, etc - but if needed, can you get work - even 1 or 2 days a week, just if things got bad?  We're in our early fifties so probably a little more risk adverse than most 'youngsters'!  Any info you could help with would be so appreciated - at some point we will get over to have a look around, and hopefully view some properties.  We think we'd need a couple of hectares and would be happy to live in a yurt or similar - any tips on good / bad land to look out for?  Would love to come and meet up when we get over there!

Anita & Rog

Hello! We are a you family (our son is 3) Who are just about to arrive in Portugal with a view to exploring the possibilities of moving there in search of a more sustainable life. We have just began our journey into permaculture, but are keen learners! We are interested in the north and central regions of the country, and the area around Monsanto looks wonderful. We love the sound of living close to other families already living the dream.

Hello! This beautiful land is for sale I am advertising it for them. It is located in Juncal do Campo (15min to Castelo Branco).
A permaculture design study was done by a professional and is available to future buyers.
The area is wow..
https://www.olx.pt/anuncio/terreno-rstico-agrcola-IDBBvwt.html

Velho Barbudo wrote:Hello! This beautiful land is for sale I am advertising it for them. It is located in Juncal do Campo (15min to Castelo Branco).
A permaculture design study was done by a professional and is available to future buyers.
The area is wow..
https://www.olx.pt/anuncio/terreno-rstico-agrcola-IDBBvwt.html

Hi Velho how can i get a copy of the permaculture design  study that you have on this property? Can you email it to me please? Many thanks Simon

Well, i can but you have to pay for it but most importantly, If the land isnt yours and you dont know it then the design is point less.

Velho Barbudo wrote:Well, i can but you have to pay for it but most importantly, If the land isnt yours and you dont know it then the design is point less.

Hi Velho Yes i do own the land and just purchased it last month so how much would the total cost of the study be?

Hello fammmmily

we are a group of 5 heading to coimbra castelo area by the end of feb searching for a land. we've been hunting some properties and arranging some visits but definetely everyone of us think is better to head to the area and talk with locals. for what I've been reading lately there is a big community already on this are of people following values like sustainability and moving forward to apply permaculture. we would be really drawn to meet some people and get to stay for a few days with you or near your area to get to see your projects in the land or get some contacts to help us moving forward

Most likely we are looking for a plot of 15ha or bigger and with water source all year around also if possible with ruins or habitable building on site
We'll be traveling with a motorhome and another vehicle and full of energy to build our little dream

have a nice day

Hi Manuel,
I have the same dream. i would like to get in contact with people living in portugal(community), are you living in Portugal now? Peace

Pina River wrote:Calling all permaculture enthusiasts..

We live around the sacred mountain of Monsanto in the district of Castelo Branco, in central Portugal. There is a lot of land that needs tender loving care and we need people to come and live here who want to practice soil rehabilitation, reforestation, and self-sufficient life-styles.

There is land for sale for affordable prices. All different sizes and situations. If you are genuinely interested in putting your permaculture enthusiasm to work, please consider coming to see whats here.

best wishes
yours
pina

Hi Pina, how are you? I see the post is old, are you still living there and looking for more permies in that area?

Best wishes

Hi Pina
How can i get hold of you? I’d like to ask you for some help xx
Alexandra

Hi, we're halfway through buying a place in Aguas, near \penanamcor. hoping to be self sustaining and investigating permaculture

Hi Pina, I would love for you to put me in touch with land owners looking to sell between 2-5 ac suitable for growing medicinal herbs (not hemp, just medicinal herbs)

Blessings
Aspen

Hi Pina
i am looking for 40 acres + of land for cultivating olives around Castelo Branco, my email is:  shawnnejad@gmail.com please let me know if you know of any land or please refer me to the right person. I am 70 and my budget is limited
Thanks  
Shawn

I think it would be interesting and instructive to hear how the local situation has evolved and shifted over the last seven years. Time and tide, etc.