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Beware, the plant is very spiky!

We bought our szechuan pepper bush from the Agroforestry Research Trust.

Good article all about them at http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/dec/13/szechuan-pepper-chinese-five-spice

Beautiful eco house with all amenities to stay in, and lots of organic veg to eat!

Phil came over for the weekend, with Lizzie, Tony, and Josh, to collect our 3 beehives to take them to their new home at Vale das Lobas.

Maybe the bees knew they were coming – because a swarm arrived!

Swarm of Bees on Grape Vine

We had an empty top bar hive here (thanks to Matt for making it) so we got it ready and decided to site it in a secluded spot at the end of one of the gardens, under some peach trees.

Phil and Josh got suited up ready to collect the swarm and transfer it to the hive.

Preparing the Top Bar Hive

Putting the Top Bar Hive in its new location, under some peach trees on a secluded terrace

Not sure if they’d managed to get the queen, Phil and Josh carefully carried the box full of bees to the new hive.

Collecting the swarm by gently brushing them into a box

Not sure if they’d got the queen, Phil and Josh carefully carried the boxful of bees to the new hive.

Carefully emptying the swarm into the top bar hive

Phil spotted the queen as they were pouring the swarm into their new home!

The day afterwards and they seem to be busy foraging and making their home in the hive.  Fingers crossed they will stay.

A permaculture paradise and a smallholder’s dream
- great for horse lovers too!

Renovated 2 bed detached stone farmhouse plus renovated 1 bed detached cottage, 2 yurts and 3 caravans, on 3 hectares (7.5 acres) south-facing organic land with extensive permaculture gardens, woodland, paddocks, stables and manege.

Farmhouse: The farmhouse was fully renovated in 2009 and retains its original character with exposed granite stone walls and wooden beamed ceilings. The renovation followed sustainable design principles and has many energy saving features. The house has full central heating.

Ground Floor:
armhouse kitchen with hand-made wooden units, double sink below window with stunning views, 2 year old highly efficient esse woodburning range cooker (also provides central heating and domestic hot water). Door to covered porch with solar system controls and battery storage, coat hooks and boot rack, and veranda.
Big adega with extensive fitted shelving units, washing machine, dishwasher, and fridge/freezer (all included with the sale). This room has thick stone walls and stays a constant temperature year round making it ideal for storing all your produce. Door to kitchen and exterior door.
At the back of the house is a large covered woodstore.

First Floor:
Master bedroom with en-suite bathroom (bath, shower, washbasin and ecological toilet), with double doors onto balcony.
Double bedroom (currently used as office) with access to en-suite bathroom and living room, but also with independent access via exterior door.
Large living room with built-in airing cupboards, double doors to balcony with stunning views.

Cottage:
Ground Floor: Kitchen with ceramic tiled floor and walls, woodburning range cooker, gas cooker, gas water heater, door to veranda.
First Floor: Living room with tiled floor, double bedroom with wooden floor, en-suite shower, door to balcony.

The houses are south-facing (with stunning views of two mountain ranges) and each have a covered balcony/veranda running the length of the front which shades the interior from the hot summer sun but allows it to warm the house in winter. Both houses have double glazed windows. Interior paint is eco-friendly. The exterior walls have a lime render with natural pigment added for colour.

Outdoor Area: Between the two houses is a split-level “outdoor living” area with paving and flower/herb/salad beds – the upper level has a bread oven, and wide steps lead down to the lower level with 4 metre long wooden dining table and benches, a parabolic solar cooker, and an outdoor washing-up area with traditional Portuguese laundry sink and granite worktop. The whole area around the houses was enclosed with fencing suitable for young children and dogs.

Composting Toilet: Two-chamber dry composting toilet block with solar / wood heated shower, tiled floor with mosaic walls (our toilet has been featured in Permaculture Magazine!). There is also a screened outdoor bathtub (heated by a wood fire) in one of the gardens (especially romantic for candle-lit night time star gazing!).

Services: 1.2Kw solar electricity system connected to both houses, compost toilet, yurts and caravans. Mains electricity is available for connection and, if the solar system is expanded, surplus energy can be sold back to the grid. Water is automatically pumped from a 9m deep spring-fed well to a storage tank which then gravity feeds with plenty of pressure to both houses, yurt/caravan area, compost toilet/shower, gardens, chicken shed, and stables. There is also a spring and two water mines on the property that flow year-round but are not currently used as the well gives plenty of water. Telephone line with ADSL wireless internet connected to the farmhouse, separate phone line with ADSL internet to the cottage (not currently connected).

Yurts & Caravans: 5m painted Mongolian Yurt on wooden base with veranda, raised wooden decking for 4m yurt (could be put to other uses), 3m yurt on wooden base. Two 3 berth caravans with shade netting over. Small 2 berth caravan used as a kitchen with outdoor dining area, both with canvas shade/rain cover. Next to the caravan is a washing-up area with a double sink. More information and photos can be found on the www.portugalyurt.co.uk website (which is also included in the sale).

Land: Approx. 3 hectares of terraced land, managed organically for the last 8 years. Over 100 grape vines grow along the edges of the terraces and there are more than 150 olive trees throughout the land.

Two large permaculture gardens with raised beds for vegetables, asparagus beds, soft fruit (black, red and white currants, strawberries, raspberries, loganberries) and fruit trees (apple, pear, sharron fruit, peach, nectarine, pomegranite, apricot, fig, cherry, plum, loquat, nashi pear) and hazelnut.

Two small areas of newly planted fruit trees (mainly apple and pear), one on a slope with mini-swales for rainwater harvesting/irrigation.

Two small areas of woodland, a mix of mature and younger pine, eucalyptus, cork oak, and medronha (strawberry tree). and plus young stone pine, oak, hazel, mulberry and elder. There is also an area of mimosa trees near the gardens.

Pond and Pool: There is a sand-filled base for a 4m diameter above-ground pool (included in the sale, along with eco-friendly treatment balls) by the yurts. Small concrete splash tank. Next to the gardens is a spring-fed pond (haven for frogs and newts) which flows into a small stream running alongside the gardens and down through the land. Several willow trees grow in the stream, as well as watercress, lovage, and yellow flag iris. The area where the two water mines are situated would be ideal for creating a natural swimming pool / lake (all inclusive price for a natural swimming pool with 50m2 swimming area is 15,000 euros).

Outbuildings: Brick-built store shed (approx 30m2) with large double metal doors. Poultry pen with wooden post and chicken wire fencing and brick-built shed. Fig, apple and nashi (asian pear) trees inside the pen give shade and fallen fruit for food. Adjoining smaller pen with wooden shelter for raising chicks.

Livestock: To save them the stress of moving, we are happy to include in the sale the chickens and ducks, and 3 farm cats!

Equestrian Facilities: Much of the land is fenced for horses with wooden posts and electric wire, and there are 3 rustic wooden stables. There’s a 25m x 15m sand school / menage surrounded by woodland which provides shade in the heat of summer. The outriding is superb along miles of country, forest, and riverside tracks. There are other English people keeping horses in the village, with a natural horsemanship philosophy. Portuguese high-school dressage lessons (with English-speaking instructors) are 30 mins drive away!

Access: Access is via a dirt track suitable for all vehicles to a parking area for 3-4 cars, the last 50m down to a parking area by the houses is best driven with a 4×4 (a Portuguese registered 5 door Suzuki Vitara is available by separate negotiation).

Location: The location of the quinta is absolutely fantastic, all services and amenities are nearby and there is a thriving local community which is typically rural Portuguese but also has a number of English-speaking immigrants. It’s just 10 minutes easy walk to a lively village with several bars (a beginners Portuguese language group meets weekly at the nearest one), restaurant, general store, baker, butcher, mechanic, and primary school (secondary school is 3km away with a bus service for the students). On the outskirts of the village is a forest garden project, a yurt maker, and other smallholdings run on permaculture principles mainly by English, Dutch, and Germans. The local Portuguese people mostly live from their land and are very friendly and helpful. The nearest towns are Tábua (5km) and Carregal do Sal (7km) and both have a wide range of shops, supermarkets, banks, weekly market, etc. Carregal do Sal also has a train station. The Kapingbdi cultural bar is 15 mins drive and hosts regular live music, film nights, monthly flea market plus many other events and classes. The cities of Viseu and Coimbra are both around 45 mins drive.

This is a very special property and is already set up for immediate living and enjoying your own produce, but still with plenty of scope for further improvements and making your own mark on the place!

Reason for Selling: The only reason we are selling this idyllic quinta is that we want to embark on an even bigger project! If you want to get an idea of what life is like here, have a look at our blog at www.portugalsmallholding.org.

Purchase Options: The farmhouse and cottage are each on their own plot of land, and there is one further plot (of mainly woodland) that make up the whole quinta. It would therefore be possible to purchase the quinta between friends / family members / group.

More Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108063846259870362260

Price: 275,000 euros (approx. 235,000 pounds sterling)