Algarve rural farmhouse, Portugal
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Much of the house has been built and furnished with second hand materials and with wood from eucalyptus trees from the mountains above . Also a lot of walls (“muros” ) where built with stones we collected from the riverbed. Rain water is collected in a small lake on our land and is used in the dry season to irrigate the vegetable garden and the orange-tree yard. For the use of daily water in the house as well as the water for the swimming-pool we have build a large water deposit to collect rainwater. For the hot-water facilities we are creating our own system that is made from old material as well. As for a solar-energy system we are still saving up some money. In the future we want to be as self-supporting as possible. Travelers are reminded that fresh water is a very precious commodity and should not be wasted, so use a minimum for showering and washing.
The mountains surrounding the house are a haven for wildlife as its quiet and remains generally undisturbed. We have our own vegetable-garden, we are bringing good soil up to the veg. garden close to the house from the terraces down at the river which haven’t been used for many years. We are still cleaning the terraces down at the river and bring the old fruit-trees back in shape so they will grow fruits again. Under a bunch of bramble-bushes we discovered an ancient well, which we are trying to renovate and bring back to its old glory. We are told by the oldest neighbour that the well might be as old as the castle in Silves (build by the Moorish).
Community
When we bought the house 6 years ago a lot of the house was down. With advise of the neighbours about making a house in the traditional way(with stones and clay) we were able to rebuild the house like it used to be, fitting perfectly in the landscape. We used local craftsmen for the more difficult parts and we were glad with their knowledge.
We help promote green tourism in this part of Portugal. We want to encourage guests to enjoy the tranquility of mountain living and bring vital income to the village. We do all our shopping local,(also the building materials we couldn’t find second hand) there is a fresh vegetable- and fish market every day and on Saturday this market is free for small farmers who sell the little things they grow.
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