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The Land
Quinta do Guarda Rios
The project started started at Quinta do Guarda Rios in July 2022, after negotiating to rent the property under a promissory contract to buy the land.
Several events were held and a group started to form. In January 2024, we finished creating a Portuguese Cooperative and over the year raised several investor loans. In June 2024 we paid the majority of the land price and the Cooperative became the owner of the land, with some still to pay.
The Quinta is a beautiful 24 hectare riverside property 10 minutes South of Nelas by car, in the Viseu district close to the Serra da Estrela mountains in North Central Portugal.
The property includes 520m of riverfront on the Mondego river and 560m along a valley stream which joins the river.
The property has two ruins registered for habitation - one of 160m2 and one of 50m2. There is a third water mill ruin which could be restored also.
A minor road divides the terrain, with approximately one third of the property along the river with terraces going up to the road, and the other two thirds is above the road, where there are two valleys perpendicular to the river, one with the stream, and the other with a spring water source.
A car track follows the stream, crosses a small concrete bridge and climbs the slope to the main road to Nelas.
There is a third ruin beside the stream which was a mill. This does not have a habitation license, but this could likely be attained.
The property has good potential for an ecovillage design, as it has many flat, terraced areas which would be suitable for food forests, regenerative agriculture, common buildings and housing.
Access
Good access from the road. The car tracks need clearing and restoring in places. A track to access the lower terraces for home zone A needs developing. Alternatively, there are road-side parking spots to serve the home plots also.
Water
We have started developing the Spring and have ideas for a water retention design in the two valleys. There are signs of past irrigation systems which bring water from the stream further up the valley down to the terraces. These could be restored and modernised with pipes and solar powered pumps or gravity powered ram pumps to deliver water in the summer.
Ecovillage design
An initial building permission assessment has been made by the local authority, the Câmara of Nelas, which states that building should be possible. In response to the intention of the ecovillage, the Câmara recommended to apply for a license for either a rural campsite, rural tourism site or agricultural tourism site.
We have started working with an architect to apply for a rural campsite license. This requires some basic infrastructure (access, water, power), facilities (eg: solar showers, compost toilets), fire safety and a space that can act as the reception and office.
The size of the property could be suitable for around 10-20 adult residents, plus children, living in 8-12 home plots. A rural campsite allows for temporary homes and the construction of natural build homes.
The Ecovillage design would be made to fit with the rural campsite requirements and work from the permaculture design zoning principles, for example:
A large Common Zone and Events Zone on the East end of the property, between the road and the river.
This would be a zone 1 and 2 area around the main ruin, which would be developed into a common house, with others spaces built around it to support the resident community and to support events (see ecovillage design page) so will have a lot of people movement and activity.
The area could be an ‘edible landscape’ of fruit trees and shrubs, plus vegetable and herb gardens close to the kitchens and dining area, so residents and event participants could easily harvest fruit, salads, herbs etc for meals and tea breaks.
Home plots could be sited in specific home zones, separate to the communal and event areas. for example, there could be:
Home zone A on the West end of the property on the terraces alongside the river, with 5-7 plots of 750-2,000 square meters.
Home zone B in the East valley alongside the stream with 3-5 home plots of 500-1,000 square meters (one including the mill ruin).
Each resident home plot will be a zone 1. Each resident can have their personal vegetable garden etc.
Between the home plots, there could be a larger zone 2 of food forest design. Residents would pass through the food forest regularly and so will encourage them to observe and care for the plants within their daily rhythms.
Zone 3 on the river field for food crop growing and animal grazing, and some tree planting, with a design that is ready for possible river flooding in the rainy season.
Zone 4 - on the hills on the upper part of the land, where we can plant drought-tolerant trees for reforestation and some for timber.
Zone 5 - areas that we leave to support wildlife and biodiversity. Along the river we would like to plant trees which support the river life and retain the soil on the river banks and support the big established trees to stay rooted.
On the hills on the upper land, drought and fire resistant planting.
The Surrounding Area
The closest village is Caldas da Felgueira, famous for it's history and thermal bath.
There is a vibrant wider community in the area, with many people buying land with the aim to live a more free life away from the cities. There are several projects close by, including intentional communities, permaculture farms and retreat centers, which make up a rich local network.
There are plenty of workshops and events offered within a 45 minute drive radius and three monthly markets are a key social hub, where many people in the wider community sell their produce and craft.
A local initiative started in 2022 after several projects were affected by wildfire, aiming to support land projects in the area to be more protected from fire and generally increase resilience in our lives.