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PP150: Quinta das Abelhas

Fabulous 2.7 hectare smallholding / equestrian property

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Fabulous 2.7 hectare smallholding / equestrian property.

Quinta das Abelhas (Honeybee Farm) is situated in a peaceful and private location in an ecological reserve, with spectacular views to two mountain ranges (Serra da Estrela - "Star Mountains" - the highest in Portugal, and Serra do Açor - "Goshawk Mountains"). The quinta is ready for immediate living and self-sufficiency, but still has plenty of potential for further improvement.

10-15 mins walk from the village (bars, restaurant, general stores, post office, butcher and bakery) and from the Mondego river (swimming and fishing).

5km to the market town of Tábua with all amenities - weekly market, supermarkets, wide range of shops, banks, bars, restaurants, health centre, dentists, etc. Tábua also has an agricultural co-operative (for all your smallholding needs!) and a very good builders merchant/DIY store. Larger towns Arganil and Oliveira do Hospital approx. 20 mins drive. Coimbra, the historic university city, and the Serra da Estrela ski slopes 45 mins. Beaches 1hr. Train stations at Santa Comba Dão and Carregal do Sal (20 mins). Bus stations at Tábua, Oliveira do Hospital, and Santa Comba Dão. Airports at Porto (2hrs) and Lisbon (3hrs).

This really is a fantastic place to live, with plenty of scope for realising your own dreams here! We shall be sad to leave and are only selling as we are buying a 20 hectare farm to realise some of our ideas for bigger projects.

The quinta is offered for sale as a whole or as two separate plots:

PLOT 1 (18,000m2 / just under 2 hectares) 125,000 euros:

• 3 room cottage (currently kitchen downstairs, office and bedroom with en-suite shower upstairs).
• Outdoor washing up / laundry area with gas bottle storage under.
• Huge outdoor dining table and benches.
• Ruin for renovation - possibility to build an 88.6m2 house - basement, ground floor, and attic giving a possible total living area of 265.8m2 (architect's plans for a 2-4 bed home are included in the sale - this does not include attic space, so more bedrooms could be added).
• Brick-built dual-chamber composting toilet (Centre for Alternative Technology design) with shower heated by the sun in summer and wood-fired boiler in winter.
• Outdoor bathtub heated by a wood fire.
• 30m2 brick-built store (possibilities for a number of uses - workshop, stables, etc).
• Furnished 5m painted Mongolian yurt with wooden base. Ready to live in or rent out.
• Covered space for caravan (wooden posts and shade netting).
• Small caravan (currently used as a kitchen for yurt guests / campers) with large wooden table & benches outside and shade structure over.
• Circular brick and wood base for small yurt of 3-4m.
• Large square raised decking with steps up for another yurt of 4-5m.
• Two terraces of organic gardens with raised beds, fruit and nut trees, 4yr old asparagus beds, soft fruit and currant beds (strawberry, raspberry, redcurrant, blackcurrant, goji berry). Plenty of space for expanding the gardens.
• Abundant wild herbs growing on the quinta include sorrel, lovage, rocket, chamomile, watercress).
• Approx 300 grape vines, 60 olive trees and a huge variety of mature and newly-planted fruit trees (including orange, grapefruit, lemon, apple, pear, quince, plum, cherry, sharron fruit, pomegranite, loquat, lychee, fig, peach, nectarine, apricot).
• Small area of mostly pine woodland. Other trees include oak, strawberry tree, willow, eucalyptus, cork oak, and pine nut.
• Fenced paddock (wooden post and electric tape) for horses with field shelter (could easily be modified for other livestock or for more growing area).
• Brick-built chicken shed and fenced (wooden post and chicken wire) pen. Chickens, ducks and geese can stay if new owners wish!
• Well with electric pump to large storage tank. Plumbing to cottage and various points on the land including gardens, horse shelter and chicken shed. The well gives abundant water for irrigation, animals and people (including lots of visitors) and we have never needed to use the other water sources.
• Natural spring, pond, small stream, and small irrigation tank/splash pool.
• Telephone line with ADSL broadband internet connection.
• No electricity connection at present but there is new wiring in the cottage, the ruin, the compost toilet/shower building, and to the well/camping area. Mains can be easily connected or this is an ideal location for solar power which you can also sell back to the grid. Electricity currently comes from our neighbours (200m away and not visible from the quinta) and it may be possible to continue this arrangement until your own supply is up and running.
• Parking space near the store & cottage (last 50m of track best in a 4x4!)

PLOT 2 (6,600m2 + 2,720m2 / just under a hectare) 40,000 euros:

• Possibility to build 48m2 house.
• 3 berth caravan with shade structure over.
• One terrace organic garden and plenty of room for more.
• Grape vines, fruit and olive trees.
• Fenced paddock (wooden post and electric tape) for horses (could easily be modified for other livestock or for more growing area).
• Small area of pine, eucalyptus and oak woodland.
• Parking near the caravan (last 50m of track best in a 4x4!) and also a parking space for 3-4 cars about 50m away (easily accessible with any vehicle).
• 2 water mines.
• Telephone line with ADSL broadband internet connection.
• No electricity connection at present. Mains can be easily connected or this is an ideal location for solar power which you can also sell back to the grid.

BOTH PLOTS TOGETHER (27,320m2 / 2.7 hectares) 150,000 euros:

• If the plots are purchased together (in the same ownership) it could be possible to put the 88.6m2 + 48m2 building allowances together to make one house of 136.6m2 (basement, ground floor, and attic = possible total living area of 409.8m2).
• Possibility to buy Plot 1 outright with a rent-to-buy or delayed payment option on Plot 2.

EXTRAS:
Also included in the sale if new owners wish:

• Gas cooker, wood burning range cooker, washing machine, dishwasher, fridge/freezer, and small chest freezer.
• Website and blog www.portugalsmallholding.org.
• 4 cats!

POSSIBLE PROJECTS / INCOME GENERATION:
Making a living, especially if you are new to the country and the language, can be extremely difficult. However, the new owners of the quinta will have several options, some of which include:

• The website and blog are already established, popular, and have good google search rankings. There are possibilities for further monetising the website/blog.
• The quinta (through its own website and WWOOF membership) attracts more volunteers than it can currently accommodate. There is plenty of scope to increase guest/volunteer accommodation.
• Quinta das Abelhas is a member of the Local Permaculture Network / Rede Local de Permacultura and Eco-Living Portugal which offer promotion and support for sustainable projects.
• Other quintas in the local area are in discussion about setting up an organic vegetable box scheme and Quinta das Abelhas could easily become part of this.
• The quinta has an informal camping area and a Mongolian yurt to rent which brings in a steady flow of guests. However, this part of the quinta has not been a priority/main focus so there is, again, plenty of scope for improving on this area of the project if desired. The quinta would be a perfect location to host workshops, courses, retreats, etc.
• Quinta das Abelhas is to be featured in the 2009 Cool Camping Europe guide.

MORE INFO & PHOTOS:

• www.portugalsmallholding.org
• www.copperstrings.com

Price: 150,000 euros
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Contact: property@pureportugal.co.uk

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