I have had two expeditions in the last 10 days, viewing land with ruins for my future home and the Earth Collective project. So far, I haven’t found the property of my dreams, the one I hope to fall in love with. But it has been interesting and by no stretch, a waste of time.
My efforts to find a property of the right proportions in the green and lush northern tip of Portugal failed. Most properties are 1 hectare or less, if you are lucky 2 hectares (which is equivalent to 2.5 to 5 acres tops) and I am looking for 20 acres or more. So, it was a question of casting my eye further down the map towards the centre, where large (and I mean seriously large) properties are plentiful at reasonable cost. Obviously, there is a reason for this. In the summer it’s extremely hot and arid, and has a savanna feel to it. But I felt a need to satisfy my curiosity and see if I could handle the heat. It was a long shot.
After several days researching and liaising with agents, I had two full days of viewings booked, plus a property to see on the way down and another on the way back that were privately listed. The drive down was long and got progressively hotter, about 6 hours in total including a detour to see the property. It was big, 50 acres including half a mountain with a terraced basin at the bottom, ancient ruins, plentiful water and big views at the top which, naturally, I wanted to see. The agent and I bush-bashed our way through the undergrowth (actually, overgrowth) to the summit in 32 degrees of heat. It was worth it. I had been keen to view this property but, sadly, overall it didn’t quite live up to expectations. Context is everything and you can only see so much when exploring online maps. Oh well!
I stayed for two nights in the fabulous hill top village of Penamacor, which is close to Spain on the eastern side of Portugal. The house was lovely. The church bells less so. They were too close for comfort and chimed every 15 minutes, sometimes with an introductory tune. Other times, they chimed twice, from 6 in the morning until 12.15 am. Coupled with the dog from hell next door, I didn’t sleep too well, even with windows closed, air-conditioning on and earplugs in. The first day of viewing was hot (around 34 degrees). I saw three properties between Castelo Branco and Penamacor. I discounted the first on arrival, so as not to waste time or expend unnecessary effort. However, I walked for three hours in the heat to inspect the large expanses of land on the other two. Unfortunately, the negatives outweighed the positives. On the second day, I viewed another three properties with a different agent. This time, two were discounted on arrival and the third was disappointing. C’est la vie! It was interesting to see more of Portugal and explore a few nooks and crannies that were off the beaten track….
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Footnotes:
1. I write regular Notes on Substack in between blogs. Mostly, observations and insights into my new life in Portugal plus the odd epiphany. (You can get notifications, if you are registered.)
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Your determination not to compromise does you credit.