Have you ever felt stuck in a rut? Dreamt of escaping the rat race? Or just longed for a new start in a warmer climate? Then read on – this is how our dream was birthed.
In November 2017 we visited our friends, Linda and Andy Hipwell in Portugal’s Louriçal do Campo to help with their Olive harvest and during the week was introduced to the Portuguese way of life.
Linda and Andy’s fruit farm (Quinta) with its beautifully maintained olive groves, fruit trees and vines was bursting with colour, delicious fragrances and sumptuous fruits. We had our daily dose of C Vit straight from the tree and felt at peace with ourselves and the rest of the world. I think we fell in love at first sight and decided that we wanted to have a slice of this for ourselves.
Finding the perfect plot to set down our roots was a long way from being straightforward. Portuguese law is far from that of the UK as we were to quickly find out. Before legally being able to live in a Quinta, it must have a habitation licence. This is really important as without this it is not possible to renovate or live there permanently.
Now, here’s the thing. Not all Quinta’s have the all important habitation licence and some people mistakenly think they have as the Quinta has been in their family for generations. This was the case for us, and we quickly found out we had a lengthy process to follow before even starting the application process.
Project Portugal 