"Fazenda dos Brejos"
(near Bogalhal Velho)

This is a quinta for someone who seeks privacy in a pretty and tranquil area yet undiscovered by other foreigners. A farm with potential to do many things. One could just build a big home and live peacefully surrounded by ones own land….or…one could utilise the land (as was done before) for agriculture and forestry. Or, one could apply for permission to build some log cabins astrewn around the land and either offer holiday accommodation, some form of alternative treatment breaks or destressing retreats for burnt-out executives etc etc ? Even the formation of a small eco-community could be thought of. In these days of crisis it would be the perfect hideaway where to start a new life to survive.

The property lies1km from a quaint old-time hamlet, 2km from the nearest village and 11km from the city of Pinhel and 17km from Trancoso. Both these historical cities have castles. The grande river Douro is only 20 minutes north and the famous Serra da Estrela mountains 20 minutes south, so if one chose for the development of a tourism project there would be lot to offer people in the way of sightseeing and activities. Also the Spanish border is a short drive away.

As one approaches the rolling almond-tree-dotted area, one is struck by its tranquil old fashioned rurality as well as areas of strange rock formations exuding an aura of antiquity. It feels as though one has turned the clock back some decades !

The actual fazenda is bordered by good dirt tracks on two opposite sides, the local council on the third and on the fourth side borders with 300m of a wide stream.

To get to the land one leaves the quiet tarred road between the village and Pinhel and drives 1.5km of good dirt track winding through forests on one side and cultivated fruit orchards on the other, to arrive at the bottom entrance. Here we find to the left, a field planted with maize and to the right a biggish area which has been cleared of forest and which might be the ideal spot to place a big new house?

Slighty above the maize field are the remains of one of the stone buildings existent on the land. It measures a footprint of 9m x 6m. It would probably be best to pull this old building down and reconstuct it if one would want to make use of the stone on that same spot. Across an internal track which passes behind the house, slightly to the right, a few metres higher is a fantastic water mine with an unbelievable amount of water right through August when the stream can sometimes run dry. The water mine feeds a gigantic water tank/reservoir (5m x 5m ?) and which is inhabited by fish. This traditionally was water storage for irrigating the land.

Along the back of this second field to is another 1 storey stone building built against a giant rock which forms a natural back wall. It is approximately 5m x 4m. This seems to have been for storage and had a tin roof on it which I have taken off as it was rusted and bent and falling down.

The edges of the stream are tree lined....very pretty indeed. The rest of the land away from these two fields slopes upwards from the bottom track to the top one at a gradient of 20m height over 200m of distance. The trees were cut some 4 years ago and there is plenty of new growth, thick in some parts and thinner and intersparsed in others.There are some relatively big pines which could be used for a log home perhaps.

Price: 50.000€