The road to The Artists farm (An article on the search for an off grid farm in Portugal)

Mid summer 2020

I hit the road for Portugal in my beautiful mobile hotel on wheels the amazing camper van i built the year before "dobby" an ex removal truck i had converted into 5 star accommodation on wheels ,i drove across three countries and entered Portugal mid august the hottest time of the year.

After a few days frying in the hot temperatures of castello branco mountain heat i headed for the coast to lay low for a few weeks whilst the temperatures went down.

I was deter minded to find a bargain and had my vision of the artists community i would create, the long thought of idea was a familiar one but the land and terrain i was in were all new to me as i was soon to realise.

I really wanted to travel the old way without gps and had bought an atlas which was of good use up until then but soon after i found myself in the Portuguese hills lost, spending hours each day getting even more lost looking for farms for sale , i had ruined four tyres on the truck with the "campo caminos" tracks designed for tractors each one seemingly containing my dream farm at the end of it but resulting in just getting again to "lostville" population one ,me a stubborn Irishman,i lost part of my stove chimney when hit by a low branch from a tree and i was burning so much fuel it would have been cheaper to stay in an actual 5 star hotel, my precious home on wheels was getting destroyed so i admitted defeat and reluctantly bought my first stupid/smart phone in four years and used google maps from then on.

It was a long mission but it was a good means to a magical end i knew that so just kept on driving from region to region.

It was hard work but it was such an adventure and such beautiful landscapes.

I had made my hunt for land a full time job now and threw myself into it which is the usual way with most of the things i do ,it was just another part of the massive learning curve that is my life.

At the cool Atlantic coast i sat swatting online and then headed inland where i had arranged a ton of appointments to view farms around the country.

All in all i must have seen 30 different potential Artists farms i drove a total of 3000km around Portugal looking for the amazing abandoned farm in castello branco that i bought and finally started the creation of The Artists farm the worlds only non profit off grid residential farm for artists.

Driving so far and seeing so many different types of land for sale allowed me to pick the best of the bunch and getting even more than what i had hoped for.

The landscape around the farm is unique with stunning views, the local architect in the nearby village even told me that in the past locals saw my farm as one of the best in the area because "the wells never run out of water and there is a lot of underground water in that part of the valley" ,i even had people ask if i wanted to swap their farm for my one.

So it was a lot of legwork that led me to this farm and a lot of luck, i like to think it found me i had a strange dream shortly after i moved onto the farm which i will write of later perhaps.

Some people coming to Portugal looking for land or a farm to buy have asked my advice on where to search i tell them

"get a camper van and search high and low ,go look at as many places for sale as possible and keep and open mind,look online look in person ask around "

For example my farm was advertised online but the photos were so bad i just went to see it because i was in the area ,i didn't really have much hope of finding anything special but how wrong i was, it is a real gem a one of a kind ,it turned out the old man selling it was a terrible photographer and didn't even mention in the advertisement the place was full of fruit trees and contained 32 grape vines, so i was impressed from the first visit,i came back 5 times in total ,each time more excited and curious about the place and on the final visit i decided to buy it.

I cant lie at this point i was nervous as hell,i was worried about the paperwork not going through and losing my money and being ripped off, i was worried about typical epic delays i had heard of especially, as i couldn't face waiting around months to secure the deeds. fortunately a week later i had the deeds in my hands and the farm was officially mine ,my solicitor said it was the fastest she had ever seen a land sale go through so i was blessed from day one and the same day i got the deeds i rolled onto the land with tired old dobby my faithful hotel on wheels who served me well.

I couldn't have done it without that four wheel beauty,the perfect tool for the mission, containing all i needed to shower cook, sleep and research in the hills, valleys and beaches of Portugal for the last two months finally at her resting place and no longer wild camping, her wheels where on home ground and now and i was a land owner.

It felt so good to have a space of my own after so many years dreaming, i actually had my own farm ,all be it an abandoned one in need of massive restoration, it would be the biggest restoration of my life so far, i knew that.

Restoration is something close to my heart and something which i have had a lot of experience with due to past projects and creations which i will write more of later, almost two years later i am still creating my vision of a farm for myself and other artists to live off the grid self sufficient achieving full food security making space for more time to create and experiment in their particular creative field.

It has been such a ride, so many people have come here in the last two years, different nationalities and personalities, almost all of them left the farm better people stronger and healthier ,it has become "a still point in a turning world", a haven for sensitive souls ,some came and went some stayed and never left ,some come back like old friends , i have received so many private messages and words of support online ,i have been sent poems and paintings and seeds and peoples songs and it really makes me feel so blessed to be busy with my creations and have people tell me they are inspired and enjoy following how i spend my time and energy.

it comes full circle because it just inspires me to continue living my life like a song as all artist/creatives should really do, to put their heart on the line and walk their own path regardless ,to live out their passions and trust in their own bliss, i hope this inspiration will grow.

As i have many passions and like to practice them all i am compelled to live those passions, my goal is heart ,not perfection,any of my creative juices spring from heart always perfection has never been my aim.so from the heart thank you and hope you enjoyed this little article i am writing in almost 40 degree heat mid summer on the farm almost two years after embarking on the road to The Artists farm.

It has been jam packed with adventure and i will share more stories from the road with you later. Please continue to follow me Gareth The Artist farmer and The Artists farm on https://www.facebook.com/The-Artists-farm-105348764729512 and look out for more of my creations and more from the growing Artist farm collective.

I am told the farm nowadays looks like we were here for 6 or 7 years a lot of progress has been made building the infrastructure and forming The Artist farm collective after all it is art and artists we are farming here as well as food ,but a lot of work still needs to be done ,The Artists farm is a non profit venture but does need a little help now and again i have so many ideas exploding out of my mind that need creating and materials are scarce ,the project is still in its early stages but it is off the ground gaining height reaching those who need to be reached and is a work in progress....

If you like this article and would like to further support me and my creations perhaps buy me a coffee and become a member subcriber/follower and i promise to create even more and share it with you #Gareth The Artist farmer