*** Dear WWOOFer, we only host stays for more than 1 week ***
We are Wisse, Claudia, Eline & Mats — a Dutch family following our dream in the green heart of Portugal. At the end of 2024, we purchased a beautiful apple orchard in the Penela area, where we are creating a small-scale ranch combined with a healthy, regenerative/permaculture orchard.
Our land is home to our horses, a gentle Labrador male, two cats, and a flock of chickens. Our place is centered around nature, calm, balance, and working together on a sustainable and loving project. We care deeply about the well-being of our animals and about bringing our land into increasing harmony with the environment.
We work very hard but with focus on a simple, natural way of living: moving with the seasons, spending time outdoors, learning from the land (permaculture), and building a place where people, animals, and nature can support and strengthen one another.
At the same time, Apple Valley Ranch is a working family place, where clear communication, realistic expectations, and mutual responsibility are important to us.
🌱 Farm work & daily rhythm
Our typical farm activities revolve around caring for the land in a natural and regenerative way. Depending on the season, this can include maintaining and improving our apple orchard, supporting soil health, planting trees, mulching, pruning, composting, and general land care.
We also have daily tasks related to our animals — feeding, mucking out, grooming, helping with groundwork or training sessions, and simply making sure all animals are healthy and happy.
We generally ask for around 5 hours of help per day. Working times are flexible and agreed upon together, depending on the season, weather, and everyone’s energy. We value a steady and reliable work rhythm rather than open-ended or undefined arrangements.
🌿 What we love to share and teach
We enjoy sharing what we are learning on our journey, including:
~ regenerative orchard management
~ natural horsemanship and gentle animal care
~ creating a Paddock Paradise / horse track system
~ working with the land in harmony with the seasons
~ building and improving horse facilities
~ creating a pond for horses and nature
~ small-scale homesteading skills
~ vegetable gardening
~ basics of permaculture and ecosystem balance
🕊 A typical day
A typical day on our ranch starts peacefully. After breakfast, we begin by checking in on the animals — feeding, cleaning, and making sure everyone is doing well. We then move on to a project of the day: orchard work, planting or pruning, repairing fences, organising paddocks, or improving the land step by step.
Around lunchtime, we take a break and enjoy a shared homemade lunch together, which we see as a grounding moment in the day. Afternoons usually involve lighter tasks. We finish the day by checking the animals again and making sure everything is calm and in order.
Evenings are reserved for family time with our children, so evening meals are self-prepared and evenings are generally quiet.
🍞 Food
We love provide our WWOOFers with good, nourishing food. We bake organic sourdough bread and prepare a warm homemade lunch or dinner. When our vegetable garden is producing, you are very welcome to enjoy fresh seasonal vegetables.
Breakfast and lunch are usually self-prepared, but we make sure there are plenty of basic ingredients available.
In winter, we do offer shared lunches and dinner, but please note that we do not provide accommodation during this period.
⛺ Accommodation — please read carefully
Accommodation options depend strongly on the season:
From April to October, WWOOFers can stay in a comfortable tent in a quiet spot on the ranch. It is simple but cosy, equipped with bed and towels and close to nature. From November til April we offer a camper/van parking area with access to a hot shower, proper toilet, washing-up space, electricity, and water but no accomodation. It's only possible to come with your own vehicle.
🚫 We do not offer indoor accommodation, rooms, beds, or winter housing.
We are not able to host WWOOFers who require accommodation during the winter months.
📍 Practical & surroundings
Although our place feels rural and quiet, it is also practical. Public transport is available nearby, and a supermarket is within walking and cycling distance. We also have bicycles available to borrow.
The nearby village has a bakery, a small supermarket, and a cosy terrace. There is a warm local community, and every Sunday there is a small local market.
In your free time, you can enjoy beautiful walking and hiking routes directly from our land, explore forests and hills, swim in natural river pools in summer, or visit the Silver Coast beaches about an hour away. The historic towns of Penela, Coimbra, and Tomar are also close by.
It’s a peaceful region with lots of nature, a strong sense of community, and a slow rhythm — a wonderful place to work, learn, and enjoy central Portugal.
Read more
Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Poultry farming
Horse or donkey farming
Beekeeping
Flower farming
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Bakery
Green Building
Renewable energy production
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Biodynamic agriculture
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Rotational grazing
Host type
Production farm
Certified organic
2
Hectares
|
4.9
Acres
