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Welcome to our
Tribe!
HOW YOU CAN BE A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY​
Are you interested in or curious about living in a community? Maybe you can come and try it out with us! We have various programs you can join depending on your interests.
We are always building and learning and we are always looking for people with an insatiable desire to grow and work on their own skills and development through projects like ours. Below you will find a couple of ways that might suit your and our needs best:
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- Avalon Student:
If you are interested in starting your own community or want to learn about permaculture and natural building then the student program might be for you! On the 14th of April, we'll start a Cob Roundhouse Eco Build project led by Adam. Adam is an experienced eco-builder who has built various structures like an earthbag dome (under the tutelage of Davide Fresca, architect, and CalEarth Institute graduate), cob, straw bale, Superadobe, and stone houses as well as more modern construction projects. A perfect way to learn how to build houses if you are interested in building your own cob house or starting your own community. Read all about this project below!
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- Avalon Volunteers:
What we are doing varies week to week, month to month, season to season but we can say that the help needed will always involve looking after animals, gardening, social media and marketing, and keeping our Avalon space clean and tidy. If we are building something and you are handy you can lend your hands and efforts there. To make the project available to as many people as possible we are working with a system where you can work for food and board and different variations of staying with us varying in luxury with or without accommodation.
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- Work hours: When you work 5 hours, you essentially cover all your costs. Work is really fun and it doesn't have to be hard unless you like the more hefty work of course, we try to get people on the jobs that make them happy. With 3 hours you have more free time but we will ask you to balance that out chipping in to help us cover the food costs.​​
Everyone works 5 out of 7 days regardless of the amount of hours you work or the plan you pick.
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​- Accommodation: We offer basic (shared) accommodation on the land; 2-person bell-tents, a sleeping van, a stone house and soon a caravan are available if you don't bring your own. The 3-cross option will cover your basic food and accommodation costs.
However, if you do come bringing your own accommodation you free up space for others, you can pick the 2-cross option then making it a bit cheaper.
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​- Meals: We offer two healthy vegetarian meals a day, usually breakfast and an early dinner and we will have a healthy snack at lunchtime. If you want to eat meat, fish, or jazz it up with some luxury items we totally understand and we can arrange that when you choose the 4-cross option. For both the 2 and 3 cross option: If you want to fancier with the food just let us know and pay €3,- more.
Pick-up from Castelo Branco on Mondays is included if you don't have your own transportation. ​​​
Spend your day at Avalon
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Living so closely with nature, experience has taught us that life works best when we shift the course of our days with the seasons. For example, an earlier start to beat the heat in summer, compared to a slower beginning in the winter. I have also found that leaning into a co-created routine helps us to work harmoniously and spend as much time carefree as possible - though the structure flexes to meet people’s needs, and we create space for people to express those needs.
Here is a rough guide to a typical day in September last year:
06:00-08:00 - Morning practices like meditation, tai chi, and yoga (optional)
08:00-08:30 - Breakfast
08:30-09:00 - Sharing circle, team orientation, and daily tasks
09:00-12:00 - Helping on the land
12:00-14:00 - Free time for those helping for three hours
12.00-14.00 - People who are in the building/studying program have two more hours of that
14.00-15.00 - Lunch
15:00 onwards: Freetime! River swimming and relaxation. Getting lost in nature. Sometimes people choose to carry on with a project they’re enjoying - that’s welcome but not at all expected of course. Just like being at home, cooking breakfast and dinner plus doing the dishes and cleaning are not included in the hours of help but are rotated tasks, equally divided among everyone here.​​
DO WHAT YOU LOVE
We believe people are at their best when they are doing what they love, and are in their flow. In flow, things are easy and don't feel like hard work. That's why we are trying to have people help with things they like doing. Of course, some tasks are not super exciting (like doing the dishes or dealing with the compost toilets). These tasks are done on rotation and when everyone washes their own plate, cup, and cutlery + 1 more item it's done in a jiffy. ​
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We have lots of things to do outdoors:
- Craftswo/men (designing buildings, working with machinery, sewing, building structures, or doing repairs)
- Carpenters (building and repairing furniture and wooden structures)
- Caring for the animals (we have chickens and cats)
- Managing the food forest (pruning, tidying, watering, etc.)
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It's also very welcome to have people donate their efforts in other ways than working on the land directly like:
- Social media and content creators (very welcome if you have the skills and love doing this)
- Photography enthusiasts (It's great to have pictures for social media and our website)
- Chefs and hobby cooks (We can always use some help in the kitchen and cooking together is so much fun)
- Event creators (If you love to provide entertainment while you are here, you are welcome!)​
Adam
Originally from: The United Kingdom
Energy: Masculine
Positive traits: Creative, focused, hardworking, and kind. Visionary. An avid learner and disciplinarian.
Lives for: The simple things in life, moments of co-creation, and experiential growth. Portuguese pastries.
Doesn't deal well with: Lateness, littering, and loud drunk people.
Specialties: Thai massage, Qi gong, permaculture, and eco-building.​​​
Growing up on the beaches and cliffs of West Cornwall, United Kingdom, my childhood was filled with adventures in the natural world. I had rock pools, long golden beaches, and stone circles as playgrounds and tales of pirates and mysterious Celtic folklore as world-building fantasies. Whether it was building sand castles or painting landscapes, running up sand dunes, or surfing in the summer, the rugged and seasonal exposure of that northern coastline had me captivated.
Years later, after more adult responsibilities took precedence, I ‘woke up’ feeling somewhat despondent and very distant from that world. I was living a conventional life with a corporate job, in a distant city and mortgage, etc. Something wasn't right. Deep down in my own abyss, I found my treasure again - my adventurous spirit. This time I took off around the world - discovering yoga and the wonderful healing art of Thai massage. I traveled and worked in many countries learning many things picking up permaculture and various eco-building techniques. Despite the great lifestyle, something was still missing from living out of my bag. Then, the call to settle and build something became clear.
The year 2020 was time to start. Drawn by a vision of living in harmony with nature, I came to Portugal alone and bought this 1.4-hectare plot of land after feeling it ‘speak to me’. Back then, it had just a stone ruin with a very thorny and overgrown landscape by the river. The seasons and solitude have taught me an exceptional amount about what is important in life and where answers to meaningful questions lie. Over time I've discovered the importance of establishing community sufficiency, a concept of togetherness and mutual support between neighbors, ecosystems, humans, and all other beings.
I love working with my hands and that shines through what I do—bodywork, building with natural materials, and planting trees. Inspired by Taoism, Vipassana meditation, and Qi Gong practice, I feel a natural resonance with walking the path of presence, balance, and surrender. Every day, I open my heart and mind to learn from nature’s rhythms, and the subtleties of reality, believing in a way of life that is both simple and deeply connected to all that is.
Sabrina
Originally from: Gibraltar
Energy: Feminine, caring, nurturing, and loving
Positive traits: Compassionate, fun facilitator, generates a lot of energy, professional chiller, makes people feel loved and seen and helps them flow
Lives for: Personal growth
Doesn't deal well with: Animal cruelty and bullies
Specialties: Brings life to every place, Tantra Massage Therapist ​​​
Originally from Gibraltar, I have spent the last four years living in The Netherlands, navigating a world that, for a time, felt disconnected from my true essence. After years in the corporate world, I came to realize that my calling lay elsewhere—closer to nature, to community, and to a life in harmony with the elements that I feel deeply attuned to.
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For a long time now I have felt the pull to live in a way that honors both the Earth and the interconnectedness of everything. To co-create with others, to share, to learn, and to grow. Living in community is an invitation to expand, to be mirrored by those around us, and to embrace the lessons that arise in our interactions. Nature, in its quiet wisdom, provides the space for reflection, healing, and transformation, allowing the answers to unfold in their own divine time.
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My journey has led me to the exploration of energy work through the practices of Reiki, Tantra Massage, and Tantric Yoga as well as a desire to further deepen my connection and understanding of plant medicine, the sacred cycles of the earth, and the profound wisdom rooted in the Divine Feminine. These practices continue to guide me in deepening my connection with myself, others, and the greater flow of life around me.
I am excited to embark on this journey of conscious living, of building something sustainable and meaningful. To create a space where we grow together, nourish the land, and honor authenticity, connection, and balance in all its forms.
Dana
Originally from: The Netherlands
Energy: Masculine + Feminine
Positive traits: Very open and non-judgmental, good with energy, people, and animals, empowers people
Lives for: Personal growth and learning, balance and freedom
Not crazy about: Dishonesty, passive aggression
Specialties: Helps people reconnect to their soul calling ​​​
As a spiritual coach, Dana helps individuals remember their Dharma and guides them go for what excites their souls. In relationship coaching, (and life) she is highly effective because of her loving but no-nonsense direct approach. Her strong empathic senses, and the ability to represent both the masculine and feminine in one body, enable her to easily feel her way behind any masks and help translate between partners.
Since age 24 Dana has wanted her own 'Garden of Epicurus'—a community of philosophers and spiritual seekers who help and empower each other. Settling in Portugal, home of the Templars, for her is a dream come true. With her Twin Flame Partner Sabrina and their two cats, she is now practicing what she preaches about living your life directed by your Highest Excitement, which is the language of the Soul, as an example for others.
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As a Tantra Teacher and Tantra Massage Therapist, Dana knows about energy and the Universal Laws and how to use them to manifest, alchemize, and transmute. An afternoon of building and chatting with her can be akin to the equivalent of months of therapy. Come see for yourself!
COB ROUNDHOUSE ECO BUILD APRIL 2025
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Are you ready to learn how to build a sustainable home from the ground up? Join us at Avalon in the stunning Portuguese countryside for a hands-on, immersive, and transformational experience where you'll gain the skills and knowledge to construct your very own home using natural materials.
In April 2025, we will begin a new project to build an earthen roundhouse with a reciprocal roof using a combination of sustainable, eco-friendly construction methods.
There will be the opportunity to learn about:
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Foundations and drainage;
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Walls, doors, and windows;
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Making a reciprocal green roof;
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Heating, lighting, plumbing, solar electricity and ventilation;
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All natural plastering and flooring.​
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The experience doesn't end with learning all these amazing building skills, there are multiple other benefits to joining us:
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Wake up to birdsong and bathe in the beautiful river that runs through the land.
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Try out living off-grid on an evolving project in its early years.
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Surround yourself with like-minded people.
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Dine on lovingly prepared healthy meals, made with the freshest, local, and seasonal ingredients.
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Take part in practices such as cacao ceremonies, (casual) coaching, Qi Gong, and yoga.
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Acoustic music and games nights
The Immersion begins on Monday, 14 April 2025 and we anticipate the main part of construction to last two months. These two months are split into four parts, each one two weeks long. We will have a rolling intake of new students at the start of each part. You can join us for just one or all of the parts. ​
The following schedule repeats each week:
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Monday - arrival and departure day (day off)
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Tuesday - new person orientation (day off)
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Wednesday to Sunday - construction
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This is what a typical construction day will look like:
07:00 - Morning meeting and warm-up
08:00 - Build
09:00 - Breakfast
10:00 - Build
13:00 - Break with healthy snacks
14:00 - Build
16:00 - Free time for optional activities
18:00 - Dinner
19:00 - Free time/games/movie
21:00 - Quiet time
22:00 - Lights out
Subject to changes due to weather, etc.
The Price
We are offering this immersive experience of a lifetime on a sliding scale that will hopefully suit both people looking to take a hands-on break from their regular life as well as those wanting to understand what it means to construct a house and live off-grid. 2 meals and healthy snacks are included. The minimum stay is for two weeks.
These are the prices for the course, (shared) accommodation, food, gas, and pick-up from Castelo Branco:
1 Part (2 weeks) = 400€
2 Parts (4 weeks) = 750€
3 Parts (6 weeks) = 1050€
4 Parts (8 weeks) = 1350€
We offer a reduced pricing scale if you bring your own accommodation:
1 Part (2 weeks) = 300€
2 Parts (4 weeks) = 550€
3 Parts (6 weeks) = 750€
4 Parts (8 weeks) = 950€
When booking your place we ask that you pay your first week as a deposit (non-refundable).
Can't wait to join or are you curious and want to know more? Click the button below for the sign-up form.
OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT US
If you like what we do but are not in the position to come over to stay, help, learn, or live you can still support us!
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Below are some ways you can support our initiative, and help heal the world by raising its frequency and lowering the carbon footprint of the Earth.
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CHECK OUT OUR SUPPORT PAGE!
You can support us from a distance by funding one of our projects! The beauty of that is that you then later come over and benefit from your investment :)
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