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Do you like Portuguese tiles? Do you like Portuguese wine? If you're a fan of both of these, you're in for a treat if you visit Museu Berardo! It's located in the beautiful old town of Estremoz (home of pink marble, a great restaurant scene, our favourite antiques market, and some wonderful vineyards - we'll write a more detailed post soon!), around 1.5 hours drive south, into the Alentejo. The owners of Bacalhoa, one of Portugal's premium wine producers, has taken over a pre

Hercule is the offspring of a pair of Griffon Vultures who have settled on the rocks above an old stone bridge just upstream from us.

Even after 7 years living at the windmill, Fadagosa is still serving us up some beautiful surprises and secret places. During the storms in February, the river rose very high and when it receded the shape of some of the river banks had changed dramatically. Whilst exploring these changes we found this secluded and sheltered spot, and we set up a hammock and chairs here. It is the perfect place to while away a hot day, reading a book, having a paddle or watching nature go by.

We’ve had goats here at the mill for more than five years no w, helping us keep the land clear. They are also real characters and, w hile we couldn't imagine life without them, we also couldn't say that they've been the easiest animals to have in our lives! Goats are well-known for escaping and generally causing chaos exactly where you don't want them to, and ours are no exception. After years of chasing them through the brush, we finally decided to invest in virtual fencing

Every year we invite our guests to enter an art competition by leaving us with a picture, a photo, a poem or anything else that the windmill inspires you to create. We had some fantastic entries, especially in the form of poems, and we are pleased to showcase here the winning entry. Congratulations to Johnny for his poem! You can read it below, or listen to us reading it here.

Our local town of Mação is an important centre for prehistoric art and archaeological research , not just in Iberia but across the whole of Europe. The area is famous for its rock art ( arte rupestre ) that goes back thousands of years, between the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. In fact, the view from the back of the windmill captures the old castle (Castelo Velho - see our blog post here ) where important artefacts such as the one below, were found. So, what is known abou

Friend of the windmill, Victoria Iles, has a beautiful medicinal garden close to us, where she holds classes and workshops: Jardim de...

Portugal often conjures images of sun-drenched beaches, historic cities, and rolling vineyards. But did you know there's another side to...

We really enjoy eating traditional Portuguese food, but we do love it when we have the opportunity to try something different, either...

Less than half an hour's drive from the windmill, you can visit Quinta Vale do Armo , in the picturesque landscape around the town of...

In case you needed any more excuses to come and stay with us, the most recent Michelin restaurant guide - and the first in which Portugal...

It is rare to find a vegetarian restaurant in central Portugal so we were super-excited to visit Mãos da Horta in Castelo Branco, and we...

The spring water at Ladeira, less than twenty minutes drive from the windmill, is well known for its health benefits. The water that...

Next time you join us for a stay at the Moinho, why not take a paddleboard out and enjoy a day on the water? There are a number of spots...

Not only does our nearest city, Abrantes, offer a good range of restaurants, shops, and cultural activities, it is home to something else...

Russell the Rooster has been a great addition to the windmill team. We were unsure of whether a cockerel was a good idea, because we know...

If you read our autumn newsletter, you will remember that our goat herd received a special visit from Mr Boombastic (not his christened...

There are many great walks direct from the windmill, however if you're happy to drive a short distance, there are some very impressive...

As you may know, we started our goat herd two years ago with the two does Savanah and Rebel. They arrived at the windmill in Autumn 2020,...

We weren't sure what to expect when we heard that there was a 'slow food' tasting menu on offer at a new guesthouse in São José das...