Our blog

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

As we say farewell to 2025 and a big HELLO to 2026, we thought it was worth reflecting on the amazing year we have had at the windmill. So here is a summary of our year from a tourism perspective. We welcomed guests from 17 different countries! In top position, with the most bookings were the UK and Portugal, followed by Germany, Spain and the USA. We also had visitors from as far away as Colombia and Australia. Our busiest month this year was September, when we had 29 nights

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...

There's plenty to do during a stay at the windmill, and we thought it would be helpful to list a few of our favourites (just relaxing is...

We have four beautiful new additions at the mill. They are Petra (black), Chanel (speckled, very elegant!), Marmalade (orange) and...