Author: Alastair Leithead

Alastair Leithead

ALASTAIR LEITHEAD is a former BBC foreign correspondent now living off the grid in rural Alentejo. He and his wife Ana run www.valleyofthestars.co.uk; Insta @vale_das_estrelas which is open through the holidays and into the New Year. To receive your reader’s discount, use the code XMAS25 when booking to get a 15% off.

When Al and Ana started out, this was a eucalyptus forest ... now it’s taking shape|A year on, the eco-resort is taking shape|Eucalyptus trees were removed before supplies could be delivered and building could begin|A rainbow over Vale das Estrelas, or Valley of the Stars|Solar panels will power Alastair and Ana’s eco-lodge|Alastair’s latest schematic plan for how to bring drinking water to the guests

Building a new life

A journalist and a diplomat walk into the Portuguese countryside, find a great view and decide to give up their jobs and build an eco-lodge. It sounds like some kind

September 30, 2023by Alastair Leithead
Island of Green SML: “Saved by irrigation: this house on a hill was saved by space and flood irrigation which kept the fire away” (Photo: ALASTAIR LEITHEAD)|“The fire shown here from Café Portela in Relva Grande doubled in size in a matter of hours and was blown towards São Teotónio” (Photo: ALASTAIR LEITHEAD)|“Scorched earth: the land was all burned last September, but grass and medronho trees have already recovered” (Photo: ALASTAIR LEITHEAD)|“Blackened valley: the fire burned part of our guesthouse, but it could have been a lot worse” (Photo: ALASTAIR LEITHEAD)|“Close call last year: if the petrol tank had blown up, it would have destroyed the technical house and all the solar equipment inside” (Photo: ALASTAIR LEITHEAD)|“Fighting the fire at Vicentino vineyard: the staff saved the winery and the harvest” (Photo courtesy OLE MARTIN SIEM)

Fire and the future

When fire swept up our valley, we had an hour to choose what to keep and what to leave and let burn. All sorts of strange things made it into

August 31, 2023by Alastair Leithead