Andy and Chelsea, a couple originally from Newquay in Cornwall, have abandoned their van life in a UK surfing hotspot to work the land on an abandoned vineyard on Pico Island, a remote Atlantic island with only 14,000 residents. They have shared three key benefits of their new way of life.
Slow Lifestyle
Andy highlighted the island's 'slow' pace of life as one of the best aspects of the move. Chelsea noted that the island is home to just 14,000 people and boasts a dormant volcano, Mount Pico. Despite its small size, the island has 'complete infrastructure', including supermarkets, though the nearest 'proper hospital' is a 30-minute ferry ride away. Andy explained that while he and Chelsea are hard-working, he feels 'disconnected' from the 'hustle culture' back in the UK. 'I just don't feel that pressure anymore, and you're just not around anyone with... It's just less ego,' he added.
People
Locals predominantly speak Portuguese, and 'not everyone speaks' English, but the couple have been learning the language. Andy described the island's greatest quality as everyone being 'super down to earth'. He also praised the hard-working farmers: 'They work really hard. And they're...they're always up and down the road doing the water and the feed for the cows and all of that. So that's really nice.'
More Land
One of the biggest appeals of leaving the UK was the chance to escape the daily grind. Andy and Chelsea 'weren't interested in like a fancy house, fancy cars', but Britain posed challenges for self-sufficient living. 'The climate in the UK isn't really conducive to growing all year around, so we wanted somewhere a little bit warmer. Because we're from Cornwall, we wanted to be by the sea, so that was really important. And we wanted somewhere a bit more secluded, away from people as well. And yeah, overall, though, in the UK, it's very, very difficult to buy land and build a house and live on it, or live in it. So, unless you're very, very rich, and then, even then I think it's going to be very difficult to find the land you want. I know some people do do it, and I know Wales is a very, very good place to do it. Ireland, I think, maybe Scotland as well, but obviously, it's a lot colder there. But in all, it seems like it would be very, very difficult to do it down there,' Andy explained.
