Episodes 84
Avg. Duration 8m
Activity Highly Active
Since Dec 2022
Latest Episode Apr 2026

Publishing Details

Schedule
Monthly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
62%
Hosting
api.substack.com

Contact & Outreach

About This Podcast

From Our Own Correspondent-style despatches from a former BBC reporter who's now battling to live off the grid in the Alentejo countryside. Selected audio recordings of his weekly blog which began in 2020.

alastairleithead.substack.com

Explore Statistics

Recent Episodes

Planting the Vineyard

Apr 19, 2026 12m

For the best part of six years, a crazy combination of ambition, naivety, mis-placed confidence and pig-headed determination has created Vale das Estrelas.It’s living proof that ridiculous ideas…

Summer Time

Mar 29, 2026 9m

Dry January is a distant memory, Lent is nearly done, the sun is shining here in the valley, and spring has not only sprung, but is now powering into Portuguese summer time.Personally, January wasn’t…

Returning Refreshed

Mar 16, 2026 9m

Portugal’s unusually wet winter put a dampener on everything except perhaps reservoir levels and groundwater reserves.So it was great to swap the “conveyor belt of storms” for a real-life airport…

Biblical Weather

Feb 07, 2026 11m

Marta has arrived.After being battered by Ingrid, Joseph, Kristin...oh Kristin...and Leonardo, the sixth named storm of the year has done what only storm systems can do...and is “barrelling” into…

Backing the Booze

Jan 18, 2026 11m

For a recovering news addict, the daily barrage of bad news breaks over me like the Atlantic waves on our wild west Portuguese coast.The inundation of daily briefings, updates and newsletters which…

Happy Holidays!

Dec 21, 2025 8m

One of the great things about being married to a Portuguese Swede is also one of the great things about being an only child: it really pays off at Christmas.As a kid I was the spoilt brat with no…

Marketing 101

Dec 07, 2025 8m

We have already learned a lot of new jobs in this new career path, and for the past two weeks we’ve been trying to learn another one: marketing.Having just about got to grips with off-grid living…

Storm Surge

Nov 23, 2025 9m

On the rare occasion the entire Portuguese power grid goes down for a few hours we are positively smug, but the other side of the coin is keeping everything running when a big storm hits.And all of…

Elephants to Alentejo

Nov 09, 2025 8m

It’s more than 30,000 years since elephants last wandered the rolling landscape of Portugal’s Alentejo, but that’s all about to change.The last known tracks the pachyderms left behind are a series of…

Paint & porn stars

Oct 26, 2025 9m

In the voyage of discovery that is making it up as you go along, our little late-summer lull didn’t last very long.I last wrote about us suddenly realising it was September with the brief moment we…

Coming up for Air

Sep 14, 2025 8m

So that’s what they mean by the silly season...how did it suddenly become September?It’s been both exhilarating and exhausting, but we couldn’t have asked for a better summer start to the latest…

It’s actually happening...

Jul 27, 2025 9m

We’ve heard many encouraging words in the various iterations of these despatches, from Off-Grid and Ignorant, Off-Grid and Open and now Off-Grid and Entertaining (people)...in Portugal.And having…

Fantastic Festas

Jun 22, 2025 9m

Portugal loves a party, and the summer season smoothly segues from festa straight into to festa.Since most schools were out from early June the festivities have been off to a flying start with both…

Springing into Summer

May 21, 2025 8m

The metaphors have moved from walking through mud to battling thick undergrowth as the moment in the year has passed when the clay on our land turns to concrete.A very wet winter has given everything…

Off Grid and SMUG in Portugal

Apr 29, 2025 8m

Surprised, interested, shocked, concerned and intrigued all sum up our reaction to the massive power cuts across Portugal and Spain, but perhaps the most appropriate description of our mood was:…

Opening Time

Apr 20, 2025 9m

For more than three years now there’s been a loop of thinking, building, pushing and waiting...but we’ve finally opened our doors to a flurry of guests.With thanks to friends – and friends of friends…

We’ve done it!

Mar 23, 2025 10m

Well, that was easy.After years of waiting and hoping, begging and pushing, of sleepless nights and stressful days our reaction was...understated when the email came through.We’d roped in a trade…

The Infinite Staircase

Feb 16, 2025 7m

Since our Portuguese adventure began, there are certain phrases I never thought I’d say out loud.For example: “Once we discovered pillow tanks we knew we had the answer to rainwater capture.”Then…

Birthday Presence

Feb 02, 2025 8m

Birthday presents can reveal a lot about one’s age, stage of life and current circumstances, and this couldn’t have been closer to the truth than on the occasion of my 53rd birthday.I mean this…

The Pleasure of Bleisure

Jan 22, 2025 10m

Januaries here in Portugal are more palatable than most northern hemisphere winters.For one, I never do the whole Dry January thing because it’s my birthday month, and while we do need more rain, I…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Off-grid and Ignorant in Portugal have?

Off-grid and Ignorant in Portugal has published 84 episodes since December 2022, covering topics in Personal Journals, Places & Travel.

Is Off-grid and Ignorant in Portugal still active?

Off-grid and Ignorant in Portugal is currently highly active with new episodes monthly. Average episode length is 8m.

How do I contact Off-grid and Ignorant in Portugal for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Off-grid and Ignorant in Portugal, including email and social media links.

Similar Podcasts