Video: Chipping Norton family sell up and create 'off-grid life' on overgrown Portuguese farm - and they couldn't be happier!

Watch: Abandoned Portuguese Farm renovation | The FULL TOUR of our farm

John and Tara Newby’s life-changing adventure began in February 2020 when the couple got married in Antarctica. Upon returning to their home in Chipping Norton, the Covid lockdowns meant that home life as they knew it would never be the same.

The couple, who had already travelled much of the world (John has visited 163 countries), felt constrained by the new regulations and subsequently sold their house, quit their jobs, and converted a van to live in and travel around the regions of Europe that were less affected by the regulations.

John said: "At the same time as when we quit our jobs and sold our house, we found out we were pregnant with our first child, Crusoe. At that point, we decided, we are homeless, we don’t have jobs, but we are going to carry on with this and see where it takes us, even though we have a young child.

"So we travelled around much of Europe, bouncing from one place to another very carefully and responsibly avoiding lockdowns. We were fortunate not to feel the Covid restrictions because we were isolating ourselves in our van far away from everyone in the middle of forests and beaches."

When the forward-thinking couple started to run low on money, they took it upon themselves to start documenting their quirky adventures and nomadic life on a YouTube channel, which has now grown to almost 80k subscribers and gained some high-level sponsors.

Family life and their YouTube channel are now based around converting an overgrown and semi-derelict farm in the mountains of northern Portugal into a self-sufficient, eco-friendly home fit for their growing family.

John said: "The hardest thing about setting up in Portugal for most people would be just deciding whether to actually do it, but for us this wasn’t much of a challenge because we came to Portugal and just bought the farm almost by accident.

"We stood here in the middle of the farm, which was thoroughly overgrown; you couldn’t see the houses or the land borders, and everything needed to be completely renovated and we just decided ‘let's do it’!

"Having two children, a toddler and a three-month-old baby, also comes with its challenges because they take up a lot of time. We are trying to combine converting the farm, growing our own food, and running our YouTube channel with living a normal family life."

The family’s YouTube channel, titled The Newbys, has inspired thousands of people from around the world, and John and Tara often spend time responding to emails and comments on the channel advising others on the dos and don’ts of taking on a massive renovation project as well as their advice on raising a young family.

John continued: "We would love to grow the YouTube channel further and spread the word to more people about the possibilities of living a free life. We want to promote a lifestyle where people can grow their own food, live off-grid, and leave a lighter global footprint.”

"We don’t underestimate how fortunate we are to be able to have this life and are grateful daily. Everybody has a choice to make regarding where they live, and if you can make a choice that will change your life for the better, then don’t think about it for too long just have a go!"