Destination: TerraCabins

Location: 1 Hour from Lisbon, Portugal.

TerraCabins - An Off The Grid Escape

October and I do not match well. In my mind, it’s the end of long days and warm sunlight (dramatic, I know). Don’t get me wrong, the start of autumn is beautiful, with blue skies, crisp leaves, and that fresh chill in the air. But mentally, it’s the adjustment to dark evenings that gets me. The days begin to feel shorter, and the light won’t truly return until March.

Being online is an all the time kind of thing now. Checking our phones every ten minutes, scrolling through everyone else’s lives, and for me, to see everyone embracing autumn and the cosy season with so much joy, it can get overwhelming.

So what better way to reset than to step away entirely? To book an off-grid stay in Portugal, with no Wi-Fi, no notifications, no social pressure to document every moment.

Just one hour from Lisbon, perched on the edge of a wild island in the Tejo River, sits TerraCabins’ Maria Cabin. Completely isolated and surrounded by water, you even have to check tide times to reach the island (unless you’re brave enough to paddle across). This remote cabin stay is the definition of slow travel; peaceful, grounding, and far from everything.

Tall trees frame the cabin, with wild horses and cows roaming the island freely. The wide windows open out to infinite river views. The cabin, finished in a striking black wash, stands proudly against a backdrop of green and blue. With the warm Portuguese October sun and green leaves still on the trees, it felt worlds away from the typical UK autumn shift.

Inside, everything is warm and intentional: wood-wrapped interiors, natural linen bedding, built-in bookshelves filled with old books and board games, a small radio, and a Stanley pour-over coffee kit. With the late-season warmth, we used the outdoor shower that overlooks the water.

Our days fell into a slower rhythm. Full of simple things that normally seem mundane.
Sunrise, drinking tea in bed, reading, cooking breakfast together, sitting on the deck eating our avocado and eggs as the horses wandered nearby, going for a walk to explore the island, reading some more, swinging in the hammock, basking in the Portuguese sun.

We talked properly. Not half talking while scrolling. Not showing each other videos. The kind of long, unfiltered conversations that get lost in everyday life. We learned new things about each other. We planned. We dreamed.

We explored the island in complete peace — just us, the horses, the cows, and the soft wind through the trees.

Evenings were again, simple and grounding. Filled with card games, cooking dinner, and eating by the fire as the light faded over the water.