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"We saw a picture in a brochure and it looked nice." This proved to be fortunate because we enjoyed every minute of the holiday. Madeira is an island that seems to have been designed for walkers.
I suppose that the photos we had seen and the "volcanic island" idea had led us to expect something very rugged and not very civilised. It certainly is rugged: in some respects it can be directly compared with Swiss Alpine valleys. It is very civilised. We had not expected such a large number of houses, villages and cultivated terraces. None of the island is flat. The airport stands on a platform bulldozed out of a hillside. The approach to the airport takes a curving path and the appropriate window seat can give you a view of houses, roads and gardens; many of them above you. Soon after leaving the airport you are aware of roads that are a cross between a roller coaster and a motorway intersection and there are many road tunnels.
We were transferred from one corner of the island to the other in a pair of minibuses. As we travelled we found the Mountains steeper than expected. Also there was a lot of greenery and plants everywhere. To reach the North the road rises to over 1000m . Once on the northern side the road becomes ridiculously dramatic. It is carved out from a steep cliff, is single track and often passes under minor waterfalls which fall on to the road.
We arrived at a charming hotel. The rooms were compact and beautifully kept.
The curtains, covers and carpets were all in local cloth. The room had a
balcony with a drop below to the dark volcanic rocks of the shore. Huge waves
were breaking over rocks. Just below us was a rock-enclosed seawater pool for
swimming, kept filled by the breakers surging into it at high tide.
We spent the afternoon sitting on the rocks watching the waves. In the evening,
after a short briefing, we went for huge and tasty meal in a restaurant some 20
metres from the hotel.
We caught a local bus at 11, after shopping for bread and fruit at the local
shops which were a steep walk up through the tiny town. The bus toiled up
through a couple of villages and many hairpin bends to drop us near our first
levada. Unexpectedly this was shrouded in large trees and stayed so for most of
our walk. The walking was little different from any woodland path elsewhere,
except of course it was always on the level of the water channel. Like most of
the levadas it was quite small and flowed at walking pace or less. Our lunch
stop in steep woodlands near some beehives. Later we broke out on to more open
ground and left the levada for some footpaths. These eventually took us back on
to the quiet roads.
We returned to Porto do Moniz down some old and very steep streets to the
hotel; this descent was hard on the knees and a taste of many to follow on
later days.
Out at 10. Today there was no bus and we ascended straight through town in a
fierce climb. The levada we followed was larger and fast-flowing and it ran
into an area of continuous woodlands with big trees, including many acacias.
There were two tunnels that needed torches. There was also a waterfall with a
shelter for the path. Unlike yesterday, we were well away from habitation and
into an area where the hillsides were covered in mature forests. We return by
same route by mid afternoon and I went for a brief swim in rock pool below the
hotel.
Today we moved to other side of island in two minibuses. The road led over the
top of island and passed many modern windmills. At a high point on the road we
all left the buses to continue to the hotel with our luggage while we walked
down along a tiny fast-flowing levada. Eventually we reached the cultivated
terraces below and there we stopped for lunch. Afterwards we followed down
through steps and paths between the cultivated terraces until we reached the
steep roads which service the villages on the hillside. We carried on down the
steep roads to reach Ribeira Brava and our hotel. In the late afternoon we had
a drink in open-air cafe near the sea. The evening meal was close by and the
food was very good.
Today we went up by bus to one of the highest parts of the island and walked
initially along a well-made path, contouring under the Pico Grande. The day
became wetter as we went and cloud closed in. We plodded on and the weather
relented a little. Eventually our descent reached a road near a parked German
tourist coach. We carried on down to village where we took a bus to another
village and then a bus down to the hotel. In the evening we had a fairly good
meal on the sea front enlivened by a bottle of a local rosé wine which
was rather good.
Taxis today: we piled into four of them at about 08:45 and went off to the West
end of the island. At a fairly high point we embarked into frost-covered
scenery and set off along a small fast-flowing levada over high moorland. Later
we dropped down into a tree-clad area and a touristy levada which went long a
wooded valley with some waterfalls coming down from the rock walls above.
One of these waterfalls was built into a steep-walled bay in the cliffs, where
the water fell into an attractive small pool (Risco Falls). We met several
other parties of tourists, which is ironic since the levada was often built
with a narrow "mantelshelf" ledge along its side and that was the only
footpath. This did make it rather difficult to pass people going in the other
direction.
The lunch stop was on a grassy bank which existed at one point below the
levada. After lunch we dropped down to another levada for our return journey.
At one point Sue missed her footing and fell some distance before being
arrested by some plants; happily without any damage. We continued on down to a
small village, where we had time in hand and sat having a coffee until the bus
arrived. Our final return to the hotel was quite late, about 18:30.
Dinner in the hotel tonight, enlivened mainly by a huge group of Swedes who had arrived at our hotel. They were led by a young blonde girl of spectacular shape who wore a tight-fitting cat suit to dinner. There were some comments about changing tour leaders and a suggestion that Declan might wear a Linford Christie outfit for tomorrows walk.
Taxis again today; going up the valley behind the town. The weather was good
today and one could see something of the surrounding countryside. The route was
up a road possible for 4wd cars, as someone was proving during our ascent. We
could see the windmills away on our West; not turning today in the windless
conditions. To our North was route of the day before yesterday, showing up
clearly and looking quite spectacular. The details of our route were quite
clear.
As we approached the top there was a cow giving birth on the path and by the
time we returned the calf had arrived but was not yet standing. The descent was
pleasant though nondescript and we were on foot all the way to the hotel. We
arrived down the hillside to the East of the hotel.
Tonight we were back to the restaurant near the hotel, where the service and food were good. Given a demonstration of how to prepare the aperitifs we are given: equal amounts of fresh lemon and orange juice mixed with their own volume of honey, then blended with an equal volume of aguardente.
We used a local bus again today. We went initially to the cliff billed as the second-highest sea cliff in the world. This was a dreadful tourist trap with lots of tour coaches and their lumbering clients. In the museum was a surprising picture of George Bernard Shaw taking some lessons in ballroom dancing.
We escaped from there down a muddy rod to meet a levada which traversed mostly above cultivated terraces. At one point we passed the cafe of yesterday and continued onwards along a more wooded levada until finally reaching a descent with steep steps down a very steep cliff.
This led on to some small roads and paths which descended steeply, but often
with well-proportioned steps down their middle. This led us back eventually to
the hotel in Ribeira Brava, with the last bit down a main road from the North
past the football ground. The descent was rather spoilt for me by a muscle in
my left thigh which felt like I was being stabbed each time I stepped down.
A soak in a warm bath helped. Dinner this evening was at the same place we had been a couple of times before.
A moving-on day with a departure at 09:30. Our luggage travelled on to Funchal by our minibuses, while we were dropped at the foot of a steep and unrelenting climb up an old overgrown cobbled road. This led to a platform among trees at the highest point, where we cooled down and watched the Easter Sunday celebrations at a village opposite in the next valley.
We could see puffs of smoke from the hillside and 8-9 seconds later we would hear the bang of the big firecrackers they were letting off. There was also the sound of singing to be heard; presumably from loudspeakers.
The descent towards the village was via a nice path down wooded cliffs on
ground that had a less volcanic and more granite-like appearance about it. When
we finally got down to the valley we had a long winding bus ride to Funchal.
Here our hotel was large and formal and set in a side-road fairly centrally. Dinner was in a restaurant by the yacht harbour with a sight of rocking masts to accompany our meal.
Breakfast at this hotel was from a self-service table. It began at 07:30 when the waiter switched on the lights of the room and watched dubiously as the flood of waiting guests poured in from the hallway. Each morning he made some comment as we poured in; today's was "No sleep?".
The trip today was a long one by bus, which went past the airport, which is
shoehorned in to the SE of the island, and then on up to the North coast. Our
target was a sea cliff path between two small towns. This was a
beautifully-constructed path on steep and often very spectacular cliffs. Some
sections were wooded and others very exposed. There was a minuscule section of
a few steps only with a wire rope handhold where the path was narrow and wet
over a sheer drop. Our destination had a pleasant tree-lined square where we
sat eating ice lollies and enjoying the surroundings until the bus arrived to
take us on the slow journey back to Funchal.
Dinner was down by the seafront road some ten minutes walk from the hotel.
We took exactly the same bus as yesterday, but not quite so far. We got off after an hour and a quarter and took taxis to the most easterly end of the roads on the island.
From there we took paths winding over and around some hills and cliffs not
dissimilar to some of the more spectacular British cliff paths. We were not
able to reach the end of the island, but we got to a high point about half way
or more.
The day was warm enough to sit in the sun and enjoy lunch. We watched lizards on the rocks near us, but we were somewhat startled when two small rabbits bolted from a patch of weeds alongside us after we had been sitting for an hour or so. I guess they were pretty pleased to be away from us!
On the way back we stopped and had coffee and a look round the small harbour. There they were building and repairing wooden boats and doing things like taking crushed ice out to trawlers moored offshore.
Started earlier than usual in the hired minibuses. Went to a high point on the island at Pico do Ariero where we arrived before the coach parties: locals in warm clothes were setting up stalls for selling knitwear near the high viewpoint. It was certainly chilly in the wind and I was wondering whether shorts were really the best wear.
From there was built a well-constructed footpath which led off along some
ridges and picked its way through steep cliffs. Without the fabricated paths
this would have been a fairly serious undertaking as a walk. However, it was
full of good views and it did get out of the wind for most of its length. There
were some fierce climbs on stepped paths. Eventually it led to a small
alpine-hut-like building on a col near the highest point on the island at Pico
Ruivo (1861 m). We went up there for our lunch and found it pleasant to sit in
the lee of some scrubby bushes.
The journey down was a very much shorter route to a coach and car park, where our minibuses were waiting for us after a journey of over 50km from Funchal (longer than the morning route). We went to Santana for refreshment and then we drove back to Funchal. Got back in time to use the swimming pool on the roof of our hotel and do a little sunbathing before getting tidied for dinner.
Up at the usual time, but a lot of the party were planning a day off today. Set off at 9:40 and took a bus from the seafront up into the hills behind Funchal.
Our walk started along a levada through fields in fairly hot sunny conditions. This was an empty levada with a large gang of workers doing a tidying and servicing job on it. Unfortunately Rosemary was ill during the walk and had to go back down with John via bus from a village we had just passed.
Later we transferred to another levada, after lunch in a fire-scorched wood that had seen some recent logging. This was a water-filled one. It led eventually to a village where we could get some coffee and ice cream before an abortive attempt to go to some gardens (1500$ for a passing visit).
A little further along we saw the start of the Funchal (Monte) sledge run. At
first we saw lorries grinding up with the sledges, made of wicker baskets
mounted on wood-runner sledges. The crews in white suits and straw hats were in
the lorries. The start was on a steep tarmac road where the sledges were
started by pulling on ropes and then the two crews jumped aboard with the
passengers and slid off down the road and out of sight around a bend.
We did not fancy the walk down through Funchal in the heat and went back to get a bus ride back down to the hotel.
Start at 08:55 to the bus for a ride up above Funchal. These buses certainly get crowded and the seats are very narrow, even if you are not wearing a rucksack. This year we have found some quick-drying non-greasy sun oil. This was fortunate since I have noticed that a lot of the ladies of Madeira wear light coloured trousers and skirts and are prone to prop themselves up against you during the bus journeys along the winding roads. I am not complaining of this habit, but saying in Portuguese "Excuse me, but do you realise I am covered in sun oil" is well beyond me.
A pleasant walk along a levada and then a steep descent to an overgrown path
leading though a bamboo thicket. Lunch was on disused terraces; in this area
more than half the terraces were no longer under cultivation. Our second levada
today was totally disused and overgrown. The walk finished at a village with a
large basket factory and shop, but we stayed in the cafe having coffee and ice
cream until the bus was ready to go.
Back in Funchal we had some delicious Italian ice cream, although there was
little room for it! We did a little shopping for presents, had another swim in
the pool until ready for our final dinner at the initial restaurant which is
the most westerly of the harbour front restaurants.
Plenty of time for packing this morning and the buses came for us about 10 o'clock. The airport is comfortable and informal and we spent our time in the sunshine on the roof watching our plane and others arriving and some departing until it was time to go.
Our memories of Madeira are all happy ones. Beyond any doubt it is a perfect place for relaxed walking holidays in attractive surroundings. It would be churlish to criticise the food, since it was excellent and delicious. However this is the only walking holiday I have ever had when I was overweight at the start and got home a pound heavier than when I started.
Ramblers Holidays ran the trip to perfection.
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