Cable Car to Monte

Monday 23rd November 2009, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

We walked into town after breakfast and caught the Cable Car up to Monte and wandered around the Tropical Gardens for a couple of hours. after we found a cafe and ate grilled sardines and tuna for lunch sitting in the sunshine.



After that we tried to find the Imperator Gardens but had no luck it seems to be lost in a maze of small alleys! Instead we wander back to the Cable Car and return to town for some last minute shopping. Kristine gets some boots for her birthday. Back at the hotel we sit in the sun and consider a swim in the pool. On inspection however its full of bits and dead flies.



In the evening we go for a drink to a local pub and then find a restaurant close by. very nice too for our last night here.

later I phone home and speak to Mum. Dad's funeral will be a week today and Kristian will kindly pick us up at the airport tomorrow so we don't have to mess around with the trains.

Cloud and Rain in the Mountains

Sunday 22nd November 2009, Funchal, Madeira Portugal

We have breakfast in the round breakfast room which has views over the ocean. We couldn't see anything yesterday. Our taxi arrives and we drive up the coast to Sao Voncente enjoying the spectacular views before driving inland up the mountains to Encumeada. This is near where we started this holiday.

It's cold wet and windy up here and the clouds are down We decide not to do the walk and instead we will go straight to our hotel in Funchal. On the coast it's warm and sunny!

After checking in and checking the place out we stroll into town. We examine the port area and walk along the promenade. The restaurants along here have shouters out to entice you in and after exploring some more we return to one for some grilled sardines and squid with a pleasant bottle of wine.

Back at the hotel we while away the afternoon reading and relaxing. We use the hotel restaurant for dinner that evening and crash out early. a quite day all in all. We have all day tomorrow, our last day, to explore the town further.

A Hike to the Caldeiros Verde and Inferno

Saturday 21st November 2009, Sao Jorge, Madeira, Portugal

Happy Birthday Kristine, she is 50 today. Although this is of course tempered by by yesterday's events.

After a simple breakfast from which we manage to get enough material to fix some sandwiches for lunch we take our taxi up to the trail-head at Quesemada which is up in the hills. The weather is not great but we are looking forward to a hike along one of the wilder levadas.

Walk: 5hrs 22mins starting at 9.19
Low: 479m at 14.37
High: 903m at 12.19
Descent: 443m
Ascent: 39m

Today is our last walk along a levada. It's an old one too and all overgrown with mosses and ferns. It's cut right into the mountain-side and often has steep drop-offs into the valley below. For much of the way you have to balance along the side of the levada but at least they have fixed a railing in the hairiest places.



At first the trail was wide enough for two but pretty soon it narrowed and we had to walk single file. The green-ness was amazing and we sometimes walk alongside curtains of tiny waterfalls. Every now again we are forced to take a shower! Fairly soon the levada broke out of it's green tunnel to continue in a cleft cut into the rock-face. The fact that a railing had been built here was re-assuring. Eventually we came to our first tunnel which we had to creep through for fear of slipping or banging our heads. The views down the valley to the ocean and up into the spiky mountains was sensational.



We past a succession of 'caldeiros' which are a kind of green amphitheatre overgrown with ferns with a narrow and high waterfall as a centrepiece. soonn after this we reached a fork in the trail. From here it's a 2km hike to the Caldeiro verde and then 2km back again.



First of all we had to get through two tunnels (good job we've got our head torches). Both of them were curved so you couldn't see the exit for a while and they were both pretty low too. The first tunnel had a window half way through which proved an interesting view and in the second the levada was  running in a channel at waist height so their was no fear of falling in as is usually the case.

After that the walking was spectacular as you balanced on the edge of the levada and held onto the hand-rail. This really was a stunning walk with outstanding views. Though visibility wasn't great and it began to rain later. The plant life in and around the levada and on the walls was of an intense green and amazing in it's details.



Eventually we reached the Caldeiros Verde and it's 1000ft waterfall. It was now raining quite heavily and it was difficult to look up at the fall. Like standing under a huge shower. A bit further on we sheltered under a tree and sat beside the levada to have our lunch. from here you can walk a further 1 and a half hours to the Caldeiro Inferno. However we've been informed that the levada has been abandoned and not repaired for may years and has been damaged by rock falls in many places. We met a guide here who told us that only last year a couple had tried it and the man's wife had fallen to here death. We took the hint and returned the way we had come back to the junction. The walk was just as spectacular this way round too though now visibility was even worse and we couldn't see the ocean any more. Pretty soon we got back through the two curved tunnels and then took a left at the fork instead of returning to where we had started.

This trail followed a smaller levada which had also been abandoned and we followed this narrow route in the direction of Ilha After an hour or so the trail widened into a track and eventually into a dirt road that meandered steeply towards the village. It was raining again now and this last bit of the walk was a bit dull and quite heavy going as our boots clogged up with mud.

Fortunately  our driver had anticipated our predicament and had driven up to meet us instead of waiting in the village below. after washing our boots off in a convenient gully we clambered in and enjoyed the ride to our hotel in Sao Jorge.

It's a pretty weird place as all the rooms are in separate cabins which seem to be modelled on the traditional thatched buildings of the island. They are conical and our room is round! In fact every room in the building is round. After changing where scuttle off to the bar and sit by a log fire with beer, sandwiches and cake.

In the evening we come back for a game or two of pool before dinner in the large dining room. The meal itself is a bit disappointing but we celebrate with a decent wine.

A Breathtaking Cliff Walk

Friday 20th November 2009, Santana, Madeira, Portugal

It's my Dad's 76th birthday today. At 7am I got a call from Keith telling me the expected news that my Dad had passed away a few minutes earlier. We didn't speak much. He said he'd call back in half an hour. Even then there's not a lot to say. I had a brief word with almost everyone who had stayed through the night at his hospital bed. Kristine and I finish here in Madeira on Tuesday and fly back home then. In a daze I get myself for a day's hiking. We are doing a cliff walk today rather than following a levada.

Walk: 4hrs 24mins starting at 8.55
Low: 4m at 13.24
High: 342m at 10.31
Descent: 377m
Ascent: 359m

At breakfast we meet two English guys who are delivering a boat to Florida. They've been sailing for two weeks already. They joke about the guy who's bought the boat and who is on board as they cross the ocean. The weather is very dark and foreboding but decide to walk anyway. The cliff path is supposed to be quite dangerous if it's windy and wet and in one place you have to help yourself along a ridge using a chain. We decide we;ll see how it goes and if it turns out to be too much then we'll simply turn back and get a bus or something.

Our first objective is to climb out of the town and rejoin the levada we walked along yesterday. It's unfortunate that we have to retrace our steps but it only takes about 45 mins to get to the point where we leave the levada and cross over a pass to the cliffs beyond.

It's a steady and easy climb past the allotments and up through the woods. We can see that a bush fire has raged through fairly recently but the new growth is already taking shape. At the pass we the ocean and the cliffs in both directions. They look spectacular and gloomy under the dark clouds and through the drizzled light. Too our left we can see that the  path is cut into the cliff about 2/3rds of the way up.

We stop here for a little while and admire the views and take some shots whilst we debate whether we should continue or not. We go for it.



The path is narrow and wet in places and the path goes out to many points with superb views. sometimes the view straight down to the ocean is a bit disturbing but generally the trail feels safe enough The section with the cable to help you along is actually very short and doesn't present much of a problem as long as you don't look down.

After a couple of hours the trail leaves the cliffs and passes through woodlands reminiscent of the Under cliff at Lyme Regis. Here we sit in the sun on a fallen log and have some lunch. KLater the trail starts to enter ciclisation and opens out into a track. We pass a cabbage patch and some abandoned vines and what seems to be a mechanism for getting stuff up and down the cliffs.

Eventually the track turns into a road and meanders down a steep hill towards the small town of Porto Cruz. Towards the bottom we leave the road to follow a tiny levada whch takes us down to a rocky beach. from here we walk the short distance to the tiny port town.

We find a small cafe and have some coffee and cake before walking up to the church square to pick up our Taxi. It's not there and so I call. apparently I should have called earlier to arrange a time but this is not apparent from our trip notes. In any case our Taxi will be here in an hour or so so we just have another wander around the town.

It's only a short, but dramatic, drive to the hotel on the outskirts of Santana. It's a strange place, in two parts, but we are given a decent roum overlooking the sea which is far below.

I'm on the phone home before dinner. It leaves me a bit numb and a bit queasy. I'm glad I did the walk today though; the fresh air and the wind and rain in your face gave me some time to think and plenty of time not to think too.

Dinner in the hotel was fine. I think it was only the two of us n the dining room.

A Meander into Manchico

Thursday 19th November 2009, Manchico, Madeira, Portugal

Walk: 5hrs 23mins starting at 9.39
Low: 30m at 14.37
High: 304m at 14.23
Descent: 293m
Ascent: 136m

After a full breakfast our taxi arrived to take us to the trail head a couple of miles away. When we arrived there a coach load of German hikers where about to set off so we hived off to the cafe opposite to wait until they had disappeared into the distance.

This levada also has no water. That's disappointing. We pass three sets of workers fixing it up. Two of the crews are pouring concrete into the wooden moulds and the third team are actually making the moulds. We pass a couple of long sections where the work has already been completed.

The levada itself meanders lazily down the valley as is quite suburban when int his main valley. But it makes large detours, as it follows the contours, into long side valleys where the countryside is more green and where small farms and allotments are. Many of the small-holdings seem to have been abandoned however.



The weather is not great today and dark grey clouds follow us ominously all day. When we sit outside a cafe for a while it does start to rain but it doesn't persist for very long.

When the levada eventually reaches the town we leave it and climb up the road to a viewpoint at the Pico de Fado. The views out across the sea to the smaller islands is wonderful. After a brief rest we follow a small, steep and overgrown path into the town. from here it's a small walk up to our hotel. Though it's not as glamorous as our previous two hotels it's fine and the lady is very friendly.



In the late afternoon we take a walk into town and stroll along the beach front and the small harbour. I call home to find out the latest news on my Father. Everyone is resigned to the fact that he will be taken off the medications and will probably not survive the night. He hasn't regained consciousness all week.

Our hike is rained off

Sunday 15th November 2009, Jardin de Atlantico, Prezeres, Madeira, Portugal

We wake early and watch the sunrise turn from orange to pinks to gold. It looks like the beginning of another fine day. The cafe opens at 8am and we arrive for breakfast on the dot. At 9am our taxi arrived as did the clouds.

Today we were to hike from Kabacal on the Levada de Rinco, then on the 25 Fontes before going through a tunnel and following another Lebada all the way down. However as the taxi climbed into the mountains it began to rain. On arrival at the trail head we were in thick cloud and the rain was torrential. We decided to abandon any idea of a walk and the driver took us down to the hotel. he made one more stop at another trail to try and persuade us to walk but he didn't speak English very well and couldn't show us where we were on the map or describe very well how we would get to the hotel. No walking today then.

We arrived at the hotel in more cloud and it continued to rain here all day. It too a while to check-in as we were so early and the place was crowded with other people who had also given up on going out for the day. Finally we got a room and relaxed here with our picnic lunch.

Later in the afternoon we made use of the hotel's indoor swimming pool and the sauna as well. Although dinner that evening was a buffet it was very well pleasant. We just read and relaxed in the evening.

Up and Down to Santo

Saturday 14th November 2009, Porto Moniz, Madeira, Portugal

Happy Birthday Dale!

Walk: 2hrs 41mins starting at 9.26
Low: 67m at 10.31
High: 444m at 12.02
Descent: 326m
Ascent: 399m



After a simple breakfast of bread, ham and cheese, with good coffee we are driven to the Telerifico where we will begin our walk. There is a cafe here but it is not yet open. Our walk comprises a steep descent into a gully towards the sea and then a steep climb out again on the other side. We will then continue through the villages back down to Porto Moniz.



The weather is again warm although the clouds look ominous. In fact half way down it starts to spit but we manage to avoid any rain. We walk down a very steep and slippery trail heading towards the sea. The trail switchbacks a lot and we see a few butterflies on the way. Mostly Small Coppers. It takes us about an hour to to the bottom of the cleft where we take a right turn and follow a small stream. A left turn here would take us to the tiny village which can only be reached by Cable Car or one of several steep trails.



After following this stream for a while we cross a broken bridge and begin the ascent up the other side. This also takes about an hour. It's kind of pointless really but it's good to be out in the fresh air. As we near the top we realise that the cliff has been formed into terraces for growing vines in the past. We see a couple of workers but it seems most of them are now not used. The vines are continuing to grow without any attention though.

On reaching the top we find a viewpoint where we relax and watch the ocean. from here it's only a short walk into the village of Santo where we have a beer in the sun before catching a taxi back down into Porto Moniz. We do this to avoid the crippling walk on the concrete roads that nearly done for us yesterday!

Back at the hotel we make use of the Jacuzzi again before changing and having lunch at the Orca Restaurant which overlooks the Lido and the sea. We have fish and gambas with a bottle of white wine. It;s very pleasant sitting out in the sunshine.

Unfortunately we can't bathe in the sea-water Lido as the tide is high and the breakers are crashing into the pool. The red flag is out. The entrance fee is a remarkable 3 Euros and we regret that we didn't take the opportunity to use the pool yesterday now.

After lunch we stroll along the promenade and visit the small local aquarium as well as a UNESCO Centre which is all about the unique Laurel Forests of Madeira.

On the Levada de Janeiros

Friday 13th November 2009, Porto Moniz, Madeira, Portuga;

Walk: 4hrs 54mins starting at 9.38
Low: 18m at 14.44
High: 406m at 13.37
Descent: 392m
Ascent: 28m


After breakfast we checkout and are driven over the top of Madeira to Lancuros and the Levada de Janeiros. We stop on the way to take some photographs and drive along the E/W watershed with the ocena to the north and south. The weather is again warm though along the way we drive up into the cloud before coming down into the sunshine again.



Today's walk is a there and back affair which is a bit disappointing. Apparently you can walk further up the levada if you are prepared to pass through a sequence of tunnels. Unfortunately though access at the other end is very difficult so a round trip is not really practicable. It takes us about an hour and 40 minutes to reach the first tunnel at which point we turn back. The route climbs very gently and follows the meandering levada all the way.


We are walking high above the Janeiros river in a tight gorge. We can see down to the ocean behind us and up into the valley the other way. The light dapples through a Eucalyptus wood at first before occasionally disappearing into dark shaded side-valleys where the ferns and bryophytes grow thickly.



On the way back we pass several groups of walkers. Later we stop at a convenient picnic table for lunch. We are joined by a group of chattering Chaffinches. When we get to where we started we find a small cafe for a relaxing beer before starting our descent down to Porto Moniz. This takes about an hour down a very steep and painful on the knees concrete road.



We find our hotel and check-in and are aghast to find that our luggage has been left in an unattended foyer all day. Not good. But nothing is missing. We relax at the hotel and take advantage of the Jacuzzi bath before having a wander around town. Later we have a rather heavy pizza for dinner. This is a very quiet place.

Down to Ribeira Brava

Thursday 12th November 2009, Encumeada, Madeira, Portugal

Walk: 4hrs 45mins starting at 9.10
Low: 57m at 13.33
High: 1340m at 9.10
Descent: 1314m
Ascent: 31m


After breakfast at 8am we are ready to leave by 9am. After a short drive to are ready to walk 10 minutes later. It's a warm and sunny morning for our walk down to Ribeira Brava following the Levada do Lombo do Mouro.


After following a small track we find a zig-zag path which leads steeply down to find the small levada. For three and a half hours we follow this gently down until we reach the outskirts of town. The last hour is a steep descent on concrete roads past the villas and garden until we reach the town and the sea.



The levada leads us first through bracken and gorse and broom as it follows a gentle contour. We look down into the steep valleys below us. The trail is overgrown and broken in places and it's clear that not many people come this way. We pass no-one else on the trail all day. In the distance the mountain tops are weird and oddly shaped.


Eventually we get down to the tree level and stop and stoop to pick some chestnuts from the floor. We kick some nuts into the levada and follow them down stream in a nutty version of Pooh-sticks. Later the trees change to Eucalyptus (introduced from Austral;ia to help hold the soil together). The way is narrow and the sun shines on the brown bracken. Sometimes we have to scramble under and around fallen and burnt trees. Their must have been a forest fire here sometime in the recent summers past. The levada is smaller than yesterday's and sometimes flows fast as the trail steepens.



We break out onto a rough trail twice before we are eventually forced to leave the levada and continue on the roads down to the town. It's very steep on the concrete roads and shortcuts and we stop for a beer in a local cafe before continuing. This last hour is very hard on the knees but we eventually manage to struggle down to the town at sea-level.



On the other side of the river we find a restaurant and stop for a late lunch. We have grilled Gambas and sardines to start and then Tuna, Octopus and squid, with a bottle of white wine. After an hour we wander down to the sea front. I take a short detour to a supermarket to get some things for tomorrows lunch and some wine for this evening. After a coffee and cake on the sea-front we hop a taxi back to our hotel which is a short 8km ride back into the mountains.


We spend the evening relaxing on the terrace.

First Levada Walk

Wednesday 11th November 2009, Encumeada, Madeira, Portugal

Walk: 5hrs 54mins starting at 9.28
Low: 870m at 15.20
High: 1510 at 10.31
Descent: 688m
Ascent: 455m

We were down at breakfast for 8am. It was a bit disappointing. This cafeteria approach can sometimes work at breakfast. Everything was lukewarm. A least the coffee was good. Getting a packed lunch arranged was also a bit of a palaver and we had to wait whilst they got it ready. After that we found out that they were short of drivers and we would have to wait fr a driver to take a party of French hikers out and then return for us. So we sat around for half an hour.

Being delayed like this was a bit frustrating as I was aware that the best times for photography on the high mountains is early. Of course it would have been better to be up there before breakfast but that wasn't possible. As it happened we just got to the top as the clouds rolled up and obscured the views to the ocean. Frustrating.



After a short drive we were dropped off where the Levada de Serra crosses the road. It was a warm sunny morning. The walk is lovely with greens; mosses, ferns, flowers, water falls and the browns of fallen leaves. The landscape all around is weird and wonderful. It's spiky like the Dolomites or Bora Bora. first the first hour we follow the levada as it gently wends it's way. We are walking against the flow of course. The levada is not much more than a foot wide and a foot deep, but it's flowing quite briskly. We are mostly walking in sunshine though sometime we have to scuttle underneath part which are virtual waterfalls. In some places the overhanging pine-trees make for amazing green light dappled tunnels as we follow the tiny stream.

After a short cobbled section we take a small break and watch some butterflies; a Speckled Wood and a Small Copper.

As we continue to climb to get to about 1500m and are suddenly engulfed in cloud. We pass two other groups; a French group and then an English group who are being led by a guide. The trail then becomes rocky and overgrown and we leave the levada to begin an hours descent past Laurels and Bilberries. Eventually we break out onto a wide muddy track which looks like it may be a road development. We descend this essentially scruffy and boring path for about 45 minutes, but at least we are now below the cloud and have views across the island to the ocean.

We reach a small house beside the Levada Del Norte and we sit here for a while having our lunch in the sun listening to the tinkling water. Around us the Agapanthus and Hydrangea are in flower in whites, blues and pinks.  The levada meanders prettily along with plenty of flowers on one side and a mossy wall on the other.



When the levada opens out from the woods we have spectacular views across the valley below. Soon however we reach the first of five tunnels. We had been warned so we were prepared with head-torches. The first tunnel was short an easy to negotiate but the next two took 20 minutes to walk through and were dark, cold and slippery and quite dangerous. Easy to bang your head here and easy too to slip into the levada itself.

Back into the light we pass some amazing waterfalls. Everything is green, green, and more green. At one point we pass a team or workers who are repairing a washout. The levada itself is carried over the gap by a couple of plastic pipes whilst they rebuild the ledge and the levada itself. beyond this the levada is covered in split wood planks so that they can wheelbarrow supplies in. This continues even in the last tunnel which is thus made slightly easier to get through, though the wood can be slippery too and missing in some places.,

Eventually we pop out onto a track which leads down to a road which leads, after a 10 minute walk, back to the hotel. Once here we sit in the sun and enjoy a beer or two.