Madeira Holiday Walks

Madeira walks we really enjoyed as they were a lot different from what we have ever done in England all together there was three walks we done while in Madeira, Canical, Eira Do Serrado and Monte. One walk was coastal another one mountain and another one alongside a water channel.

Cancia Walk

Details of Walk

• Walk: Canical

• Date of Walk: 30/05/2011

• Distance: 4.5 Miles

• Photos Taken on Walk

This walk was on the east coast where a little stretch of land sticks out near Canical, the walk was along a place of sheer cliffs, rocky coves and jagged edges. It was a lovely day a bit cloudy but the sun did come out for most of the walk. I found the going quite hard up some of the inclines, had a few stops to admire the views and get my breath back. When we got to the end there was a picnic area and a building selling souvenir's and toilets but they were out of action so Christine had to find somewhere which was quite hard as it was a open area with lots of walkers about. There was a small beach where you could have a swim. We sat on the rocks above and this was where we caught site of are first Lizard or should I say Lizards. The last bit of the walk before you turned round and walked back was a sheer incline up and we overheard a tour guide that it was not recommended as the climb was unstable and it had started raining a bit so we decided not to risk it.

Canical Map of Walk

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Eira do Serrado to Curral Das Freiras Walk

Details of Walk

• Walk: Eira do Serrado to Curral Das Freiras

• Date of Walk: 01/06/2011

• Distance:

• Photos Taken on Walk

The walk from Eira do Serrado down to Curral Das Freiras we took the bus that drops you of at a hotel and restaurant. We went up to the view point and it was stunning to see the town down in the valley with mountains all the way round causing some of the town to be in shade from them. The height where we started the walk was 1018m and we had to walk down the path that eventually gets you to the town which is at 633m so that was a decline of 385m. It was called Nuns valley because years ago nuns escaped here to hide from Pirates. it was a pleasant walk as we were walking down hill sometimes open with drops and then some times under cover of trees. There was plenty off wild plants and some we would have in our own gardens just growing wild there. When we got to the bottom we walked along a road and at the side there was a spring covered up by a rock and the sound it made was good as it kept squirting out water. There was a Hydrangea right next to it, ideal position self watering. We had to wait for the next bus so we had a look around the town and we went into the church and lit candles for those close to us and not with us now. We had tea and cake in a cafe near to the bus stop. The cake was chestnut in fact almost all they do is with chestnuts, you name it it had chestnuts even soup.

Eira do Serrado to Curral Das Freiras Map of Walk

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Monte to Camacha Walk

Details of Walk

• Walk: Monte to Camacha

• Date of Walk: 02/06/2011

• Distance: 10 Miles

• Photos Taken on Walk

We decided to do a Levada walk which we had found in our book of walks in Madeira which was 10 miles long starting from Monte and ending up in Camacha this would have been the longest walk we have ever done the furthest is 6 miles, most of the walk you follow the Levada Torres. We started the walk about 10:30 am from the cable car after getting the bus up there. To actually get to the start of the Levada we had to climb even further up the side of the mountain with drops down. When we reached the start of the Levada it looked so lovely you had the Levada to the left with a bank covered in plants then you had the bit you walked on just wide enough for one person and you had plants or trees to the right or just a drop. Along the way there was a stall where they were selling plants that they had grown and also there was two tea gardens.

We had somehow got talking to a german couple do not ask me how as neither of us could speak any of each others languages but we got by and we both tagged along with each other until we reached the first tea garden and what a garden it was totally full with plants, we sat at the same table and had tea and cake. When we had finished they were heading back so we said farewell. along the levada there are places where there is a small building which are where they divert water away from the Levada to store in tanks for use by locals. We eventually came to the only tunnel on this walk, talking about tunnels there is loads of tunnels on different levada walks man made years ago just to be able to get the rainwater from the north to the south as they have a lot more rain in the north. Well with this tunnel you had the choice of going through or round.

I had forgot to bring a torch which I had bought, a miners torch especially for the tunnels as they are pitch black once you are inside and are long with just the Levada and a small path only wide enough to walk on and in some places the path was even smaller where the side and sometimes the roof must have had really hard rock which must have been to hard to cut out. As i had not remembered the torch I came up with the idea of using my cameras light so I held down the button which gave us enough light and Christine followed behind holding on to my belt. We went a little way but Christine could not see where she was walking so we turned round.I still wanted to go through so we decided that I would go through the tunnel and Christine would go round and over and meet the other side. Well all good plans do not always work out I managed to get to the end after hitting my head on the roof getting wet from water dripping down from the roof and taking loads of photos of my feet as if I held down the button to much the flash would go off and take a photo and then put me in complete darkness. Christine was not having it easy too as what I expected would be easy going for her ended up climbing up holding on to roots and a landslide which had taken away part of the path where she had to hold on to rock on the side of the hill and walk along a small ledge. I rang her when I got through the tunnel and she sounded stressed after trying to get over the hill. I said stay where you are and I will come to you, saying that my side was not that great either eventually we met each other out on a road.

As Christine had a hard time and I new going back through the tunnel would not be good so I looked on the map and could see if we followed the road down and up we would meet the Levada again. Well on the map it did not look to far and as they say in Madeira if you go down you have to come up again and yes we had to. we finally found where we had to go to get back on to the Levada path just up a few steps. Well it was more like a hundred steps straight up. We started to follow the Levada but this section was very overgrown we were pushing our way through tall plants and grass tripping over roots and the Levada was covered over also so you could not see it. We came to a road after reading the book to find out where we were we realized we had come through the bit they say is best not to go through and to go in a different direction. Anyway we found where we were on the map and made our way to the town Camacha where we were just in time to catch a bus back to Funchal the time was 07:30 pm.

Monte to Camacha Map of Walk