Madeira tourist map.
Walking on the Island of Madeira.
Page Updated:
15th Aug 07
From easy to hard, with or without vertiginous section, needing a machete or not.
Madeira has all combinations
Eagle rock viewed from Portela.
..... and from sea level.
H aving read about the island during the
winter we were keen to see it for ourselves so we tried an easy 3 hour walk (Sunflower
Walks No. 15). Actually it was a walk entirely made up of one decent of more than
2000 ft from the ridge near Portela to the coastal town of Santa Cruz, and wherever
there was an incline it was cobbled with small pieces of volcanic rock. Luxury,
except in wet weather when the descent would be very swift and padded-bum-trousers
an asset. The route was originally used by the borracheiros to transport wine in
goat skins carried on their backs. Throughout the walk these 2 shots show the views.
The huge rock, seen from above and below, is called Eagle Rock and would be a real
challenge to ascend; huge rocky faces give way to bands of dense vegetation, machete
stuff I'd guess, and all many hundreds of feet above sheer drops. Local rumour has
it that from the air the rock looks like an eagle. Google Earth says otherwise.
Views from São Lourenço.
One wire from 100m drop.
Marina Quinta do Lorde is only 2 Km from
the conservation area at the Eastern end of the island in which resides the mountain
of São Lourenço and the super walking around it (Sunflower Walks No. 13).
A footpath skirts the peninsular giving wonderful high level sea and cliff views.
On the day it was very windy and so tricky on some of the exposed parts but we completed
the circuit and, although the guide book said it was out of bounds, we took in the
twin peaks of São Lourenço. We later repeated this walk with son David who
came out to visit for a few weeks.
With David's arrival we decided to be a little
bit more adventurous and decided to try another coastal walk (Sunflower Walks No.
14). It started with an easy walking for about 10 minutes along the Caniçal levada
and we then climbed 250 metres to the North coast at Boca do Risco, the dangerous
gap. Janet's boots were rubbing as we started the ascent but having read the route
description boots were the last thing on her mind. We had all read that the route
had a number of challenges along it and so the book warned; walkers need to be sure
footed, have a head for heights as the route gave rise to vertigo, the path was
landslide prone, and although bad sections were protected the fences fell down in
the storms. Yes it promised to be a good one.
Boca do Risco.
Only 350m above the sea!.
At the Boca do Risco the sea could be clearly seen 350m below but as the path was
5m wide it didn't seem like a problem, so off we gamely went, along the first part
of the cliff path. The path quickly narrowed to between 30 - 60cm in dense woodland.
Trouble was gaps in the trees showed the cliff to be about 60 - 70 degrees for the
whole drop to the sea, and worst, although the path initially seemed wide enough
the bramble like plants on the land side forced us to the path edge which regularly
broke away giving a clear view of surf breaking on the shore below.
First glimpse.
I had agreed with David and Janet that we would turn back when either of them asked
to do so, it would not be a discussion point, we would simply turn back. Everyone
seemed OK with this so on we went, until that is, we glimpsed the middle section
of the cliff path some way ahead (shown with a faint arrow on the bigger picture).
It was devoid of foliage and its steepness neared vertical, it also looked impossibly
narrow. We almost turned back but decided to at least see the steep section and
assess it. Seconds after the decision a French family came towards us with the husband
proclaiming loudly that his wife couldn't do it so they had to turn back, maybe
I could just see a look of relief on his face, naturally no one would ever doubt
he would have done it himself. Pratt.
Bad steps and end of trees.
On we went, legs being lacerated by brambles, tee-shirts being clicked by same and
glimpses of the vertiginous section coming more frequently. Then all of a sudden
the trees stopped at a gully but luckily a 10mm steel wire offered a hand rail/
banister across a rising series of bad steps. Once across, exposure to the cliff
seemed to hit us, but worst, turning back and reversing the bad steps seemed an
impossibility, the steps were downwards and so in crossing one needed to look down
the cliff. Words were not exchanged but Janet's resolve hardened; forwards could
be no harder than going back. Wrong.
Excellent path, but short lived.
Moving out of the gully took us onto the start of the cliff face and along a path
almost a metre wide, but soon it narrowed and in front was a gravely section, stones
like ball bearings, luckily again uphill but therefore harder to reverse. Once past
this we could see the broken fencing below, it had been recognised as tricky so
was protected but the fence had rotted and fallen away. For the next 45 mins the
path twisting and turning, David was a little apprehensive but kept it to himself,
Janet faced the wall, refusing to take in the gob smacking scenery around us but
mainly below us. I tried to get my camera out but no one wanted to even stop, I
was told in no uncertain terms, stopping was not an option.
Perhaps the worst thing, during conversation, we were reminded the book had intimated
the route had a sting in its tail, possibly when rounding a small headland. Sure
enough as we looked ahead the path disappeared to be replaced by sky and amazing
views down to the sea. As we looked ahead, standing on perhaps the widest section
of the cliff path, a full 2 feet wide, a person suddenly stepped into view, then
another; we now think they were guiding a party along the cliff path. "What's the
next bit like", they asked. "OK," we said, smiling. "There's 10 of us", they said.
We allowed them to creep past us, and unknown to us, they were looking for the first
time at the splendour of the cliff path before them, poor sods. We slowly rounded
the headland, it was awesome, we didn't know how long it would be before the path
straightened and the view become other than sky and sea. I had doubts so went on
ahead, it was the worst bit as 50m in front the forest suddenly started again. Easy
stuff, and I shouted back to say so. Phew!
Sanctuary in the trees.
David and Janet didn't realise how hardened to heights they had become, but nevertheless,
passed the final 50m at speed and entered the sanctuary of the forest. The path
became quite wide, the sea still 350m below but with the exposure no longer omnipresent
Janet relaxed and then commented, "My feet are killing me!"
Janet tells me I'm waffling so here ends the tale of this walk.
I'll maybe sneak in the completion later.
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