Landscapes of Madeira

Book Description

THE guide to Madeira for the last 18 years and a winner of the Thomas Cook Best Travel Guide Award. It really is indispensible if you want to explore the best of the island. The Sunday Times said: 'A remarkable paperback which may have done more than any other to change the way its readers spend their holidays this book single-handedly turned levada-walking into something approaching a craze.' While dedicated hikers will revel in the island's mountainous terrain, walking the 'levada' paths is one of the most popular activities with visitors. Levadas are watercourses that carry rainfall from the mountains to irrigate the cultivated terraces. These watercourses and their adjoining maintenance paths extend for an incredible 2150km/1350mi or more, but even more fascinating is their great variety. The older levadas, built centuries ago, are narrow and plummet steeply downhill from mountainside springs really challenging walking. Their banks are covered with wild flowers, and the water rushes and foams with energy. The newer levadas are wide 'mini-canals' and run horizontally along the island's contours ideal for easy walks. Their flow is stately and serene, and their banks are lovingly planted with agapanthus lilies and hydrangeas. Walking on Madeira is superb all year round. 6 car tours, 100 long and short walks, 27 picnic suggestions Plan of Funchal plus fold-out touring map