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Walking on Madeira

Name: Walking on Madeira
Author: Paddy Dillon
ISBN: 9781852848552

60 mountain and levada routes on Madeira and Porto Santo

ISBN

9781852848552

Availability

Published

22 Aug 2018

Reprinted

25 Aug 2025

Edition

Third

Pages

296

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.65cm

Weight

340g

Delivery & Returns

Free Royal Mail 48 postage on UK orders. European postage is £3.50 per item. Worldwide postage is £5.50 per item. If you're not happy with your purchase for any reason, we'll give you a full refund.
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A walking guide to the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo. Selection of varied day walks exploring Madeira's network of levadas (water channels) as well as routes across steep and rugged mountains, with slopes of bare rock or laurisilva 'cloud' forest. The neighbouring island of Porto Santo offers easy walking and a sandy beach.

Seasons

A year-round destination: hot and humid in the summer, cooler and a little wetter in winter.

Centres

Funchal, Ribeira Brava, Santana, Porto Moniz, Porto Santo

Difficulty

Routes for all abilities, from easy, level levada walks to very steep and rugged mountain paths. Some routes are mostly downhill. Adjacent routes can be linked to form longer walks.

Must See

Parque Natural da Madeira, Pico Ruivo, levadas, laurisilva forests, Ponta de São Lourenço

ISBN

9781852848552

Availability

Published

22 Aug 2018

Reprinted

25 Aug 2025

Edition

Third

Pages

296

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.65cm

Weight

340g

Delivery & Returns

Overview

A guidebook to 60 day walks on the island of Madeira and neighbouring Porto Santo. Covering mountains, coast, laurisilva cloud forest and levadas (irrigation channels), routes range from easy strolls to more strenuous mountain hikes, some calling for a good head for heights.

Walks range from 4 to 27km (2–17 miles) with options to combine routes to create longer days out.

Sketch maps are included for each walk
Detailed information on planning, facilities and public transport
Highlights include an ascent of Pico de Areeiro, Madeira’s highest peak
Easy access from Funchal

Table of Contents

Overview map
Map key
Preface

Introduction
Location
Geology
History
Landscape
Trees and flowers
Birds
Animals
Parque Natural da Madeira
Funchal and Monte
Getting to Madeira
Getting around Madeira
Accommodation
Porto Santo
Currency
Language
Food and drink
Weather
Tourist information
Health issues
Emergencies
Maps of Madeira
Making multi-day trips
Using this guide

1 Eastern Madeira
Walk 1    Levada dos Tornos: Monte to Camacha
Walk 2    Levada dos Tornos: Camacha to Quatro Estradas
Walk 3    Levada da Serra: Campo do Pomar to Camacha
Walk 4    Levada da Serra: Camacha to Santo da Serra
Walk 5    Levada Nova from Santo da Serra
Walk 6    Baia d'Abra and Ponta de São Lourenço
Walk 7    Levada do Caniçal: Maroços to Caniçal
Walk 8    Levada da Portela: Santo da Serra to Portela
Walk 9    Vereda das Funduras: Portela to Maroços
Walk 10    North Coast: Porto da Cruz to Ribeira Seca

2 Funchal to Santana
Walk 11    Vereda da Penha d'Águia
Walk 12    Levada do Furado: Portela to Ribeiro Frio
Walk 13    Caminho Velha: Poiso to Porto da Cruz
Walk 14    Fajã da Nogueira and Levada da Serra
Walk 15    Caminho Velha: Poiso to Santana
Walk 16    Levada do Barreiro: Poço da Neve to Monte
Walk 17    Levada da Negra: Poço da Neve to Barreira
Walk 18    Levada do Curral: Curral das Freiras to Funchal
Walk 19    Levada dos Piornais: Lombada to Funchal

3 The high mountains
Walk 20    Boca da Encumeada to Achada do Teixeira
Walk 21    Boca da Encumeada to Curral das Freiras
Walk 22    Pico do Cedro and Pico do Areeiro
Walk 23    Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo
Walk 24    Pico Ruivo, Vale da Lapa and Ilha
Walk 25    Pico Ruivo, Queimadas and Santana
Walk 26    Levada do Caldeirão Verde from Pico das Pedras
Walk 27    Levada do Rei from Quebradas
Walk 28    Santana, Calhau and São Jorge
Walk 29    Boca da Encumeada and Pico Grande
Walk 30    Colmeal and Pico Grande
Walk 31    Fajã dos Cardos to Fajã do Penedo
Walk 32    Boca da Encumeada to Colmeal

4 Jardim da Serra
Walk 33    Boca da Encumeada to Marco e Fonte
Walk 34    Boca da Corrida and Curral das Freiras
Walk 35    Boca dos Namorados and Curral das Freiras
Walk 36    Marco e Fonte to Fontes
Walk 37    Terreiros from Boca da Corrida
Walk 38    Crista do Espigão from Fontes
Walk 39    Fajã da Ribeira, Levada Norte and Boa Morte
Walk 40    Levada do Norte: Boa Morte to Estreito de Câmara de Lobos

5 Paúl da Serra
Walk 41    Pico Ruivo do Paúl da Serra from Estanquinhos
Walk 42    Rabaçal, Levada do Risco and 25 Fontes
Walk 43    Levada do Paúl: Rabaçal to Cristo Rei
Walk 44    Levada das Rabaças and Cascalho
Walk 45    Caminho do Pináculo e Folhadal
Walk 46    Levada dos Cedros: Fanal to Ribeira da Janela
Walk 47    Levada da Janela: Fonte do Bispo to Porto Moniz

6 Western Madeira
Walk 48    Ponta do Pargo to Fonte do Bispo
Walk 49    Levada do Moinho: Tornadouro to Ribeira da Cruz
Walk 50    Levada da Calheta – Ponta do Pargo to Ponta do Pargo
Walk 51    Levada da Calheta – Ponta do Pargo to Prazéres
Walk 52    Caminho Real: Prazéres to Paúl do Mar
Walk 53    Levada da Calheta – Ponta do Pargo to Lombo dos Faias
Walk 54    Levada da Calheta – Ponta do Sol to Ponta do Sol
Walk 55    Levada Nova and Levada do Moinho from Ponta do Sol
Walk 56    Levada Nova: Jangão to Ribeira Brava
Walk 57    Lombo do Mouro to Ribeira Brava

7 Porto Santo
Walk 58    Pico do Castelo, Pico do Facho and Pico Branco
Walk 59    Campo de Baixo, Bárbara Gomes and Eiras
Walk 60    Ponta, Pico de Ana Ferreira, Pico do Espigão and Calheta

Cruise to the Ilhas Desertas

Appendix A    Route summary table
Appendix B    Language notes
Appendix C    Useful contacts

Updates

November 2024

Walk 17

Dense growths of broom have been reported towards the bottom of this walk, making it almost impassable. It is best avoided.

November 2024

PR trail charge

The Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation now charges €3 per person for walking some of the more popular waymarked and signposted 'PR' trails, and this scheme is likely to be expanded to cover ALL the waymarked and signposted 'PR' trails in 2025.

See the following website for details, simplifica.madeira.gov.pt/services/78-82-259. It has been claimed that walkers who don't pay the new charges could be fined €50.

September 2024

August 2024 forest fires

Following two weeks of forest fires in the central mountains of Madeira, several walking routes are closed. Please check the following website for details

https://ifcn.madeira.gov.pt/146-destaques/avisos/627-percursos-pedestres-avisos.html

Bear in mind that the vegetation in the worst affected areas will take several years to recover, and the unique laurisilva forests might not recover at all.

February 2024

Updates

Walks 22 & 23

Note that the car park on Pico do Areeiro only allows parking for one hour. If making a brief visit, this is fine, but it is no use if you intend parking and going for a walk. The alternatives involve hiring a taxi or joining one of the many tour groups that take walkers to the summit and collect them later.

Walk 37

Due to the growth of dense and impenetrable broom on the upper slopes of Terreiros, it is no longer possible to reach the summit.

Downloads

Walking on Madeira - GPX File

By Paddy Dillon

Paddy Dillon is a prolific walker and guidebook writer, with over 100 guidebooks to his name and contributions to 40 other titles. He has written for several outdoor magazines and other publications and has appeared on radio and television.Paddy uses a tablet computer to write as he walks. His descriptions are therefore precise, having been written at the very point at which the reader uses them.Paddy is an indefatigable long-distance walker who has walked all of Britain's National Trails and several European trails. He has also walked in Nepal, Tibet, Korea and the Rocky Mountains of Canada and the US.

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