Madeira: Expect the Unexpected
A dramatic rock, rising out of the Atlantic and smothered in botanical jewels, there is more to Madeira than you might think says Elizabeth Young
This is a feature from Issue 12 of Charitable Traveller.
The narrow road hugs the mountainside tightly. On one side of my hire car, the sheer rock from which my route has been cut towers above me; on the other a steep lush valley drops away far below.
I seem to have entered a pre-historic time an era of huge, dramatic landscapes where imposing steep-sided mountains are dressed in vibrant greens of every hue. It is a landscape reminiscent of the tropics or the coffee triangle of Colombia, lush and spectacular. It is so unexpected I stop at every second turn to take a photo and gasp at another astonishing view.
The Portugese island of Madeira is richly fertile and the subtropical climate which makes it a mecca for winter-sun seekers, also makes it a paradise for produce and rampant foliage.
Created through volcanic eruptions millions of years ago, here the cliffs and volcanic domes are clearly visible, laced with determined waterfalls that help every manner of flora take hold and grow in every rocky nook and cranny. Look carefully, and in amongst the natural drama, careful terraces have been cut for a home or two here and a farmhouse there, and around them bananas, sugar cane, vines and tropical fruits grow. Way down the hillside I spot tiny, white-washed hamlets with terracotta roofs all nestled in; remote communities that have found a way to live in a cinematic backdrop that feels almost unreal.
When the island was first discovered, much of its landmass was hard to reach or inhabit because of the size and steepness of these slopes, but over generations, locals worked by hand to create an unbelievable network of slope-hugging roads and a stunning patchwork of small, inclined terraces which reward them with a bounty of mangoes, guavas, avocados, custard apples and flowers.
The Hills are alive
I am staying on the coast, as most tourists do, but this journey into the green heart of Madeira is a complete revelation. Yesterday I was smothering myself in suncream and lazing on a sunbed in a spa resort with a sea view. I was sipping cocktails, browsing sedate excursions and planning a day trip into the capital Funchal if I could work up the energy. Here, the vibe is quite, quite different and highly recommended. This is a place designed for action, for reconnecting with nature and for truly getting away from it all.
It is probably not a drive for the faint-hearted. There are tight turns and steep gradients and in places passing another car forces me way too close to the edge for comfort, but it is an exhilarating adventure and reveals a whole new side to this holiday isle.
Suddenly it is an adrenaline-fuelled adventure playground. My ears pop as the car climbs and the guidebook explains why – these mountains are roughly one and a half times higher than those of Scotland, and the highest – Pico Ruivo – is over 1,800 metres.
I pass determined, muscle-bound mountain bikers, breathing hard and pushing themselves on, and walkers kitted out in strong boots for long hikes. There are gentler routes through pine forests and along levada trails (following the farmers’ irrigation terraces) but it’s the challenging climbs and remoter routes that those with climbing gear and hefty backpacks tick off with glee.
Road Trip
I set off this morning from my spa hotel in Calheta, on the south-west coast, with the intention of circumnavigating the island. I had tried each of the five pools there, booked a few treatments, sampled the hotel buffet and nearby hostelries and felt ready to explore. I had left expecting more of the same – beautiful rugged coastlines and a few key touristy stop-off points, all connected with ease.
At Ponta do Fargo (the most westerly point of the island) I’d taken windswept selfies. At Ponto Moniz I’d promised myself I’d return to swim in the volcanic natural swimming pools of vibrant aquamarine. I’d found Santana for its Casas Tipicas – the colourful houses of old Madeira shown in every brochure – and taken the well-worn, somewhat uninspiring path, to the traditional A-frame thatched houses for my clichéd, photo opportunity, along with many on a tour.
Here I had stopped, too, for delicious Pasteis de Nata (Portugese custard tarts) and to review my options in the guidebook. And that is when I changed my plan and rerouted the sat nav, having read about the back roads and ways to go off the beaten track. I had abandoned the modern highways and high-tech tunnels that today make getting around the island quick and easy, and instead started meandering the original old roads and local byways where I found the very different, natural wilderness vibe of the Ribero Frio National Park. Madeira has many national parks and time exploring them is essential to really understanding how this island ticks. I had arrived thinking of Maderia as a little old-fashioned and perhaps a bit stuffy, popular with a refined elderly generation, and possessing a style that echoed those of the European aristocrats of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, who had pioneered tourism here. I had thought of the iconic afternoon teas served at the historic Reid’s Palace Hotel and the simple pleasures of the island’s flower festivals. My detour into adventure territory changed everything, and so too, surprisingly, did time in the capital Funchal.
City of surprises
I abandon the car and start walking the capital. The city is at the heart of a great natural amphitheatre, facing the blue Atlantic with those dramatic mountains now behind me. The wide pedestrianised streets combine historic buildings and contemporary culture with ease, as cobbled paths and sociable squares lead to seaside promenades, modern memorials, parks and quirky historic backstreets. Everywhere there are cheerful restaurants and cafes spilling out onto the pavements.
Like many before me I take the cable car up the mountainside for a birds-eye view of the city and the sea beyond. It’s a sprawling jumble of terracotta roofs and neat gardens, and beyond sits the imposing harbour which welcomes giant cruise ships.
The ride drops me at the top of Monte and from here it is just a short walk to the Nossa Senhora do Monte Church, which is also the start point of the famed Madeiran toboggan rides. I step gingerly into the wicker and wood toboggan, whose design dates back to the 1850s when this was the closest thing Funchal had by way of a public transport system. Now they cruise the narrow streets for tourist entertainment, and I hold on tight and squeal with my fellow riders as the ‘carriers’ or drivers expertly manoeuvre me on a two-kilometre journey, downhill at speeds of up to 30mph. It’s a free-wheeling rollercoaster in a basket and some might say you have to be a basket case to try it!
The men continue to wear the traditional white uniforms and straw hats of old and have special rubber-soled shoes which they assure me help them steer and break the toboggan. I am propelled fast around parked cars and we dodge passing cats and pedestrians as the basket glides on greased-up rags until we reach Livramento. Everyone disembarking agrees it is ridiculous, bonkers, a bit of a rip-off but also great fun and a truly memorable moment that makes your heart sing. It’s not to be missed.
Have your Cake
Fresh from this exhilaration I head into the old town where the cobbled street of Rua de Santa Maria captivates me for the rest of the day. The area has been revitalised in the past decade thanks to a unique arts project. Formerly run down and forgotten, with many abandoned buildings, artists breathed new life into the area with their Painted Doors Project. Talented locals started painting the old doors of the street and now it is a living gallery with around 200 door ‘canvases’, drawing visitors, businesses and a cultural vibrancy back into the area. I rest at a café among the door art and order tea and some Madeira cake. I expect the soft vanilla sponge we call Madeira cake at home but instead I am served a rich and fruity honey cake, dark and moist and full of contrasting flavours.
Each mouthful is a surprise and somehow seems to sum up my day. I had arrived here thinking the island was a sedate, somewhat bland place, perfect for the elderly or a do-nothing break, but, like the cake, it turns out to be much more complex. Madeira is an adventure destination too, full of drama and excitement, a place of multiple personalities, where you do well to expect the unexpected.
This is a feature from Issue 12 of Charitable Traveller.
by net effect