Levada dos Balcoes
We had an even later start today at 1030. With good weather, we thought it would be best to do our little outdoor experience today at Levada dos Balcoes.
Google Maps took us uphill towards the interior using the narrowest back streets instead of going downhill to join larger roads. To my surprise, buses operate on these back streets!
When we arrived at the destination as marked in Google Maps, signage referred to the area as Ribeiro Frio.
The hiking trail was marked as Portela. Fortunately, we found the Levada dos Balcoes (PR11) hiking trail just across the road.
We had a coffee before starting, in order to use the facilities. The walk was super easy and the return journey was only an hour.
The viewpoint was too misty to give a clear view but we got glimpses as the wind cleared the mist slightly intermittently. The highlight for me was not the viewpoint but the lush greenery which included beautiful ferns and moss. It was as if I had been transported magically back to New Zealand.
Many of the hikes in Madeira are along areas with levada or aqueducts. They were built in the 16th century to carry water from the wet northwest to the agricultural regions in the south.
There was a EUR3 per person to do the Levada dos Balcoes hike, payable by cash or card to people standing at the trailhead, without kiosks. They weren’t there when we finished the hike, meaning that if you start during their lunch break, you could do it for free!
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- The ferns on the hike resemble those in New Zealand.
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- Likewise the moss on the hike resemble those in New Zealand.
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- It was too misty to have a good view from the viewpoint.
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- Don’t feed the animals but people do.
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- The ferns on the hike resemble those in New Zealand.
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- Aqueducts run along parts of this trail and many other trails in Madeira.
Peninsula
Our next destination was the Sao Laurenco peninsula that forms the eastern tip of the island.
We stopped for lunch in a local café in the town of Canical before driving to the end of the road on the southern side of the peninsula. Cars were parked for a long way before we reached the end, suggesting that this was a highly popular area.
The hike seemed extremely exposed to the sun and longer than what we were willing to endure, plus it came with a EUR3 fee. We did a short walk along the nearby area FOC to get an adequate appreciation of the view.
We backtracked by car to Ponta do Rosto, on the northern side of the same peninsula where we had an awesome scenery.
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- Lunch stop at Canical.
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- Looking back from Sao Laurenco towards the developed part of the peninsula.
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- Ponta do Rosto.
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- Ponta do Rosto.
Rest of the day
The brake of the car had started to make a bad grinding noise. It was either a stone in the brake which Kim couldn’t dislodge by reversing, or worn-out brake pads.
In any case, we thought it would be best to swap the car. It was easy enough except that we missed the correct turn-off as many roads are in close proximity. Then when we got there, they were busy with other customers. It gave us a chance to drive below the eastern end of the airport runway which was built on stilts.
We ended up returning to our accommodation around 1600 rather than maybe 1500.
For dinner, nothing nearby worked due to a staff illness. We drove to Santa Cruz near the western end of the runway. As soon as we had ordered in the simple taverna, Kim found a simple waterfront eatery just next door. Damn! Save that for tomorrow.
We noticed a couple of aircraft go around today with crosswind. They did land second time around. Let’s hope the airport operates normally on our day of departure in two days.
Eastern end of the airport runway.