Madeira - East side tour

 An early breakfast and a prompt pick-up and we were off to explore the 'East Side' of Madeira.

First stop was a viewpoint looking back over the Marina. The photo to the left captures the ever present low hanging cloud.

Our first 'proper' stop was in the pretty village of Camacha. Famed as the centre of  Madeira's willowcraft and basket making. Judging by the number of mini buses  it is a popular stopping off point.

All things willow to one side , Camacha houses a local folklore group, that is one of the most famous Portuguese folklore groups and known throughout the world (or so they say). Not so different to Moulton then really with it's Morris Men.

We start to climb well above the tree line as we travel as far up as it is possible  to go by vehicle. We stop at the radar station at Pico do Arierio. It is noticeably cooler at a height of 1818m and the cloud is more broken. Whichever direction you care to look the views are absolutely stunning.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 There are plenty of walkers making the trip to Pico Ruivo , the highest peak (1862m) on the island. It certainly isn't a trek for the feint hearted and i'm not sure that my dodgy knee would handle the rough terrain and steep climbs and descents. Maybe i'll save it for another day.

It was so fresh at the peak and we had stunning clear blue skies and above the clouds some sunshine !

I even adopted a local style hat , not forgetting to tie a knot to show that I was married....

Making our way steeply  downhill to Ribeiro Frio we pass scores of weary looking Mountain bike riders. The hill climb is never ending and I don't envy them one bit.  Between  Ribeiro Frio and Faial we we get our first experience of levada walking.

Just a short one on this occasion , about twenty minutes to give us a bit of an appetite for lunch. I should explain further about the levada paths.  There are 2500km of irrigation channels usually through dramatic scenery.Specific to Madeira they  originated out of the necessity of bringing large amounts of water from the west and northwest of the island to the drier southeast. They were used in the past also by women to wash clothes in areas where running water to homes was not available. These days a well as water they also provide hydro-electric power. They provide a lovely network of paths for walking and viewing the spectacular scenery.

This particular path was very easy walking on the flat. Under the shade of 

 the tree canopy it was nice and cool too. 

Lunch was an interesting affair in Faial. I opted for a local specialty 'Scabbard Fish' with banana. Believe me it did taste a lot better than it sounds. With the best will in the world it is an ugly fish. Black with an elongated body the fish is caught at night by Fishermen from Camara De Lobos. The deep sea catch is then brought in early next morning and sold off at the island's markets.

 Faial sits under the Penha D'Aguia otherwise

 know as 'Eagles Rock'. A massive chunk of rock rising 600 vertical metres out of the Atlantic.

 

Eagles Rock

No doubt that the views of Eagle Rock were unbelievably stunning. 

In Porto Da Cruz there was a chance to see a working rum distillery powered by steam. We had a lovely walk around looking at all the machines. Nothing was being used whilst we were there sadly as the harvest of the sugarcane had already taken place and distilling was complete. The shop was still open though and some free tastings! One of the white Rums was around 80% proof and tasted like rocket fuel....

Santana is an interesting place if only for its Casas Típicas de Santana, traditional stone houses with steep, triangular-shaped thatched roofs. Apart from the opportunity for a photo gthere really wasn't much else there  really. Although I did buy a 'Rooster of Barcelos'  for the kitchen from a souvenir shop. The Rooster is a common emblem of Portugal and there is a local legend how the Rooster  prevented an innocent man from being hanged once upon a time. Sounds like a tall story to me but you will have to look it up yourself and make your own mind up. 

Traditional Madeiran houses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our final 'stop off' point' on what has been a great trip was the beach at Camacha. Madeira does not have a shoreline of golden sands, and the few natural beaches  are lined with grey pebbles and black basalt stones. The beach at Camacha is man made , with sand imported from the Sahara. I had a little paddle which was nice before getting back on the bus back to our hotel. 

The beach at Camacha