Archive for the tag 'walking'
Madeira Island – Levadas, Walking Paths & Mountain Ridges
Off Beaten Path of Levada Calheta
Walking trails are still magical
MW Editor English October 4th, 2010
Travel Article: After the floods: Madeira’s hotels and walking trails are still magical (Mail Online)
Madeira’s levadas have long been considered one of the world’s great walking pleasures. Covering more than 1,200 miles, these narrow waterways link the wetter north to the dry south, every yard mirrored by shaded paths. The big relief to me was that most of these routes remained intact.
My best guess is that around 10 per cent of paths are affected by fires. As for those dreadful February storms, Andrew Zino, who runs walks company Nature Meetings, told me: ‘Forget storm damage. Madeira hass made an amazing recovery.’
Ribeiro Frio to Portela
Gerry Sluiter English September 13th, 2010
Every Wednesday, we offer the Levada walk from Ribeiro Frio to Portela.
It is a well known Levada walk, and due to its location, very popular for walkers. After a short visit to Madeira’s Trout Farm and knitting stalls entering we the Laurisilva Forest of Madeira (UNESCO World heritage since 1999, covering 149.5km2 of Madeira).
During the walk you see all the Laurisilva vegetation with beautiful views into the valley located on the North side of Madeira (Porto da Cruz), and if you look into the Levada you might even see “baby” Trout’s.
Other than its popularity, it is also the most dangerous walk.
By studying the walking guide books, this walk is classified as easy or medium (even the local authorities are given this walk a grade: 2). However, most casualties are taking place on this walk (from cuts, brushes to broken bones)!
We have been investing some time to understand why so many accidents are taken place on this particular walk.
As this walk is one of the only Levada locations (in the Laurisilva Forest) were you can travel to/ from by local transport, a lot of walkers are walking on their own and follow the instructions what is written in a book. Unfortunately, the dangers are NOT written down, such as: vertigo, slippery slopes and wet/humid conditions. What crucial is, is that due to a landslide a half year ago, the walking path is diverted. This diversion is not clearly marked, and most walkers are following the instruction from the documentation. This old path (over the landslide) that the walkers are following is extremely dangerous, with steep drops (Vertigo). At the end of the walk, the path is going downhill with the Levada in the middle. With even the slightest bit of rain, the Levada overflows what turns the path into mud and makes the path extremely slippery.
The combination of weather conditions and the lack of knowledge turn this Levada walk into Madeira dangerous walk.
Therefore I strongly recommend that if you want to do this walk, you do this with a qualified guide. If you insist that you want to do this on your own, please seek advice from the local authorities and check the weather conditions.
Traditional Trails
Gerry Sluiter English September 5th, 2010
Saturday: Traditional Trails (Full Day)
Nature Meetings invites you to step back in time, when people and goods were transported by sea from the several small harbors around the island, before the existing road infrastructure.
Approximately 100 years ago, the farmers created a footpath along the North coast that was the only way for them to transport their local products to a small “handcrafted” harbor at Ponta de São Jorge (Ponta do Clérigo).
Our journey starts at “Ribeiro Funda” (469m), walking from Madeira’s famous Laurissilva Forest to the habitat of exotic plants along the coast.
After descending 300 meters, we arrive at Madeira’s hidden spot, the secret viewpoint of: Lapa Negra (reachable only on foot).
Once you have witnessed the breathtaking views of Porto Moniz to São Jorge, we continue our walk on one of Madeira’s oldest footpath to Curral da Rocha (89 meters). This route goes up- and downhill, along the cliff-edge to Farrobo and the Light house of São Jorge (271 meter).
From there we go down to the seafront at Calhau de São Jorge, small beach and a bathing complex situated at the river mouth, providing magnificent views on the surrounding landscapes.. There you can have a dive and/or relax.
After the refreshing stop we start the next challenge which is following the path up to Santana (280 meters) where we will arrive at our final destination. Continue Reading »
Tips against heat exhaustion
MW Editor English May 27th, 2010
It is easy to assume that exposure to excessive heat is a common problem here on Madeira. Cases of severe sunburn and/or heat exhaustion are not uncommon. Here are some tips you should consider to avoid the problems.
Food and Water
Maintaining your energy levels and avoiding dehydration or electrolyte depletion are crucial.
Walking
In high temperatures, do the minimum of walk that is necessary. Try to keep out of the sun during the hottest part of the day. Take regular breaks.
Protection
Use high protection skin creams on all exposed areas not forgetting under your chin, your lips and the tops of your ears. Do not forget to include sunglasses that block out both UVA and UVB and insect repellent to ward of those pesky midges.
Clothing
Developments in fabric technology mean that there is clothing readily available that is breathable and will wick away moisture so that sweat evaporates more quickly.
Wear loose, lightweight, light colored clothing. Consider tops with long sleeves that can be rolled up and down.
Hats are also really important in the sun. Try to wear a hat made of a breathable fabric or one that has mesh vents. It is also worthwhile considering a hat that provides additional cover for the back of your neck and/or a visor.
Adjust your clothing as conditions change throughout the day – do not struggle uphill wearing waterproof clothing when that shower has stopped.
Backpacks or Rucksacks
It may seem obvious but carefully check the amount of gear that you are taking – take the minimum without compromising your safety.
Madeira is back to normal
Gerry Sluiter English March 5th, 2010
The torrential rain on Madeira caused floods and mudslides on several locations on the Island on the 20th of February. However with the impressive effort from the entire Madeirense population and international help, Madeira returned to be again an attractive travel destination.
The airport, that was not affected except it was closed on the day of the floods, is fully operational and all the main roads are now open to the public. Unfortunately there are still some locations that are isolated (Tabua, Serra da Agua and Encumeada), therefore we advice everyone to make first inquiries before traveling towards these areas.
Many footpaths on Madeira had problems with fallen trees and landslides; however the majority of these walks are now repaired and accessible to the public.
Nature Meetings daily walking program is now fully operational, with the exception of the full day walk on Sunday: “Slopes and Valleys of Calheta” and Wednesday: “Laurisilva Landscapes”. The Full day walk on Sunday has been removed from our program and we only offer our half day Levada walk: “Amazing Vistas”. The full day Levada walk on Wednesday is replaced with a Laurisilva Levada walk from Santo da Serra to Portela (this is temporarily, as the original walk from Ribeiro Frio to Portela should be open in May 2010).
We advice all walkers on Madeira prepare themselves for the walk they intent to do, as there can be obstacles on the walking paths, and be aware that it can be slippery as it requires some time to dry out.
In particular, it is crucial that people don’t do a Levada walk on their own!! There might be unexpected situations that can result in a premature end of your holiday her on Madeira. Therefore we (including the authorities on Madeira) strongly suggest to make use of the services of a walk guide through the various qualified walking organization.
Perfect Cure for the Post-Christmas Blues
MW Editor English February 4th, 2010
Travel article “This Year’s Madeira Walking Festival in Funchal” published in Southern Europe Travel by Rupert Parker.
Madeira is a sub-tropical Portuguese island in the mid Atlantic Ocean. Every January it hosts a week long walking festival providing three or more daily guided hikes with various levels of difficulty. The event is the brainchild of writer and photographer Terry Marsh who, this year, had to supervise from a distance as he was recovering from heart surgery. He needn’t have worried; for many of the participants this was their third year and they knew exactly where to go and what to do.
Five levada pathways closed
MW Editor English February 1st, 2010
Translated from the Diário de Notícias (newspaper) 31/01/2010 by Madeira News Blog
Five pathways closed. In less than a month, bad weather and landslides have forced the closure of five footpaths and levadas which are included in the official walking circuit of the serras of Madeira. The official ‘Turismo’ site alerts walkers to the closures and the Regional Director of Forestry acknowledges that the renovation of such extensively damaged areas will be expensive. Levada do Rei, Caldeirão Verde, Caminho Real da Encumeada, Levada da Fajã do Rodrigues and Caminho do Pináculo e Folhadal are the five closed footpaths. The worst affected is the Caminho Real da Encumeada, especially the section Boca da Corrida at Encumeada. Almost all the walking paths on the island have been damaged by the bad weather, the ones least affected are near the south coast and on Porto Santo. Before work can be undertaken, a survey will have to be carried out and a firm contracted.
