Walking the Levadas: Maderia October 2021

 Sunday 24th October 2021

We departed from Gatwick on the afternoon flight to Funchal on our first walking holiday since Covid had struck! Masked and jabbed we were looking forward to a few days away and some good walking.

The flight was uneventful and we arrived at Funchal just before 7 pm. The airport reminded me of the old airport at Hong Kong being along side the sea and tight against the city. 

The arrivals hall was packed with three flights arriving at the same time. I had recently received my Irish passport and I wish I had brought it as we had to queue for well over an hour before we passed through passport control. We then had to queue again for health checks so by the time we got our car it was late and dark!

We were based at Quinta das Vinhas about an hours run from the airport. Arriving in the dark proved very problematic! We couldn't find the entrance,  when we did we couldn't find the reception and were dragging our heavy bags up and down stairs and over cobbles! When we did we found it closed and it was only by chance that I spotted an envelope with our key and instructions on how to get to our cottage. This meant dragging our bags back up the hill. loading them in the car and then driving round to the cottage. By the time we arrived we were tired, frustrated and hungry. Sadly there was nothing nearby to keep the wolf from the door so we had to break into our emergency rations!

The house was very nice indeed. A good size living room and a large mezzanine bedroom. It was quiet and in a good location, being near the pool. The walk to the main building, where we had breakfast, was a a rather steep climb through the vineyard. The first day it was a bit of a killer but by the end of the week we bounded up!

Home for the week

A pool with a view

Breakfast was taken each morning in the garden and was always substantial and enjoyable as was the packed lunches they provided.

The view from the main building

Throughout the week the weather was somewhat mixed. The mornings tended to be grey with low cloud and rain showers. The afternoon was warm and by the late afternoon the pool was calling us!

The Walks

Inntravel had provided us with a selection of eight walks graded 1 to 3 and each one had a brief comment on the vertigo of the walk. It soon became apparent that the comments on vertigo were not just a nice addition but vital especially on those walks started in mist!

Just before a section with a vertigo rating of 3! 

New additions to personal bird list

• Atlantic Canary
• Plain Swift
• Spectacled Warbler
• Berthelot's Pipit
• Madeira Firecrest
• Madeira Chaffinch
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