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THE guide to Madeira for the last 18 years and a winner of the
Thomas Cook Best Travel Guide Award. It really is indispensible
if you want to explore the best of the island. The Sunday Times
said: 'A remarkable paperback which may have done more than any
other to change the way its readers spend their holidays this
book single-handedly turned levada-walking into something
approaching a craze.' While dedicated hikers will revel in the
island's mountainous terrain, walking the 'levada' paths is one
of the most popular activities with visitors. Levadas are
watercourses that carry rainfall from the mountains to irrigate
the cultivated terraces. These watercourses and their adjoining
maintenance paths extend for an incredible 2150km/1350mi or
more, but even more fascinating is their great variety. The
older levadas, built centuries ago, are narrow and plummet
steeply downhill from mountainside springs really challenging
walking. Their banks are covered with wild flowers, and the
water rushes and fith energy. The newer levadas are wide
'mini-canals' and run horizontally along the island's contours
ideal for easy walks. Their flow is stately and serene, and
their banks are lovingly planted with agapanthus lilies and
hydrangeas.Walking on Madeira is superb all year round. |
