Walking and Eating in Madeira

MADEIRA, 5th edition (2019, with a thoroughly revised printing in 2024); updated 31/08/2024

Updates for the walks, restaurants, shops and recipes on Madeira given below supplement those provided in the guidebook. It is vital that this Update is read in conjunction with the text of the book, but note that the Update applies only to the edition stated and not to any earlier editions. (If you have an older edition of this book you can “upgrade” to the latest edition at half price.)

Information has been forwarded to us by users of the book, and Sunflower Books offers the data in good faith but cannot be held responsible for any misleading or inaccurate content in the Update. Unless indicated otherwise, what appears here has not been verified by the author or publisher, so please allow due caution when new or amended routes are suggested. Each piece of information is dated; bear in mind that some of the older observations may have since been overtaken by events or further changes. If, during your holiday, you are using the current edition of the guide and are able to provide any additional updating to add to this page, we will be pleased to hear from you. Please send information, preferably by e-mail, to info@sunflowerbooks.co.uk.

GENERAL

• IMPORTANT: As of August 26, 2024, the fires than have ravaged Madeira for over a week are completely out. The Rabaçal walks are open again, but many many walks are closed. For a list of the closed walks, log on to https://ifcn.madeira.gov.pt/atividades-de-natureza/percursos-pedestres-recomendados/percursos-pedestres-recomendados.html. ‘ENCERRADO’ MEANS CLOSED. Meanwhile the local newspaper has posted videos of walkers ignoring ‘closed’ signs at Pico do Arieiro. PLEASE do not walk in areas where tape has been put across the path (as some tourists have been doing!); there is not only the possibility of landslides, but the danger of rockfalls as well. DO THINK that the people charged with recovery have more to worry about than rescuing tourists — and possibly losing their own lives in the process. (Sunflower, 26/8/24)

• Overtourism is not limited to Tenerife, which made the British press lately. It is also a big problem in Madeira, especially in the most popular places for walkers, where people abandon cars – for instance the Arieiro road, above Rabaçal, Ribeiro Frio, Ponta de São Lourenço. For years we have been advising walkers to try other than the most popular walks, but now we realise that the car tours, with their picnic places, are a problem! You are probably not even able to drive past the Poço da Neve on the Arieiro road, nor the Balçoes path at Ribeiro Frio. The authorities are weighing up a number of answers to the problems of over tourism — of course they like the income, but the population is getting angry, with house prices off the scale, crowded roads, litter, etc. So the powers that be have been considering tourist taxes; payments for the most popular routes (already one is in place for Ponta de São Lourenço); creating more parking spaces with shuttle buses, for instance on the Arieiro road (it won’t work for Ribeiro Frio); walkers having to hire a guide for the most popular routes… This is a problem which affects most of the popular tourist destinations, not just Madeira. (Sunflower)

BUSES: A new bus service started on July 1st. Called SIGA, it gathers under its umbrella 3 companies: Rodoeste, Horarios do Funchal, and Autocarros da Madeira (CAM: a new fusion of SAM and EACL). Eventually it will have around 130 new buses. The livery of the new buses is white, with a blue and yellow design and the word ‘SIGA’ in large type on the side – with, slightly smaller, the words ‘SIGA/RODOESTE’ near the door of the bus. However, older buses will still be in use, and – to date – the websites in our book have not changed. The yellow livery of Horarios do Funchal in Funchal and suburbs will not change, but their intercity buses will change. (Sunflower, 7/24)

RESTAURANTS: We are currently finishing off our break in Madeira ,love the book. Just to let you know Hortensia is closed and up for sale. We did stop at Jasmin which was fine, a new stop has been opened Monday to Friday just before Jasmin, up above the levada with signs at start of steps called Restaurant Horizonte offering basic meal of the days at around 6euros. (User 10/21) The Café do Relógio in Camacha is closed; see Walk 4. (Sunflower) • Bioforma have apparently opened a new shop/restaurant in Funchal on Rue Ornelas. (Sunflower, 10/23) • Another Bioforma branch has been opened in Plaza Madeira, on the first floor. (Sunflower, 5/24) * Excursion 1: Monte Palace has closed – pity… (Sunflower)

ISLAND MAP on pages 126-127: At Encumeada (by the green-on-white number for Walk 10) the road to the west via tunnels is shown as closed on the approach to the Paúl da Serra. The road is now open. (Sunflower, 2019)

IMPORTANT: If you are still using the 4th edition of the book, Walk 1 in the 4th edition is no longer possible. (It has been substituted by another walk in the current 5th edition.) In the last two years at least 4 people have been killed on the Bom Sucesso levada, and it now bears a ‘no walkers’ sign at the bottom end. We do not know if there is a similar sign at the top end, and it is possible that the path to the levada is ok (it has been rebuilt after the 2016 storms). But the rescue services on the island have had a very difficult time recovering bodies from the Joao Gomes Valley, and there has been quite a clamour in the local papers. It is unfortunate that we have lost this beautiful (but admittedly very vertiginous) walk due to (according to the local press) the stupidity of some walkers who have died from walking ‘off piste’ – on paths clearly marked as ‘no entry’. (Sunflower, 5/19)

Walk 1: Work will be in progress at Praia Formosa for the next couple of years. To soothe public opposition to the project, they will develop the largest public gardens in Funchal. (Sunflower, 8/2023) • Meanwhile, a new ‘road’ (really an elongated car park) has been built, and Café Doças is shown in the wrong place on our map. See the map below.  (Sunflower, 6/24)

Walk 2: The following is the kind of update we receive year after year about the section of path after the fork at the 7min-point, so beware: this route is always potentially dangerous or — at the very least — frightening! “Following the UPPER Route. There has been a very severe landslip at the point at which the Levada dos Tornos emerges from the levada Tunnel. The whole slope has been swept away into the valley leaving a very narrow earth path on the approach to the tunnel and just the concrete outer edge of the levada totally exposed by the landslide. A wooden pole has been placed across the levada to enable walkers to cross onto the non-exposed inner edge of the levada but after about 20 metres you must then JUMP BACK across the quite wide and deep levada to regain the main levada path. We passed a number of walkers who had obviously negotiated the obstacle in this fashion, as we did, but it would be terrifying for anyone with vertigo.” (User, 2014) •  We have an update about Walk 2 – done today, 12/2/22. We started at Palheiro Ferrerio, walking West towards Monte on the Levada dos Tornos. We chose to walk around the Joao Gomes Valley from Curral dos Romeiros to the start of the levada tunnel, then turned down on the path towards Babosas and Monte.  However, we had to turn back pretty soon after we started down the path, which is very overgrown, but more worryingly has suffered a lot of recent tree falls and landslips. We very soon came to a point where the path seemed to be completely crumbled away down the ravine under the fallen trees, and felt it was not safe to continue, so we returned to the levada, following it back to Curral dos Romeiros. We don’t think that the path is currently passable in either direction, and that people who want to do this walk should use the alternative path between Curral dos Romeiros and Babosas. (User, 2/22) [Underwoods: We have certainly found the path to be in poor condition and impassable  in the past, but it has always been repaired. This valley is notorious for storm damage, which appears to have been recent. For safety’s sake, it is always better to use the lower path with street lights.]

Walk 4: The Café do Relógio in Camacha is closed, and has been for two years. We ought to have known that, but we stocked up on wickerwork years ago. It is heartbreaking to read of its demise, with 40 people losing their jobs, and we suppose the wicker industry will be no more. (Sunflower, 9/23)

Walk 5: is 7.4km, not 10.5km! (Sunflower, 5/19) • A user writes that there is hazard tape at Ribeiro Frio saying the walk is closed. She did the walk anyway and found that the problem was well beyond the place where Walk 5 leaves the Levada do Furado, so according to what this user says, Walk 5 is not affected at all. So it should be safe to follow Walk 5. (Sunflower, 3/22)

Walk 10: There are 2 picnic tables at Lapa do Galho according to a user..