Before I begin, I should probably explain how we came to own a second home in Madeira.
It was our first visit to Madeira in the spring of 2017 and I will never forget my first dramatic view of the Ribiera valley which cuts through from the south to the north side of the island. We could be forgiven for thinking we had fallen into a set for The Lord of the Rings, or travelled to a tropical rainforest; the mountains soared steeply on both sides under a clear blue sky. Waterfalls tumbled from unseen sources high above, and a hundred different shades of green made up the evolving foliage which seemed to lead us forwards through a three kilometre long tunnel passing beneath the Encumaeda Pass, before emerging into another valley, even more spectacular than the first. It reminded me of a film I watched as a child, ‘The Land before Time’ and I almost expected a friendly Diplodocus to raise its head above the road. The house we were staying in was called Zefarina’s Place and belonged to a man called Tomas Cooke, which raised a smile. It was not disappointing, placed high on the hillside and with a lovely view of the valley towards the sea. We sat in the sun, with a glass of Vino Verde, to plan our first walk.
The next morning, map in hand and fully equipped, we set off in the car to search for the starting point of our walk. Our optimism was short-lived as we approached the bottom of the hill to find the road cordoned off and a police officer shaking his head. “De jeito nenhum!” No way through. There was a vintage car rally taking place and all of the roads were closed. Disappointed, we drove back up the hill and parked the car, what now? After pondering our options we decided to walk anyway. We set off around the back of the house along an overgrown track and followed the line of the mountains
in the general direction of the sea. As we progressed, the path became less defined and more overgrown with weeds and brambles. Several times we deliberated about the wisdom of carrying on in the absence of a recognised path, but nevertheless we continued to forge ahead. Many twists and turns later, with socks full of thorns we came out onto a more defined path which clung to the contours of the hillside and eventually opened out onto a tarmacked road. As we began to walk along the road, to our left a small house became visible, a ‘palheiro’. On the island of Madeira many of these small buildings, originally intended for livestock, are lying in ruin; and some have been restored to provide small homes for local people. This one, set right on the edge of the ancient Laurissilva Forest, had been beautifully and traditionally restored and had the most breath-taking view I had ever seen across the whole of the Sao Vicente valley. I wanted to live here – and there was a ‘for sale’ sign. The rest, as they say, is history. We returned later in the summer to seal the deal, and drank a toast to the promise of many a wonderful walk on this beautiful subtropical island.
We did continue our walk after our discovery, all the way down to the seafront with its imposing cliffs, waterfalls and crashing waves; a walk that was to be repeated and enjoyed many, many times.
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