Up on the Paul do Serra the weather is changeable and unpredictable. You have to accept that 'it is what it is' when you arrive and be prepared for the best and the worst. As we leave the Sao Vicente Valley today the sky is blue and the sun is shining - a beautiful day. Driving up beyond Encumaeda though, the clouds are hanging and swirling above and below us. The sky changes from blue to white and then back to blue again, a constantly changing picture. We drive up onto Paul do Serra and park at the Monumento das Bem Aventurancas next to the Posto Florestal de Cova Grande. Just down the hill the Levada do Paul leads off from either side of the road, west and east, we go east.
The Paul da Serra is a huge plateau 1400 metres above sea level. Today the clouds are hanging in the valleys and the mist is swirling in and out of the contours, but when the mists lift the sky is clear and blue and the sun comes streaming down. The weather is what makes this walk variable, sometimes in the mist and sometimes with clear uninterrupted views of the valley and down to the sea, although today we were destined to spend most of our walk in the mist and clouds.
It should be noted that the levada is high up and there are no railings at all; some of the sections are passed on the levada wall but most follow a wider dusty path alongside and it doesn't feel dangerous.
From start to finish the levada is flanked by Gorse and Broom, Cottonthistle, Hawksbeard and Briar Root. The path is littered with crickets, jumping in and out of the gorse and clinging to the levada wall. Madeiran Speckled Wood and Macronesian Red Admiral butterflies flutter alongside us and the occasional wall lizard makes an appearance. At one point we had to climb up and walk along the levada walls as cows had claimed the path and could not be persuaded to move away from their grazing spot.
After about a kilometre, a huge pine tree stands alone, its lonely position emphasising the expanse of the plateau. At the midpoint of the walk, a waterfall gushes from the rock above, and a stone staircase provides a change to the elevation of the levada's path. Always, you are aware of the wind turbines towering above you and turning silently like something out of a science fiction film and the endpoint is an unexpected grotto filled with ferns and with moss and lichen covered walls seeping with water falling to create a small stream that feeds the levada. I have read reviews claiming that this walk should be done on a sunny day, and that the mists spoil the views. But we enjoyed the mists which were atmospheric and quite eerie at times and look forward to repeating the walk on a clear day to enjoy the alternative and more traditional spectacle.
Comments