LIVE from the Camino Caminho Real 23 — Madeira

[jungleboy]

Tomorrow Wendy and I are starting not quite a Camino de Santiago, but a walking adventure nevertheless: the Caminho Real 23 on the Portuguese island of Madeira.

The caminhos reais (royal paths) are a series of paths linking population centres in Madeira that were created before automobiles and that have since been made redundant by highways. The 23 goes all the way around the perimeter of the island, so we thought it would be a great way to get to know Madeira as this is our first visit to the island. The route is shown on this stylised map on Journey Era, a website by Jackson Groves that is one of our main information sources for this fairly unknown hike.



We are taking it a bit slower than Jackson and doing it in nine walking days. We pre-booked all accommodation because of the difficulty in finding reasonably-priced places to stay in Madeira in summer, and are taking a rest day in Santana as well. It’s about 180km and there’s about 8000m 11,500m of ups (i.e. almost as much as more than the height of the world’s tallest mountains), so we don’t expect it to be easy going, but hopefully the views and scenery will make it worthwhile.

We were pleasantly surprised to find out that there is an ‘association’ for the hike (made up of husband and wife Miguel and Isabel Gouveia). From them we procured credentials and matching Caminho Real hiking shirts (photo coming at some point!), and they will meet us again tomorrow morning to give us our first stamp. There are 37 places to receive stamps along the way, and we are told that these are actual postage stamps (selos in Portuguese, like the Spanish sellos, rather than carimbos).

We have spent the last three days in the capital Funchal, sightseeing in town, going canyoning yesterday, and preparing for the hike. Our start and end point will be the Funchal cathedral, built in the last throes of the Portuguese Middle Ages in the late 15th and early 16th centuries:



It has a beautiful Mudéjar ceiling that is unlike anything I can remember seeing in Portugal:



Another noteworthy place in Funchal is the Fort of São Tiago (!), so named because it was built during the 60 years of Spanish rule over Portugal from 1580-1640. Here’s a view of one of the turrets:



So with our time in Funchal coming to an end, it’s time to get on our (proverbial) bikes and start walking!

 

[Former member 104756]

Ooh Nick and Wendy. What fun. Off to a great start with those photos.

The sky!

Looking forward to this

 

[mspath]

Nick,
I wish you and Wendy a splendid sequence of hiking days as you circle Madeira. Looking forward to reading your new posts and seeing your photos.

For several years during easier times my huband and I spent the winter months in Madeira and tried some of the hiking paths. Here is my photo of the start of the walkers way to Pico do Furado, December 2014.



Carpe diem to you both and, as always, Ultreia.

 

[Former member 22438]

Madeira is a beautifull island.
What you walk , we did by car.
Take your swimming gear with you .
once you arrive in Porto Moníz there are beautifull natural swimmingpools in the ocean.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Nick, it looks like a very different, but fantastic Camino you two have ahead of you! I will be following you vicariously and know your photos will be incredible, as always!

 

[jungleboy]

Dawn at the cathedral in Funchal this morning and ready to go!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Awww, you two look adorable...ready, set go! Watch out for all those pretty, but potential ankle twisting cobblestones.

 

[dougfitz]

Awww, you two look adorable...ready, set go! Watch out for all those pretty, but potential ankle twisting cobblestones.

Oh, no! @Camino Chrissy, don't tell them that. It'll only go to their heads and we'll never hear the end of it!!

 

[IngridF]

Tomorrow Wendy and I are starting not quite a Camino de Santiago, but a walking adventure nevertheless: the Caminho Real 23 on the Portuguese island of Madeira.

The caminhos reais (royal paths) are a series of paths linking population centres in Madeira that were created before automobiles and that have since been made redundant by highways. The 23 goes all the way around the perimeter of the island, so we thought it would be a great way to get to know Madeira as this is our first visit to the island. The route is shown on this stylised map on Journey Era, a website by Jackson Groves that is one of our main information sources for this fairly unknown hike.

View attachment 151094

We are taking it a bit slower than Jackson and doing it in nine walking days. We pre-booked all accommodation because of the difficulty in finding reasonably-priced places to stay in Madeira in summer, and are taking a rest day in Santana as well. It’s about 180km and there’s about 8000m 11,500m of ups (i.e. almost as much as more than the height of the world’s tallest mountains), so we don’t expect it to be easy going, but hopefully the views and scenery will make it worthwhile.

We were pleasantly surprised to find out that there is an ‘association’ for the hike (made up of husband and wife Miguel and Isabel Gouveia). From them we procured credentials and matching Caminho Real hiking shirts (photo coming at some point!), and they will meet us again tomorrow morning to give us our first stamp. There are 37 places to receive stamps along the way, and we are told that these are actual postage stamps (selos in Portuguese, like the Spanish sellos, rather than carimbos).

We have spent the last three days in the capital Funchal, sightseeing in town, going canyoning yesterday, and preparing for the hike. Our start and end point will be the Funchal cathedral, built in the last throes of the Portuguese Middle Ages in the late 15th and early 16th centuries:

View attachment 151095

It has a beautiful Mudéjar ceiling that is unlike anything I can remember seeing in Portugal:

View attachment 151096

Another noteworthy place in Funchal is the Fort of São Tiago (!), so named because it was built during the 60 years of Spanish rule over Portugal from 1580-1640. Here’s a view of one of the turrets:

View attachment 151097

So with our time in Funchal coming to an end, it’s time to get on our (proverbial) bikes and start walking!

Ultreia! Are you writing a blog, or will you keep us up to date on the forum? Very excited for you.

 

[HaveringRob]

Tomorrow Wendy and I are starting not quite a Camino de Santiago, but a walking adventure nevertheless: the Caminho Real 23 on the Portuguese island of Madeira.

The caminhos reais (royal paths) are a series of paths linking population centres in Madeira that were created before automobiles and that have since been made redundant by highways. The 23 goes all the way around the perimeter of the island, so we thought it would be a great way to get to know Madeira as this is our first visit to the island. The route is shown on this stylised map on Journey Era, a website by Jackson Groves that is one of our main information sources for this fairly unknown hike.

View attachment 151094

We are taking it a bit slower than Jackson and doing it in nine walking days. We pre-booked all accommodation because of the difficulty in finding reasonably-priced places to stay in Madeira in summer, and are taking a rest day in Santana as well. It’s about 180km and there’s about 8000m 11,500m of ups (i.e. almost as much as more than the height of the world’s tallest mountains), so we don’t expect it to be easy going, but hopefully the views and scenery will make it worthwhile.

We were pleasantly surprised to find out that there is an ‘association’ for the hike (made up of husband and wife Miguel and Isabel Gouveia). From them we procured credentials and matching Caminho Real hiking shirts (photo coming at some point!), and they will meet us again tomorrow morning to give us our first stamp. There are 37 places to receive stamps along the way, and we are told that these are actual postage stamps (selos in Portuguese, like the Spanish sellos, rather than carimbos).

We have spent the last three days in the capital Funchal, sightseeing in town, going canyoning yesterday, and preparing for the hike. Our start and end point will be the Funchal cathedral, built in the last throes of the Portuguese Middle Ages in the late 15th and early 16th centuries:

View attachment 151095

It has a beautiful Mudéjar ceiling that is unlike anything I can remember seeing in Portugal:

View attachment 151096

Another noteworthy place in Funchal is the Fort of São Tiago (!), so named because it was built during the 60 years of Spanish rule over Portugal from 1580-1640. Here’s a view of one of the turrets:

View attachment 151097

So with our time in Funchal coming to an end, it’s time to get on our (proverbial) bikes and start walking!

This is so great! I can't wait to see what your adventure looks like.

 

[jungleboy]

Caminho Real 23 Day 1 — Funchal to Ribeira Brava: ~25km.

The adventure begins!

We knew that the first day would not be the best stage of this caminho (along with the last day; so the stages in and out of Funchal are considered the least interesting). German hikers who walked this trail a few years ago and wrote a blog about it really disliked today’s stage.

But we thought it was OK and we were happy just to be out walking, with that built-in day 1 level of excitement (we’ll see if we’re equally enthusiastic about the last stage).

We met Miguel from the Caminho Real association at the cathedral in Funchal at 7am for our first stamp and then went on our way, past the Cristiano Ronaldo Museum (yes, really) and through the coastal hotel zone, which took us about an hour to clear. A bird’s eye view of a black sand beach was the highlight of this section.



The part shortly after this, before and in Câmara de Lobos, was my favourite section of the stage. Heading into town we saw our best landscape views of the day: the cliffs of Madeira rising out of the ocean.



Câmara de Lobos might have outgrown its ‘quant fishing village’ moniker but it is still reasonably charming. More importantly, it contains a piece of artwork in the Big Trash Animals series by my favourite street artist, Bordalo II (our second sighting of the day, as there’s a fish by the same artist on the waterfront in Funchal). This sea lion is unlike most of his works as it’s not multicoloured, and it’s appropriately located in Câmara de Lobos (lobo-marinho means sea lion in Portuguese).



After Câmara de Lobos, we did a serious climb in the late morning comprising most of today’s 1100m of elevation gain. It had become overcast by that point which made the climb a little cooler (temperatures were in the low 20s Celsius then), although it was still very steep going by normal camino standards. But we survived it and after a more leisurely afternoon session we eventually reached Ribeira Brava, an impressively located coastal town surrounded by cliffs.

Day 1 is done and dusted and we’re off to a good start!

Some practicalities:

— Our 25km today was 100% on asphalt. This is becoming the year of asphalt walking for us (with the Caminho do Mar and the Camino Inglés also being asphalt-heavy), but we are getting used to it and, most importantly, Wendy’s feet held up well.

— There is no waymarking signage at all. We have current GPS tracks from ‘the association’ (Miguel) that are a couple of months old, which is important as landslides can cause the route to be changed. But having to use tracks as the only form of navigation, as opposed to a backup or complement to arrows, is an adjustment and you have to constantly check them. A couple of times we missed turns and had to backtrack a bit, but not much.

— The stamps are fun! They’re postage stamp style but they’re stickers showing different local images, produced by ‘the association’ (Miguel) and distributed to bars across the island. We got four today in addition to the first stamp, so we spent more time in bars than we usually do on camino! We missed one because the bar was closed but ‘the association’ (Miguel) will give us our missing stamps at the end.

 

[jungleboy]

Awww, you two look adorable...ready, set go!

Thank you!

Oh, no! @Camino Chrissy, don't tell them that. It'll only go to their heads and we'll never hear the end of it!!

Too late — we’re basking in our adorable-ness right now!

Ultreia! Are you writing a blog, or will you keep us up to date on the forum? Very excited for you.

Thank you! And on the forum, see above for Day 1!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

You certainly had a great first day, but I don't relish you the 1100m climb even if it was spread out over your 25k walk. I don't particularly love black sand beaches, but your photo is stunning and calendar worthy!

I'm not familiar with Bordalo II's "Big Trash" art you enjoy, but while I was in Florida last spring, I was captivated by this hanging surfboard used as a backdrop for a beach scene made of at least 95% trash found and collected on the beach...recycling at its best! If you enlarge it, you will find everything from a toothbrush to a liquor bottle to a Cheetos bag to plastic water bottles used as waves, etc., etc.
(Hope you don't mind I have hijacked your post a bit here.)


Glad to hear Wendy's feet are holding up so far. The shoes she is wearing in that adorable picture look very cushy and robust indeed.

Nick, I have a request...I would love to see a photo every few days taken of the unique "stamps" you are collecting as you go along. I'm sure others following along would enjoy them, too.

 

[Derek Booth]

Dawn at the cathedral in Funchal this morning and ready to go!

View attachment 151176

It must have been dawn. Not a flower seller in sight. Buen Camino!

 

[jungleboy]

Nick, I have a request...I would love to see a photo every few days taken of the unique "stamps" you are collecting as you go along. I'm sure others following along would enjoy them, too.

Your wish is my command!



Miguel advised us that if we miss a stamp (eg because the bar is closed), we should leave that spot blank and he’ll fill them in for us when we get back to Funchal, so they’ll be in the correct order.

 

[jungleboy]

Caminho Real 23 Day 2 — Ribeira Brava to Arco da Calheta: ~14km.

It can be tricky to calculate distances on the Caminho Real, and we probably would have gone further if we knew in advance that today’s stage would be so short. But we had a leisurely lunch and we’re staying in a beautiful Italian-run place with ocean views, so it worked out well in the end.

The walk this morning was mostly alongside the ocean, and flat except for a steep climb into Arco da Calheta. We saw our first traces of the original Caminho Real trail, passed several waterfalls cascading down coastal cliffs, and it was more rural than yesterday, which I enjoyed. How about these bridge steps?!





It was overcast for most of the day, so there wasn’t great light for photography. But the sun came out belatedly at the end of the walk as we were climbing up to Arco, looking down at the two classic endless expanses of Madeira: banana plantations and the Atlantic Ocean.



Some practicalities:

— The reason today was flat was because the path went through several road tunnels instead of climbing over the mountains. The first two tunnels in particular were long and had a lot of cars/trucks going through them; there was a raised sidewalk so it wasn’t dangerous, but it wasn’t pleasant, either.

— It wasn’t a great stamp day as we only collected 2/5 (the first three bars were closed). Hopefully we’ll have more success tomorrow!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Thanks, Nick, for indulging my request! It is a very unique credential and so nice of Miguel to offer the stamps you miss.
Sounds like it's meant to be a "pub crawl".

 

[Tassie Kaz]

Dawn at the cathedral in Funchal this morning and ready to go!

View attachment 151176

Yay...I'm excited!
Love the matchy-matchy t-shirts but what do they say? Not clear in pic.
Also Nick, how tall are you?!
Happy trails.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Yay...I'm excited!
Love the matchy-matchy t-shirts but what do they say? Not clear in pic.
Also Nick, how tall are you?!
Happy trails.

Good questions, Kaz!

 

[Vacajoe]

My family comes from Madeira, so your journey is a treat and one that I will definitely replicate now that I know it exists! Be sure to visit INSIDE the church in Ponte Delgado - I guarantee the ceiling murals are of a style that you’ve never seen in a Catholic Church. Bon Dia!!!

 

[jungleboy]

Yay...I'm excited!

Thanks Kaz! Fortunately no sign of COVID this time…

Love the matchy-matchy t-shirts but what do they say? Not clear in pic.

‘Back to the Caminho Real’ (in Portuguese) in ‘Back to the Future’ style/typescript. One of my favourite childhood movies so we had to get them!

Also Nick, how tall are you?!

Not as tall as I look here on the upper side of the slope! I’m about 184cm and Wendy is about 171cm.

Be sure to visit INSIDE the church in Ponte Delgado - I guarantee the ceiling murals are of a style that you’ve never seen in a Catholic Church.

Great tip, thank you!

 

[Former member 22438]

My family comes from Madeira, so your journey is a treat and one that I will definitely replicate now that I know it exists! Be sure to visit INSIDE the church in Ponte Delgado - I guarantee the ceiling murals are of a style that you’ve never seen in a Catholic Church. Bon Dia!!!

Ponte Delgado is at the Açores, not at Madeira There is a hamlet called Ponta Delgada between São Vicente and Santana at the northside of Madeira. Beautifull area.

 

[Wendy Werneth]

Glad to hear Wendy's feet are holding up so far. The shoes she is wearing in that adorable picture look very cushy and robust indeed.

Yes, the shoes definitely have lots of cushioning and have been working out great so far! They are a pair of New Balance that I got on the advice of a running gear store owner in Lisbon just a few days before this adventure. I forget the model name, though.

Ponte Delgado is at the Açores, not at Madeira There is a hamlet called Ponta Delgada between São Vicente and Santana at the northside of Madeira. Beautifull area.

Actually the locations in Madeira and in the Açores are both called Ponta Delgada. We are not staying in the Madeiran Ponta Delgada on this walk, but we will be sure to check out the church when we pass through.

 

[jungleboy]

Caminho Real 23 Day 3 — Arco da Calheta to Prazeres: ~13km.

Another short day but having climbed the equivalent of 120 floors, it didn’t feel that short!

Today was probably my favourite day on the Caminho Real so far as we walked through two gorges and began to experience some wild aspects of Madeira for the first time. Here you can see our path zigzagging out of the gorge to the right:



This wildness will hopefully continue in the coming days as we move further away from Funchal and hit the more remote west and north coasts of the island.

Aside from the gorges, other highlights were seeing picturesque terraced vineyards (against an ocean backdrop) and banana plantations jutting out from the cliffs in the early morning.





Some practicalities:

— There were several water fountains to fill up at today and in general water has been quite plentiful. We’ll see if that continues in the more remote parts of the island.

— 2/3 on stamps today. The stamp we missed was at a rum distillery which unfortunately wasn’t open when we passed by, but I did take a photo of an enlarged stamp stuck on the window (some of the stamp locations have a large version of their stamp on display):

 

[Camino Chrissy]

What a unique pilgrimage you are on! The terrain is so very interesting and I will admit to being a bit envious!
I will continue to look forward to your daily posts; always filled with good information and great photos.

 

[Tassie Kaz]

Thanks Kaz! Fortunately no sign of COVID this time…

Let's hope it stays that way...don't put the mozz on yourself!

‘Back to the Caminho Real’ (in Portuguese) in ‘Back to the Future’ style/typescript. One of my favourite childhood movies so we had to get them!

Thanks for the clarification Nick...I trust the movie is a favourite of Wendy's too? 'Sat there, watched that, hubby made me get the t-shirt....'

Not as tall as I look here on the upper side of the slope! I’m about 184cm and Wendy is about 171cm.

Ahh...the ol' higher standpoint. Wendy is by no means 'staturally challenged' but you look like a giant!

 

[Vacajoe]

Ponte Delgado is at the Açores, not at Madeira There is a hamlet called Ponta Delgada between São Vicente and Santana at the northside of Madeira. Beautifull area.

Darn spellcheck! Yes, I know the difference between P. Delgada and P. Delgada but spellcheck doesn’t! . My family is from the one on Madeira

 

[jungleboy]

Caminho Real 23 Day 4 — Prazeres to Ponta do Pargo: ~19.5km.

In a word: epic.

It starts just after dawn on a clifftop, with the darkness of thunderous storm clouds on the horizon mirrored in the incredible and endless expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.



Then about the steepest descent you can imagine — 550m of altitude loss in only 1.8km, on the original Caminho Real, which is to say: cobblestones — inside an amphitheatre of cliffs in faint light. Over an hour of constant descent, and we don’t see a soul; the only sounds are waterfalls.



A windswept walk alongside the ocean, which seems smaller from down there, and then, inevitably, the climb all the way back up.

Again cobblestones, again switchbacks, but this time we’re exposed on the cliffside, allowing for breeze and, finally, sun. The ocean sparkles, the weird and wonderful and spiky flora of Madeira comes alive, and the views are utterly spectacular.



Nearly two hours of climbing until the reprieve comes from an ingenious idea in a mountainous land: Madeira’s famous levadas, flat water channels with accidental hiking routes built alongside them.



We follow the levadas in and out of forests while figs and apples float in the water and wildflowers splash the landscape with colour.

Back out in the open and it’s afternoon by now but the views, still, take your breath away: the green of the earth set against the blue of the ocean, and both colours seem impossible.

 

[Tassie Kaz]

Oh Nick...a picture tells a thousand words, but your words paint the best picture of all...

In a word: epic.

It starts just after dawn on a clifftop, with the darkness of thunderous storm clouds on the horizon mirrored in the incredible and endless expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.

— inside an amphitheatre of cliffs in faint light. Over an hour of constant descent, and we don’t see a soul; the only sounds are waterfalls.

Again cobblestones, again switchbacks, but this time we’re exposed on the cliffside, allowing for breeze and, finally, sun. The ocean sparkles, the weird and wonderful and spiky flora of Madeira comes alive, and the views are utterly spectacular.

We follow the levadas in and out of forests while figs and apples float in the water and wildflowers splash the landscape with colour.

Back out in the open and it’s afternoon by now but the views, still, take your breath away: the green of the earth set against the blue of the ocean, and both colours seem impossible.

'Epic' is right.

 

[Former member 22438]

Yes, the shoes definitely have lots of cushioning and have been working out great so far! They are a pair of New Balance that I got on the advice of a running gear store owner in Lisbon just a few days before this adventure. I forget the model name, though.



Actually the locations in Madeira and in the Açores are both called Ponta Delgada. We are not staying in the Madeiran Ponta Delgada on this walk, but we will be sure to check out the church when we pass through.

the travel brochures I have here about the Açores spelled it wrong. I took it over , thinking it was correct . Açores are still on our bucketlst.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Oh Nick...a picture tells a thousand words, but your words paint the best picture of all...

Nick, I absolutely agree with Kaz. I was awed by the beautiful, descriptive wording of your day 4!
If the cliffside walks get a little "hairy", as in dangerous or contributing to a bit of vertigo, do let us know.

 

[jungleboy]

Oh Nick...a picture tells a thousand words, but your words paint the best picture of all...

Nick, I absolutely agree with Kaz. I was awed by the beautiful, descriptive wording of your day 4!

Thank you both for your kind words!

Yesterday’s stage seemed to call for more than the usual summary. Back to normal transmission today!

If the cliffside walks get a little "hairy", as in dangerous or contributing to a bit of vertigo, do let us know.

Not yet but the next two days will be the test of that. Certainly the ups and downs are more than on a ‘standard’ camino, so it’s not for the faint of knee, but we haven’t felt any danger at all yet.

 

[jungleboy]

Caminho Real 23 Day 5 — Ponta do Pargo to Porto Moniz: ~18.5km.

Today’s stage didn’t reach the literal heights of yesterday, but figuratively it went pretty close, as we had another fabulous day of walking on Madeira.

We started and finished our stage looking out over the ocean, but the part in between was the biggest highlight. Specifically, we spent over an hour walking in an enchanted forest alongside a levada (water channel) that was one of the best forest walks I can remember doing.





At the end of the stage, we approached Porto Moniz from on high, enjoying spectacular views of the ocean and mountains while descending on the original Caminho Real cobblestones — basically, many of the best elements of this walk all in one go. Then, a swim in the town’s famous sea water rock pools (as mentioned upthread by @Camembert) to finish off a glorious day.



Some practicalities:

— We’re 5/5 in stamps over the last two days to coincide with the best two days of the caminho so far. As we’re in a more remote part of the island, there haven’t been as many stamp points per stage as on the first three days.

— Today’s levada (levada do moinho) was off the camino, as were yesterday’s. It’s worth mentioning that the association has tried to stay true to the original routing of the CR at every opportunity, which I support in theory. But when that means directing walkers onto a modern road where the CR once existed but no longer does, and a levada forest walk as stunning as the one we did today is just off that road, then I think walkers should take that alternative every time.

 

[Tassie Kaz]

Caminho Real 23 Day 5 — Ponta do Pargo to Porto Moniz: ~18.5km.

Today’s stage didn’t reach the literal heights of yesterday, but figuratively it went pretty close, as we had another fabulous day of walking on Madeira.

We started and finished our stage looking out over the ocean, but the part in between was the biggest highlight. Specifically, we spent over an hour walking in an enchanted forest alongside a levada (water channel) that was one of the best forest walks I can remember doing.

View attachment 151765

View attachment 151766

At the end of the stage, we approached Porto Moniz from on high, enjoying spectacular views of the ocean and mountains while descending on the original Caminho Real cobblestones — basically, many of the best elements of this walk all in one go. Then, a swim in the town’s famous sea water rock pools (as mentioned upthread by @Camembert) to finish off a glorious day.

View attachment 151767

Some practicalities:

— We’re 5/5 in stamps over the last two days to coincide with the best two days of the caminho so far. As we’re in a more remote part of the island, there haven’t been as many stamp points per stage as on the first three days.

— Today’s levada (levada do moinho) was off the camino, as were yesterday’s. It’s worth mentioning that the association has tried to stay true to the original routing of the CR at every opportunity, which I support in theory. But when that means directing walkers onto a modern road where the CR once existed but no longer does, and a levada forest walk as stunning as the one we did today is just off that road, then I think walkers should take that alternative every time.

Just wondering how you're going with accommodation? Type, choices, costs, availability on trail, etc?

 

[jungleboy]

Caminho Real 23 Day 6 — Porto Moniz to São Vicente: ~21km.

The adventure continues! After our first three fairly unspectacular stages of the Caminho Real 23 on the south coast of Madeira, the last three days on the west and north coasts have been wild, rugged and fabulous.

Our stage today started and ended along the coast, high above the ocean, on mostly disused roads (plus some active ones). Early on we walked east against the morning light, with views like this of the contours of the coastline and a rock formation called the janela (window) rising out of the water.



After our first coastal jaunt we did most of today’s 1000m of climbing in one go, with rewarding views back towards the sea.



At the high point of the day, we walked through another picturesque forest (if not quite as stunning as yesterday’s) before beginning the steep and tricky descent back to sea level. Once there, we had more ocean views during the afternoon, including down to a lava rock pool in Seixal.



All the while, forested mountains dominated the landscape, steeper and more beautiful today than anywhere else we’ve seen on the island. I struggled to capture this photographically the way I wanted to because the light was never quite right, but here’s an idea of what these mountains look like.



In short: ocean, mountains, forest — what else could you wish for from a day’s hiking?

 

[jungleboy]

Just wondering how you're going with accommodation? Type, choices, costs, availability on trail, etc?

We booked everything in advance, which is not what we prefer to do but it seemed prudent on Madeira in summer. It’s been a mix of hotels and apartments so far and we have a private room in a hostel tomorrow night. Price-wise, we’re paying more than we’d like (about €75/night average) but them’s the breaks. Especially on the south coast, towns are spread out a lot in an almost suburban way and aren’t that well suited to walking, so we had a couple of places that weren’t that close to restaurants/shops, but we managed. So the availability is there but it does require advanced planning, I would say.

 

[jungleboy]

Tomorrow’s stage!



This does highlight something that has been a bit of an issue for this hike, namely that Google Maps is often not great with walking directions on Madeira. I think we overestimated some stage distances early on because Google’s directions, which can often be an effective if quick and dirty way of estimating distances, were convoluted and not as efficient as the actual path.

 

[Vacajoe]

If it’s not too much work for you, providing a short summary of your stages and accommodation names would be delightful for us future hikers. My plan is for 2024!

 

[Tassie Kaz]

Tomorrow’s stage!

View attachment 151901

Yikes...!
Google maps has attempted...& at times succeeded...in leading us astray many a time.
Thank goodness the human brain can still reason & override it.
Unless of course the almighty G sends up one of those droney-thingys to ensure you don't deviate from their chosen path...
Happy free thinking trails!

 

[trecile]

This does highlight something that has been a bit of an issue for this hike, namely that Google Maps is often not great with walking directions on Madeira. I think we overestimated some stage distances early on because Google’s directions, which can often be an effective if quick and dirty way of estimating distances, were convoluted and not as efficient as the actual path

Have you tried mapy.cz? It was great for some of the coastal alternative routes on the Norte.

 

[jungleboy]

If it’s not too much work for you, providing a short summary of your stages and accommodation names would be delightful for us future hikers. My plan is for 2024!

I’ll post that at the end with some extra notes. Great that you’re planning to do it!

 

[jungleboy]

Have you tried mapy.cz? It was great for some of the coastal alternative routes on the Norte.

We have the tracks on maps.me, so we’re not really using Google Maps, but I just plug things in there from time to time and occasionally get weird responses like that one.

 

[jungleboy]

If the cliffside walks get a little "hairy", as in dangerous or contributing to a bit of vertigo, do let us know.

This one today was probably the hairiest so far as the path was cut into the side of a cliff high above the ocean. The railings were reassuring enough for us but you can be the judge of how vertigo-inducing this is!

View attachment IMG_4283.mov

P.S. Too exhausted to write today’s report now but will do it on our rest day tomorrow!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

This one today was probably the hairiest so far as the path was cut into the side of a cliff high above the ocean. The railings were reassuring enough for us but you can be the judge of how vertigo-inducing this is!

View attachment 152040

P.S. Too exhausted to write today’s report now but will do it on our rest day tomorrow!

A very beautiful view, Nick, and exhilarating! The railing definitely helps a lot, but think I would probably still only be able to sneak a peek down below. I'd be looking straight ahead or over at the wall to keep fear and vertigo at bay. I recall having to do that a few times on The Fisherman's Trail in Portugal.
Most recently I experienced similar feelings while crossing the 812 meter bridge over the estuary into Ribadeo on the Norte; I thought it would never end.

 

[nycwalking]

This one today was probably the hairiest so far as the path was cut into the side of a cliff high above the ocean. The railings were reassuring enough for us but you can be the judge of how vertigo-inducing this is!

View attachment 152040

P.S. Too exhausted to write today’s report now but will do it on our rest day tomorrow!

Beautiful but yikes!

Take care out there.

Buen camino.

 

[jungleboy]

Caminho Real 23 Day 7 — São Vicente to Santana: 32+km.

Well, that was a day and a half.

Who knows how far we walked or how much we climbed, but we left at sunrise (7am) and arrived 10 minutes after sunset (9:30pm). Our phones always have a big discrepancy regarding walking distance but never this much: mine says we walked 32km and Wendy’s says 57km! As for the ascents, there were four big ones and we’ve seen recorded tracks that indicate it was 2000m+.

The day started innocently enough with a mostly flat, 7km walk along the ocean to Ponta Delgada. We were fortunate to arrive at the church literally a minute before it opened and saw the ceiling paintings that @Vacajoe mentioned (thanks for the tip!). They are indeed very interesting and unusual for a church, showcasing the animal kingdom alongside the usual angelic figures.



From there, the climbing began and seemed to never end! Others have said this is the queen stage of the CR23 and certainly the forested mountains and ocean views were stunning, but the day was mostly overcast, resulting in visibility not being great and the mountain peaks being clouded over. The weather cleared a bit after the second climb and we stopped for lunch above Arco de São Jorge with a beautiful view.

We kept trucking on after lunch and after the long third climb and subsequent descent to São Jorge, the weather completely cleared and we had fabulous views from a stamp bar (and yes, the zigzag path on the right was to be our fourth climb!).



Around this time we also began to see some of the traditional houses that this area of the island is known for, although this one is a bit different from the typical triangular ones.



It was already 5:30pm when we started descending all the way back to sea level to start the fourth climb. After 1.5 hours we passed a restaurant and decided to stop for dinner, with more great views, before our final 1.5-hour push past (and above) Santana to our accommodation.

Fortunately, we had already factored in a rest day in Santana and so we’ll gladly take that today!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Wow, Nick, for starting out with a cloudy day, how lovely the heavens opened up, not with rain, but beautiful skies and you didn't miss out on all the remarkable views after all.
I love the unique church ceiling painting; the colors are so bright it makes me wonder if it was restored or if that church is not particularly old.
I do not count steps or track kilometers on my phone, but the discrepancy between yours and Wendy's is disturbing; like google is in a bad relationship with itself.
It's a good thing you stopped for a nice dinner as you certainly needed the rest.
Enjoy your day now to chill out!

 

[Vacajoe]

So happy you visited my grandfather’s church! And it is literally my grandfather’s church as he was the parish priest there in the late 1800s/early 1900s….yes, it’s a bit of a family scandal!

I should have warmed you that the walk out of Ponta Delgada was a bit steep!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

he was the parish priest there in the late 1800s/early 1900

Well, those lovely ceiling paintings are definitely quite old then!

 

[jungleboy]

We spent our rest day today … hiking.

The 13km return Levada do Caldeirão Verde trail near Santana is probably the most popular hike on Madeira. After the isolation and adventure of the Caminho Real, it was a bit jarring to see 200+ people on the trail, but it’s easy to see why it’s popular with families and other non-hiking holidaymakers: it’s flat, easy, and offers some of the best of Madeira’s nature: a levada, mountain views (when not foggy) and a waterfall.



There wasn’t much new in it for us but it was still an ideal ‘rest day’ activity and worth doing. Views were a bit limited due to fog but it was nice to be in the interior of the island for a change.





Back to the ups and downs of the Caminho Real tomorrow!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Still a great little walk you had today, mostly flat but you still captured some "sweet" views. I was impressed with that very long dropping, but extremely straight and very skinny waterfall. I'm not sure I've seen many (if any) like that one before, even on my Youtube armchair travels.

 

[Former member 104756]

Caminho Real 23 Day 7 — São Vicente to Santana: 32+km.

Well, that was a day and a half.

Who knows how far we walked or how much we climbed, but we left at sunrise (7am) and arrived 10 minutes after sunset (9:30pm). Our phones always have a big discrepancy regarding walking distance but never this much: mine says we walked 32km and Wendy’s says 57km! As for the ascents, there were four big ones and we’ve seen recorded tracks that indicate it was 2000m+.

Wow, Nick and Wendy. Bravo. What an epic day. I’ve never had such a long day on any walk. You must have felt exhausted but hopefully with a tinge of exhilaration and satisfaction. I was thinking this walk could be one for me and The French - until this Day 7. Any way to split it?

Anyhoo, fab photos and great reporting as always. Thank you

 

[jungleboy]

Wow, Nick, for starting out with a cloudy day, how lovely the heavens opened up, not with rain, but beautiful skies and you didn't miss out on all the remarkable views after all.

Yes, I was very happy with that! The fog/cloud around forested mountains is also a nice effect and creates a mystical atmosphere, but I still prefer blue skies, so we had a bit of everything yesterday. Madeira’s weather is very micro-climate-like. We could even sense after one of the climbs that just crossing the pass at the top led to different weather on the other side.

So happy you visited my grandfather’s church! And it is literally my grandfather’s church as he was the parish priest there in the late 1800s/early 1900s….yes, it’s a bit of a family scandal!

Love a good scandal!

Still a great little walk you had today, mostly flat but you still captured some "sweet" views. I was impressed with that very long dropping, but extremely straight and very skinny waterfall. I'm not sure I've seen many (if any) like that one before, even on my Youtube armchair travels.

Yes it was a nice little walk after the recent big ones. We have seen a few of those types of waterfalls here because we’re in the dry season so the volume of water is not at its peak, but there are so many steep cliffs and mountains to create long drops.

Wow, Nick and Wendy. Bravo. What an epic day. I’ve never had such a long day on any walk. You must have felt exhausted but hopefully with a tinge of exhilaration and satisfaction. I was thinking this walk could be one for me and The French - until this Day 7. Any way to split it?

Anyhoo, fab photos and great reporting as always. Thank you

Thank you!

Yes, there are ways to split it so I’m sure you could still do it. One of the problems we’ve had (especially yesterday) has been accurate measurements of distances and altitude changes. Since there aren’t many sources, we’re sort of at the mercy of one of two people’s individual devices, and we can see from our own measurements yesterday how wildly these things can fluctuate. Our two main sources had yesterday’s stage at about 25km (including one whose tracks we were following, so it wasn’t a matter of getting lost and doing extra kms) but it was clearly much more than that.

 

[jungleboy]

Caminho Real 23 Day 8 — Santana to Machico: ~22.5km.

We set out at dawn this morning reasonably certain that the best of the Caminho Real was behind us. Five minutes later, naturally, we saw one of the most amazing sunrises I can remember, with golden shafts of light crashing into the ocean in front of the silhouetted outline of the island of Porto Santo.



Not long afterwards, we got our first glimpse of the high peaks of the interior of Madeira, which had been previously hidden from view by the coastal mountains.



After those two early highlights, we did our last big climb of the CR (about 600m up) and celebrated at the top with a Madeiran specialty side dish, milho frito (fried corn in cubes: more like corn meal, similar to polenta).



We spent the afternoon in cruise control on the mostly gradual descent to Machico, picking the best plums we’ve had on Madeira from a wild tree along the way.

Machico is a nice town, with views of the ocean and the ‘Deserted Islands’, a fort, a little historic centre and some surrounding mountains.

All in all, it was a decent day of walking, not quite reaching the heights of the previous four days but probably more enjoyable than the first three days. Oh, and that unforgettable sunrise.

One day left!

 

[jungleboy]

Caminho Real 23 Day 9 — Machico to Funchal: ~25km.

Our last day on the Caminho Real was more urban than most and therefore not the best day of the camino, but we knew this going in so we made the best of it, walked in high spirits and took enjoyment from the little things.

In Santa Cruz there was some nice calçada portuguesa with various nautical themes, including this one showing a Portuguese caravel adorned with the cross of the Order of Christ (the successor military order to the Knights Templar in Portugal), who sponsored many voyages during the Age of Discovery.



There were only a few scant traces of the original Caminho Real path on today’s stage, so we enjoyed our last steps on them. Walking on these cobblestones periodically throughout the journey reinforced to us that the Caminho Real 23 is more than simply a fabulous nature hike. The old road forms part of the history of Madeira, and by walking it all the way around the island, we became a small part of that history, too.



We got 6/7 stamps today (for 29/37 overall) and had a nice encounter with Antonio from the association in Funchal to get our remaining stamps to complete our credencials (photo coming soon).

Overall, what an adventure the CR23 was! Thanks for following along and to those who offered encouragement, and I’ll try to provide a summary in the coming days.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Well, "what goes around comes around", and you two walked and completed the whole circle. It was a pleasure folllowing your newest pilgrimage, Nick. I always look forward to reading your daily installments.
I love the picture of the boat embedded in the sidewalk. Without Wendy's foot in the picture giving it some "scale", I can almost imagine it being tiny mosaic pieces put together like a puzzle.
I will look forward to the picture coming soon of your unique final credential stamps! Thanks for all the time you invest to share your journeys with forum members. We are fortunate to have you both in our midst!

 

[jungleboy]

Here is one of our complete credentials with all the stamps.



The stamp aspect of this caminho was fun, and different from ‘normal’ caminos. It was something like a ‘treasure hunt’ to go to specific places for stamps and it also made for an interesting way to break up each stage, with ‘How far until the next stamp?’ serving as a question that often dictated our rest stops.

The 37 stamps represent the 37 freguesias (parish councils) that the CR23 passes through, containing photos (some old) of each one.

 

[Former member 104756]

How wonderful. Is there an emoji for 37 hearts? I guess it would look like this

…..

 

[jungleboy]

Our stages, distances and accommodation (costs are for a double room).

For distances, remember that 20km on Madeira with all the ups and downs is a little different from 20km on a flat camino!

We did it in nine days. The Journey Era site where we first heard about the CR23 did it in 7 days, while the association tracks have an 8-day plan. In hindsight we could have combined our 2nd and 3rd days into one day but we overestimated the distances.

Day 1 - 25km - Funchal - Ribeira Brava (Vale Mar Guesthouse) - €70

Day 2 - 14km - Arco da Calheta (bluegreen) €85

Day 3 - 13km - Prazeres (Casa de Cha) - €76

Day 4 - 19.5km - Ponta do Pargo (Victoria Ocean View) - €76

Day 5 - 18.5km - Porto Moniz (Hotel Salgueiro) - €76

Day 6 - 21km - São Vicente (Mediterraneo Hotel) - €110

Day 7 - 32km? 57km? - Santana (Sleep & Go in Santana) - €56

Day 8 - 22.5km - Machico (Residencial Amparo) - €60

Day 9 - 25km - Funchal (Valhalla Panorama) - €85

To break up the 7th day, ideas would be:

- go 7km further than São Vicente on Day 6 to Ponta Delgada, which makes the next day shorter but doesn’t change the elevation much

- turn our days 6-7 into three days: Porto Moniz - Seixal - Ponta Delgada - Santana

- turn our days 6-7 into three days a different way to split up the elevation: Porto Moniz - São Vicente - Boa Ventura or Arco de São Jorge - Santana

 

[Kirkie]

Here is one of our complete credenciales with all the stamps.

View attachment 152485

The stamp aspect of this caminho was fun, and different from ‘normal’ caminos. It was something like a ‘treasure hunt’ to go to specific places for stamps and it also made for an interesting way to break up each stage, with ‘How far until the next stamp?’ serving as a question that often dictated our rest stops.

The 37 stamps represent the 37 juntas de freguesia (parish councils) that the CR23 passes through, containing photos (some old) of each one.

I am sorry I missed keeping up, as I do love the reports from Wendy and yourself. Maybe next week I will get time to retrieve the posts. Yes, the stamps are truly special. Thanks once more for your really valuable contribution to the forum, both of you.

 

[jungleboy]

Some random observations / practicalities about the CR23:

— Contact the association (more than just Miguel, as it turns out) in advance and take cues and guidance from them. There is some misinformation floating around about the CR23 (and the tourist office in Funchal is one of the spreaders of this misinformation due to a political dispute), but the association will have the latest and most accurate information. This is a safe trail and we did not find it dangerous in any way. Here’s their website but they are more responsive on Facebook.

Contactos

"Caminho real", ou "estrada real", é a designação atribuída às principais vias terrestres construídas antes da implantação da República. Na Madeira, a maior parte surgiu por iniciativa dos governadores ou dos capitães-generais, funcionando como alternativa e complemento às ligações marítimas...

www.caminhoreal.pt

— The best sections (in our opinion) were the stages on the west and north coasts (our days 4-7). If you had limited time but wanted to do some of the CR23, I would choose this part as it’s more ‘wild’ and the nature is more dramatic.

— It’s a serious hike. 1000m up and down is a pretty standard day on the CR23, so you have to be prepared for something that is more strenuous even than a tough camino like the Salvador/Primitivo. And some of the ups/downs are steep and slow going.

— There are a lot of water fountains, so we were fine with a 1L bottle each despite needing to drink a lot because of the climbs.

— If you stay in São Vicente, the town itself is set back from the coast and the caminho by quite a way, but there are several hotels on the coast road. Our original booking would have required walking 3km more each way but we found an (expensive) alternative on the caminho and cancelled the other one for free.

— Several other towns are also strung out quite a bit without a true centre containing everything you need. So when booking accommodation, pay more attention than usual as to where it is and how far it is from services (Arco da Calheta, Ponta do Pargo and Santana are examples of these types of towns).

— There is no waymarking signage, which means you could do this clockwise or counter-clockwise. The association’s 2023 tracks are on Wikiloc here:

2023 Volta 1º Dia

2023 Volta 1º Dia Hiking trail in Santa Luzia, Madeira (Portugal). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. VI Volta à Madeira Pelo Caminho Real 23 Dia 1 Funchal - Ribeira Brava

www.wikiloc.com

— The cobblestones represent (at a guess) around 20% of the trail. The rest is road or dirt path walking.

— There are more supermarkets (e.g. Pingo Doce) on the south coast, which is more populated in general.

— Most of the stamps are in bars so there are places to stop for a drink/rest every day, and also potential lunch restaurants most days.

— As mentioned upthread, calculating distances and elevation changes to plan stages was a bit tricky. Mostly stages were actually a bit shorter than we thought they would be, except for our big Day 7.

If I think of any more nuggets, I’ll add them. Or if anyone has any questions, fire away!

 

[Vacajoe]

Some random observations / practicalities about the CR23:

— Contact the association (more than just Miguel, as it turns out) in advance and take cues and guidance from them. There is some misinformation floating around about the CR23 (and the tourist office in Funchal is one of the spreaders of this misinformation due to a political dispute), but the association will have the latest and most accurate information. This is a safe trail and we did not find it dangerous in any way. Here’s their website but they are more responsive on Facebook.

Contactos

"Caminho real", ou "estrada real", é a designação atribuída às principais vias terrestres construídas antes da implantação da República. Na Madeira, a maior parte surgiu por iniciativa dos governadores ou dos capitães-generais, funcionando como alternativa e complemento às ligações marítimas...

www.caminhoreal.pt

— The best sections (in our opinion) were the stages on the west and north coasts (our days 4-7). If you had limited time but wanted to do some of the CR23, I would choose this part as it’s more ‘wild’ and the nature is more dramatic.

— It’s a serious hike. 1000m up and down is a pretty standard day on the CR23, so you have to be prepared for something that is more strenuous even than a tough camino like the Salvador/Primitivo. And some of the ups/downs are steep and slow going.

— There are a lot of water fountains, so we were fine with a 1L bottle each despite needing to drink a lot because of the climbs.

— If you stay in São Vicente, the town itself is set back from the coast and the caminho by quite a way, but there are several hotels on the coast road. Our original booking would have required walking 3km more each way but we found an (expensive) alternative on the caminho and cancelled the other one for free.

— Several other towns are also strung out quite a bit without a true centre containing everything you need. So when booking accommodation, pay more attention than usual as to where it is and how far it is from services (Arco da Calheta, Ponta do Pargo and Santana are examples of these types of towns).

— There is no waymarking signage, which means you could do this clockwise or counter-clockwise. The association’s 2023 tracks are on Wikiloc here:

2023 Volta 1º Dia

2023 Volta 1º Dia Hiking trail in Santa Luzia, Madeira (Portugal). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. VI Volta à Madeira Pelo Caminho Real 23 Dia 1 Funchal - Ribeira Brava

www.wikiloc.com

— The cobblestones represent (at a guess) around 20% of the trail. The rest is road or dirt path walking.

— There are more supermarkets (e.g. Pingo Doce) on the south coast, which is more populated in general.

— Most of the stamps are in bars so there are places to stop for a drink/rest every day, and also potential lunch restaurants most days.

— As mentioned upthread, calculating distances and elevation changes to plan stages was a bit tricky. Mostly stages were actually a bit shorter than we thought they would be, except for our big Day 7.

If I think of any more nuggets, I’ll add them. Or if anyone has any questions, fire away!

Faboulous!!!! Thanks

 

[Tassie Kaz]

@jungleboy & @Wendy Werneth, another wonderful walk for both of you...& for all of us. Thanks for the time & dedication it takes to post your experiences, insights & practicalities.
As I said 'upthread' (that's a newy & one I'm going to use from now on! ), your photos are exquisite but its your words which resonate the most.
So, where are you taking us next? Just kidding; we'll let you rest & reflect on this one for awhile first.
Good timing to finish before the heatwave too! 🌡

 

[Former member 104756]

Thank you for this wonderful information @jungleboy and @Wendy Werneth What a great adventure you had. Another 'post it note' for future walks. Just what I need!!!

 

[mspath]

All the photos of your recent walk about Madeira are just great! Thanks so much for sharing them here on the forum with your useful comments re the paths and possibilities.

May all your journeys continue to be good ones.
Carpe diem.

 

[jungleboy]

Thank you all for your lovely comments

We have been in the Azores since yesterday morning but we’re already missing Madeira and the Caminho Real! It is a fabulous island and walking the CR23 (plus adding a couple of interior day hikes) really is a great way to see the best of what Madeira has to offer.

 

[jungleboy]

So, where are you taking us next? Just kidding; we'll let you rest & reflect on this one for awhile first.

I think our multi-day walks are done for this year but we have a surprise or two up our sleeves in the coming months

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I think our multi-day walks are done for this year but we have a surprise or two up our sleeves in the coming months

I'd never heard of the Azore islands prior to my son flying reueling jets in our military and he'd spent time in the Azores. I never knew that they were part of Portugal. Are you taking a little R & R before heading back to Lisbon?

 

[jungleboy]

I'd never heard of the Azore islands prior to my son flying reueling jets in our military and he'd spent time in the Azores. I never knew that they were part of Portugal. Are you taking a little R & R before heading back to Lisbon?

It turns out we are not very good at R & R!

Today we walked a 20km trail around the Sete Cidades lakes on São Miguel.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

It turns out we are not very good at R & R!

Today we walked a 20km trail around the Sete Cidades lakes on São Miguel.

View attachment 152759

Gorgeous! It would be difficult to stay put with views like that!

 

[Kirkie]

Well, finally, I have read each of your posts. Others (upthread) have expressed the gratitude for the clarity of word and image you so generously share.
I just note the hint of more to come, still a surprise in the wings!

 

[jungleboy]

Two final pieces of content from me about the Caminho Real 23 for anyone interested:

Photos: Best of Madeira album on Flickr
Podcast: Madeira and the Caminho Real 23 (Episode 4.5)

 

[goldie from aus]

The pictures – colour and clarity are spectacular. Thank you.

 

[timr]

How did I miss this account in real time? Only finding it today. And of course it is an absolute pleasure.
Many thanks to you both.

 

[jungleboy]

How did I miss this account in real time? Only finding it today. And of course it is an absolute pleasure.
Many thanks to you both.

Thank you! Plus since we’re still recovering, it still counts as real time

 

[goldie from aus]

Are you both old time camera users - or is it a mobile phone. Looking to update mobile. Hope your recovery is going well.

 

[jungleboy]

Are you both old time camera users - or is it a mobile phone. Looking to update mobile. Hope your recovery is going well.

I use an ‘actual’ camera, but not a fancy/pro one — just a compact (point and shoot) Panasonic.

 

[debigetsout]

Dawn at the cathedral in Funchal this morning and ready to go!

View attachment 151176

I am curious about Wendy's walking shoes. Looks like a lot of cushioning there (which I also need).

 

[Wendy Werneth]

I am curious about Wendy's walking shoes. Looks like a lot of cushioning there (which I also need).

Hi wrote a fairly detailed description of the shoes in this recent thread started by @Stephan the Painter . I was really happy with how the shoes performed! They were the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn on any Camino.

 

[AK2112]

Thank you for all your posts on this "Madeira-Camino". I am really interested in doing this, but I must admit it sounds a bit hard. I did Primitivo in April this year, I found that hard enough. If this is even harder, I really don´t know.
Did you carry all your stuff, or is there any luggage transport a la Camino Taxi?

Cheers.

 

[jungleboy]

I don't have elevation changes for both caminos at hand but I would say the CR23 is harder than the Primitivo, yes -- there's a lot of ups and downs. We carried our stuff and there wouldn't be any luggage transport as it's not a well-travelled route at all. Amazing experience though!

 

[mspath]

Nick,

Although you have moved along further in your travels I trust that you and Wendy have strong memories of hiking in Madeira. I just read this reportage from BBC and thought that you would enjoy it also.

The dark history behind Madeira's famous levadas

Fundamental to Madeiran identity, its 3,100km of aqueducts have proven to be more than a clever and functional feat of engineering to colonise an isolated island.

www.bbc.com

Carpe diem!
Margaret Meredith

 

[jungleboy]

Although you have moved along further in your travels I trust that you and Wendy have strong memories of hiking in Madeira. I just read this reportage from BBC and thought that you would enjoy it also.

Thanks for the link, it was nice to be transported back to the levadas of Madeira!

That said, there are aspects of the article that I think are over-dramatised (the description of the levada hike) or gimmicky/clickbaity (the ‘dark history’ part).

 

[ilzef]

@jungleboy Thank you for writing this report. I'm off to walk this path next week, and I'm very excited! And your report has been very helpful in understanding what to expect. One question - you mentioned that occasionally you opted to walk alongside levadas instead of the "official" route made by the association. How did you know where to do this?

I'd love to take the more scenic route, but I'm a bit scare of getting lost by accident.

 

[Wendy Werneth]

@jungleboy Thank you for writing this report. I'm off to walk this path next week, and I'm very excited! And your report has been very helpful in understanding what to expect. One question - you mentioned that occasionally you opted to walk alongside levadas instead of the "official" route made by the association. How did you know where to do this?

I'd love to take the more scenic route, but I'm a bit scare of getting lost by accident.

How exciting that you're going to walk the Caminho Real, @ilzef ! Please report back on how it goes.

As I recall, we got the idea of walking the levadas from this blog post. It's in German, and my German is not very good, but with the help of Google translate it became one of our main resources for this walk (along with this blog post in English and the helpful folks from the association). Thanks to the German blog, we knew the names of the levadas and more or less where they were, so we could find them on our maps.me app and see that there was indeed a trail there. It was pretty straightforward, and much more beautiful than following the road.

Bom caminho!

 

[ilzef]

How exciting that you're going to walk the Caminho Real, @ilzef ! Please report back on how it goes.

As I recall, we got the idea of walking the levadas from this blog post. It's in German, and my German is not very good, but with the help of Google translate it became one of our main resources for this walk (along with this blog post in English and the helpful folks from the association). Thanks to the German blog, we knew the names of the levadas and more or less where they were, so we could find them on our maps.me app and see that there was indeed a trail there. It was pretty straightforward, and much more beautiful than following the road.

Bom caminho!

Oh, thank you so much, this will be very helpful! I'll report back how it goes!