Garajau Terrace Canico

... for a few yards and then take the path up to the old ice house.

For those of you who are tall be wary of the next section as at a point the path is cut into the mountain side and the overhang is just about 5' 6" which would be of no import, except that it is precisely where you are concentrating on the 1’ wide path with the near vertical 500’ drop to the left.

Just over half way the path folks just after what looks ...

East coast, a good and satisfying walk.

Take water as there is little or no facilities, only a small trailer which occasionally arrives. It was hot and sunny even though there was a fresh sea breeze and Funchal was under cloud. A good trick is to take a small amount of water out of a water bottle and put it in the freezer overnight.

Finding the SAM busses is not easy so allow time to locate the ...

... us being dropped off at the tunnel entrance. The walk from there to the restaurant at the view point was gentle and easy, taking 30 min. (GPS Location 32°42'37.38"N 16°57'44.73"W)

Once at the tea room you have the option of going to the lookout point or proceeding. I would not recommend the view point as the path will be full of visitor's clogging it. You will see the view from the path quite ...

... would be 72, but me and the one four year old on board brought it down the .5 J Back at the cabins, all bags finally arrived and we had only two fatalities--my brand new 16oz can of aerosol hairspray that was to get me through the month and a 1997 Super Tuscany (12 year old bottle of red wine for those of us who didn't know)Luckily not too much damage--just had to clean it all up--could have been much worse! Oh yeah, Terry and I originally were going to schlep the 50+ lb bags ...

... with Satan-again-creating stumbling blocks and God-again-intervening. Susanna is a long-standing member who has been distanced from the few other scattered brethren with little contact with the Church and members in the last 14 years, due to her physical condition, the mountainous area where she lives and the costs of traveling.   Susanna has difficulties walking about, falls easily and, as such, is basically restricted to her ...

... and thoroughly worth the 20 euros we paid (10 off the usual price!). A quick bite to eat and some manic packing later, Patricia returned home and both she and Wally accompanied us to the airport - not only to wave us goodbye (which they did even as we took off) but to collect their next set of guests! Madeira is a gorgeous, lush and colourful island, that is slow-paced, luxurious and thoroughly relaxing. Going back we will be - thanks Patricia and Wally!!!!

... on which we stood for the Atlantic ahead to claim. We gave up shortly before we reached the most eastern point, succumbing to bathroom needs and sheer breathlessness and ...

... we warmed up and took a sunset stroll around the town of Funchal, our first proper rekki of the ...

... and her face was a picture! Before we ate, we took an excursion in the car to the island's primary mirador, Cabo Girão, the second highest cliff in the World and the highest in Europe at 1,903 feet above sea level. See Ed clowning around as the ...

A well earned sleep-in and relaxed morning brought renewed enthusiasm from all on board. The morning was filled with tasks of cleaning, tidying and general boat maintenance. At lunch time we caught a taxi into the nearby town, which to our surprise was extremely charming. Porto Santo is a mixture of old and new with a distinct beach resort feel. The Island has an amazing golden sand beach (normal for Australia) with ...