Quinta Splendida Hotel Canico

... a sluice gate control system where the path meets a road. Here the walk splits right of to some other towns and a maze of roads or left for a short bit then off the road through some poles and on to the foresters hut (32°44'28.83"N 16°50'38.91"W) which as ablution facilities although the cleanliness was a bit questionable. However provided in this delightful spot are a number of picnic tables and stools just right for a nice spot of lunch ...

... They only have one stop on the main beach where all their busses stop so I recommended that you go to the terminal as their departure times are changeable and not always printed. (Terminal Location 32°38'52.20"N 16°54'58.13"W)

You may be required to change busses on route but you can purchase a full ticket t around € 2.90

Before beginning the walk take a note of the buss times, as ...

... all be it a little lower down.

The start of the trail is to the right of the place name, in the car park just below the tea rooms. See photo. It is not marked in any way for whatever reason I do not know.

A point of warning: most of the path is laid to stone which has been smoothed with the passage of time and when wet can get very slippery, even when rain has not fallen for some days ...

... 2+ cases of wine up the gang plank but the baggage handlers talked us into letting them taking them, thus the broken bottle and punctured aerosol can. Oh well, if that's the worst thing that happens......To finish up day one--Carolyn retired early, we hit the all-night pizza for a couple of slices and finished up at the Piano Bar with Dave--our new friend from Ft. Lauderdale--I think we'll be spending a lot of time with Dave! Highlight of Day 1: a stroll through the photo ...

... small home in a very hilly countryside of the city. Unfortunately, her little abode has been the recent target of three robberies. She has remained faithful and really looks forward to the world tomorrow. She has not been able to read much of our literature, due to her eyesight, but she receives the taped sermons in Portuguese, which she appreciates. This was the first visit by an elder that she has had since 1995. She had many ...

Our fourth and final day in Madeira was to be short, as we had to be at the airport by 4pm, but that didn't stop us using every minute available to us and making it pretty special at that. We walked down to Madeira's main harbour at 10am, to meet other people also expecting to take a catamaran out to sea, an excursion that Patricia had kindly organised for us. We stood at the end of the dock as our catamaran approached, and Ed and I (in contrast to the ...

... that we had to return the same way we had come. By the time we had reached the car, we had walked what in theory seemed a measly 5.5km, but had taken a mammoth 3 hours over ...

... s capital city. It's grandeur was typical of Portuguese architecture, culture and history. Its ...

... got to his head! Dinner was fresh tuna steaks sauteed with capers, green salad and rice - yum! We collapsed into bed shortly after, drained by the day's good food, red wine, sea air, early start, car/bus/plane travelling and day's activities.......PHEW!!

... green water which is quite rare on volcanic islands. Hence this is a popular tourist destination for European's wanting a summer holiday. We found a central area in town which was a WiFi hot spot and sat around a tree in a courtyard surrounded by cafes and cobblestone streets. After an hour we had answered numerous emails and the boys had chatted with friends and Matt on MSN, it was time for some lunch at a cafe ...