Madeira - Day 22 - a longer levada walk.

Up at 7:30 and the bus picked me up at the bottom of my little street at 8:45. There were 16 of us in total so this time we were traveling in a full size bus rather than the van. We traveled through Funchal, picking people up at their hotels along the way and then headed West.
Pedro explained things in 4 different languages this time, English, German and 2 others that sounded like Northern European languages. Our English speakers were a family of 4 from London, on the kids spring break from school and an Italian woman who had been living in London for about 10years (saved Pedro from having to speak Italian too)
We drove through the coastal area, with Pedro pointing out how the bananas (growing on every square foot that could be found) grow at the lower elevations, giving way to vineyards and other fruit and vegetables further up, followed by sugar cane and when we were on the high plateau with just scrub, cattle grazed.

The parking area, up on the plateau, was jammed with cars.

The steep descent was bordered by scrub trees

and magnificently flowering gorse.

Soon we were into the laurel forest

and Pedro explained out route. We were starting at the bottom of the red line in the centre, walking to Rabacal, turning right and walking to Risco along a levada, come back along the same route to the centre of the map, down some steps, to the right again along a parallel but lower levada to 25 Fontes and then back along the same route and finally though an 800 metre tunnel to Calheta, where the bus would pick us up.

We walked through the woods, with the levada on our right, and occasional views through the trees on our left, to the surrounding mountains.

The same as the other levada walks, dripping moss and ferns and little streams adding to the water way. The constant sound of the water running.

Then, through a break in the forest we could see our first destination.

The path had been a dirt track beside the canal wide enough for 2 to walk abreast. It narrowed to the stone wall of the levada about 3 foot wide. Then it narrowed even more to the stone parapet about a foot and a half wide with a steep drop off. Thankfully there was a metal railing but even so I watched my feet and placed my walking poles very carefully. (There have been fatalities)

It was difficult to get a picture of the full length of the fall. We could hear it while we still had quite a way to get there.

There was a wider area for viewing

populated by crumb-grabbing

Chaffinches. Tame enough to get pictures this time.

The water poured through

a gap above

and plummeted down the cliffs to pools far below us that we could not see.

To the left and right of the falls in this picture you can see the tunnels that the levada goes through as it goes behind the waterfall.

I got as close as I could, surrounded by the sound of the falling water and the "rain" falling on me from the rocks above.

After a short break there

We retraced our steps and then headed down a long set of uneven stone stairs.

To be continued.....  (Too tired to type any more)