Today we are visiting Porto Santo, for a couple of days of sand, sea and sunshine; to walk along the perfect golden beach and feel the...

If you want a touch of adventure without the crowds of Rabaçal, then head to the São Vicente valley and the PR16: Levada Faǰa do Rodriguez. Travelling from the south, it is accessible from the main road into São Vicente by heading uphill through Freiteiras to Ginǰas. When you can drive no further there is a small car park on the left, and the trail begins another 100m up a rough track. Even from the car park there are stunning views over the São Vicente valley, from Ginǰas,

I have been visiting this gorgeous valley on the North of Madeira for eight years now and it's beauty, tranquility and majesty never fail...

I love Paul da Serra in wintertime! On a clear day, with the bluest of skies, and the plateau strewn with yellow gorse, it is...

If you want a walk with astonishing scenery from multiple viewpoints and spectacular Waterfalls, then this is the one for you. We walked it in December, during an unexpectedly warm and sunny week. Rising from Rosario on the twisty steep Ribiera Brava old road, we took the right fork at Encumaeda, passing through a couple of old road tunnels before arriving at a viewpoint on the left. Here, we were high above the Serra de Água valley with views across to the high peaks and dow

I am sitting in the garden. It is 10am and the sky is a cloudless powder blue, the sun deliciously warm on my bare legs and arms. In the...

We are back on our beautiful emerald island, Madeira, but this time we are spending our first few days in Rosario before moving on to our...

We have only had a few days in our perfect cottage this time, just a few days tagged onto the end of a very busy schedule in Middle...

A few miles west of Calheta are the small coastal villages of Jardim do Mar and Paul do Mar which are well worth a visit. We rarely get...

The Sao Lourenco peninsula is at the easternmost tip of Madeira, and the PR8, which runs the length of it, begins at the Baia d'Abra and...

A clear day up on the Paul de Serra is a gift, as it means that you can see the stunning scenery for miles. It is not a given though, at...

When staying here we usually walk down into Sao Vicente at least once a week, and over time have explored new routes down into the village. The most obvious route is by road, the way that you drive from the roundabout, but there is occasional traffic and it is tarmac all the way. The route we have walked most often is one I have described before, turning to walk past Quinta Barbusano and the Capela on a quieter track before reaching the previously mentioned roundabout and com

We have done this walk twice in a week, the first time missing the turn off for the highlight, which is a view of the biggest peaks on...

As I used to say when teaching in early years, there is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes. One very wet day we don our raincoats and walk from the seafront at Sao Vicente along the old coast road to Ponta Delgada. Most of the coast roads have been replaced by the new 'Via Rapida' which takes you quickly, via roads, tunnels and bridges, around the island. Only the area between Boaventura and Santana is not serviced by the VR making Santana difficult to acces

What can you do on a wet day in Madeira? Well there are quite a few things you can do that are indoors, such as visiting the lava caves...

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

Levada do Moinho and Levada Nova is a circular walk that starts and finishes at Lombada da Ponta do Sol, not to be confused with the...

Levada do Rei, or King’s Levada, is called so because it was built by order of King D. Manuel II, the last king of Portugal. It begins at...

The return walk from the cottage to Sao Vicente has become one of our regular walks over the last few weeks providing a gentle stroll...

Wednesday was never a popular day at work, we used to call it hump day and we were always glad when it was over and felt closer to the...