John Edward Cooper’s Notes

Madeira - The Pearl of the Atlantic
Day 7 [was Day 5]
Today we will cover the eastern part of the island. The first stop on this day will be a viewpoint which stands over the town of Machico - the landing point when Madeira was discovered in the 1400’s.
The second point that we visit will be Ponta do Rosto, Madeira’s easternmost point.
This offers you one of the most magnificent views of the dramatic, jagged edged northern coastline of the island.
We then move on to the sleepy town of Porto da Cruz, a town dominated by Eagle Rock and home to a running rum distillery.
The coach then will make way to Santana, a town notable for its A-frame thatched houses. Made from stone, wood and anything else to hand, they have brightly painted doors and windows and each sits on its own plot of land used to grow food.
Here you will be able to have lunch and explore the town in all its uniqueness.
We head towards the mountainous interior and one of the highlights of the tour - the UNESCO-listed Ribeiro Frio National Park.
Our final stop of the day will be at Madeira third highest point, Pico do Arieiro [sic],[i] often above the clouds at 5,930ft above sea level with stunning views across the island and of Madeira’s highest mountain, Pico Ruivo.
We will then make our way back to the hotel.

[i] Arieiro: so it is spelled in the itinerary and by Google Maps; according to the postcard (below) and to Wikipedia, it is Areeiro.

Janet wrote: “I had a rather restless night.… I lay awake for ages. Not sure how much sleep I had, but it wasn’t enough, really. Anyway, I was up at 6.45am. [It was] not light until nearly 8am, of course. Hard going, that.” I shaved and showered after Janet vacated the bathroom. Her account continued: “At 9am we set off in the rain. Still not cold, though.” I made a note: “8.30am, lobby, for Manchester Airport.” This is what was announced as we proceeded, about being taken from the hotel to the airport tomorrow; but Janet and I were aware of it already.


Google Maps map showing places visited or seen today, and perhaps the route taken to get to them
Click on image to enlarge

Our road, along the coast, took us under the runway of Madeira Airport (i.e. entering at the far end, as viewed in the postcard, below).


Postcard showing the runway of Madeira airport, under which our road went


Sunday 25 September 2022 09:22:14
On route “VR1”, passing under the airport runway


Sunday 25 September 2022 09:22:20
On route “VR1”, passing under the airport runway


Sunday 25 September 2022 09:22:32
On route “VR1”, passing under the airport runway

The first stop, as the itinerary stated, was at “a viewpoint” — labelled “Lookout point” in Google Maps, and in my captions, below — “which stands over the town of Machico — the landing point when Madeira was discovered in the 1400’s.” I scribbled “1419” in my notebook. Janet noted, “The rain had stopped and it was very windy, but not cold.” There are only a couple of sandy beaches in Madeira (the other beaches in Madeira are pebbled), one of which is at Praia de Machico; the sand for it was (controversially) imported from Western Sahara in 2008. It can be seen in the photos taken at 09:28:58 and 09:29:22, below.


Sunday 25 September 2022 09:28:58
Lookout point south of Machico


Sunday 25 September 2022 09:29:22
Lookout point south of Machico: panorama of views


Sunday 25 September 2022 09:29:22 (detail 1)
Lookout point south of Machico: panorama of views


Sunday 25 September 2022 09:29:22 (detail 2)
Lookout point south of Machico: panorama of views


Sunday 25 September 2022 09:29:22 (detail 3)
Lookout point south of Machico: panorama of views


Sunday 25 September 2022 09:30:58
Lookout point south of Machico: panorama of views


Sunday 25 September 2022 09:32:08
Lookout point south of Machico: panorama of views

The next stop was almost as far east on the island as one could go in a motor vehicle: Ponta do Rosto. In contrast to the lush vegetation found in other areas of Madeira, here we were surrounded by bare or in places scrubby heathland. I saw a conical hill with a single building on it, but I neglected to take a zoomed-in photo of it.


Sunday 25 September 2022 09:53:00
Views from Miradouro da Ponta do Rosto: east


Sunday 25 September 2022 09:53:46
Views from Miradouro da Ponta do Rosto: south-west


Sunday 25 September 2022 09:53:46 (detail 1)
Views from Miradouro da Ponta do Rosto: Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy


Sunday 25 September 2022 09:53:46 (detail 2)
Views from Miradouro da Ponta do Rosto: Caniçal


Sunday 25 September 2022 09:53:52
Views from Miradouro da Ponta do Rosto: west-southwest


Sunday 25 September 2022 09:54:04
Views from Miradouro da Ponta do Rosto: west

I did snap it from the coach, though, as we went on our way from there.


Sunday 25 September 2022 10:05:20
Seen from the coach: Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy

Next stop was at Porto da Cruz. We were escorted from the vehicle park northwards as far as Praia da Alagoa. That’s the beach in the bay just to the east of Eagle Rock (“Penha d’águia”), not the larger bay to the east of that (so, the upper, only just-visible, inlet in the postcard below). There was a flat area, a platform, just above the pebbled beach; the latter could be reached by a few steps, but we didn’t go down to it.


Postcard showing “Penha d’águia” (“Eagle Rock”) and “Porto da Cruz”


Google Maps satellite view of Porto da Cruz, showing locations seen or visited
Click on image to enlarge


Sunday 25 September 2022 10:30:56
Views from Praia da Alagoa, Porto da Cruz


Sunday 25 September 2022 10:32:44
Views from Praia da Alagoa, Porto da Cruz, north-west: Eagle Rock


Sunday 25 September 2022 10:32:52
Views from Praia da Alagoa, Porto da Cruz, north


Sunday 25 September 2022 10:33:00
Views from Praia da Alagoa, Porto da Cruz, north-east


Sunday 25 September 2022 10:33:14
Views from Praia da Alagoa, Porto da Cruz, east: North Mills Distillery (Engenhos do Norte)

There was a snack bar near there, so we had refreshments before continuing.


Sunday 25 September 2022 10:38:18
Refreshments at a snack bar, Praia da Alagoa, Porto da Cruz

We initially retraced the steps of our outward walk; but we wanted to visit the church, which was to the left of us, so at the next opportunity that presented itself we did turn left. (In the photo below, we’ve made the left turn from Rua da Alagoa (right), and are going across a bridge, headed to the left of the picture across Rua dos Oliveiras (left), along Rua Visconde do Porto da Cruz.)


Sunday 25 September 2022 11:02:08
A trickle of a stream between Rua da Alagoa and Rua dos Oliveiras, Porto da Cruz

After we turned left, the road (Rua Visconde do Porto da Cruz) took us, seemingly rather oddly, through a hole in the Civic Centre.


Google Street View image of the view to the left of “11:02:08”

Rua Visconde do Porto da Cruz ended at Rua Dr. João Abel De Freitas, into which we turned right. There was a bend in this to the right just before the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe.


Sunday 25 September 2022 11:03:36
Heading south on Rua Dr. João Abel De Freitas, Porto da Cruz: (ahead:) Igreja de Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe


Sunday 25 September 2022 11:04:16
View south-east from Rua Dr. João Abel De Freitas, Porto da Cruz


Sunday 25 September 2022 11:04:56
View south-east from Rua Dr. João Abel De Freitas, Porto da Cruz


Sunday 25 September 2022 11:06:34
Interesting garden in Rua Dr. João Abel De Freitas, Porto da Cruz

There was a service in progress, not surprisingly since it was Sunday, so we didn’t actually enter the church. What was unusual, though, was that there were loudspeakers blasting out the service to the surrounding area. We’d heard this from a mosque before, but never a church.


Sunday 25 September 2022 11:08:32
West end of Igreja de Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe, Rua Dr. João Abel De Freitas, Porto da Cruz

We continued to the end of Rua Dr. João Abel De Freitas.


Sunday 25 September 2022 11:10:58
View approximately north from the T-junction of Rua Dr. João Abel De Freitas and Rua Dr. Semiåo Sousa E Freitas, Porto da Cruz: (ahead:) Eagle Rock


Sunday 25 September 2022 11:11:12
View approximately north-east from near “11:10:58”: Fortim do Porto da Cruz


Sunday 25 September 2022 11:11:28
View approximately south-southeast from near “11:10:58”

After initially retracing our outward route, we’d then veered to the left; therefore, we supposed that now we needed to turn right and go that way, to find our way back to the coach. And this indeed proved to be correct. The vehicle park, where the coach was, is to the left of the “P” sign in the photo below. So we were in good time for our 11.30am rendezvous.


Sunday 25 September 2022 11:13:36
View approximately north from the junction of several roads, Porto da Cruz: (ahead:) Eagle Rock

Thence, to Santana — notably, crossing a bridge from the right to the left side of a valley, and later passing a go-kart track.


Sunday 25 September 2022 11:41:32
Faial to the north, seen while crossing Ribeira do Faial on route “VE1”


Sunday 25 September 2022 11:42:54
Kartódromo do Faial, seen from route “VE1”


Sunday 25 September 2022 11:47:42
The west side of Eagle Rock, seen from route “VE1”


Sunday 25 September 2022 11:48:32
The west side of Eagle Rock, seen from route “VE1”

According to the itinerary, Santana is “notable for its A-frame thatched houses. Made from stone, wood and anything else to hand, they have brightly painted doors and windows and each sits on its own plot of land used to grow food.” Janet quoted this in her journal, adding, “Some are purely for show, but some are occupied and have an extension on the back for a kitchen (with a chimney) and a bathroom.” We approached Santana northwards, along Avenida Manuel Marques da Trindade. As we did so, Maria pointed out a hotel on the right where one might have lunch. Then before we turned left, she pointed out another establishment on the left. We stopped shortly after that, in Avenida 25 de Maio, and got out. So Janet and I, walking the way we’d just come, encountered the second-mentioned restaurant/snack bar, A Espiga, first. “It was very busy, cramped and noisy, and we didn’t fancy eating there,” Janet wrote. So after looking in there, we walked on to the first-mentioned one, Hotel o Colmo. “In contrast, the other place was very roomy with lots of space and few people.” On entering, if one went left, there was a busy bar/restaurant, but, if right, an empty or almost empty dining room. When the server said we could go in here, that’s what we did. At the far end of the forecourt of Hotel o Colmo was an example of an A-framed thatched house. And when I looked out of the rear window of the dining room, I saw (and photographed) another one.


Google Maps satellite view of Santana, showing locations seen or visited


Sunday 25 September 2022 12:18:48
Thatched house, seen from a rear window of Hotel o Colmo (“Thatch Hotel”) , Manuel Marques da Trindade 42, Santana

I had a cheeseburger in a bolo do caco, with chipped potatoes with the skins on and salad. Janet had, as she wrote, “my last bolo do caco and mixed salad.” To drink I had a beer and she a Coke Zero.


Sunday 25 September 2022 12:26:44
Lunch at Hotel o Colmo, Santana

“It was raining when we left, so I used my brolly,” Janet wrote. We visited the thatched house at the end of the forecourt—


Sunday 25 September 2022 12:55:08
Thatched house outside Hotel o Colmo, Santana


Sunday 25 September 2022 12:55:44
Thatched house outside Hotel o Colmo, Santana


Sunday 25 September 2022 12:56:08
Thatched house outside Hotel o Colmo, Santana


Sunday 25 September 2022 12:56:26
Thatched house outside Hotel o Colmo, Santana


Sunday 25 September 2022 12:57:12
Thatched house outside Hotel o Colmo, Santana

—before returning the way we’d come. We visited a souvenir shop on the outer corner of where Avenida Manuel Marques da Trindade turns left and becomes Avenida 25 de Maio. We were looking for a little model thatched house that would go on our memorabilia cabinet at home with the trullo from Alberobello bought six years ago (22 September 2016), but these were all of poor quality. So we settled for a cork-backed coaster depicting a thatched house surrounded by azulejos.


Souvenir

Behind the City Hall was a group of thatched houses, so we went round to look at them. “We looked at the other A-frames, which were shops and one was a bar.”


Sunday 25 September 2022 13:07:24
“Cámara Municipal”/“City Hall”, Santana…


Sunday 25 September 2022 13:07:24 (detail)
“Cámara Municipal”/“City Hall”, Santana, with a thatched house beyond it…


Sunday 25 September 2022 13:08:34
…and more thatched houses beyond it


Sunday 25 September 2022 13:09:36
…and more thatched houses beyond it (gift- and craft-shops…


Sunday 25 September 2022 13:10:54
…and a thatched dwelling)

The next part of the tour was to travel through the Ribeiro Frio National Park. Whether a stop had been envisaged there, or not, I don’t know; if so, it didn’t happen: it may have been cancelled because of the heavy rain. Earlier, I mentioned “a bridge from the right to the left side of a valley” and “a go-kart track”. On the way from Santana we again passed the go-cart track—


Sunday 25 September 2022 13:33:32
Kartódromo do Faial and the road ahead, on route “VE1”

—and went over the bridge.


Sunday 25 September 2022 13:34:42
The bridge across Ribeira do Faial and the road ahead, on route “VE1”

Shortly after that, we turned right onto a road, the “ER217” initially, heading towards Ribeiro Frio. (The Google Map of the tour route seems to suggest that we left the “VE1” and went along the “ER103”, but the upper of the two labels is actually attached to the road running parallel to the one we went on, on the other side of the valley. This then crosses the valley and joins the “ER217” road that we were on, which continues as the “ER103” through Ribeiro Frio.)


Sunday 25 September 2022 13:39:32
View on the way to Ribeiro Frio, on route “ER217”

Maria pointed out a trout farm as we were about to pass it.


Sunday 25 September 2022 14:00:52
Trout farm, Ribeiro Frio, on route “ER103”

I also have a note of something else that Maria pointed out, but I can’t remember where it was: “Douglas fir trees with trailing lichens”. Having gone along Ribeiro Frio (“Cold Stream”), we turned right and ascended to Madeira’s third highest point, Pico do Areeiro. The itinerary states that it is “often above the clouds at 5,930ft above sea level with stunning views across the island and of Madeira’s highest mountain, Pico Ruivo.” Today, though, unfortunately, it was actually in the clouds, and nothing could be seen more than a few yards in front of us. I later bought a postcard, giving an impression of how things ought to have looked.


Postcard of “Pico do Areeiro”

I was the only one initially to get out of the coach. One or two did follow briefly, though.


Sunday 25 September 2022 14:25:18
Portuguese Air Force air defence radar station, Pico do Areeiro, at the end of route “ER202”


Sunday 25 September 2022 14:25:34
Our tour coach, Pico do Areeiro

Visibility improved as we descended from there.


Sunday 25 September 2022 14:35:14
Poor visibility


Sunday 25 September 2022 14:45:58
Good visibility, some ten minutes later


Sunday 25 September 2022 14:54:56
Descending to Funchal, on route “ER103”

I noticed, on the final leg of our tour, that we went through Monte.


Sunday 25 September 2022 14:56:12
Approaching Monte, on route “ER103”

“We headed back to Funchal, and were back in the hotel by 3.30pm,” Janet wrote. “I did as much packing as possible. We strapped up one case.” I transferred 53 photos from my camera’s SD card to the WD Elements HDD (16:33–16:34), then copied them from there to “Pictures” on the Samsung computer (16:36). I dismantled the computer systems for packing away. I went to the lobby to look at postcards in a rotating display. There were some, so many for €2.50, and others, so many for €2.25. It was a fiasco: I got confused…. Anyway, Janet came out, we made our selection, and didn’t get a discount because the five chosen postcards were from a mixture of €2.50 and €2.25 ones. Ca.5.45pm we went to the Lisboa Bar for aperitivos. “[John] had two Madeira and I had a Pepsi Max,” Janet wrote. “Then we went for dinner. Afterwards, [John] had a bagaceira, and I had a black decaff coffee.” This was back in the Lisboa Bar. The bagaceira was served in a brandy glass this evening, not in a cylindrical glass surrounded with ice in a larger glass, as before. Ca.8.20pm, we went back to the room. “I had a shower,” Janet wrote, “and we were both in bed at ca.9.10pm. We were tired. Another good day: the weather didn’t spoil anything.

Postcards 










Postcards purchased in the lobby of the hotel

[Monday 26 September 2022]