Madeira buses are really not equally available all over the island. In Funchal, public transport is quite good. If you intend to make quite some use of the bus in Funchal, take a pass or a ticket for one or more days. Here is a link tot the Horarios web page where you can consult the possibilities!
Rodoeste is the name of the bus company serving our area, the West of Madeira.
In Madeira, buses outside the Funchal agglomeration are not quite as frequent. The density of the bus network is much less than in the Funchal area. From the house, the closest bus stop is about 50 meters west of the Bar Achada, above us on the main road, close to the ‘ecoponto’, the colourful garbage containers along the Estrada Regional ER 222.
our stop
‘Our’ stop is served by Rodoeste line 80, doing the route from Funchal to Porto Moniz via Ponta do Pargo (vice versa), and Rodoeste line 142, that does the route between Funchal and just Ponta do Pargo.
It looks a bit complicated, especially because lines that do the same route or a part of it carry a different number. Some make a detour via Paúl do Mar and then skip the village of Raposeira. Departure time in the direction of Funchal at ‘our’ stop is approximately 15 minutes after its departure from Ponta do Pargo. In the direction of Ponta do Pargo it is about 20-25 minuts after its departure from Calheta Vila or Ewhen it strela da Calheta. These times are a really very rough estimate, but be in time as the next bus may be only tomorrow.
useful for one-way walks
Still, it is very well possible to use the Madeira buses if you decide to go to Amparo or even Ponta do Pargo and walk the Levada Nova one way back to the house. You follow the levada till you reach the small yellow hotel which you see higher up in our valley. From there take the flight of stairs and then the footway called ‘Vereda da Soalheira’ (oh yes, there is a sigh) down to the house. The same goes for the walk along the Levada Nova from Raposeira or Prazeres. If you are not sure where to pick up the Levada, ask anyone and they will know.
Aerobus
A bit outside our normal field of activity, we add a little information about the Aerobus, a regular bus service connecting the airport with the most important hotel area of Funchal. Operated by SAM, this service has been suspended during the covid-19 crisis. Today, June 26, 2020, the service is not yet back in operation and SAM could not tell me when they are allowed back in service again. However, there is a normal SAM bus service linking the Airport to the centre of Funchal. I think putting their time table here may be useful.
In the background of this page you can see the flowers, the seeds and the leaves of the Eucalyptus, which you can see everywhere on the island. You all know the Eucalyptus seeds from Christmas decorations. Unfortunately, this tree was imported and turned out to be quite invasive. The seeds can only sprout if they have been heated first. This way, a bush fire, and they often occur in Madeira, is favourable for the propagation of the Eucaluptus. Having said that, on a hot day it’s good to relax in the refreshing scent of a small eucalyptus grove.
