Many people used to be fed the line that Madeira was an island for the elderly. The publicity probably told you it is a ‘flower-island’, wrong footing most, as the general image of Madeira was – and still is – that of beautiful and civilized gardens, inviting to leisurely walks and glasses of Madeira wine on the terrace of 1920s hotels and villas. A far cry from reality. Yes, Madeira is a flower island. But the flowers are mostly to be found in the most rugged island you can imagine. They are there all year round, though they change according to the season. Because Madeira has four seasons. Winter is not, of course, the harsh northern winter with snow and ice, though occasionally, some snow will fall on the highest mountains.
Mostly, winter in Madeira is characterized but more rain, more clouds, and yes, lower temperatures, but at sea level you will still be able to have your proverbial glass of Madeira wine at a terrace in February. Having said that, those who have visited Madeira will tell you that Madeira wine is for tourists, and the drink to have, especially in winter, is poncha, made out of fresh fruit from the island, mixed with the local ‘aguardente’ (sugar cane rum) and honey from the island’s abundant apicultures.
Meanwhile, the tourist ministry discovered that the island has a lot to cater for a much younger group and started promoting challenging mountain hikes, canyoning, paragliding, diving and ocean canoeing. Quite daunting if you are a little older, but some of it not quite impossible, as you will see.
So here was a fresh February morning, where I dropped off the ‘kids’ – one temporarily borrowed from dear friends, the other illegally but proudly adopted – at the parking lot of the highest top but one, Pico Areiro, in foggy drizzle that soon turned into icy rain. After making sure they really wanted to do this, I saw them disappear into the fog and took to the read again.
They really wanted to do the most daunting hike of Madeira, the one from Pico Arieiro to Pico Ruivo. It is not really the distance as the Madeira Petrel flies, it is the daunting descents and the exhausting climbs, not to mention the vertical drops that make this hike into what it is: not for the weak or the fainthearted.
At 74, I know what is good for me (and what isn’t) but I still had the Pico Ruivo on my wish list. Fortunately, there is another way to get there: the Vereda do Pico Ruivo, from a place called Achada do Teixeira, in the council of Santana. When the ‘kids’ were forging their plan, I thought we had best make it a cunning one. One of them has a bit of an asthma problem, the other one was the victim of a car accident a long time ago, resulting in some lingering issues, so to do the hike ‘there and back’ would have been a bit too much. One way is challenging enough even if you don’t have any physical issues. So there it was: I was going to drop them off at Pico Arieiro, then drive around the mountains to the ‘back door’ and park, then I would do the ‘easy’ hike up, to meet them at the top. Meanwhile, I still was a tad envious that I could not come with them, and I did ask them to be my eyes and tell me if their hike would be one I still could do. (they hated to tell me ‘no’, but I got the message).
As it turned out, the ‘easy’ walk I was doing wasn’t all that easy after all. The first part is a reasonably leisurely walk, but the last bit is a steep and quite long climb, and you do need a reasonable condition to do it – and decent footwear, not flip-flops as I have seen some idiots wear.
Fortunately, after the first freezing hour the weather improved a lot, and fantastic photos were made. By the time I started my part of the hike, there was this mystical mix of sunshine and mists, and I made photos too, and some short videos. I combined all images and video’s into the video I just published on my YouTube channel, showcasing Madeira’s stunning nature at its best and for you to enjoy, and maybe to give you ideas!
So there it is: Madeira caters for the young and fit, but also for the older ones that are reasonably fit. If you are seriously impaired, you can still enjoy Madeira, as many places are accessible by car. There is really a choice for everyone, but the myth of Madeira being for pensioners only is seriously outdated. Now sit back, click on the video below, and make sure to click ‘full screen’.
I also added a 360 degrees panorama made at the top of the Pico Ruivo. It shows the clouds that caused the rain earlier, and it also allows you a peek into the famous ‘Curral das Freiras¨, (Nun´s Valley). The panorama is interactive, you can turn it either direction, stop it or zoom in.
Some may have noticed that I write ‘Pico Arieiro’ whereas the website of the Madeira tourist ministry writes Pico Areeiro. I kept the spelling used at the stone on the top of this mountain.
