Madeira - Monte and a Levada

"Levada" is a Portuguese word derived from the word "levar" - which means to carry and is roughly translated as "carriageway", but more correctly defined as mini-canal.

The mini-canals are irrigation systems developed to distribute water from the rainfall heavy and wet regions on the north of Madeira island to the drier sun parched regions of the south.

The water is usually stored in reservoirs or tanks, or captured directly from natural fountains to be redirected and channeled across a wide network of winding canals. These narrow water carriageways deliver water along far distances to banana plantations, vineyards, fruit orchards and vegetable gardens, as well as to hydro-electric power stations dotted around the island.

The levadas criss cross the mountains and cover a total distance of 2500 km, and date back to as far as the early 16th century.

We travelled by bus to Camacha - a village outside of Funchal - and found the Levado dos Tornos which runs from Guala to Monte (near Funchal).

This was not the easiest of levadas to walk along

We came across three long tunnels - without finding an alternative route around

However, we saw some views of the countryside which you would not see from the road

After some 4 hours of walking we were still quite some way from Monte so we decided to call it a day and when we came near a road we caught a bus back to Funchal and left Monte for another day

Monte is perched up in the hills overlooking Funchal, 6 km away from the centre of the capital. Monte was formerly a health resort for Europe's high society

Views of Funchal from Monte

The Monte toboggan ride - this is now a great tourist attraction - two toboggan drivers push and steer passengers down the streets of Monte to the suburb of Livramento some 2 km away

Madeira - fun time in Funchal

We've just returned from a fun week in Funchal, Madeira.

We stayed at the Enotel in the Lido area of Funchal - the capital of Madeira.

Funchal gets its name from the fennel plant Funcho that was growing abundantly in the area when the Portuguese explorer, João Gonçalves Zarco, discovered it back in 1420 and was captivated by its natural beauty

We spent our first couple of days sightseeing the city - using the hop-on, hop-off Tour Bus, which at 12 euros for two days was a bargain

This really gave us a feel for what places we would want to explore in a bit more depth

Some of the views were stunning - like this one from Pico dos Barcelos

There was even a cable car

Rua Santa Maria, in Funchal Old Town was one where we spent a bit of time

“Arte de Portas Abertas” is a public art program that aims in transforming Funchal´s Old town into a permanent outdoor art gallery by displaying over 200 works of art, by guest artists, painted on the doors of Rua de Santa Maria.

The market - Mercado dos Lavradores - was another on our "must see" list

There is a huge variety of vegetables, exotic fruits and fish in a very picturesque setting near the Old Town.

There are two floors and a huge central courtyard, where vendors engage in a direct and personalized sale of day-to-day products

At the back section of the market, there is the fish market. Here we saw fish freshly caught from all over Madeira and brought here to sell

One of the most well known fish is the black scabbard fish with its huge eyes, razor sharp teeth and long eel like body. Its a deep sea fish that dies as it is brought up to the surface. Its white flesh is very tasty and is served all over Madeira grilled or fried with banana - a dish known as Espada. We had this quite a few times during our stay.

 

This park was another place on our "must-see" list



This public park has a huge variety of indigenous plants, an aviary with exotic birds ...

... there is also a Christopher Columbus Statue ...

... and a small lake with black swans - although the swans weren't there when we visited

For more photos of our hotels - Enotel and the Pestana (where we stayed on our "extra" day when our return flight was delayed) - see Our hotels

Pleasley Pit Country Park

We had heard about this Country Park in a local environmental group newsletter and on a bright Spring day we took ourselves off to Pleasley

Pleasley village lies 3 miles north of Mansfield and 9 miles south of Chesterfield and the colliery is just outside the village by the River Meden on the Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire border

The Pit was sunk in the 1870s and produced coal until 1983. It escaped complete demolition after closure and it still retains its headstocks, engine-houses and steam winders. The whole building is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The Pit building is open from 10am-2pm each day and you are free to wander around the site and inside the winder house

 

 

If you ask Walt (one of the key volunteers) he will give you a guided tour of the building

 

The clocking on machine

 

One of the winding machines

 

The waste rock which was excavated from the mine was tipped on nearby fields and eventually the soil covered 150 acres. A few years after the mine had closed British Coal agreed that Derbyshire County Council could take over the site and it became a Country Park

Ponds were created, reed beds and native trees were planted

There is plenty of bird life to see as well

 

This is one of the Dragonfly ponds - but it was too early in the year to see any.

For more details of Pleasley Pit and its Country Park see Pleasley Colliery

We completed our short tour of the area by visiting the nearby village of Teversal where we saw its Norman Church ...

 

... and its Manor House - formerly the home of the Molyneux and Carnarvon families and the fictional home of Lady Chatterley. It was built in the mid-eighteenth century initially for use as barn. The Manor Room was converted into a school in 1881. During the 1940’s it saw many activities, including the housing of evacuees and war knitting parties.

There are several cycle/walking trails in the area - mainly along disused railway lines - we will return