Quinta Grande

Another very short walk exploring the locality of Cabo Girão.

Start: From HPB reception walk up towards the Cabo Girão viewpoint. Even though HPB has a similar view a short detour to the view is worthwhile.

Refreshments - Bars at HPB, Quinta Grande and Cruz da Caldeira.

TORCH ESSENTIAL

WALK

1. Pass through the parking area at the viewpoint. Go straight ahead down the road. Pass a detached house on the right and commence the long descent. The road winds down the steep hillside, bounded by pine and eucalyptus. There is soon a bird’s eye view of Quinta Grande with its spaced-out dwellings and tiny patches of cultivation and also part of the Via Rapida, Madeira’s motorway.

Continue past the first houses of the village, the road now level.

Go around a big left bend.

1. At a road junction, go ahead, rising past the village pharmacy.

At the next junction past the pharmacy, turn sharp right (on the apex of the bend, turn left a cul de sac Rua Bishop Manuel Joaquim leads to the church and bar) otherwise go steadily uphill, the communications masts on Galo are prominently in view. Go around a sharply rising left bend and join a more major road (ER229).

1. Turn right to follow this road for about 500 yards, to a bridge over a little stream. Cross the bridge then turn right at once to descend a short flight of steps. Turn left at the bottom to walk beside the Levada do Norte, passing right in front a few houses – where the Levada is below concrete slabs – until the Levada disappears into a tunnel. Go through it: torch essential, a good path BEWARE OF HEAD, but can be avoided. to avoid the tunnel go straight ahead alongside an irrigation channel for a little more than 100 yards, then rise steeply up a concrete roadway. Join the Cabo Girao access road at the side of the bar at Cruz da Caldeira.

Turn right to walk uphill along the road to HPB.)

1. Turn right at the far end, admiring the splendid views over Câmara de Lobos to Funchal, and continue alongside a narrow irrigation channel. Go across a flight of steps. Ignore steps on the right which lead up to or past houses until you reach the end of the path at a second flight of steps, at a ‘T junction. Turn right, soon reaching the road which leads directly to HPB reception.