Today we did a long walk straight from the apartment. First we walked down to the port, then north west into the suburbs. We got to a little park with good views down to the port.
From there we walked up to the start of the path by the Levada dos Piornais.
For the first two or three miles it remains within the city, past houses and gardens.
Eventually it becomes more rural as you turn into the Socorridos gorge. There are lots of banana plantations.
It's a bit noisy at this point as there is a rock-breaking plant at the bottom of the gorge.
At times the levada is perched precariously on the steep sides. After a while we left this levada and climbed a bit higher to the Levada do Curral, which heads into the upper reaches of the gorge. There are a few small tunnels to go through, and aqueducts to cross.
At one point we had to walk through a small waterfall.
In the upper reaches it's very secluded. There's a large waterfall on the other side, and an overgrown abandoned settlement below.
We retraced our steps as far as the nearest bus stop, and headed for Câmara de Lobos, which is a small fishing village west of Funchal. We had to change buses so while we were waiting we had a wander round a cemetery.
At Câmara de Lobos there are a load of coloured boats just up from the beach. We had a drink in a bar there.
We then caught the bus back to the apartment.
Later we went out for dinner in Funchal old town, which is only 10 minutes walk away. The restaurant was O Jango. Shirley had Espetada, beef cubes on a skewer, while Scott had Picadinho, which is beef in a sauce served in a nest of chips.
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