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The Discover Madeira web site has been designed as an accompaniment to my book “Shirley Whitehead’s Madeira Walks”. It provides information on over 30 walking routes across the island giving details of Madeira’s rich and diverse landscape as well as information and photographs on the flora and fauna to be found in each location. Walks 1 – 20 are published in the book (however, the alternatives given for lengthening, sectioning and shortening the walks increases the total walking possibilities to around 45). These walks therefore appear in summary form on this website whilst walks 21 onwards give a clear and concise account of each route together with good directions, walking times and grades. Additional walks will be added following publication in the press

Having lived in Madeira for almost six years I have spent many hours discovering the island's walking routes, its history, architecture and other places of interest and in addition to publishing the book I have also been a regular contributor to the Madeira Times and the Archipelago News writing monthly walking articles and periodic reviews on places of interest, all of which appear on this website.

‘Shirley Whitehead’s Madeira Walks’ incorporates full colour 1:25,000 scale maps and photographs for each walk and is available from bookstores, tourist shops and selected hotels in Madeira as well as from Amazon.co.uk , Discovery Walking Guides Ltd and from all UK bookshops.

For further information please visit:

www.amazon.co.uk

www.dwgwalking.co.uk

Please note: In the first edition of my book the page on Natural History Museums, Parks and Gardens was omitted in error. Please click here if you wish to download a copy.

About Madeira

Madeira Island, part of Portugal, is situated in the Eastern Atlantic approximately 600 kms west of Morocco and 1000 kms south of Lisbon, and together with the Azores, the Canaries and Cape Verde Islands, forms a bio-geographic region referred to as Macaronesia. The Madeira archipelago consists of Madeira Island and Porto Santo as well as the Desertas Islands & the Selvagens which are uninhabited nature reserves.

Landscape & Climate

A large percentage of Madeira island is also wild and uninhabited and like the Desertas and Selvagens is protected by The Parque Natural da Madeira; this includes the Mountain Range, the Laurel Forests (Laurisilva), the Ancient Heath Forests, the upland plateau of Paúl da Serra, the São Lourenço Peninsula in the east, as well other coastal areas.

Madeira enjoys a temperate climate throughout the year with average daytime temperatures around the coast of 18 – 24 degrees the south coast being the sunniest and driest with often cooler, damper weather in the north.

The island is fertile and sub-tropical with an amazing and diverse flora; no wonder it is often referred to as “the floating garden of the Atlantic”. The farming areas have been cultivated over the centuries and produce bananas, grapes and a vast array of tropical fruits and vegetables.

The natural forest of Madeira is the largest area of Laurisilva in the world covering 150 sq. kms, representing just over 20% of the island’s surface and due to its importance, was classified a World Nature Heritage Site in 1999 by UNESCO

Another important feature of Madeira’s landscape, and a major tourist attraction drawing in walkers from around the world, is the unique levada network which spans most of the island enabling penetration into the interior, which would otherwise be impossible. The channels cover a distance of 2100 kms including 30 kms of tunnels, and were designed to carry water from the wetter and humid areas in the north to provide irrigation in the arid agricultural areas in the south. This unique network is of Arabian influence and was constructed over a period of five centuries, initially by slave labour from Africa, Arabia and the Canaries. The channels are shaped to the demands of the local topography often carved through the rock face with some wide and comfortable for walking, whilst others follow precarious ledges along the channels. As a result, levada walks in Madeira offer something for everone ranging from easy strolls to demanding and challenging walks.

Of course, this is also true of all walks in Madeira and whether you wish to discover the mountain peaks, the moorland or forest trails or the coastal routes, my book provides a wide choice of grades to ensure that walking in Madeira is suitable for all levels of fitness and ability.