Our second morning in Funchal, the main town of Madeira and home to 40% of its population, so named after the sweet-smelling fennel found growing there by Portuguese settlers in the early 15th century. While some enjoyed a leisurely morning around town, the rest of us had our minds on higher things. Light had just broken as our bus climbed up the unbelievable switchbacks out of Funchal. The town has grown dramatically in the last 30 years, with thousands of small, red-tiled houses clinging precariously to the mountainsides, perching among the narrow terraces where bananas and vines are still grown. As we rose higher and higher, this urban landscape gave way to woodlands of eucalyptus, pines, and mimosa. At about 2,400 feet of altitude, the cloud cover that had loomed overhead was now below us, like a fluffy sea of cotton wool. Still the narrow road wound its way upwards in sharp bends sometimes around sheer precipices. Eventually we left the treeline below, and found ourselves approaching the backbone of the island, and a breathtaking viewpoint at Pico de Arieiro at 5,900 feet high. Although a successful conservation project is seeing the endangered Zino’s petrel breeding annually here in growing numbers, it was the distinctive squawk of the red partridge, unseen among the sparse mountaintop vegetation that greeted us.

Madeira’s extraordinary landscape of agricultural terraces, or ‘poios’, is irrigated by a 1250-mile-long system of manmade channels carrying rainwater from the mountains, known as ‘levadas’. Our next destination was a delightful 3km walk along one of the disused branches of the levada of Serra do Faial, through part of the precious native Laurissilva forest. Robins and blackbirds sang among the laurels, a firecrest was spotted, and at the final viewpoint at the Balcōes belvedere, a flock of colourfully-marked chaffinches entertained the walkers. We celebrated the end of our walk in traditional style with a ‘poncha’—a drink of lemon juice, honey, and rum. 

As we returned to sea level, we could appreciate the conservation issues Madeira faces in dealing with the impacts of introduced species of trees, plants and animals, and desertification of the landscape. But all too soon it was time to bid farewell to this fascinating island and begin our journey towards Spain. Calm waters on the short passage to the Ilhas Desertas provided a perfect backdrop for a large group of Cory’s shearwaters, along with a few of the smaller Manx shearwaters, not to mention one or two feeding fin whales, now quite a familiar sight on this voyage. One last look at the spectacular volcanic geology of Islas Grandes, product of a classic strata volcano with its stripes of ash and lava shot through with dykes, then out to the open sea once more.