Madeira. They call it the “Pearl of the Atlantic”. That’s a misnomer. Madeira is neither round nor smooth nor white.
It is rugged and spiny and volcanic (although the volcanos that formed it have been quiescent for millennia) and green. If a jewellery metaphor is needed, better to call it a diamond in the rough. Because it is, indeed, a special place.
Madeira lies about 900km southwest of Lisbon, due west of Casablanca and 500km north of Tenerife. It was discovered in 1419 by a trio of Portuguese explorers working for Prince Henry the Navigator. The island was named for the abundance of wood it provided. In 1425, King John I made the Madeira islands a full province of Portugal and settlement began in earnest. Many of the earliest settlers came from the Algarve, fleeing the ravages of the Black Death and the feudal control of the land on the mainland by a few noble families.
Columbus, a sugar trader before he sailed across the Atlantic, visited Madeira in 1478 and, in fact, married Filipa Moniz, daughter of Bartolomeu Perestrelo, one of the three Portuguese discoverers of Madeira. In 1998, a replica of one of Columbus’ boats, the Santa Maria, was launched as a tourist attraction.
Fishing has always been a very important component of Madeira’s economy, but since the 17th century, Madeira’s most important product has been its wine. Madeira wine was perhaps the most popular luxury beverage in the colonial Western Hemisphere during the 17th and 18th centuries and, indeed, although the wine trade was very quickly taken over by English merchants, Madeira wine was used to toast the Declaration of Independence by the Founding Fathers in America.
In 1891, the island had a population of 132,000, while in 2021 it had grown to 251,000, of which 106,000 are located in Funchal, the capital. On July 1, 1976, following the revolution of 1974, Portugal granted political autonomy to Madeira and the region now has its own government and legislative assembly.
Helga and I wanted to renew our acquaintance with Madeira and, finding ourselves in Lisbon for a Gulbenkian concert, we flew down to the island for a few days. Unfortunately, there are no flights from the Algarve to Madeira. We didn’t want to stay in Funchal, so we picked the Pestana Churchill Bay pousada, and it proved to be an inspired choice. Churchill Bay is located in Câmara de Lobos, about 10km west of Funchal.
It is a delightful village that attracted Sir Winston on January 8, 1950, thereby giving the bay its name. Although he didn’t stay in Câmara de Lobos – he and Clementine stayed for 12 days at Reid’s Palace – nor did he paint from the harbour – he painted the bay from an elevated viewpoint – the Pestana hasn’t missed a trick and has placed Churchill’s statue right by their reception. The rooms also have reproduction Churchill paintings on the walls.
The balcony of our room looked out on the very picturesque bay and, as the weather was very mild, when we arrived, we enjoyed a cold bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from the Fiuza winery in the Tejo and watched the sun set. The hotel’s restaurant was on the third floor – a lovely outdoor terrace, where we eventually had all of our breakfasts and three of our four dinners. The food was excellent.
We were happy to be outside Funchal. It is a pleasant city with a well-protected harbour, which unfortunately often has a couple of very large cruise ships in attendance, making a leisurely stroll of the centre problematic. The architecture is not particularly memorable, although the Avenida Arriaga is worth a visit, as is the cathedral, dating from 1514 and featuring a beautiful ceiling in the apse.
Unlike the nearby Canary Islands, one doesn’t go to Madeira for the beaches – there are very few and almost entirely very stony and rugged. Madeira is a walker’s paradise. There is an 800km system of waterways, called levadas (from the word “levar” – to carry), begun in the 15th century and today a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The purpose of these little canals is to bring water from the mountains, where the rainfall is plentiful, to the drier areas along the coast. While they still function, their main interest today is for walkers. Every levada has a trail alongside and these lead to some of the most beautiful parts of Madeira.
You really are in full contact with nature as you hike along the levadas. And Madeira is a truly beautiful island. It features a very stable, temperate year-round climate and has flowers everywhere virtually all the time.
We rented a small car and drove 380km all around the island for three days. Madeira is only 65km long and 22km wide, so distances are short. The roads are mainly good (although driving through the centre you have to watch out for cows in the road), but often include Alpine-type switchbacks near the very rugged coast.
The highest point, Pico Ruivo at 1,861m, is part of the spine of volcanic rock that runs east-west through the island. This spine divides Madeira into sections, each with their own micro-climate – the north where grapes thrive, and the south where the famous little Madeira bananas grow in profusion.
Madeira is famous for its New Year’s Eve celebrations, featuring a huge fireworks display in Funchal harbour, its wild carnival celebrations (usually in mid to late February) and Cristiano Ronaldo (born in Funchal in 1985). We were happy enough to be on the island in November, having our own, private celebration.
