I booked in for this morning walk on the Referta levada just the previous night. I am reasonably fit, but having never done it before thought I would start with an easy one. There were only five of us, with our guide Nuno, a friendly local with a nice sense of humour – apologies if the spelling is wrong! I think that would be the minimum number they would operate on, any less presumably not worth the expense of guide and driver. I was picked up at the Cliff Bay at 0830, and it took about half an hour to where we were going. During this time, Nuno pointed out various things along the way, and it became clear he would be a very good company for the walk.
The walk itself was only about 3 miles or 5k, and very flat. The only thing that might challenge some, is that there are no handrails along the way, with quite a drop should you veer off the path, and at times it was quite narrow. It was all quite safe, but in the sanitized world we now live in back home, these walks would probably not pass the various risk assessments that would have to be carried out! How nice to be in Madeira. Nuno talked about the natural habitat and brought it all to life, he was really excellent. At the end of the walk, the minibus had made its way round to collect us, and after a coffee at a small café, we returned to Funchal and dropped back off at the hotel, about midday. Thanks for a gentle introduction, and I am now a convert and will use happy tours on my next visit.