OH MA DEAR ANOTHER FOOD TRIP

Day1 Friday 8th September

It has been very busy lately, so it was time for us to have some time away. We had booked a trip to Madeira some months ago and it was finally here. The forecast over there was for rain every day we were there, turning to sun just as we were due to leave. Of course, it was blisteringly hot in Inverness for days before we left.

Elain took us to the airport for the first leg of our journey down to Heathrow. It was 28 degrees as we drove to the airport. Oh joy, we thought.

However, once we were checked in, bags dropped and a drink on the table, all was suddenly looking a bit hopeful. Besides, we are used to rain, we could cope, couldn't we?

Of course we could!

We had to stop overnight in Heathrow's Sofitel Hotel. The original plan had been to fly to London, then Madrid and out to Funchal. However, BA changed the time of the Madrid flight, so the whole timetable fell apart. They offered to put us up in the Sofitel if we could fly to Heathrow the day before, so we did. A much better arrangement all round, as it meant we would arrive in Funchal much earlier in the day.

By the time we arrived at London, it was more or less time for a pre-dinner drink!

Sharon's tonic came in a little jug. Whether that was to hide the make of tonic or just for a bit of pretension, I'm not sure. She seems happy either way.

Dinner in the hotel was really quite good.

I had a bruschetta with burrata, tomato and balsamic to start.

Sharon had her usual starter of goats cheese and beetroot, both things I try never to eat, but she enjoyed it very much!

We both had Penne Arrabiata, which was really rather good.

Then it was a relatively early night as we were away sharpish in the morning.

Day 2 Tuesday 9th September.

It was a short walk from the hotel to check in our bags and then find breakfast, which we did at Giraffe. Fast food, but a little bit out of the ordinary.

I had a Burrito breakfast - tortilla, with avocado, refried beans, tomato salsa, pulled pork and chipotle mayo. Just the thing to awaken the taste buds.

Sharon had avocado on toast with poached eggs and professed herself very happy with her choice.

After a bit of a delay getting off the ground in Heathrow, the flight went well and we arrived in Funchal, greeted with pouring rain, as forecast!

However, by the time we arrived at our hotel - Quinta da Casa Branca - the sun was splitting the pavement and the skies were blue.

It had been a while since breakfast and we needed some lunch. After we were shown to our lovely room, we were taken across to the Garden Pavilion. We sat on the terrace in the sun and ordered drinks and several small plates for our leisurely luncheon.

It was delightful.

We had Bolo de Caco bread, with tender steak and tomato inside. Bolo de Caco, we were to find out, is a local bread that is found in every restaurant you go to in Madeira. It is made with plain flour, yeast and sweet potato!. The sweet potatoes here are white and not the dayglo orange we have at home. The bread was not sweet, but was addictively good. I will attempt to make it at home with potatoes to begin with.

Oxtail croquettes and prawns with garlic mayo. What's not to like?

Asparagus and mushroom tarts, beautiful and light.

It all went wonderfully with a bottle of chilled Atlantis Rose wine made from the local Tinta Negra grape. It really was very good and just the thing to sit and sip on a sunny terrace with nothing else to do.

Of course, we don't tend to sit around sipping wine all day long, despite my best efforts. We thought it wise to explore the hotel gardens. 

The Quinta da Casa Branca has been in the Leacock family's ownership since the 18th Century. The property was originally a farm, with vines and bananas being the main crops. The original mansion house was one of the first buildings on the site along with agricultural sheds and a butter factory!

The Leacock family were one of the most important of the Madeira wine houses on the island and merged with Blandy's in the 1920's, although the name still remains as one of the brands.

In the mid 1940's work began on the manor house and the gardens were laid out. Then in the 1980's the property was divided into two parts, with the Manor House and surrounds forming the basis of the property as it is today. The new and very modern first phase of the hotel opened in 1998. An extension to the hotel was started in 2001 and the landscape was reworked to accommodate that. To my eye, I think they did a great job of this. The old building is not overwhelmed by the new,  the modern elements sitting separately, and in harmony with the old. The gardens have been expertly designed to ensure that neither element impinges on the other. I really liked the design of the whole thing.

The gardens are fantastic and interesting, with plants from all over the world. They have been labelled to add interest. There were many large and beautiful butterflies flitting around all day long. It really was quite a beautiful hotel.

You can tell how contented I was, although that might have been the wine.

The view from the Garden Pavilion terrace towards the Manor House. You can see how the landscape ensures separation, but maintains a coherent whole..

Similarly, the modern reception area does not jar against the landscape. The reflective quality of the glass windows, softens the lines of the steel frame.

One of the two swimming pools. Children were allowed to use this pool, but there were no children staying at the hotel whilst we were there. There are only 49 rooms in total and the whole site was never crowded in any way.

The path below the Manor House and into adult only pool and sun lounging area.

In front of the steps to the Manor House.

A couple of blooms that caught my eye on our way back to our room.

We had a lovely roomy room, with a great balcony overlooking the gardens. There was a double sunbed on the balcony and it didn't take long for Sharon to put that to use.

Note the blue sky!

After we had unpacked and caught a bit of sun, it was time to think about dinner! As always, I had done a bit of research and checked out restaurants close to the hotel. Franco's Corner got good reviews and we headed down and managed to get a table inside. It was very busy and it seemed to do lots of fish, which suited us after travelling and eating a later lunch than normal.

We started with a Martini Spritz, because the waitress said we should! It was very nice.

I had beef carpaccio, because I can hardly ever get past it of it is on any menu. We also had Bolo de Caco, so we shared the plates.

Sharon had the special of grilled sea bass, which she really enjoyed.

I had the scabbard fish with prawns on polenta. It was very good also, but there was probably a bit too much polenta for me.

We didn't have a pudding, but I felt I had to have a 5 year old Blandy's Madeira and I was glad I did!

It was dark when we got back to our room, but that just showed off a bit of shadow on the balcony wall. Artistic, I would say.

It was still in the twenties and Sharon was taking in the night air and looking for stars of which there were a few!

A great first day, in a great hotel with some fine food.

Day 3 Sunday 10th September.

We woke to sunshine and blue sky. Breakfast was served until the very reasonable time of 1030, so we had plenty of time to take our time, so we did. It was very pleasant to sit outside in such a nice setting for breakfast.

I had scrambled egg, avocado and smoked salmon

Then I had a selection of bread and pastry. The olive wasn't an olive, but a fruit jelly!

Sharon had the Portuguese omelette, which had cheese, chorizo and a little salsa on top.

We were going to need a taxi to get us to the harbour for our boat trip on Monday morning, so we went to the reception after breakfast. There is a seating area next to the reception with views over the gardens.

The garden certainly looked lush in the sunshine.

Once our admin was done, we walked into the city centre, which was all downhill, and it was very hot. The city does have a lot of green, especially in the hard to develop ravines.

We took a little diversion into the Parque de Santa Caterina, which was a park designed for all ages, having play areas, seating around ponds and outdoor gyms. It also had fine views over the city and out to sea. You can see the clouds gathering over the mountains to the north of the city. This was to become a daily occurrence. Clouds would gather and there might be a sprinkle of rain, but it never really lasted for any time. It was never cold.

We found that we could walk down a set of steep steps and get down to the front, rather than following our intended route.

This brought us out near the Cristiano Ronaldo museum, around which were loads of rally cars generating a fair amount of noise fumes and a smell of burning rubber, so we watched them for a while.

I managed to get my photo with the great man himself, well, a statue of him. It appears people seem to find particular parts of the statue worth a bit of a rub, presumably for luck.

We had planned to take the cable car up to Monte despite the looming clouds.

Once at the top, we took a short walk to another cable car down to the Botanic Gardens.

It was a little cooler at height, so there was an advantage to the cloud.

The gardens looked almost impenetrable.

There were some really quite unusual plants - this is a Flame Lily, I think.

Water Lilies.

Bird of Paradise flower.

An aptly named Spider Lily.

Sharon  beside some of the tallest marigolds I've ever seen.

The formal part of the garden appears in many images of Funchal. 

The gardens were a bit of an oasis despite the nearness of the highway.

Leaving the gardens, we took the cable car back to Monte and managed to capture this heart just as the car leaves the station. If you could see the drop, you wouldn't volunteer to cut the grass.

Back down at the seaside and walking along the front, we stopped for a wee bit of lunch. Just a fresh tuna salad for me and the inevitable Bolo de Caco bread.

A far from healthy Peach Melba ice cream for Sharon.

Back to the hotel and little rest for Sharon in the gardens.

The gardens were full of these big Monarch butterflies, but they were a bit tricky to photograph as they seldom settled for long.

We went for a quick swim in  the smaller if the two pools, just to work up an appetite for our dinner at the Manor House Dining Room.

When I say Dining Room, the tables were actually set out on the front terrace and lawn.

We were the first to arrive, so got the pick of the tables.

We started the meal with a local gin and a Portuguese Sparkling wine form Barraida, which Sharon really enjoyed. They then brought us an amuse bouche of a gazpacho style soup, garnished with a dried strawberry.

I started with a venison carpaccio and truffle ice cream, which was delicious served with a surprising white Quinta de Lapa Alverinho, The white wine really cut through the richness of the dish. It was lovely.

Sharon had a vegetable terrine with beetroot hummus and a stock gel. She had the same wine as I did. Even I, who do not like beetroot, had to admit this was pretty good.

Next up for me - Roast suckling pig, pressed pork, Madeira couscous, mustard sauce, pepper and tarragon. It was magnificent with a glass of red from the Duoro.

Sharon had Turbot with mussel cream, mushrooms and basil served with a chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and Arinto grape, again from Barraida.

After a decent break we had dessert. Chocolate and Caramel Cappuccino with fruit for me along with a 10 year old Blandy's Madeira.

Grand Marnier souffle for Sharon with a Quinta Sao Franciscao Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc Fernao Pires dessert wine from the Lisbon area.

Some dainty little chocolates to finish off.

By now most people had left, and darkness had fallen, just to add to the atmosphere. What a fine meal that had been.

We left via the very smart dining room.

The short walk to our room with the city lights behind was very nice indeed.

The end of another fine day.

Day 4 Monday 11th September

We were going whale watching (hopefully) today, so we were up for breakfast a bit earlier today. In fact, the sun was barely up when we sat down.

We took a taxi into the town to the harbour and found our catamaran ready to take us out to sea. There were only 16 of us on board, which was the main reason I had chosen this company. No crowds thronging the side of the boat when any wildlife was sighted.

Sharon was not slow to get a fine seat up top and up front.

The crew weren't slow to start serving the sparkling wine - provenance unknown, but perfectly acceptable on a white boat on a calm shiny sea under bright blue skies.

We were soon on our way.

Sharon was right at home.

It wasn't all drinks, there were some little snacks, including the very famous Pasteis de Nata - Portuguese cream tarts. Even I like them.

Of course, we weren't there just for a snack and a glass or two of wine. We were there to see some whales and we were not disappointed. We were surrounded by a pod of 30 to 40 Pilot Whales. These whales, which are actually dolphins, were not hunting but travelling. They primarily eat squid and to do that they have to go to some depths , rather than being seen on the surface.

We stayed with them for a while, before leaving them alone to continue on their journey. 

After our whale of a time, we anchored up and a few brave souls had a swim. We had another glass of wine and a chat with the crew.

They told us that they had a land based observer looking for animals that the boats could get us to. They were based in a small building just below the statue of Christ the King. This is an Art Deco sculpture built in 1927, 4 years before the more well known Christ the Redeemer in Rio De Janeiro. It actually marks the spot where non-Catholics were thrown off the cliffs as only Catholics could be buried in Madeiran cemeteries up until 1770. Doesn't seem that Christian to me.

Once back ashore, we walked along the front a little, then branched away up some elegant, tree lined streets

We were near the Palace of Sao Lourenco. This was built in the 16th Century following on from the sacking of Funchal by the French in 1566. The building is one of the best fortresses in all Portugal. The building has gone through significant alterations over the centuries and is now largely used as a museum and a government residence.

We wandered through some nice gardens with fine fountains.

We soon reached our objective - the CR7 museum. So named because Christiano Ronaldo the greatest living Portuguese footballer wears the number 7 shirt for club and country. He was born in Funchal and is, apparently, a huge benefactor to many causes in Madeira. Certainly the museum seems to be a big draw for tourists. We were there due to instructions from our grandsons, who felt it should be the highlight of our holiday. It wasn't that, but it was quite interesting.

Here is a life sized statue of the man made from chocolate. I don't know how it did not melt and there are plenty of people that might think Ronaldo would eat himself if he was made out of chocolate.

There are plenty of statues about.

Pictures of Ronaldo as a boy becoming ever more famous and playing for bigger clubs as the years went by.

A lot of balls.

The Ballon d'Or he won in 2014 as the best player playing in Europe that year. He has won the trophy 5 times in his career.

The Golden Boot is awarded to the player scoring the greatest number of goals in a season. Ronaldo has won the boot 4 times.  

After all that, it was time for me to be awarded the golden beer. It was pretty warm and I deserved it. Sharon had a Mojito.

We caught a bus back up to the hotel and spent a bit of time just sitting in the sun on the balcony. We had not arranged dinner and had no real idea of what we wanted. We went for a wander and happened upon O Dragoeiro - The Dragon Tree. We were seduced into going in by the owner, who gave us a small glass of Madeira at the gate and said we would have a wonderful meal. True enough, we did have a good time.

First we had some Bolo de Caco bread, as usual.

We both went for the island speciality of Espetada - skewered steak. The steak is marinated in salt, garlic and bay, cooked over flames and then doused in melted butter. It was astonishingly good and we both enjoyed it a lot. The chips were not frozen and they were excellent. As steak and chips with a bit of show goes, this was very good indeed.

We were full when we left, but the walk uphill helped a bit and we were soon back at our hotel.

Another really good day.

Day 5 Tuesday 12th September.

Another relatively early start today. We were driven into the mountains to a place called Paradise Valley, which was nice enough, but not exactly heavenly nice when you already live in God's own country! However, we weren't really there for  the valley, but  to walk along a section of the Levada de Serra do Faial

Levadas are irrigation channels, constructed about 100 years ago in order to bring water from the wet north of the island to the dry south. The south is where important crops have always been grown and the water is crucial to that. The farmers and growers in the south pay a fee to get the water and the levadas are maintained as a result. It is the need for maintenance that means there are relatively flat paths and tracks alongside the running water. These make ideal walking routes between villages for locals and hiking trails for tourists.

Some levadas like this one have been finished in concrete, but they were often made using local basalt rock. This one did have sections of basalt.

Paradise Valley.

Amaryllis Belladonna was pretty common along our route. It is, of course, highly toxic.

Whilst the forest looked natural to my eyes, it was not so. Early settlers denuded the local forests early on. They also brought plants from all over the world. These grew well in the climate and most of what we saw was invasive, giving rise to all sorts of issues.

It was very easy and pleasant walking, and our guide Ruby was very informative.

This looked like the walls of some old fortress, but Ruby explained it was holding up a football pitch for a village. The hills are so steep that any land use needing flat space has to be retained by enormous concrete walls.

It being shady and damp by the levada meant that there was a lot of fungus about.

The most common plant here was Agapanthus. Most of the flowers had gone at this stage of the season, but we did see some. When it is all fully in bloom, it must be something to see.

We emerged from the woods to a bit of a cross roads outside the village of Camacha. The sign tells us that this is Valentine's way - a place for young lovers to walk and meet, apparently.

Camacha is quite a small village. It is famous for its Apple Festival, and there were a lot of apples and pears on the ground from nearby trees. It was also famous for basket making. It was the centre of this craft for the whole island, but not any more. Life was pretty hard here and many people left to be replaced by residents who live here, but work in Funchal or elsewhere. The other thing you should know about Camacha is that it is the site of the first ever game of football in Madeira. No Camacha, no Ronaldo!

It actually started to drizzle as we came into the village. As luck would have it, this was our stop for tea or coffee, so we did not get wet. The rain had stopped by the time we were ready to get back on the trail. There was plenty of low cloud about, though.

Whilst most of the old crafts have all but disappeared, there was one old lady knitting traditional hats and clothes in her garage and another selling dried herbs, seeds and bulbs.

It was an interesting place,  but a bit sad inasmuch as it was losing its identity and culture somewhat.

It also seemed to need a decent plumber!

Ultimately, we ran out of levada and found our bus waiting to take us back to our respective hotels. It had been an interesting walk.

Once back at our hotel, we found that the fairies were in tidying the room, so we sat in a comfy chair in the spacious library/lounge on the ground floor. It was a very calm space.

We also had a short walk through the gardens to the bar for a late lunch, where we managed to get a better picture of one of the Monarch butterflies.

I had a very nice Wagyu burger, with rather more chips than I really needed.

Sharon had a chicken and mango wrap.

I cannot recall with complete certainty, but I think we had a swim and, perhaps, a little snooze, before we went out for a late dinner.

We arrived a little early at our pre-booked restaurant Infinito. We had read all about this and it sounded a bit bonkers, so we were prepared for an unusual night.

We could not get a seat outside, and inside was roasting, so we went for a little walk and a cold beer. The owner was unforgiving of our earliness and really seemed not to want us to wait, but rather to go and come back. The cold beer and a bit of people watching was just fine.

We returned to the restaurant at the appointed time, to be given one of the two outside tables. We were asked what we wanted - meat or fish?! There was no menu and no mention was made of the specials blackboard.

Meat, we said. Our host disappeared and came back and opened a bottle of red wine without any need for us to consult a wine list.

Happily it was  very good.

He said he would cook us up a meat plate and off he went. He was back fairly quickly holding a big, sharp looking knife. He used that to cut us a piece each of a local soft cheese, which he gave us with some nice olives. The cheese was good as were the olives.

 A while later he came out with a plate for each of us with what we thought was just a garnish and, indeed, that is what it was. The little black grapes were quite the most intense grapes I have ever eaten.

After some time, he appeared with our platter! It was huge!

There was pork steak, pork rib, frankfurter and langoustine along with salad, corn, polenta, sweet potato and broccoli!

That wasn't all! He came out again with a skewer of beef - Espetada again.

There was no rush for us to finish, which was just as well. In fact, he turned away, without any ceremony, a couple who had arrived 45 minutes late for their table! We didn't see anyone turn up on spec and nobody tried to sit inside

His restaurant, his rules. 

The food was delicious, but overwhelming in the end. We were chided for not eating all the salad and the broccoli. Apparently, he grows most of the veg on his small farm and just picks what he fancies cooking that night.

We did not ask for dessert, but he brought some honey cake, soaked in Madeira.

He finished us off with a small biscuit. I asked if he had made these, but he said no and he would have to kill me if he told me who had made them!

He then presented the bill, which he said came to 400 Euros! I knew to expect this and said I would not pay that, so he gave us the correct bill for 53 Euros 30 for the food, 20 for the wine and 3 for the water. Less than £25 a head for a mountain of food and a decent bottle of wine.

We paid up and staggered off into the night to find a bus home, admiring some floodlit buildings on the way.

The end of a strange and memorable day.

Day 6 Wednesday 13th September

We woke to another fine day in no hurry to get going, but.....What to have for breakfast?

Well, I had what was described as Fried Egg on Toast. Sounded a little unusual, but turned out not to be too different at all. Although the little Verbena leaf was a nice touch.

Sharon had pancakes with honey and walnuts.

We did also have something from the huge choice of fruits, breads and pastries.

We took the bus into the city centre, where our first stop was the Farmer's Market.

It was very colourful, full of smells and sights we just don't see at home.

The fish market was fresh, smelling of the sea and with some fish I've never seen.

There were fruits and vegetables of all shapes and sizes.

More chillies than even I could eat.

Given time, I might have made a dent in the Madeira wine, though.

A very short walk from the market takes you to Rua de Santa Maria, a narrow street with little shops and bars, most of which have painted doors.

This is the Banksy impersonation.

This was a selfie of the two of us.

Lizards.

An unusual letterbox.

A duck shop!

More ducks.

The cable car crossing over the street. No concessions to privacy in your back garden here.

Fishy tales.

Corny.

A mysterious man slipping through the cracks.

Even the dentist was getting in on the act.

We found ourselves next at the Fortress of Sao Tiago. It is hard to miss due to the colour, although it does seem to need a new coat of paint. Having said that, it was built in 1614. It was designed to protect the city from pirates.

In the courtyard there were a couple of vintage cars to add to the atmosphere.

There was a spitter of rain in the air, so we decided to sit down under a parasol for a spot of lunch just beside the fort. We were serenaded by a guitarist on the steps opposite the restaurant. I expected a simple chicken sandwich, but it came with chips as well, which I managed to make a bit of a dent in.

The rain came to nothing and we set about going back to the centre.

There was a cruise liner in - The Anthem of the Seas, which can carry up to 4905 passengers. Sounds like a nightmare to me.

The clouds had come back and there was a bit of rain, so we decided to jump on the hop on, hop off bus.

The rain really was belting down, which rendered sight-seeing a bit tricky.

We drove up to Pico de Barcelos, where there were pretty good views over the city - and the rain went off and stayed off for the rest of the day.

No rain - so out into the open top of the bus for us.

The bus took us to Camara de Lobos by the coast.

It was quite a pretty, but very busy place.

The bus took us back to the centre and we had a bit of a walk about. Time was getting on and we stopped for a drink on this street corner. Rua da Cadeia Velha is the street of the old jail and Rua Direita is the right street.

Every port in Portugal has a right street. This was the first street to the right of the port's custom house. In 1502 a wealthy merchant landed in Funchal and walked up Rua Direita and saw prisoners starving as they would only eat if passers by gave them food. The merchant agreed to provide the jailer with an altar and statue of a saint. The proviso was that there should be a candle lighting up the saint at all times and there would be an alms box at the feet of the saint. The donations were to be used to feed the prisoners and for no other purpose. That is what happened and it was the first recorded charity work in Madeira.

Somewhat in keeping with that kind of socialist ethos, there is now a wee bar called Mad Cuba on the corner and they have Che on the menu cards.

Even more charitably, it was Happy Hour when we arrived and they were selling cocktails at half price, so we had a couple of Margheritas!

We had previously noticed that there was a Wine Festival in town, so we had planned to go there for a tasting and for our dinner tonight. So, off we went.

Time to do a bit of tasting from one of the kiosks round the site. I think Sharon liked that one.

Yes, she did!

I thought I should check, just to be sure.

Wine is usually a bit nicer with food and we were starving by now. Even though we had booked the festival dinner for later, we got some cheese and sausage. Well, quite a bit of cheese and bread, to be honest.

The dinner was by Julio Pereira, who is a bit of a big deal in Funchal. They gave us some bread, olives and butter with a dried chorizo crumb.

There were three starters for the two of us to share next.

The first of these was a Tuna cornetto.

Tuna tartare with Thai flavours all in a wonton wrapper that had been fried in a cornet shape.

It was just exquisite.

Next - Fish sausages! Never had a fish sausage before. These are made from the trimmings of fish served in the chef's restaurants. The sausages were designed to mimic meat sausages often found in Madeira.

From the top - a black pudding made with squid ink, a pork sausage made from white fish and a chorizo made from white fish and paprika.

They came with a garlic aioli and an onion chutney.

Great!

The final starter was a take on local sausage rolls, with a very fine meat paste sausage covered in a grape sauce and almonds.

Another fine course.

Main course was a breast of duck with carrot puree, roast pumpkin and shredded cabbage and bacon.

Dessert was salted caramel, chocolate ganache and a tangerine sorbet with crushed biscuit.

A lovely end to a very good meal.

The two girls in the front of the photo were from Henriques and Henriques, who provided the wines for the meal. They are a very famous Madeira winemakers and it was a bit unusual to have Madeira with every course and not just the usual dessert.

They make single grape dry wines as well as sweet and very good they were, too.

Next to us were Betsy and Ben who live in Bristol and were really good fun. I'm not one for speaking to people on holiday, but they were really entertaining and easy to talk to.

Betsy and Sharon were a bit embarrassing when they started to sing Abba songs and the like along with the Madeiran Elton John!

Indeed, Betsy and Ben were still dancing when we left to go home after a long and exciting day. I'm sure they got home eventually. They were supposed to be up in the mountains before dawn to see the sun rise. I hope they made it.

Day 7 Thursday 14 September

Another exciting day in prospect today - off road wine tasting! It was nice at breakfast time, but soon we were heading north into the mountains and it became a little dull, with some rain.

Our little group and our driver Diogo were undaunted.

The scenery was pretty spectacular - like being at home in many respects.

We were getting higher and higher.

Diogo was good at letting us stop for photos.

As we sometimes do, we had one of Craig's climbing carabiners. Craig was the son of our friends and neighbours, Hugh and Pam. He had drowned tragically some years back, and his parents were keen to send his climbing gear on the adventures that he could no longer make. We asked Diogo if he could find a spot for us to leave one of his climbing nuts.

This is where he took us.

Sharon dropped the nut (which is used to insert in cracks in rock and then loop ropes through for safety). Diogo assured us that this was the best possible place and that Craig would have loved it. We were not so sure, because we could see nothing due to the mist and cloud, but we trusted his judgement.

Diogo said he would send us pictures of the location, which he did and, sure enough, Craig would have been impressed. Certainly his parents were when we showed them the view on a good day.

On the way down the other side of the mountain, we got a view back up to where we had dropped off the nut.

Gloomy today, but still impressive.

It wasn't long before Diogo uttered the famous words - "Let's take a short cut that I know"! He used that a lot after that and it always meant we were on a narrow, twisting, steep, often unpaved and muddy track. He had taken the roof off the back of the 4X4 and the girls with us, Sharon and another couple were a bit more exposed! As the oldest and most venerable, I was cocooned in the front, It was fun and took us to places, we certainly wouldn't have otherwise gone. He suggested that the twisting, bumping and turning was really a form of massage.

Allegedly, these tracks were used by locals for all sorts of rural purposes.

Happily, none of them were out and about whilst we were there.

You can see that there was a bit of vegetation beside and overhanging the track. It had also been raining. Luckily, Sharon and I had given the three girls in the back of the 4X4 our rain jackets, but that didn't stop all the rear passengers being refreshed by good mountain raindrops. I think these were squeals of delight I could hear behind me. I can confirm that it was dry in the front!

Some of the views were well worth it, though.

What adventurers we were.

I think being in the front was just as perilous as being in the back!

Next stop was a honey museum. The tour company support local industries and honey is a big thing in the north of Madeira. The honey is collected by individual bee keepers and then collectively gathered and processed and sold.

The museum had some interesting old bee hives and machinery for separating out the honey from the combs.

They also had some nice little chocolate and honey and pollen sweeties as well as a much needed toilet! We bought some honey and chocolate. We've eaten the chocolate and can vouch for it being very good, especially with a glass of something smooth and red.

I felt it was getting close to wine o'clock. You couldn't tell from the clock, which was showing the wrong time, but I still knew. The clock was built after the second world war to provide a beacon to people walking over the mountain paths or sailing in from the sea. It was positioned to be seen from miles in every direction, but it did need a bit of attention.

We soon arrived at our first winery. Remarkably, this was the same winery which made the wines that we liked before dinner at the Wine Festival last night.

We were given tastings of 6 different wines with some local cheese and sausage. They were all good, but some were better than others.

Madeira is famous for Madeira Wine, which is a fortified wine, often used as a dessert wine. Table wines are relatively rare in terms of production, the bulk of grapes going into madeira Wine. However, some small producers are moving into this market, with some success. Barbusano is one such producer. They export only a small proportion of wines and they are pretty small scale compared with mainland Portuguese wines.

They grow most of their own grapes, but do take some from smallholdings close by to the winery. After the tasting, which we enjoyed, we were given a short guided tour of the vineyard, which was on a fairly steep hillside.

The vines were grown almost as umbrellas to provide shade and conserve water, rather than in the more traditional cordon or rows. This meant we could get right inside the vines.

There was more room and light than you might have expected.

I have mentioned the three girls that were in the back of the 4X4. We had got chatting to them over the wine tasting. They were from Canada, but, strangely, did not know any of my relatives. One of them had just finished her Master's degree looking at improving outcomes for new born children in Africa. The second was a peripatetic cardiac nurse travelling throughout Canada and the third was in Health administration. They were really interesting and fun company. They had been canyoning the day before and clearly thought that wine tasting would be a more sedate activity, requiring more glamorous clothing. They hadn't reckoned on Diogo and wet banana leaves!

They carried it off with some aplomb, though.

Not so elegant myself!

Time for lunch!

We drove a little way to the Restaurant Caravelho in Sao Vicente.

There was, of course, Bolo de Caco. There was also a spicy chicken espetada for me. I hadn't quite expected that, as it was just described as chicken from the barbecue. It was delicious.

After, what everyone agreed was a good but very large lunch, we had a wee walk along the sea front. This is completely different to Funchal. The sea is more rough and the cliffs are much steeper. It appears as though tourists don't come here in anything like the same numbers.

Some restaurants were less accessible than ours!

I suspect there is a lot more to see up here - maybe another time.

It was time to head south now and we did that passing through the Encumeada Tunnel, which is 2.7 kilometres long, the third longest tunnel in Madeira, which has over 150 tunnels.

From the depths of underground to the heights of some of the tallest cliffs in Europe at Cabo de Girao. I say some of the tallest, because there is huge debate about what constitutes a sea cliff and also whether Madeira is geographically part of Europe or Africa. Suffice to say they are almost 600 bowel melting metres above the sea! They have provided a glass walkway for you to really get the full effect. I'm not sure that they should have been letting that little baby bounce on the glass!

The altitude must have affected Sharon's phone, because I don't really look like this!

The views were spectacular.

If not a little vertiginous.

Looking straight down was an experience.

You could see for miles out to sea. The reflection of the clouds in the sea was, I think, a bit unusual and interesting. The reflection was not level and I assume that the clouds on the left middle of the picture were further away than those on the the right, and thus their reflection appears to be closer to the horizon.

The clouds reflected below were just a bit intimidating.

I'm not a lover of heights, so I needed a drink after that. Luckily, our final stop was the Henriques and Henriques Madeira Winery.

Once again, and rather remarkably, these were the wines that sponsored and accompanied our dinner at the wine festival yesterday! We even met the two ladies who hosted the dinner and one of them guided us through a tasting of the various wines that they produce.

The wines are different from other wines, because they are essentially oxidised by being moved and heated to mimic the effect of being on board ship. This is because Madeira wines were originally table wines that were stored in barrels and shipped across the world. The movement and heat in ship's holds changed the character of the wine and in a good way. It became very desirable, but storing wine in ships moving around the world is expensive, so they replicate this now in Madeira. That is why casks of wine were behind us and not in cool cellars while we tasted the product.

The company has existed since 1850 and they own their own vineyards, which gives them greater control over the raw ingredients. They make a range of wines from dry to sweet. They also make blends of grapes or wines made from single varieties. Like Port, they are aged for many years and this ageing makes for better wines.

Most people preferred the dry varieties, certainly we did,

So much so, that we bought a bottle of 10 year old Sercial. This is a dry version and Sercial is the grape,. The label says it is a dry, tangy wine with a fresh aroma and flavours of brown spices nuts and citrus peel. We liked it at the tasting, but haven't opened the bottle yet. I need to make my famous salted toasted almonds to have with it.

That was the end of a long, but thoroughly enjoyable day in some good company and with a great guide and storyteller. I won't utter the word shortcut without thinking of a scary, but exhilarating ride with Diogo.

We were dropped back at our hotel and had a bit of a rest and then freshened up for a light dinner on the terrace at the bar in the hotel.

Sharon had Gazpacho, topped with crumbled cheese.

I had Tuna Teriyaki on polenta.

Nice and light after a big lunch and all very nice with a cold glass of white wine in the warmth.

Sharon had a chocolate mousse/souffle for her pudding. She did let me have a spoonful and it was decadently delicious.

Once again, another great day had come to an end.

Day 8 Friday 18th September.

Our last full day here and it was another beautiful blue sky.

The sun was blazing as we took a seat on the terrace for breakfast. We watched the local kestrels hunting all over the garden as they had done for almost every day we were there.

It really was a great way to start every day.

So were the eggs Benedict, although they were a little unconventional. They had pancetta instead of ham and the crumpet had been replaced with Bolo de Caco, both changes I was very happy with.

We were not intending to go far today, so we had a wee stroll around the gardens.

The Manor House, where we had that excellent dinner on our second night.

The driveway, with the old and the new behind me.

We were actually killing time before we went to the hotel gym.

Well, actually we were going to the spa for a treatment. Sharon had persuaded me to have a facial and a foot massage. No photos allowed, but it was actually exceptionally relaxing as you can see from my lazy disposition in the quiet room afterwards.

Sharon had a full body massage, which she said was among the best she has ever had, and she has had one or two.

After her treatment, we took a short walk to some shops to get something small and light for lunch. Luckily we already had a corkscrew.

Some ham and cheese, nuts, crisps and apple and a very pleasant rose wine on our balcony.

Oddly, we fell asleep after that, or at least, I did. Sharon read a book in the sun!

I came back to life and we went for a swim.

After we had whiled away the day, looking at the garden, it was time for a pre-dinner drink on the balcony. 

We had booked a very swish restaurant, but, truth be told, we had had our fill of rich food and flash dining, so we went back to our first restaurant, because we both fancied some fish instead of a 7 course extravaganza.

We sat outside in the sun and chatted to our neighbouring diners, who had just arrived that day. We also had a bit of fun with the waitresses, much better than a posh dinner, perhaps.

We even drank some fizzy water.

We shared some Bolo de Caco and Prawns in oil and garlic.

I had a simply delicious sea bass main.

Sharon had scallops with what was said to be risotto, but wasn't really. She did like it though and she has a reputation for not liking a shite risotto.

I finished with a passion fruit mousse and a 10 year old Madeira, both of which were very good. I was also given a small Toblerone for awarding the waitress 10 points for looking after me so well!

Sharon had Franco's Sin, which was kind of caramel cheesecake, which she devoured, despite being full.

Time for bed and getting ready to go in the morning.

Day 9 Saturday 19th September

We were in no real hurry this morning. Breakfast was a little later and we finally managed to capture a photo of the local kestrel on a tree waiting for breakfast as well.

The Kestrel did get a bit upset when this Harris Hawk appeared. Apparently his job is to keep the pigeons out of the gardens. I would say he was pretty good at his job - I don't remember seeing any pigeons. A nice attention to detail at the hotel, though.

After a final check of the room and a sad farewell to our balcony, we checked out and sat in the reception lounge waiting for our taxi to take us to the airport and then home to reality.

That then was the end of one of the best and most relaxing holidays we have had in some time. We will definitely be back to Madeira and to Qunita da Casa Branca in particular.

There was only one fault with the whole experience.

They put scales in the bathroom in our room!

Why?