Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Footpath
^
Café
Afootpath
(right)
linksfour
mainpeaksandis
oneoftheisland's
mostexciting
walks.Itshouldnot
beattemptedunlessyouareproperlyequippedfor
challengingmountainconditions(includingsudden
storms,tunnelsandunprotecteddrops).Alargeyel-
lowsignmarksthestartofthepath.Walktheirst100
m(110yards)orsoforineviewsbacktothesummit.
Thephotographson
thewallsofthesummit
caféshowthepeakat
sunset,atsunriseandin
snow.Theymightwell
temptyoutomakereturn
visitstoenjoythecolours
oftheskyatduskor
dawn,ortoviewthe
nightskyawayfromthe
glareofcitylights.
&
View to the West
Theviewwestward
fromthesummit
(above)
takesintheentirecentral
mountainrange,withits
successionofknife-edge
peaksasfarastheeye
cansee.Thepredomi-
nantcoloursaretheiery
reds,rustbrowns,blacks
andpurplesofoxidized
volcanicrocks,inascene
morelikethesurfaceof
MarsthantheEarth.
*
Volcanic Dykes
(
View to the East
Island Origins
Madeira'slong,slow
birthbegan18million
yearsago,aslavaburst
upthroughtheocean
loortocreatelayerupon
layerofbasalticrock.It
took15millionyearsfor
PicodoArieirotoreach
itspresentheight.For
another2.25million
years,furthereruptions
spilledlavasideways
fromtheisland'scentral
core,creatingthelatter
plainsofthePaúlda
Serratothewestand
SantodaSerratothe
east.Volcanicactivity
didnotinallyceaseuntil
6,450yearsago,when
thecavesatSãoVicente
(see p81)
wereformed.
Anotherdistinctive
featureoftheviewtothe
westandsouthisa
seriesofparallelgrey
outcrops,resemblingthe
GreatWallofChina,that
followthecontoursof
thelandscape.Theseare,
infact,verticalseamsof
hardvolcanicrockthat
haveresistedtheerosive
forcesofrain,frostand
Theviewtotheeast
looksdownoverthe
greenwoodedslopesof
theisland'sindigenous
forest
(see p23)
.Ona
clearday,itispossibleto
seethemeadowland-
scapeofSantodaSerra,
andtheisland'slong
rockytail,thePontade
SãoLourenço,curvingoff
intothedistance.
)
Wildlife
Evenonthebare,dry
rocksofMadeira'shigh
peaks,plantsindaniche
whereveracrackpro-
videsshelterandmois-
ture.Amongthegorse
(right)
andheather,you
canspotgrasshoppers
andthewell-camoulaged
nativegraylingbutterly.
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