Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
Walkers at Rabaçal
Right
Water feeding a
levada
Facts about Levada Walking
!
What Are Levadas?
the wheat, sugar, grape and
banana crops, powered the
sawmills used to turn trees into
timber for construction and ship-
building, and turned the wheels
of the mills that crushed sugar.
$
Levada Maintenance
The word
levada
means “to
take . A
levada
is an irrigation
channel, designed to take water
from places where it is plentiful
to those where it is not. The
Madeirans borrowed the idea
from the mountains of Andalucia,
where the channels are known
as
acequias
.
@
Why Levadas were Built
Levadas
require constant
maintenance to remove rockfalls
and vegetation that could block
the flow of water. Paths were
constructed alongside the chan-
nels to allow the
levadeiro
, or
maintenance man, to patrol his
length of
levada
and keep it in
good working order.
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Levadas as Footpaths
Water is abundant in the
mountains to the north of the
island, but scarce in the fertile and
sunny south, where most crops
are grown. Looking for a way to
store water and carry it to their
cultivation terraces and fields, the
island's early settlers began to
build the irrigation channels that
form the basis of today's network.
£
Water and Power
On a visit to Madeira in 1974,
Pat and John Underwood realized
that
levada
maintenance paths
made perfect footpaths - many of
which provide the visitor with easy
walking routes, with spectacular
views. The resulting guide book,
Landscapes of Madeira
(Sunflower
Books), has brought thousands of
walkers to the island.
^
Construction
Water was essential to the
growth of Madeira. It irrigated
Constructing
levadas
was a
feat of engineering. Following
the contours meant digging
channels into the face of sheer
cliffs, or building aqueducts over
deep crevices. To reach inacces-
sible spots,
levada
builders were
lowered down cliffs in baskets.
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Contour Lines
To prevent the water from
running too fast, causing soil ero-
Terracing
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