Top 10 Madeira (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)

( Santo António da Serra
The village of Santo António
da Serra (known to Madeirans
simply as Santo da Serra), sits in
the middle of a plateau flat
enough for golf courses (see
p48) and fields of grazing cows.
Despite its frequent cloud cover,
wealthy English merchants once
built rural homes here: one of
the former homes of the Blandy
family (see p25) is now a public
park with camellias, hydrangeas
and rhododendrons, and viewing
points that look out toward Ponta
de São Lourenço. d Map J4 • Autocarros
da Camacha bus 77
) Camacha
A monument in the centre
of Camacha proudly declares that
Portugal’s first ever game of
football was played in the town
in 1875, organized by an English
schoolboy. However, it is the O
Relógio (“The Clock”) wicker
factory opposite (see p56) that
draws people here, rather than
its soccer history. You can see
demonstrations of wicker-making
in the workshop. If you explore
the back streets of the village,
you can spot the raw material:
stacks of freshly cut willow
canes. These are steeped in
water and stripped of their bark,
before being boiled to make
them pliable enough to weave.
d Map J5 • Autocarros da Camacha bus
29, 77, 110
O Relógio wicker workshop, Camacha
A Day in Eastern
Madeira
Morning
Assuming you are staying
in Funchal, start off by getting
onto the south coast
highway (follow signs to
the airport), then take the
São Gonçalo exit and head
for Camacha. The road
passes the Quinta do Palheiro
Ferreiro gardens (see
p24). Camacha is famous
for its wicker. Head to the
workshop on the main
square for an insight into
how they are constructed
(see p56).
Carry on to Santo António
da Serra for a walk in the
wooded park. Then continue
through the village and
turn left where the road
forks for Machico (see
p87), with its churches and
fortress. Depending on the
time, you might want to
stop in Caniçal (see p87)
for lunch and to see the
Museu da Baleia (see
p39), devoted to the subject
of whales.
Afternoon
About 3 km (2 miles) east
of Caniçal, you will reach a
car park marked “Prainha”.
Follow the path down to
Madeira’s only natural sand
beach, perfect for a swim.
At the mini-roundabout just
beyond the car park, turn
left and you will come to a
head-spinning viewpoint.
Back at the roundabout,
turn left again and continue
to a large car park. From
here, you can sample the
first part of the path that
leads across the treeless
peninsula to the east of the
island. Head back toward
Funchal and leave the south
coast highway at Santa
Cruz (see p87), where you
will find a good choice of
restaurants for dinner.
Around Eastern Madeira 89