Ask anyone to name 2 facts about Madeira and you will probably hear tales of Cristian Ronaldo extending the airport runway and with it the pilot´s lifespan in winter storms. Or perhaps that it´s primarily a destination favoured by the elderly looking for gentle climes and alluring flora in our winter months.
Others might mention the eponymously named amber wines or Winston and Clementine Churchill taking tea at the Reids Hotel that featured in James Bond´s Golden Eye. However, very few will be likely to associate off-piste jeep safaris, whale spotting, canyoning or zip wiring with this volcanic island 870 km off the coast of Casablanca in North Africa.
I am a loyal fan of Portuguese outposts and have expanded my Lusitanian vocabulary round Cabo Verde, the Azores and Brazil so last summer I decided to explore another Portuguese frontier closer to home.
Just one tuna tataki cornetto, give it to me...Original fare from AkuaMo
The island of Madeira is about three times the size of Nantucket, twice the area of the Isle of Wight and slightly larger than Singapore. Still a hit amongst green-fingered septuagenarians, this mountainous isle is now very much geared towards an adventurous crowd of all ages.
Mother and daughter basket cases
In fact, Madeira has been associated with bracing activities since the mid 1800’s as the residents of the cooler hills of Monte enjoyed many a hair-raising descent to the capital, Funchal in a toboggan-shaped wicker basket. These sledges are still skilfully steered by elegant men known as carreiros, clad in white with a straw boater, who took much delight in imitating my shrieks of “Oh My God!” as we hurtled down the slippery smooth roads, in amongst the odd car, at 40 km/hour.
The Portuguese word madeira means wood, referring to the dense forests coating the island when navigators first landed on its shores in the 15th century. The lush rugged ravines, fertile volcanic soil and balmy climate make Madeira a safe haven for all manner of tropical fruits brought back from South America which are now on display at Funchal´s colourful Mercado dos Lavradores.
Rainbow fruits at Lavradores market
Outside throbbing Funchal, the dramatic coastline and postcard-pretty churches are a magnet for painters. Winston Churchill paid the island a visit with his wife, Clementine in January 1950 for that very reason. The British statesman and his formidable wife disembarked from the Durban Castle liner to great fanfare and fireworks and stayed at historic Reids hotel where an emblematic afternoon tea is still served today on a terrace above the sea provided you´re not wearing trainers.
Churchill sounds like my kind of traveller as he toured the island in an open topped Rolls Royce with a converted bar in the back before setting up his easel in the fishing village of Camara de Lobos just east of Funchal where he painted the iconic wooden boats in a scene that can still be admired today.
Clementine was no stranger to exotic travel as fifteen years earlier she had gone on an intrepid four-month voyage round Burma, Borneo and onto to Komodo to trap a few a dragons to exhibit in London Zoo (eek!). Accompanied by my grandmother´s uncle, Terence Philip, various sources allege that they had an “amitié amoureuse” on board. It was short-lived as one of the other guests insulted Winston during a radio broadcast they were listening to under the starry skies and Clementine promptly abandoned ship. However, they remained close (platonic) friends for many years.
From Sonia Purnell´s biography of Clementine
Nowadays, in an increasingly globalised world, the essence of the real Madeira is the key draw for visitors looking for a genuine, cultural experience and a wide range of surf and turf activities. And if you´re after the real flavour of Madeira I recommend a trip to Blandy´s Wine Lodge where they have been making wine for over 200 years.
Madeira wine originated in the 15th–16th centuries, when barrels sent on long sea voyages were transformed by heat and movement into a unique, fortified wine.
Its distinctive “cooked” flavour led producers to recreate the effect on land, making Madeira one of the few wines deliberately aged with heat and oxidation. I particularly enjoyed a 10 year-old dry, nutty Sercial, a fruity 2011 Single Harvest Verdelho and a full-bodied 1987 Terrantez while my daughter snacked on cured pork.
Everyone needs a little fortification once in a while
Other days were spent watching frolicking dolphins and whales and swimming in volcanic rock pools in Porto Moniz, walking along a few terraced levadas (water irrigation canals) and eating top notch tuna at Atlantic near the Cliff Bay Hotel and Akua in Funchal centre where it was served raw in a tataki cornetto.
Madeira refuses to be tamed—wild, charged, and alive with the same restless energy as the adventurous souls it draws. If you are a seeker of authenticity, hairpin bends, jagged peaks in racing clouds, and mouth-watering food, I heartily recommend it. There are direct flights from Madrid. Just leave the wildlife where it is.
How to tame a (poor) dragon in 1935
