We couldn’t resist the chance of catching another sunrise from the summit of Pico do Areeiro. As we had already done the classic Pico to Pico (aka PR1: Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo), we browsed Walking on Madeira for an alternative trail in the area. Enter, Pico do Cedro.
We were up bright and early, so that we could retrieve the car from the car park as soon as it opened. (On a side note, if you’re using the Almirante Reis car park in Funchal and have an early flight home, it is worth noting the opening hours – from Sunday to Thursday, the car park doesn’t open until 06.00.) Laurence did a stellar job of navigating Funchal’s steep and winding streets in the dark, and we arrived at Pico do Areeiro’s lower car park around 06.30.
We then set off for the viewpoint to watch the sunrise. We had timed our arrival perfectly, as we didn’t have long to wait until the horizon turned first a dusky pink, and then a vivid orange.
With time on our side, we lingered for a while to enjoy the view. I honestly don’t think I could ever get bored of it.
You’ll be taking in the view with many others – but the difference between this spot and the chaotic scenes at Levada do Caldeirão Verde is that Pico do Areeiro has space for everyone. And if you’re continuing onto Pico do Cedro, you’ll leave everyone behind here. We didn’t see another soul on this route.
We meandered over to the summit of Pico do Areeiro, from where we could see lots of hikers setting off on the PR1 to Pico Ruivo. A path runs downhill behind the café. When it reached a bend in the road, we followed the red and yellow marker posts to continue towards Pico do Cedro.
Walking on Madeira describes this route as ‘mostly clear’. I would have described it as ‘mostly overgrown’. You’ll soon see why.
Although this route was a hayfever sufferer’s worst nightmare, all was forgiven: the views were glorious and we had the trail to ourselves. Happy days.
Eventually the true summit of Pico do Cedro came into view: a rounded summit, with scree and scrub to one side and pine trees flanking the other. But first, we had to get through all the broom – and there was a lot of it.
With the broom now behind us (for the time being, at least), we pressed on to the summit.
At 1,759m, Pico do Cedro has expansive views of the surrounding peaks. We would probably have spent longer at the summit had it not been for all the flies.
Wooden posts led us downhill, and a faint path to our left led us to the road (below). We followed this for a couple of kilometres (on the map, it equated to between a quarter and a third of the total distance).
Levada Negra runs alongside the road, and there is a narrow track alongside. We found this preferable to walking on the road itself.
Further on, there is a large bend in the road: Levada Negra veers left and uphill, leaving the road behind. This section of the route alternated between clear and wildly overgrown. Despite doing my best to follow the path, I fell into the levada twice. Fortunately, it wasn’t deep and no ankles were harmed.
Levada Negra led us to a dried riverbed (Ribeira de Santa Luzia). Although the instructions in Walking on Madeira were short and to the point – ‘cross over it’ – it took us a while to pick a route through the undergrowth.
We climbed up the other side of the valley, following the path to Poço da Neve. According to Visit Madeira, this igloo-shaped structure dates back to 1813. Poço da Neve was used to store the snow that (infrequently) fell on the mountaintops, in turn providing ice for hospitals and hotels. It was an interesting piece of Madeira’s history.
Rather than follow the route all the way back to the summit of Pico do Areeiro only to descend to the lower car park, Laurence found a more direct alternative on Komoot. Before long, the car park came into view.
You can tell how long the cars have been there by their colour. Ours was one of the filthy ones, caked in reddish dust during our three-hour hike. (Fortunately, Nuno’s, the local car rental company we’d gone with, didn’t seem to mind.)
Up next: Madeira: Boca da Corrida to Terreiros.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
- Getting there | You’ll want your own vehicle for this hike, as there’s no public transport to Pico do Areeiro in the early hours of the morning. Later in the day, Bus 56 (which we took to Ribeiro Frio for PR11 and PR10) does stop at the turn-off for Pico do Areeiro – but you’d have a 6.7km walk just to reach the start of this route (all uphill and completely exposed to the elements).
- Parking | There was lots of space when we arrived, but by the time we returned to our car (around lunchtime, more or less) every space was filled. I don’t know how many spaces were filled by folks out on the trails for the day and how many were people stopping by briefly to admire the view, so it’s entirely possible spaces come and go at frequent intervals.
- Maps and guides | This is ‘Walk 22 – Pico do Cedro and Pico do Areeiro’ in Walking on Madeira by Paddy Dillon (published by Cicerone).
- Distance | 8.7km / 5.4 miles; 343m elevation gain. According to Strava, this took us 3 hours 15 minutes (including 20 minutes of stoppage time).
- Misc. | Prepare for your rental car to look utterly filthy when you return to it (see photo above). I imagine some car hire companies might not be best pleased by this, so this might be a route to avoid the day you’re due to return your car.