Eira da Achada Viewpoint

Swings hang at the edge of the terrace, facing out to sea, and they are what most people photograph here. Behind them stand concrete benches and tables, solid enough to spread a snack across, with hydrangeas growing round the edges. The view runs along the north coast, with Seixal in it. Eira da Achada Viewpoint stays quieter than Madeira's headline viewpoints, and it sits on the road down from Fanal, which is why it works as a pause rather than a destination. Sun changes everything: the coast goes flat under cloud and opens right up on a clear day.

• Toilets stand beside the car park, and using them costs money.
• Benches and tables here are concrete and solid — this is a place to eat what you brought with you.
• Waymarkers for the PR15 trail stand about 500 m away, not at the viewpoint itself.
• Not everyone is sold: one visitor rated it three stars and said it can be skipped next to nearby spots.

Come by car. The car park is at the viewpoint itself, and the railing is a few steps from where you leave the vehicle, so there is no walk in to plan for. The stop falls on the way down from Fanal towards Ribeira da Janela, which is where it slots naturally into a day on the north-west coast. Toilets and the benches sit within the same handful of metres.

Better: a clear, sunny day — the coast towards Seixal only comes into its own in good light.

Avoid: cloud down on the ridge, which takes the view away and leaves the swings pointing at grey.

Weather decides this stop, not the hour. Check the sky over the north coast and come when it is clear; in mist there is nothing here that a photograph will hold.