Ilhéus da Ribeira da Janela Viewpoint

The ilhéus are volcanic sea stacks that rise straight out of the Atlantic below the viewpoint, on the north coast of Madeira. High cliffs run behind them. The shore under the railing is not sand but large dark pebbles, and the swell breaking on them is loud.

A staircase is built into the side of the cliff. It runs through a small tunnel and comes out on a balcony above the water, out of sight from the road. That balcony, rather than the roadside railing, is what the stop is worth. The stacks also line up differently seen from the river, and one visitor rated that angle above the viewpoint itself.

• Footwear. The shore is large volcanic pebbles, not sand, and the footing is uneven. Closed shoes with grip make the difference.
• Sunset. The sun does not set in view from here. What the evening gives is changing colour over the stacks, and rainbows appear often.
• Toilets. Free public toilets stand within roughly 100 metres of the viewpoint.
• Power station. A power plant sits beside the car park and turns up in any wide shot along the coast.

The viewpoint sits on the north coast road towards Porto Moniz, and most people arrive by car. The car park is roughly 100 metres away, next to the power station, and the viewpoint is at road level from there. To get closer to the water, take the staircase built into the cliff: it passes through a small tunnel and ends on a balcony above the sea. The pebble shore lies below.

Better: sunrise, or the evening.

Avoid: planning the trip around the sunset itself.

The sun goes down out of view of the viewpoint, so the reason to come late is the colour over the stacks and the rainbows, which appear often on this coast. Summer brings clear sky above the stacks. In winter the weather turns grey and dark, and the stacks read no less sharply against it.