Levada do Alecrim

The water channel does the navigating. PR 6.2 leaves Rabaçal and follows the levada round the shoulder of the valley, and about an hour of walking brings you to the waterfall above Dona Beja pool. Railings or thick bush line most of the way, with only a few open stretches. Past the pool a staircase carries on up to the viewpoint that ends the trail — a lot of steps, and they are felt. Set against 25 Fontes, the classic next door, this route runs higher through the same vegetation and the same green valley walls, and carries far fewer people.

• Flooding: water runs over the path in places, deep enough to stop the walk short of its end.
• No toilets and no drinking water within 800 m of the trail — carry what you need.
• Crowds: by mid-morning walkers are stopping to let each other past. Start early.
• Steps at both ends: the climb out of Rabaçal is steep stairs, and more stairs lead to the final viewpoint.
• Open sections: railings or bush guard most of the route, but a few stretches have neither.

Rabaçal is where the driving ends — cars stop at the ground car parks by the cottage, and the van up from ER 105 sets down beside them. From there the trail starts by climbing the hillside on steps, steep at the beginning, before the levada flattens out and does the rest of the work. Walk the long way back on PR 6.3 and you come out on the main road instead, leaving about 30 minutes of uphill walking to reach the car park.

Better: early morning. A walk begun at 9:00 and finished by 10:30 gets the levada before the two-way traffic builds.

Avoid: the days after heavy rain — the levada spills over the path and can stop you short of the end, and the PR 6.3 link back turns to mud.

Passing is a stop-and-wait business once both directions are busy, so the difference between an early start and a late one is not the scenery but how often you stand still.