Levada of Ribeira da Janela

The walk follows the water channel with the valley falling away on one side, and it is the tunnels people come back talking about. Several are cut straight through the rock and none of them are lit. One runs about 1.5 km, with waterfalls coming down inside it, so you cross it in the dark and come out soaked. The first tunnel has a waterfall of its own and is the easiest of them.

Past the tunnels the path reaches a house on the right, where walkers write their name and the date on the wall inside. Further on the main path crosses a dam with waterfalls below it. Beyond that a landslide has taken the trail out. Anyone set on continuing has to take the dirt path that drops to the river and climbs back up to the far side, and that stretch is very steep.

• Torch: the tunnels are unlit, and one of them runs about 1.5 km.
• Waterproof jacket: water falls from the roof inside the long tunnel and soaks you through.
• After rain: the path turns very wet and slippery, and stones come loose off the slope above.
• The far end is broken: a landslide has destroyed the path beyond the dam, and a sign marks where walkers are told to stop.
• Facilities: toilets sit close to the start; the picnic spots along the trail are there but not kept up.

Nearly everyone drives. The asphalt car park sits 28 m from where the path starts, with a second one 56 m along, so there is no approach walk to speak of — you step out of the car and onto the levada. From there the path runs level beside the channel, and the tunnels come later, so keep the torch where you can reach it rather than buried in the pack.

Better: early in the morning, after several dry days in a row.

Avoid: rain, and the day straight after it.

The trail is a quiet one — start at half past eight and you can have the first few kilometres to yourself, with other walkers appearing only later in the morning. Rain changes the walk completely: the surface goes slick, loose stones come off the slope, and fog can close the valley so there is nothing to look at. The fourth tunnel needs a couple of dry days behind it; one night of rain is enough to rule it out.