Miradouro do Pico do Facho

The ground falls away on both sides of the ridge, so the view goes two ways at once — the Machico valley and its bay on one hand, the Caniçal coast and the open Atlantic on the other. Aircraft climbing out from the airport are part of the scene, though one visitor who came for that rates the spot mediocre for plane-spotting and better for everything else.

What stands out is how little happens here. It stays quieter than the island's better-known viewpoints, there are picnic tables at the top, cats wander between them, and the scenery holds up through the whole day rather than only at the golden hour.

• Nothing to buy at the top. No café, no shop, no kiosk — bring water and something to eat. Picnic tables stand beside the viewpoint.
• Toilets are 14 m from the viewpoint, and a second set, free to use, sits 589 m away.
• A drinking fountain, the Fontanário do Miradouro do Senhor dos Milagres, is 481 m from the top.
• Cloud can take the sun. The horizon clouds over often enough that sunset is a gamble; the coastal scenery reads well regardless.
• Guideposts stand 212 m and 516 m out, so the walking routes off the ridge are marked on the ground.

ER109 runs over the ridge between Machico and Caniçal, and the viewpoint sits right at the roadside — car or taxi takes you to the door with nothing left on foot.

On foot from Machico, a 4 km path climbs to the top; one pair of walkers did the round trip in two hours. Worth knowing before you set out: the route Google Maps offers walkers runs about two hours and follows the main car road, while the way up from the hotel car park nearby takes 30 minutes. From the viewpoint you can also carry on along a coastal loop that comes back down to Machico by way of Boca de Perdras.

Best: sunrise, or any clear hour of the day.

Avoid: an evening when cloud is already sitting on the horizon.

One visitor who tried both ends of the day recommends sunrise over sunset here — sunset needs a clear sky, and a single cloud in the wrong place is enough to swallow it. The view over the two coastlines does not depend on that, so a clouded evening costs you the sun rather than the outlook.