Miradouro do Ponta da Ladeira

The cliff falls away from the viewpoint to a village at the water's edge, with open ocean beyond. It ranks with the most impressive viewpoints in western Madeira, and it stays quiet: far fewer people stop here than at the island's better-known lookouts. It works as a picnic stop, and it is at its best at sunset. On the way back down towards Porto Moniz there is a second viewpoint, this one looking over the town itself.

• Parking: spaces at the viewpoint are very limited. The nearest alternative parking is about 1 km away.
• No toilets: there are none at the viewpoint. The nearest public toilets are about 800 m away.
• The drop: the cliff below the viewpoint falls straight to the sea. Keep children close to you.
• Picnics: the viewpoint works as a picnic stop, and it is one of the quieter places on this coast to do it.
• Cloud: on an overcast day with low cloud on the coast there is nothing to see here.

Access is by car. From Porto Moniz the drive takes about 15 minutes on a road with a few switchbacks. Parking is at the viewpoint itself, so nothing is left to walk, but the spaces are very limited and the next parking is about 1 km back down the road. The nearest bus stop is around 1.1 km away.

Better: late afternoon and sunset.

Avoid: overcast days with low cloud sitting on the coast.

The viewpoint faces the ocean, and the end of the day is what people come for. Crowds are not the problem here; parking is, so the evening is when the few spaces matter. When cloud covers the coast the view goes, and with it the reason for the drive.