Parque Florestal das Queimadas

The whole park sits in shade. Laurel and tree heather close over the paths, and on the main walk a levada runs along one side. The thatched houses at the entrance are the picture most people arrive for, and they stand a few paces from the information board for the PR 9 trail.

The park is big. An hour and a half of walking covers only a small part of it, so you do not have to take on the marked route to Caldeirão Verde to get the point of the place. Underfoot the paths are earth and small loose stones, easy going, and muddy after rain.

• Bring cash. The card machine at the parking office fails for lack of an internet signal this high up. Pay in the separate building.
• Toilets. There are toilets by the entrance and they charge.
• No drinking water. Fill up before you come. The café at the park sells coffee, juice and food, cash only.
• After rain. The paths turn muddy and the road up becomes hard to drive.
• Dogs and children. Dogs are allowed, and the park suits children.

You drive the last stretch, and it is the hard part of the day: the road up is narrow and very steep, with a few places to pull over. In the wet it is difficult, so give yourself room and use the pull-outs rather than reversing on a bend. From the car park the forest paths start straight away, with the information boards for the levada routes a few paces in. Nothing else has to be walked to reach the park itself.

Better: early in the day.

Avoid: wet weather.

Early is quieter — the paid car park fills up later. Weather on these slopes changes fast and fog can close in, so take a photograph of a view while you have it rather than on the way back. Rain makes the paths muddy and the drive up harder, and the forest canopy keeps the ground damp long after the sky clears.