Ponte de Roma

An old stone arch in the hills, quiet by the time you reach it. Most walkers meet it as one stop on a circular route of about 9 km that also follows a levada and crosses a Tibetan rope bridge above the ravine. Handsome in stretches, rough in others: the loop sees little use, and the state of the path shows it. At the bridge the sound is water under the arch and wind in the trees, with moss thick on the stonework and the ravine walls closing in on both sides. Warm, dry weather is what makes the walk work — in rain or cold it becomes a different proposition altogether.

• No facilities: no toilets at the bridge, and none mapped within 800 m; no drinking water either.
• Footwear: the path is very slippery in rain and in cold weather — one visitor found good hiking shoes were not enough.
• The loop: the 9 km circuit is poorly maintained in places, and a section of the path has been blocked off.
• Quiet: the route sees little use, so expect few other walkers and little help if something goes wrong.

Nearly everyone arrives by car, and the last stretch is on foot along a footpath. Google's routing is the trap here: one visitor was sent to park high above and well away from the bridge, and recommends taking the road named Madre d'Água instead. An information board for the Vereda do Arvoredo stands on the approach and is a useful sign you are on the right line. The same footpath turns very slippery in rain and in cold weather.

Best: warm, dry weather.

Avoid: rain and cold.

The path decides the visit. It turns very slippery when wet, and one visitor who came in the cold found good hiking shoes were not enough and would only recommend the walk in warm weather. Dry ground also makes the rougher, poorly maintained stretches of the loop far less of a problem.