PR14 Levada dos Cedros

Most of the route runs in shade, along the water channel, through forest with birdsong the whole way. Waterfalls come off the slope beside the path. This is one of the lesser known levadas on Madeira, and you can walk it without crossing many people — something the famous trails no longer allow. The last part is monotonous, with the same view repeating. The trail connects to PR13 Vereda do Fanal, and many walkers combine the two into a loop through the ancient trees of Fanal, often under mist. There is a frog pond on the way. The Fanal end is the busy part, because cars reach the forest park there.

• Mud: the ground stays muddy even when it has not rained. Sturdy hiking boots, not trainers.
• After rain: the levada can flood, and the mud gets deep enough to wade through.
• Steps: the levada section begins and ends with steep steps.
• Timing: arrive early to walk before the peak tourist times.
• Plan the return: this is a big route. Work out how you are getting back to the car before you start.

Access is by car. The levada section begins and ends with steep steps, so the walk starts and finishes on stairs rather than on the level. The far end of the route is at Fanal, where cars reach the forest park directly. That is why the trees there draw a crowd while the channel itself stays quiet. If you are walking out and back rather than looping to Fanal, plan the return before you set off: the way back is the way you came in.

Better: early in the day, before the peak tourist times.

Avoid: the days straight after heavy rain.

An early start buys quiet on a trail that is already one of the quieter levadas, and the Fanal end fills up later because cars reach the forest park. Rain is the other variable: the ground is muddy in dry weather and worse afterwards. At the Fanal end the route is exposed to wind and cloud, and it is colder and wetter there than along the channel.