Vereda do Pico Ruivo Trail

The walk starts high. At Achada do Teixeira the forest is already behind you and the ground is heath, low and wind-cut, with rock formations standing over the ridge. The path is paved the whole way to the summit of Pico Ruivo, which takes most of the effort out of reaching the highest ground on Madeira. From the top the view opens over the green mountains around Curral das Freiras and along the Ribeira Grande and São Jorge valleys; on clear days Porto Santo and the Desertas Islands sit out on the water. The rock towers along the ridge often stand above the cloud.

• Ticket: €3 for anyone over 12, and the timeslot on it has to be kept — book before you drive up.
• Shade: two or three shaded spots on the whole route. Carry water and sun cream.
• Crowds: popularity is the trail's drawback; the 8:00 tickets are the earliest sold, and the path fills later in the day.
• Toilets: none at the trailhead. The shelter below the summit has them, but a lack of water has left them out of order.
• Cover: small shelters stand along the path, built for weather that turns on the ridge without warning.

No bus reaches the trailhead — the nearest stop, Sítio da Achada Marques, is about 3.8 km away, so almost everyone drives. The car park at Achada do Teixeira sits 27 m from the start of the path, with a coffee spot beside it and taxis to be picked up there. From the car park the paved walkway runs 2.8 km to the summit and the same back, roughly an hour and a half for the round trip. Walkers coming off PR1 from Pico do Areeiro join the same route at the shelter below the peak.

Better: the 8:00 slot, the earliest tickets sold, before the trail takes on the day's traffic.

Avoid: clear midday hours — with only two or three shaded spots on the route, the heat has nowhere to go.

Visibility decides the trip. Cloud can settle over the ridge and leave nothing at the top but white, so look at the peaks before committing to the drive up.