Vereda da Ribeira da Janela (PR 15)

Wine left Ribeira da Janela up this path in barrels, on people's backs, bound for Calheta and Ponta do Sol on the south side of the island. Wood for daily life came out of the same forest. What survives is a stair of logs set into the hillside, with trees so close on both sides that the walk runs like a tunnel. Eucalyptus scents the air the whole way.

The open ground comes late. Above Ribeira da Janela the terraces begin, held up by stone walls and planted with vines, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans and maize, and the houses scatter down the slope and along the longest watercourse on Madeira.

Come for the history and the smell of the forest. The trees hide the wide views for nearly the whole descent, and other walks on the island have the bigger scenery.

At the top, on the ER 209 at Curral Falso, the path enters the forest. Guideposts marked PR15 stand beside it, but the line is easy to lose among the trees, so keep the route open on your phone.

In the forest the path is log steps almost all the way down, through puddles and mud and past a couple of streams. Where the earth between the logs has washed out, place each foot on a log with care.

Near the bottom the trees open onto a green space with benches, a good stop for lunch in the sun. Terraced fields and the scattered houses of Ribeira da Janela surround the end of the trail, at about 400 m.

From Ribeira da Janela, go back by the road or up the same steps; take the road if the logs are wet. Walked the other way, uphill from the town, the path comes out at the foot of Levada dos Cedros (PR 14), and the two join easily into one long hike.

• Return: the walk ends in Ribeira da Janela, away from its start; go back by the road or up the same steps.
• Direction: the official line runs downhill from the ER 209; starting from Ribeira da Janela means climbing steps almost all the way.
• Views: trees close in on both sides for most of the walk, and the open ground comes only near the bottom.
• Markings: the line is easy to lose in the forest, so have the route on your phone before you set off.
• Litter: carry a bag and take all your rubbish home, tissues and wet wipes included.

The walk starts on the ER 209 at Curral Falso, in the forest above Ribeira da Janela, and finishes in the town. Two car parks lie about 450 m and 500 m away in a straight line, with free toilets about 420 m away. Bus stops are further off, about 1.1 km and 2.3 km in a straight line, and the distance on foot is longer than that.

The trail ends away from its start, so a car left at one end means a return on foot, by the road or back along the steps. Neither costs anything, but either adds to the hour and a half of the walk itself.

Best: a run of dry days, from spring to early autumn. Madeira takes more of its rain in the colder months, and the log steps need time to dry under the trees.

Avoid: a day of heavy rain, or the morning after one. Water turns the path to mud and leaves the logs slippery, and the weather here can swing from a downpour to blue sky and back, so pack a rain layer whatever the sky looks like at the top.

PR 15 is a classified walking trail run by IFCN, and every walker needs a booking for a time slot on the SIMplifica portal, including children, residents and anyone else exempt from the fee. Bookings and payment are online only; IFCN offices do not take them. A slot closes automatically once full, and the tolerance on entry is around 15 minutes. Anyone combining trails books each one, and the portal applies the cheapest fee on its own.

Exempt from the fee: children aged 12 or under; Madeira residents with a resident card and citizen card; people with a disability of 60% or more, with documentary proof, and one accompanying legal guardian.

A paid booking is moved or refunded only when the authorities or IFCN officially close or restrict the trail on that date. Rain, a wrong date or a change of plan loses the money. The status of the trail is on the official IFCN trails page.