Area; Madeira
In the late 1990s, Kate came with me on several moderate mountaineering expeditions overseas, summiting Swinica in the Polish Tatra, for example. Since then, not so much, so today - our 22nd anniversary - was doubly memorable. Although rammed with tourists, and not my usual cup of tea, this is such a fabulous outing that I was able to push the crowds and ironmongery to the back of my mind and just enjoy the scenery and situation. The route starts near the summit of Pico do Arieero, replete with cafe, and mist began to peel away from the summit as we arrived, revealing a mouth-watering array of peaks and pinnacles along the complex ridge leading to Ruivo, the Madeiran highpoint. Without the paths, waymarking and steps, this would make a stunning and fairly serious mountaineering expedition. With them, it's merely a tourist attraction. Still, the amount of descent in the first few km still suggested a longish day out, as it is an out-and-back course. A narrow arete leads to a catwalk and then the first major viewpoint: Ninho da Manta. I've seen some views in my time, but this is right up there, despite its accessibility and hordes of tourists. A deep cauldron, ever changing views in shifting mist, pinnacles rising above, impenetrable valleys plunging downwards - it is spectacular. Then comes a narrower arete, sensational views, followed by a long series of steep stepped descents and then the start of the tunnels at the Paso de Gato. This allows the complex ground west of Pico das Torres to be negotiated via dramatic contouring paths and more descending. The wind whistled through some of these gaps - and I saw a spectacled warbler. Ahead, Pico Ruivo, accessed by very steep steps, which reminded me of the Bukhansan range in Korea, steps allowing ordinary pedestrians to access difficult terrain. A very pronounced col is reached and then the terrain gets gentler, a rising series of zigzags on the east of Ruivo, completely different in character to the drama that precedes it (but still very scenic). The trees are all dead on this side, lending an eerie feel as the slopes are climbed - eventually reaching a charmingly situated refuge in a glade on top of a broad col. Kate could then relax! I jogged up to the top of Pico Ruivo, Madeira's highpoint, sadly in thick mist by now. Then another gentle jog down, before I decided to append an extra peak to the day - the obvious ridge/highpoint further to the east. This meant another jog towards Encumeada before taking a steep side path, wet and vegetated, that I'd seen from the col. This led to a rock band and some chains, mild scrambling, to a huge summit plateau. I think, from pictures, these chains might have formed part of a 'vertical kilometre' running event held fairly recently. The highpoint of this peak is pronounced, despite the plateau, marked by a large pillar - and yet the name of the peak is not obvious. Research suggests it is Encumeada Alta. Whatever, views were superb - right down to the north coast, the Atlantic and Porto Santo, and across to the jagged peaks we had just traversed. An easy jog back to Kate, who had now finished her coffee! The return leg was equally atmospheric, with mist now swirling around. It got quite cold after the tunnels with thick mist and a sharp wind. Kate was tiring a little towards the top of Pico Areeiro, which is a considerable climb back out. Still, our moving time was much less than three hours for the entire outing, which is fairly respectable including the extra peak (16k/1250m). We recovered with a sandwich at the cafe before driving back down to Funchal.
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