3 July 2016 Exploratory walk to the vertical levadas and the panoramic road

Course

The outing is made up of several walking sections and a few sections by car.

First the drive to the panoramic road and a circuit on 2 lombos west of the side branch of the Levada da Negra, or rather of the valley of the Levada do Pico do Cardo, to the lombo east of the Levada do Lombo, crossing the remains of the Levada do Pico do Curral on a gravel track

Then back to the ER-107, and first a look at the passage of the Levada do Lombo above Lombo dos Tes Paus. Then back towards Curral as far as Restaurante Estrela. From here along the Levada do Lombo to its origin in the stream bed. It was not possible to follow the levada any further, because everything is overgrown. Back to Restaurante Estrela.

Then onto the panoramic road again as far as Miradouro Paredao, then on the panoramic road to the crossing with the Levada da Negra, back and down towards Barreira.

Along the way we looked for the feeder levada on the ridge beside the road. It is ruined.

We stopped below Pico do Prado and went down to the feeder levada of the Levada da Negra, which lies in the valley of the Levada do Pico do Cardo; here I saw 2 beautiful water tunnels. Unfortunately a little overgrown in the bramble thicket. On the way back, a short detour to Pico do Prado and then back.

Distance: 13 km, 650 m of ascent, 650 m of descent

Start: 09.45 panoramic road

End

16.30 Barreira

Condition

Gravel tracks in good condition

Levada do Lombo good at first, then narrow and somewhat exposed, then better again, then heavily overgrown again, and from the stream bed no longer walkable

The water tunnels are easy to reach via the old track and the feeder levada; the entrances are heavily overgrown!

Notes

I wanted to get a sense of the condition of the various vertical levadas

I knew one of the water tunnels as a geocache, the other from a report by the Amigos da Natureza