15 May 2019 Finally to Stonehenge, with more levada exploration

Course

I had actually meant to take a rest day today, but the dull weather in Canico de Baixo and the prospect of a sunny Paul da Serra lured me out of the apartment after all.

Between Pedras and Bica da Cana a track leaves to the south-west. You could drive a little further in here, but I parked the car on the ER 110 and walked to the big rotors. After a fence crossing it then becomes very unclear. I let my instinct guide me, but that led me too far south, to a steep cliff. Pleasant, in that from here the view over the rock formations of 'Stonehenge' could be taken in very well. Then on northwards and along the path as far as the stone gates.

As is logical, there is a geocache here too. After that I edged carefully towards the numerous cows grazing here. Straight from Stonehenge a stream, or a feeder levada, leads at right angles down to the Levada da Serra, which flows further below. More or less parallel to it there would also be a narrow, steep connecting path. But I had already been down there in 2015, with bad memories, because shortly before that I had sunk my camera in the levada. At any rate, back then the levada came to an end after about 100 metres: the path had slipped and we had to turn back. So the next aim was to reach the collapsed section from the other side.

So I first continued south, looking for the Levadinha that flows parallel to the Levada da Serra on the Cascalho edge. At first you walk on a somewhat undefined path, always straight through herds of cows. You can then leave the path a little towards the Cascalho edge, and there you find the Levadinha coming out of a primeval forest of gorse. You can follow it well, but the cows love to bathe in it, so sometimes you have to step aside.

After a few 100 metres the levada makes a bend to the west and leads on the fall line to the Levada da Serra. I went down here as well. From here you can watch very nicely how the Levada da Serra continues on a rock plateau, but both the continuation and the junction with the Levadinha lie in dense gorse. No idea whether anyone goes through there from time to time. It does not seem really steep or dangerous, but simply overgrown.

Against the direction of flow, 2 concrete cascades dominate, where the water crosses a small step in the ground. From here you can at first follow the Levada da Serra relatively comfortably. It is relatively freshly concreted (though that may also have been a few years ago), but the growth gets ever denser. And it is not entirely without danger to walk beside the levada, because the ground is not always visible and in places it does drop away quite vertically. A small overhang, then very gorse-covered, and then I stood at the spot where we had turned back 4 years ago. I would say that even the experienced levadeiros do not go through here: above is a vertical rock face, below it is very steep, and in between the intact levada over a 30 cm rock overhang, but no path.

Back by the same path to before the cascades, then straight up to the path and on round the lombo to a high-voltage pylon. From here there is something like an old access path, but it is overgrown again and again with gorse. With a little intuition, though, you find a relatively unprickly way back to the track. On this, back to the car.

Distance: 5.1 Km, 200 Hm ascent, 200 Hm descent

Start: 12.20 ER 110

End

14.20 ER 110

Condition

A meditative, in places pathless approach to Stonehenge. There is certainly a more direct way as well.

The path round the lombo towards Pedras is in order, and not dangerous as far as the path itself is concerned. Walkers who are afraid of cows would be better advised against it.

The Levada da Serra is feasible, with due care, because the path and the levada are quite overgrown and the levada is in places somewhat exposed.

Remarks

The Levada da Serra is really more for levada enthusiasts, but the views are certainly splendid!