25.06.2022 Abenteuerliche Levada Velha dos Cedros

Course

Descent from the Fanal car park on the normal path towards the Levada Nova dos Cedros. At the junction with the Levada Velha dos Cedros, first against the original direction of flow, towards the Madre. At the first stream crossing you find remains of the old levada and a well preserved levada bridge.

Then over a lombo to the next stream crossing and the one after that, where the remaining water flows off. At the following stream crossing a fair amount of water flows off towards the Madre of the Levada Nova dos Cedros. From here it becomes a little uncomfortable on the soft levada wall, and it is quite wet here too.

Later there is no classic Madre; several small trickles and springs are taken in. But here it really is very peaceful!

Back the same way to the crossing with the descent path, and on in the former direction of flow.

At times it becomes a bit rough, but for the moment still unproblematic.

You reach a beautiful walled passage, quite exposed, reached by an old stairway. After that the remains are cut higher into the rock, and the path runs a little lower.

Now easy passages alternate with very exposed sections; here you have to walk with the utmost concentration.

A small, partly ruined tunnel could almost be overlooked. It was probably a spur tunnel to a spring in the mountain.

After a short time you are standing on a lombo. Here we had the feeling that one could have descended on the lombo to the Levada Nova dos Cedros. The Levada Velha dos Cedros at first continues in less steep ground. A few stream passages are quite overgrown, and so are a few narrow balcony passages; those have to be walked with care!

Soon you walk along a metal fence that is damaged in places and keeps offering trip hazards. The Levada Velha dos Cedros then bends away towards the north-east, but no path could be made out. Here we wandered about for a moment and then, fortunately, found a faint trace of a path towards the Levada Nova dos Cedros.

If we had somehow managed to follow the levada, we would soon have come into more open ground and arrived at a picnic place, where the ruined Levada do Lombo Gordo also is. That levada used to run as a twin levada to the Levada Velha dos Cedros towards the destination of today's Levada Nova dos Cedros, above Ribeira da Janela and Eira da Achada.

At some point we were then standing on the Levada Nova dos Cedros, glad to have the steep descent and the maze behind us.

From here the orientation was clear: against the direction of flow of the Levada Nova dos Cedros to the alternative ascent and descent to Fanal, which was built specially for maintenance work on the Levada Nova dos Cedros. A beautiful path, on which you again cross the Levada Velha dos Cedros and pass a few very peaceful little spots.

At some point you are suddenly back on the Fanal road, and almost back at the car park.

Distance: 14.8 Km, 405 m of ascent, 405 m of descent

Start: 10.25 Fanal

End

18.10 Fanal

Condition

The descent from Fanal over the mostly slippery wooden planks is a bit laborious.

The Levada Velha dos Cedros as far as the Madre is clear, even if not always entirely straightforward. The section from the second stream crossing to the Madre can only be walked with a great deal of care.

The section from the descent path onwards is overgrown in places and blocked by tree trunks. Some spots are extremely narrow and exposed, with rock overhangs; here we partly had to crawl on our knees.

We did not use the first 'safety exit' over the lombo, but it was reassuring to have a way down in case it had not been possible to go on.

The last walkable section, with the metal fence, is a bit laborious (a risk of tripping).

Our descent to the Levada Nova dos Cedros was very unclear and steep. Perhaps we should have forced our way through to the picnic place!?

The Levada Nova dos Cedros was then relaxing after the upper path. The alternative descent is steep, but beautiful.

Remarks

A demanding walk, only for sure-footed levada enthusiasts with a head for heights.