Levada da Fonte do Serrao

Madrei

Original Madre: N 32°40.800 W 16°57.750 ca. 277 m a.s.l., inaccessible today

Current Madre: N 32°40.500 W 16°57.550 ca. 247 m a.s.l.

Course

Originally from the old Madre down a very steep wall to the current Madre; no longer accessible today (see picture 1)

It begins in a water tunnel above the waterfall passage of the Levada da Faja. Then relatively exposed as far as the cultivated terraces of the small hamlet. Above the hamlet, around the rocky spur, it is somewhat exposed, and then relatively easy past a levada hut to the crossing with the penstock of the Socorridos power station.

The following stretch is piped. The levada is no longer maintained; here it is very exposed and very dangerous to walk.

After the crossing with the Caminho da Faja it becomes easier again, but the levada is still somewhat exposed in the banana terraces. Finally it meets the road at Lourencinhos, crosses the road and runs on through the banana terraces to the end on the Rua Padre Pita Ferreira.

End

South of Ribeira Real ca. 230 m a.s.l.

Function and use

Irrigation of the banana plantations along the levada and in Ribeiro Real

Access

• Via the small hamlet on the Socorridos terrace (reach it via the end of the Caminho Joao Ernesto Pereira and continue on the access path).

• Via the Caminho da Faja, which comes up from the Caminho Joao Ernesto Pereira, or from the Encosta dos Socorridos, or goes down from the Rua Padre Pita Ferreira.

• From the crossing with the Rua Padre Pita Ferreira in Lourencinhos.

• Descent from the Caminho Velho do Covao via the Travessa Aberta do Canto to the penstock, and down alongside it to the crossing with the levada.

• The dangerous stretch between the penstock and the Caminho da Faja can also be bypassed by going down along the penstock and then on the Caminho da Faja.

Condition

Walking the levada should not be underestimated. The channel of the levada, dry on our visit, is covered for most of its length. At the start it runs easily, among the houses, then ever more exposed along the banana terraces, with a fine view of the other side of the valley (galleries of the Levada dos Piornais) and into the Socorridos valley.

The stretch between the Caminho da Faja and the penstock should no longer be walked; it is very dangerous!

The walk on from the Madre to the original Madre is overgrown and impassable!

Remarks

The levada was run by a community of hereus, which was dissolved around 1950, when the state took over the administration of the levadas. Since 1956 the water has been used only for irrigation, because the Fonte da Álvaro Figueira was then brought into the drinking-water supply (description in Portuguese)