Levada da Madalena

Madrei

• Formerly: Pico da Escalvado N 32°42.684 W 16°55.766 ca. 1300 m a.s.l.

• Currently: various water chutes (aguagens) around the uppermost dam in the valley of the Ribeira de Santo Antonio N 32°41.998 W 16°56.008 ca. 880 m a.s.l. The water chutes climb to just under 1000 m a.s.l. and are finally collected in pipes and led down the valley to the first dam

Course

From the old Madre to the uppermost dam, traces of the old levada can still be found. There is also a levada house, furados and tunnels for taking in water.

At the uppermost dam are the largest of the aguagens, which take the water on the eastern side of the valley and finally carry it down the valley in long pipes.

From the lowest dam the levada continues piped, but in places still with well-preserved levada stretches on the steep face. Here countless springs, watercourses and other intakes are tapped. It continues to the Poço do Amoreira below the Caminho do Pomar do Miradouro.

From here it is mostly piped along the Caminho do Lombinho, which meets the Estrada Cmte.Camacho de Freitas here.

From here it continues piped along the Rua Campo do Maritimo and finally along the Caminho de Santo Antonio to its original end in Sítio dos Ilhéus.

End

Lombo Garçes ca. 350 m a.s.l.

Function and use

Small levada for irrigating the eastern side of the valley above Rosario and the fields on the Lombo Garçes

Access

• Rua Campo do Maritimo and Caminho de Santo Antonio

• Caminho do Lombinho

• Caminho do Pomar do Miradouro

• Track that begins here on the Estrada Cmte.Camacho de Freitas, or a little higher via the relatively new ER109 and on via the Rua Campo do Andorinha. Here you come out a little above the unsightly industrial area.

Condition

The aguagens are narrow and somewhat exposed in places. Going on from the uppermost dam is possible only in the stream bed.

The stretch between the lowest dam and the Poço do Amoreira is narrow and exposed, but in places still protected by railings. After that, ordinary paths and roads, with the levada piped.

The really interesting part is likely to be the Caminho do Lobinho from the ER109 to the first dam. Further on it is probably worth looking at a few of the aguagens and going on up the valley, to find a few more traces of the long levada.

Historical notes

The original levada was of relatively little importance. The extension around 1870 lengthened it far onto the mountain slopes in the inner valley. Later the upper course was cut off, and the water-rich eastern slopes further down were tapped and fitted with pipelines.