Levada da Negra (e Curral Martinho)

Madrei

200 m west of Poco da Neve, in the Ribeira de Luzia N 32°43.350 W 16°55.750 ca. 1620 m a.s.l.

The original Madre lies under a newly built stream barrage. The current one lies before the next stream barrage, in the form of a water conduit that leads into the levada from the western slope. Another feeder follows before the first stream crossing, in the direction of flow.

Course

The Levada da Negra was originally a widely branching network, with a main levada and originally 9 feeder side branches, some of which branched again several times. Some of these feeder branches are no longer active; some contribute substantially to the volume of the Levada da Negra. The scale of the water collection shows how important the levada is for the western districts of Funchal!

From the Madre to the panorama road, a steep passage to the Ribeira do Santo Antonio, there a larger active feeder from the Pico do Cedro area (cf. report by the Amigos da Natureza), after about 50 metres a second, inactive feeder from the Esteios area (eastern side of the valley) (cf. the Amigos da Natureza report further down), crossing of the Ribeira do Santo Antonio (inlet, natural ponding behind a rock bar, and outlet), after another 50 metres a smaller feeder from the west, course on the western side of the Ribeira do Santo Antonio valley, 3 further feeders from the western side of the valley, a bend with a branch off towards Pomar do Miradouro, a small water-distribution hut and a feeder from the Pico do Prado area (ruined today, though), crossing of the new panorama road from Barreira, meeting the road again, and here the last inflow from a feeder levada which is, however, piped (Levada da Serra de Santo António), from the valley of the Levada do Pico do Cardo. On along the road to Barreira.

End

Barreira ca. 750 m a.s.l., Pomar do Miradouro ca. 470 m a.s.l.

Function and use

Vertical levada supplying water to the western districts of Funchal

Access

• Gravel track a little south of Poco da Neve, to the Madre

• Gravel track from the panorama road to the Madre

• From the panorama road (if need be, the climb from Esteios, Levada da Serra da Alegria)

• Climb from Pomar do Miradouro

• Panorama road from Barreira (2 places)

• Via one of the 5 larger feeders, if need be starting at the panorama road

Condition

Moderately difficult, a height difference of almost 1000 metres

Remarks

'Ice-carriers levada': in the days when there were still no refrigerators, ice was kept in a stone igloo in the Poco da Neve area. The ice carriers took the blocks of ice along the path beside the Levada da Negra to Funchal.

The large western side branch is often mentioned as a levada in its own right: