Levada da Senhora (Estreito da Calheta)

Madrei

Ribeira da Agua Negra ou do Risco N 32°45.668 W 17°06.709 ca. 1370 m a.s.l.

Course

This is a very old levada. It stayed in use until the reorganisation of 1953, with the building of the power station at Calheta and of the two Levada Nova channels (Levada Nova West and Levada Nova East) (see also Historical development of the levadas around Rabacal). In 1953 the levada was taken out of service.

Section 1: From the Madre in the Ribeira da Agua Negra the levada ran along the western spur of the Pico Fernandes ou Rabaçal and crosses the Vereda do Pau Seco, which has been rebuilt to a good standard.

Section 2: From the Vereda do Pau Seco it runs fairly level towards the south-east. It then drops abruptly and steeply down to the Ribeira Grande.

Section 3: The Ribeira Grande was crossed on a levada bridge, whose foundations can still be seen today, and the water was led into a short tunnel. Here, water in the Ribeira Grande was also taken in through small levadinhas cut into the rock. Inside the tunnel is the year 1909. There are feeder levadinhas on 2 levels: those on the higher level, which look a little newer, lead to the tunnel, while the lower ones go around the tunnel. So it seems the tunnel was built later, as an improvement and extension of the original levada. Sections 1 and 2 may be the newest stretch of the levada.

Section 4: From the tunnel, clear traces of the levada can be seen as far as the path that leads down from the Levada Velha do Lajeado via the Levada do Paul 1 to the Lagoa do Vento.

Section 5: From the PR onwards towards the Lombo do Risco, which was passed through a tunnel, and from there along the steep wall between the Levada do Paul 1 and the track to the Rabacal houses. Extra water was also taken from the Ribeira do Alecrim, and the ribeira was crossed on a metal levada bridge.

Section 6: From the Ribeira do Alecrim the levada first ran clearly below the Levada dos Moinhos. In places it was exposed on the rock face, then again in the steep tree heather a few metres below the ridge carrying the road. From the rock face onwards the Levada da Senhora and the Levada dos Moinhos always ran parallel, a few metres apart. The newly built path from the Levada do Furado Velho to the Ponto Novo was crossed a few metres below the Ponto Novo.

Section 7: After the ridge the levada ran west, holding its height, still parallel to the Levada dos Moinhos, crossed the Lombo do Lumiele and then ran along the lombo towards Rocadas to the Cardosas and on along the Lombo dos Reis to Estreito da Calheta, where it ended at ca. 250 m a.s.l.

The old levada structures of the Levada da Senhora below the Levada Nova are still in use today.

End

Estreito da Calheta 250 m a.s.l.

Function and use

Irrigation of the fields on the Lombo dos Reis in Estreito da Calheta.

Access

• Vereda do Pau Seca

• Path that leads down from the Levada Velha do Lajeado via the Levada do Paul 1 to the Lagoa do Vento

• Rabacal track

• Newly built path between the Levada do Furado Velho and the Ponto Novo

• Ponte Velho on the ER110

• Descent path over the Lombo do Lumiele

• Southern course of the Levada do Furado Velho around the hunter's house

• Levada Nova

• Lombo dos Reis in Estreito da Calheta

Condition

Mostly ruined. In 2021 the section between the Ponto and the Ribeira Grande, and the section from the Vereda do Pau Seco to the Madre and also down to the Ribeira Grande, were cleared. On the Lombo dos Reis, water from the Levada Nova flows in the old channels of the Levada da Senhora.

Remarks

In 2021 I walked the section between the Ponto and the Rabacal track. It is surprising that one still finds well-preserved stretches with ditches and a concrete bed; masonry supports are often still visible too, and also well-preserved remains of the Levada dos Moinhos, which ran a little higher. In places, though, nothing at all can be seen of the old levada bed.

I happened to discover the small tunnel by the Ribeira Grande in 2013 and at first took it for the old Madre of the Levada do Paul 1.

I also crossed the traces of both levadas while descending from the Ponto Velho to the southern section of the Levada do Furado Velho (walk 2017).

In 2022 I finally explored the Madre area and the section from the Vereda do Pau Seco to the Ribeira Grande.