Levada do Chão da Ribeira

Madrei

Ribeira do Seixal N 32° 47.531' W 17° 6.863' ca. 560 m a.s.l.

Course

From the Madre the levada runs beside the access path in the wood as far as the trout farm. This is passed on the uphill side and is fed by the levada.

Then the course is partly in the wood and in the meadows. The Ribeira do Seixal is crossed a little south of the road bridge, and from here the levada runs somewhat east of and above the road, later also close to the road, as far as Serrado. The end of the main branch is a large reservoir in Serrado.

Here the levada splits into 2 branches, the Ramal da Serra de Água and the Ramal do Farrobo.

The Ramal da Serra da Agua runs east of the Ribeira do Seixal, first across fields and then along the Caminho do Chão da Ribeira into the eastern parts of Seixal.

The Ramal do Farrobo drops steeply from the reservoir to the road bridge of the western access road to Chao da Ribeira, crosses that bridge and then runs west of the Ribeira do Seixal along the Vereda do Moinho into the western parts of Seixal.

End

Main branch, Chao da Ribeira ca. 396 m a.s.l.

Ramal da Serra da Agua ca. 50 m a.s.l.

Ramal do Farrobo ca. 50 m a.s.l.

Function and use

Small local levada for irrigating the trout farm of Chao da Ribeira and the southern slopes of Seixal. It was built anew, as part of the great levada-building phase (Comissão Administrativa dos Aproveitamentos Hidráulicos da Madeira), to compensate for the loss of water in the Seixal valley caused by the Levada do Norte and the Levada do Seixal, so that the water supply to the fields in Chao da Ribeira and Seixal could be kept up.

Access

• Along the two access paths from Seixal to Chão da Ribeira

• From the road in Chão da Ribeira

• From the track that leads from the end of the road to the trout farm and on towards the Madre

Condition

Easy

Remarks

As a levada, it is really the first half that has charm; the last part is for the most part built into the road. On the two side branches there are still very old levada sections from earlier years. In terms of landscape, though, it is certainly worth a visit!

It also serves as the access path to the vertical ascent to the Levada do Seixal and on to the Levada do Norte. At the trout farm the path also begins to the southern exit of the long tunnel of the Levada do Seixal (cf. walk 2014).