Levada do Lombo (de Dona Isabel)

Madrei

Old original Madre: Pico do Cedro N 32°43.420 W 16°56.750 ca. 1650 m a.s.l. in the area of the Ribeira da Lapa

Current upper Madre: Pico do Cedro N 32°43.200 W 16°56.880 ca. 1520 m a.s.l. in the area of the Ribeira da Lapa

Current lower Madre: Ribeira da Lapa N 32°42.750 W 16°57.8010 ca. 1300 m a.s.l. in the area of the Ribeira da Lapa

Course

Formerly: Pico do Cedro, along the Ribeira da Lapa; today's Madre a little lower and further south-west, the course as far as the crossing with the new panorama road. Here it enters the streambed. The old course down to 1300 m a.s.l. has collapsed and is inaccessible.

A new Madre was built at 1300 m a.s.l. in the area of the old crossing of the levada with the streambed. The side branch from the Paredao also joins the levada here. From here on the right bank of the stream to about 1100 m a.s.l., entry into the streambed ('lower Madre', with a dam wall) and on along the left side of the valley. In this area steep feeder levadas come in from the Lombo do Buxo to the main branch.

On the Lombo east of the ER-107 (and of the Levada do Curral da Pedra), crossing the forestry track from the Lombo do Buxo, as far as the crossing with the ER-107 and the Levada do Curral da Pedra; on along the Lombo, first piped, then open, to the next crossing with the ER-107. After 30 metres of open course, another crossing with the ER-107, on along the Lombo dos Tres Paus, first open, then piped to the end, where the Levada do Curral e Castelejo also flows past.

End

Lombo dos Tres Paus ca. 280 m a.s.l.

Function and use

Steep levada supplying water to the Lombo dos Tres Paus

Access

ER-107 before the tunnel to Curral das Freiras and the turn-off to Eira do Serrado, by footpath past the Levada do Curral da Pedra (see map), the ER-107 at the crossing points (see above), ER-107.

Condition

The upper part of the levada runs at first overgrown and hard to reach, parallel to the Ribeira da Lapa; the Madre itself lies in thick scrub and cannot be made out from the panorama road.

The present lower Madre can only be reached from below and, from the crossing with the Ribeira da Lapa, is overgrown and very dangerous to walk. The same goes for the feeder branch from the Paredao. (see the report by the Caminheiros Anonimos da Madeira)

The stretch from the lower Madre to the Restaurante Estrela is easy to reach from below off the ER-107, and easy to walk. The path from the tunnel entrance to the levada seems to have been destroyed during the works at the tunnel entrance. In 2016 a wide track was still visible on the satellite images; now it seems to have grown over, as has the path a little further down the valley over the steps in the concrete structure.

The onward course under a track, then in the open as far as the second crossing with the ER-107, is easy but not particularly attractive.

After the second crossing, parallel to the road on the Lombo dos Tres Paus, and then into pipe

Remarks

Since the new panorama road from Eira do Serrado to the Pico Areeiro opened, the area of the upper Madre is easier to reach, and that also makes it easier to keep one's bearings when the afternoon mist comes in, as it often does

Despite the proximity to the Levada do Curral da Pedra, the waters of the two levadas do not mix!