Levada do(s) Moinho(s) da Serra

Madrei

Ribeira de Santa Cruz N 32°42.500 W 16°48.900 ca. 460 m a.s.l.

Course

The Madre lies in a very pretty spot above the Ponta de Roma, an old stone bridge over the Ribeira de Santa Cruz. The water flows through a small tunnel under the bridge; the levada can be reached here on a narrow trodden path that, going down from the bridge, runs more or less parallel to the levada the whole way.

On the first metres the levada runs quite exposed, and in places narrow, above the stream bed. Further east of the Ribeira de Santa Cruz, 100 metres below the Levada Nova de Santa Cruz; shortly before the crossing with the Rua Lombo dos Moinhos, water from the 1st large water distributor of the Levada Nova de Santa Cruz is brought in through a quirky water distributor. On to Levadas, with a first half-ruined watermill (Moinho Estrada dos Moinhos). Passage of the Ribeira do Moreno on a bridge; shortly after, a first side branch to another watermill (Moinho Rua das Levadas) and on to Eiras (with the Moinho das Eiras) and Janeiro, also with an old watermill (Moinho do Janeiro)!

Here a terminal branch turns off (

End

Bemposta ca. 230 m a.s.l.

Function and use

Irrigation of the area around Levadas, Achada do Moreno, Igreia, Agua do Pena. Historically this levada, as the name suggests, seems to have been very important for running a whole series of watermills.

Access

• The Madre can be reached directly via the Levada dos Tornos and a somewhat hidden trodden path over the Potinha farmstead (from there a steep concrete track to the old bridge

• Potinha can also be reached via Quatro Estradas, eastwards on a steep road down over the Ribeira Joao Goncalves (before that you cross the Levada dos Tornos), on down and then north until the road ends

• The approach to Pomar Baptista via Lamarejas, which lies on the lombo of the Levada da Morena, is also very fine

• Levadas

• Achada do Moreno

• Bemposta, ER-207

• Lombo dos Moinhos (reachable by a very steep concrete track from the Levada Nova de Santa Cruz, or by the road

Condition

Easy; from Moinhos da Serra to the Madre the levada runs parallel to a track, which you can step onto when it becomes a little exposed towards the Madre

Remarks

The Madre lies in a beautiful spot above an ancient stone bridge (Ponte de Roma).

In the area above the airport there are various vertical levadas that branch off and cross, towards Santa Cruz and Agua do Peno

From the little distribution house on the ER 207, the old terminal branch of the Levada do Moinho da Serra is supplied, and so are the old terminal branches of the Levada da Serra, which no longer exists as far as this point.