Levada do Pico do Arvoredo

Madrei

Rib. do Porto Novo N 32°41.850 W 16°51.950 ca. 900 m a.s.l.

Course

The Levada do Pico do Arvoredo can be divided into several sections.

• Section 1: After the Madre in the Ribeira do Porto Novo comes quite an exposed stretch above an idyllic pond; the levada then disappears into a tunnel that is not possible to enter. The Madre can be reached from the levada by a beaten path, and so can the end of the little tunnel. The tunnel bypasses a rock face that is probably very prone to rockfall.

That is the state of things in 2017. In 2021 the Madre and the tunnel were rebuilt. The tunnel is relatively straightforward from both sides and can also be crawled through. After the tunnel the course is easy, across fields, with a view over the upper valley of the Ribeira do Porto Novo. What is special is the levada, deeply cut in places, while the path runs up to 4 metres above it on a broad embankment.

That, unfortunately, is history too. In 2021 the whole characterful old levada stretch as far as the houses was graded flat. The levada now runs in pipes under a gravel track. Just after these places one reaches the first houses, and the levada runs beside a small road as far as the road (Caminho do Rochao?) that leads from the ER-102 to Pedras do Rochao. Here it runs in the roadside ditch up to the height of a large water tank. Here the levada disappears underground. One branch certainly leads to the water tank, another to a sort of wash house, and from there it continues in pipes towards Rochao.

• Section 2: Course in Rochao. The piped levada first crosses the Levada da Serra do Faial, right beside the Rochao tunnel of the Serra do Faial, which is full of rubbish. It continues in pipes along a small path. A well-preserved old water mill can still be seen here (Moinho do Rochao). The end in Rochao can be viewed from the ER-102.

• Section 3: The levada follows the ER-102 for about 500 metres, leaves the ER-102 here, and runs a little to the west along the ER-102. Later comes an old water house from 1940, then the crossing of the Caminho Minicipal da Portela. From here it has definitely fallen into ruin and can no longer be followed. It once crossed the Rua Maria Ascensao in the middle of Camacha, and continued to the relatively new roundabout at the end of the VE-5. Straight through an industrial area, more or less along the ER-205, which it crosses here. Later there is a water distributor near the ER-205. Here the replacement levada from the Levada dos Tornos meets the ruined levada from the south.

• Section 4: At the water distributor a terminal branch flows under the ER-205 and supplies the north-eastern terminal branch. Most of the water, though, runs along the ER-205 as far as the 90-degree bend. Here is the large distributor, where the levada used to split into the 2 large terminal branches, the Levada dos Zimbreiros and the Levada da Azenha. The Levada dos Zimbreiros is ruined here. All the water first flows in the bed of the former Levada da Azenha. After a few metres all the water is branched off to the west and runs into a large reservoir. From here, 2 terminal branches: the new Levada da Azenha and the new Levada dos Zimbreiros.

• Section 5: Western terminal branch (

End

Zimbreiros (ca. 170 m a.s.l.), Canico (ca. 250 m a.s.l.)

Function and use

Irrigation of the area above and east of Canico

Access

• From the various crossing points and road passages

• Above Canico there is also a relatively dense path network around the Moinho da Azenha and the small bridge

Condition

• Section 1: Intact, easy; the Madre area is in places somewhat exposed

• Section 2: Path along the old levada course, mostly piped

• Section 3: Clearly visible along the ER-102. The onward course is partly closed off, then at the water house it can be reached from above from the Caminho Municipal da Portela. Ruined after the road crossing.

• Section 4: The new feeder from the water distributor before the Nogueira tunnel of the Levada dos Tornos is easy to walk, from the distributor along the road and to the reservoir on a good path

• Section 5: The western terminal branch is piped at first, runs through Castelo along the road and later along a path. The stretch into the Ribeira do Canico is not possible to walk. The Madre in the Ribeira do Canico can be reached from Canico or from the small bridge. Then, towards Canico, it is waymarked as a footpath and passes the ruined water mill. The onward course in Canico is well kept; sometimes one has to hunt for the levada underground by ear. Often along roads and through industrial areas.

• Section 6: From the reservoir it is piped and can be followed on a path, then on a side road past an old water house to the ER-205; from here beside the road. The northern side branch turns off and goes north around the Pico de Agua, partly in pipes, and then comes the crossing of the ER-204. From here a good path and later a road, to the end at the motorway bridge in Reis Magos

The section of the southern branch across the fields can no longer be walked. There is a new vertical course of the southern branch as far as the ER-204.

Remarks

A very compelling levada, with an eventful history