A STONE IGLOO ON THE MOUNTAINTOPS
The Madeira archipelago is often called the island of eternal spring. And I can only agree with that claim completely. Something is always in bloom here, and if you picture that beautiful spring weather, when temperatures already climb above 20 degrees Celsius, then that's exactly the weather you'll find all year round on Madeira. This archipelago belongs to Portugal and you'll find it some 500 km west of Morocco. Only about 270 thousand people live here, and the island is a sought-after destination for European tourists. Not only for its gentle climate, but also because it's a great place for hiking.
Madeira has a unique irrigation system, the so-called levadas. Altogether there are an incredible 2,000 kilometres of them on the island (40 km of which run through tunnels), and they serve to irrigate the entire island. But why am I writing here about some irrigation system? Along most of the levadas run paths or outright hiking trails, and so they become perfect tools for channelling water, but also the tourists exploring the island. An important advantage is also that they follow the contour line, so if you set off on some \"levada trail\" you're almost guaranteed that you won't be going up and down hill after hill, but rather calmly along the contour, simply drinking in the sight of the levada winding around the hill to the left or right, opening up ever more incredible views of the island.
But away from the levadas, because you're probably still curious about the opening photograph and the title of the article. Once you've had enough of the easy walking along the foot of the hills and have enjoyed sea views to the full, you can head for the highest peaks of the island, where Pico Ruivo, or Red Peak, is located. This 1,862-metre-high mountain is the highest on the island and the third-highest in Portugal. A mountain trail runs across the highest points of Madeira, and it's already fairly demanding, with a decent total elevation gain awaiting you.
I had the bad luck of visiting Madeira just after the big wildfires, so this trail was closed for a while and I could therefore only walk part of it. But back to the mysterious igloo. You'll notice it if you drive to the start of this mountain hike by car. It lies near the car park, and many tourists come here only to take in the views from the heights and then drive back down. The igloo itself is terribly photogenic and stands out on the mountaintops like a bizarre landmark.
It is not, however, merely the creation of some mad architect or a local eccentric. The purpose of this structure is entirely practical. Inside the igloo you'll find a huge pit which, back when no one on the island yet owned a refrigerator, served to store ice. Always in winter, when it grew cold enough that snow fell on the mountaintops, or at least cooled down enough that it froze at night, the locals filled this structure with as much ice as possible. Wealthy people and merchants would then buy blocks of ice from this \"freezer of Madeira\", which kept their food cold in their cellars in the lower and warmer parts of the island.
Tip 1: The whole mountain region is great for time-lapse footage. So don't forget the gear you'll need to capture some.
Tip 2:You can get around the island fairly comfortably and easily by car, because it's threaded with a network of tunnels. So I recommend renting one right at the airport.