Insane coastal trail in Madeira

It was midnight and I was browsing online to find more cool trails to go and explore. I stumbled upon someone's blog and came across a YouTube video of this guy walking high up on a narrow ledge. This hike looked absolutely insane. I did some research and managed to get a rough idea of where it is. My heart was palpitating, I need to go do this hike! Tomorrow! Reading more about it, it mentioned the dangers of it, definitely to not go after it has rained and strongly suggested going with a guide or a local who knows the route. I had neither and it did leave me with some concern. But as usual, maybe just go take a look and turn around if it becomes too much. I barely managed to fall asleep with that insance excitement.

After stopping off on the way for sightseeing I made it to the car park about 3.5 hours before sunset. The hike took 2.5 hours for the other guy; only a 4-ish mile route but the elevation and difficult trail make this a slog. The route took an instant 400 metre drop down to sea level. The trail became narrow and twisty before making it down and I thought this can't be it, can it? I don't remember any handrails in the video and this section was pretty tame still.

Cool dramatic cliffs at the coastal village

Once at the bottom I followed the coast past a little village, if I can call it that, and past a running cable car. I expected the path to keep going until it is time to ascend, but no idea what the trail is like and whether I can even find it. But I was in luck, not long after the path turned dusty, narrowed and started progressing up the crazy slopes, even though the path was not visible at all looking farther up.

Start of the barely visibly trail

Some very old broken steps led me up a bit and then nature overtook the path, but it was easy enough to navigate. There had been a small amount of rain up in the hills the previous day but I didn't know whether it had also rained here. The island has such micro climates it's constantly like night and day just around the enxt corner. I was being mindful that the path could have had rain so if it became too much, just turn back for safety. It was a steady uphill route the entire way until it eventually levelled out by a small waterfall. I was pretty high up by now, looking back towards the village and the beach I was at before, the cliffs just looked shear and sharp.

Gaining height

I carried on and was instantly left speechless. Here it was, the crazy red section from the video. Now the fun begins. I got the camera rolling and walked on. Hell yes this is awesome. Just seeing this bit here made the hike worth the effort. The vibrant rock followed on for a short bit in all its awesomeness until I was met by a dodgy sloped part leading straight down the cliff. One slip there and that's that.

Start of the exposed vibrant part

Perfect passage with the best views

Up to this point I was confident in being able to turn back should I still want to, but I wanted to see how far the rabbit hole goes. This section looked entirely different in the video I saw. It must have been a different time of the year as there was way more vegetation and this part did not look that bad at all. I carefully traversed the crazy bit and carried on. The flat section finished here and more ascent proceeded. Ahhh, possibly that was the cool part over with. I felt like going back just to do it again, but nah.

The crux of the trail

The path got steeper and steeper and after some zig zagging I couldn't really see the trail anymore. The ground was very dry and vegetation was sparse. This meant that the soil was all loose and crumbling away. I decided to head straight up the slope, as that's where I eventually need to end up anyway. I climbed until I was met with the vertical rock face and tried to spot the trail from up here, but there was nothing resembling one. Hmmmm, so which way? The slope started getting uncomfortably steep and the chance of sliding down the slope reached levels of what's a bit much in my books. Not sure if I'd want to try descend this anymore should I decide to turn back. But I still could. I studied the screenshot on my phone of the route I took from the blog last night. It was difficult to tell, but it seemed like I still need to keep going for a bit until finally ascending later along the trail and I was already too high up to follow that same trail. I could see three options, either try to ascend diagonally up over the edge of the cliffs, but that looked super steep and I wouldn't be able to descend back probably. I could try to traverse without any more ascending towards what looks like a flat bit maybe 200-300 metres ahead, but the slope is so damn steep and the ground so loose, not sure if I can. Or I could just go back, but the farther into the hike I got and the more dodgy sections I passed, the less likely it was that I would ever just go back. So I stood there for a bit having a think and for the first time in my life became a little 'cragfast' - hiking term for getting stuck and not being able to neither move on nor go back. Had to calm my breathing and have a little talk with myself. So yeah, the blog last night did say about many people having died on this route or getting stuck, requiring rescuing. I need to make a decision now, such slow progress and the evening is drawing in slowly. I decided on option two to keep traversing and see how it goes.

I was soon met by tall vegetation which I had to fight my way through. At least it was nice to not have to worry about sliding down the slope, but this was like a jungle. It was exhausting and heating me up. Just as I got through stepping past the branches attacking me from every direction, they claimed my iPod. Got pulled off the chord after it must have gotten stuck somewhere. Noooo, I've had this for ten years! I tried looking for it, but I knew it was hopeless. The vegetation was so thick and I'm looking for a blue iPod nano the size of a coin. It's gone. After this jungle I was met by a totally barren section of ground extending about 50m up and another 50m down and 12m wide. It would be impossible to stand in that part, you'd go straight down the slope until you go off the cliffs. I could either go up and around or maybe down and around. But either of these choices would be totally exhausting and I'm already exhausted enough. Just lost the iPod, didn't really want to go back as I'd have to descend some very steep slopes there too. A real energy saver would be to sprint straight across this ~12m. But that's a bit suicidal. One stumble and you ain't making it across. I would say that I can make it, but if I had to try this 100 times, I would not succeed 100 times. That's enough of a risk to question the benefit. But really, I can't be bothered to go around. I wish I took some photos of the surroundings. But taking photos was the last thing on my mind when I'm in genuine trouble. I guess that's a good thing as I should be expending all of my energy on getting myself to safety not being an insta hero, taking pics until dying. But it would be nice to look back at. I also wish I remembered more clearly what my thought process was. But the longer I stood there looking up, down and across, the more I wanted to take that chance. Visualising each step, I can make it? Just go for it full send. My heart rate started increasing as I realised more and more that this is the only option. I started hyperventilating to get more oxygen in and stared at a branch I could grab on the other side like a predator locked on its prey. Last few deep breaths, and here we go. I sprinted across the death run and dived to the branches on the other side. Phew, that was actually a really solid effort, made that crossing easy. But I didn't exactly feel proud. I felt like I just took a totally unnecessary risk and I should not feel good about it. Anyway, no way am I going back now. I am NOT doing something so stupid for the second time. I got away with it once. I carried on and my efforts reaped the rewards. I reached the flat part I aimed at earlier and here was the trail. Holy hell, I'm back on, how did I know the trail would be here? I'm a magician. So the real trail must have followed past the lower section and I must gone too high up too soon I guess. I've found myself off trail so many times from all my hikes and it can feel so good finding the path again, but this time it was the most special of them all. I could have cried. I'd spent over an hour traversing this steep shit. Not being able to stand comfortably, on edge the whole time.

The path finally started ascending again. I needed to get out of there. I don't want to be here when it gets dark. All good, hillside clearly visible, but as I ascended and ascended the end just didn't seem to close in at all. I was still hundreds of metres below the top. It made me think oh wow, imagine had I previously tried getting up that steep bit instead, and should I have made it, then what? That 'top' would probably have been faced with a few hundred metres of vertical cliff face. The path split in two in front of a tall sea of cacti. I tried the first way but it reached a dead end. I tried the other way and cut my legs a little on thorns, until it reached.... a dead end. Wtf? How can this be. Damn, I thought it was easy from here on. C'mon not now, I can't deal with this. I went back and forth the two trails multiple times and couldn't see a way out. Walking off trail was a no go. Total grown in shrub that's super sharp. It would be like trying to escape from a trap set by Jigsaw in the first Saw film. Again worry clouded my head. The route screenshot suggested I need to just keeping heading straight up from where I am, but there wasn't even a straight up path, it's just a load of cacti. I don't even remember what happened, or how I got out. Somehow I ended up following a trail of cut up cacti going around this plantation and what didn't look like much of a route turned into more of a route again. I think the previous route had grown in and a new route had been made past the edge of the cacti section, as there were visibly cut up cacti on the ground. Maybe for future reference, when going on a dodgy unhiked route it's good to bring along a machete, should you need to make your own route. I pushed on and eventually reached grown in sections with ferns and small trees going over my head. But this path didn't disappear anymore to my luck, and I got out. Basically just as the Sun set, I was out and back on bigger roads. My scooter was 3.5 miles away in the car park. I jogged all the way back and cracked open a beer from underneath the seat. Fuck me dead. He's only gone and done it again.

YouTube video of the hike: