Madeira

Say the word ‘Madeira’ and we think of buttery cake or maybe some kind of dessert wine. We certainly don’t think ‘tropical island paradise’. Or we didn’t – until we went there.

Madeira is an autonomous Portuguese territory in the Atlantic Ocean. A couple of hours flight from Lisbon, it’s closer to the coast of Africa than it is to the Iberian Peninsula. And it’s warm – the ‘island of eternal spring’ they call it.

But this is no beach holiday destination. Madeira is the tip of an ancient, underwater volcano so the landscape here is dramatic; sharp peaks, deep valleys and spectacular cliffs.

Obviously other people have heard of Madeira (the island attracts about a million tourists a year) but we went knowing nothing, and came away feeling like we’d found the hidden treasure.

Funchal, Madeira's capital, is set in a natural amphitheatre between the mountains and the sea

Of the island's total population (around 300,000), half live in Funchal

Madeira was colonised by the Portuguese in 1420 (it would take until 1978 for autonomy to be achieved)

Attacks by pirates and privateers were common; the Fortress of São Tiago was built in 1614

Madeira became a valuable outpost for Portugal; the island's wealth was built firstly on wheat, then on sugar cane and wine (Christopher Colombus came to Madeira to buy sugar in 1478)

The sugar trade was intense and money flowed into the colony

Funchal City Hall (1758); originally the home of one of Madeira's most powerful men

Funchal today is a relaxed city, with a climate as warm as its people

But the heady success of the sugar days is long gone

Tourism is the big driver now and visitors are welcome here

Funchal Farmers' Market opened in 1940; Madeira's fertile soil and sub-tropical climate make for ideal growing conditions

Step into this market and every sense ramps up to high alert - dazzling displays of colour, sellers exhorting you to try their produce, smells to make the mouth water, textures rough and smooth, and then there's the taste ...

For us the market was a trip down memory lane, right back into our grandparents' backyards

Custard apples, loquats, gooseberries, monstera deliciosa - all grown right here on Madeira

Then there were unfamiliar varieties of familiar fruits - small and sweet banana passionfruit, and deliciously creamy silver bananas

Finally, as if we needed another reminder of home, we came across this burst of yellow wattle

Funchal's Botanic Gardens sit high above the city overlooking the ocean

Lots of familiar flowers and trees here too - hibiscus, frangipani, camellias, geraniums, agapanthus, tree ferns and even gum trees - the sights and smells of home

Not far away, the Monte Palace gardens

These lovely gardens are a cool haven on a hot day

And they reflect the owner's interests and travels

Back down to Funchal's old town; Rua de Santa Maria is a good place for food and fado

And some great art as well; it's an initiative called 'Arte de Portes Abertas'

Artists have turned the street's doorways into a gallery

The guy on the left is making Poncha, Madeira's traditional rum-based drink

Of course, as it's tradition ... 🙂

Poncha is said to have originated in the fishing village of Câmara da Lobos not far from Funchal

Much is made of the fact that when Churchill visited Madeira in 1950 he made this small village the subject of one of his paintings

There certainly are a lot of tourists in Funchal (far fewer outside the capital); the make-up is about 25% British, 25% German and then there's the rest like us

But if you can't live on Madeira, who could begrudge anyone the opportunity to bask in beauty like this - even if only for a couple of weeks a year?