Strap on your hiking boots and prepare for a trek that will test your physical limits, challenge your sanity, and make you question why you ever thought it was a good idea to voluntarily walk for days on end.  We head to the island of Madeira. 

Welcome to this travel blog, where we embark on the Madeira Island Ultra Trail (MIUT) – a long distance hike full of adventures, misadventures, steps, and burning thighs that will leave you wondering if you’ll ever walk the same way again.

Very early start! 3:30am to be precise, although it didn’t feel too bad – I think that’s often the case when you’re off on an adventure. And it was worth it to arrive at our hotel by eleven thirty with almost the whole day ahead to explore the local area. 

We stayed at Hotel Dom Pedro in Machico, a coastal town on the east of Madeira. We went for lunch first and had a ‘Prego‘ – a Portuguese sandwich of fried steak with crushed garlic hammered (literally!) into it to give the most incredible flavours. Needless to say we polished it off before heading off on a walk along the coast.

Dinner was at Talhadas – conveniently right next to our hotel. We kept it fairly relaxed on day zero – after dinner the only thing left to do was the inevitable last minute panic shop at the local supermarket for sustenance. 

Accommodation: Hotel Dom Pedro https://madeira.dompedro.com/pt/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=organic&utm_content=website_dpmadeira 

Dinner: https://www.facebook.com/talhadasrestaurantepub/

Definitely not an alpine start  

Up at 7am, breakfast shortly after ready for a 9am taxi kindly arranged by the hotel to Porto Moniz – our start point. Upon arrival at Porto Moniz we marvelled at the beautiful rock pools below us, half wishing we could delay our start for a quick swim. 

We began our ascent; the only way to describe this would be brutal, relentless, and unforgiving and those would all be massive understatements. We went up, up, and up again only to find…there was more up. It was hard. It was the same for the downs – too steep to achieve a good pace, and our poor knees really took a beating! 

The environment is really quite incredible – you can go from being in what feels like the middle of a rainforest to traversing across epic and narrow ridgelines. The misty cloud canopy draped the landscape in an ethereal shroud, obscuring the distant horizons (and our upwards journey) in a veil of mystery. 

We had deliberated over whether to camp on the first night or find refuge in a B&B with a hot shower and an actual bed. Probably a bit pathetic that we chose the latter but it had been a hard day and we realised that irrespective of where we slept – we did need some dinner.

We found accommodation at Baia Seixal Ocean Front apartments – phew - and a beach front restaurant which made us two very happy hikers! We ate like kings (a massive plate of meat and chips), bought an ice-cream for the walk home and called it a night. 

Accommodation: Baia Seixal Ocean Front apartments https://www.booking.com/Share-ubQ1t2

Dinner: https://instagram.com/barpraiadalaje?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== 

We set off at 8am to head to the supermarket to pick up lunch and some caffeine (happy Becky!) – then got picked up at 9am for a lift up to the Vargem area to avoid the horrendous 1600m ascent we’d have first thing and that would just be for getting to the summit of peak 1! 

Our driver was the owner of the apartment we stayed at the night before and on the journey up to our new start point we gained insight into life in Madeira. A few things we learnt from this friendly chap:

 

‘True Madeira’ is on the north side of the island and in the mountain areas. 

The political situation is complex – lots of corruption especially around land and business ownership.

The African slaves built all the trails we are hiking*. 

The chef at the restaurant we ate at the night before is truly a legend – he saved 2 men from drowning in the ocean just the week before when a huge wave swept them off the path where they were taking photos. Apparently it’s a real issue here – the power of the waves and the danger they pose to tourists. 

Madeira is the Hawaii of Europe (we agree!)

*Upon more research into this, it turns out the intricate network of Levadas we often saw on the hike were crafted by the slaves – channelling the island’s water resources from the north side of the island which catches more rain, to the south where the first inhabitants settled. The name ‘Levada’ is derived from the Portuguese verb ‘levar’ which means ‘to bring’. i.e. the Levadas bring water to where it is needed most. 

We arrived at the start feeling fresh and ready to go (probably something to do with the 1000m ascent we had just cheated our way out of…) The hike was so much better than Day 1 – far more varied, and the ascent was a lot less intense and so we could appreciate the scenery a lot more.

We noticed that when on the north side of a ridge or peak, the ground was dry and the air was warm; whereas on the south side it was much more tropical and humid with flora that would be at home in the Amazon rainforest. It was generally quite misty for most of the day but when that cleared, the views were spectacular – and looking back over the ridgeline we had traversed we felt quite proud of our day’s effort!

We ticked off quite a few peaks (Pico da Encumeada at 1278, Pico do Jorge at 1691, Encumeada Baixa at 1655) before setting up camp for the evening at Achada Do Teixeira – a mountain lodge where we ate a ginormous bowl of pasta and sampled some Madeira wine.

The plan had been to stop a few kilometres earlier however the hut up at Pico Ruivo didn’t offer hot food and the camp area didn’t look too inviting. The ground was hard mud which isn’t ideal for pitching the tent we have and the available area was fairly small. And so – executive decision made we skipped the peak, headed down to the mountain lodge for the night with the aim of returning to summit Pick Ruivo early that next morning. 

Accommodation: wild camped by Achada Do Teixeira

Dinner: (https://achadadoteixeira.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjw6vyiBhB_EiwAQJRopvJxQpC8TlHIse2Gc29-KkAr4doq9hf80klckWKgt5LP1zQH8ZNRqxoCe58QAvD_BwE

We woke up feeling very unrefreshed after camping in the rain for the night – kind of to be expected! Soggy sleeping bags were packed up and we headed back to Pico Ruivo to hike up the highest mountain in Madeira. In an attempt to reignite the spark of determination to get to the summit, we left our bags at the mountain hut to make ourselves a little lighter and after a short but steep climb we reached the peak and were rewarded with the most glorious panoramic view…that we didn’t see because of the clouds! Nooooo! However, we did agree that the first peak ticked off before 10am isn’t too bad an effort.  

We headed off on the hike towards Pico Do Arieiro – and to our delight the mist began to clear to reveal the most exquisite mountain ridge line in front of us, with deep valleys to our left and right. Behind us, we could finally see the mountains we had traversed the days before which felt somewhat rewarding. 

This trail was far busier and touristy than the previous days, and it was easy to understand why. The narrow paths were carved into the mountain side – connected by tunnels, ladders, and the steepest of steps (can’t escape the steps!) which made for a varied and truly epic route across the famous peaks of the island. 

After a final dramatic ascent up to Pico do Arieiro, we collapsed into the mountain top cafe, demolished a cheese burger each and then set off on the 6km mundane road walk to our accommodation. We did halfheartedly try to flag down a lift but ended up plodding down all the way to our accommodation for the night.

Or so we thought.

It turns out the accommodation we booked had the same name as the destination we walked to – and where we were very much looking forward to a celebratory evening meal. As luck would have it, the accommodation and restaurant weren’t anywhere near each other and we had another hour’s walk to tackle if we wanted to meet our bed for the night. We agreed that another hour on foot was just a bit too much to cope with and taxied our way down and out the mountains to a seaside town ten degrees warmer with a pool and abundance of restaurants to choose from. 

Although we realised that meant the end of our mountain adventure, we generally felt broken and our bodies were saying a big NO to more walking. Reflecting on our adventure over a delicious dinner at Frango da Guiia we agreed that the MIUT needs to be something tackled with the lightest bags, no camping gear, and admittedly a slightly better plan than we had prepared.

Bellies full and hearts warm, we went to bed after making a friend in our lovely little waiter, Marco.

Accommodation: Dom Pedro Canico https://garajau.dompedro.com/en/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=organic&utm_content=website_dpgarajau 

Dinner: https://www.facebook.com/frangodaguiia.garajau

This is an article intended to help those needing some mountaineering top tips and helpful hits. Some of these tips are also relevant for long mountain days, either running or hiking. I’ll keep adding to this as a resource, I hope they help.

Gloves – when sorting kit or walking into a place where gloves are needed, keep your gloves on the inside of your jacket. When you put them on they will be warm, toasty and ready to go.

Gloves – for walking and basic gloves for climbing, these are brilliant and cheap – Screw Fix Winter Gloves

Rucksack – this is the bag that I use for most things, it’s bombproof and it doesn’t cost the earth. The material is tough, it’s got the right amount of pockets, ice axe loops etc etc – Blueice Rucksack   

Boots – when driving for a day out, put your mountaineering boots under the warm blowers of your car. When you get to the start of the route / day out, you’ll have nice warm boots to put on. 

Boots – walk around a bit when you first put them on and then adjust them to the correct tightness for the intended activity. Boots always loosen up in the first few hundred meters. 

Walking Poles – they do help. Make sure they’re shorter on the up hills, so that the pole pushes you forward. Make them longer on the downhills so that they can take some of the weight when stepping down off higher steps. These are all superb poles at the price – Walking Poles From Alpidex

Feet – Looking after your feet is really important. There are many ways of doing this, good quality socks, keeping your feet dry and so on. Here are some top tips: 

1. Waterproof socks with trainers are a great combo. The socks have a membrane and I generally find that they stop blisters and keep your feet dry – win win. Lightweight, dry and you’re faster on your feet.  
2. Talcum powder is a great weapon in the foot maintenance world. It does wonders after a big day on the hill and if you’re running an ultra – try it whilst on a sock change, you’ll love it. 
3. Changing your socks on big days out is a game changer. 
4. Blisters – don’t wait till later, fix and repair them quickly.
5. Blisters – stop blisters by taping your foot before a big trip or run. I usually tape my little toes before a big run, I also tape my heels before a big mountaineering journey…. Use something really hard wearing, like climbing finger tape. The wider stuff is better – check out this great tape that works really well.

Clothing – always have an extra jacket / warm layer in the bottom of your bag that’s in a waterproof bag. You never know when the temps and weather will change, making sure you have an extra ‘get out of trouble’ layer is a great idea. 

Bags – bigger holdall bags are better – fact. Get the biggest one possible and your life will be easier. This is a great bag – Mountain Equipment Big Bag

Bags – having a few zip lock bags to separate items, food, phone, car keys etc etc – it keeps things waterproof and you can see into them. The best ones are from Ikea – check them out here

Crampons – it’s easier to put them on when the crampon is slightly uphill. Try bending one leg, so that you’re kneeling to put the other crampon on. Switch around for the other. 

Crampons – spend time adjusting and fitting your crampons indoors. Don’t try and do it on the hill, it will take ages and it’ll get annoying – plus your mountain friends will have walked off. 

Crampons – most things can be fixed with a cable tie. Stick a few cable ties in your crampon bag.

Navigation – the Outdoor Active app is superb – https://www.outdooractive.com/en/ – it’s a free GPX software that can be used on your phone. It helps you know your position on the mountain precisely. This knowledge is always worth being backed up with a map and compass. 

Navigation – you can plot your route first, see how far it is and how much height gain is involved. Planning a route is far easier at home before getting to the car park and setting off. This is the best planning tool that I’ve used so far – https://www.plotaroute.com/

Navigation – check out these navigation courses – https://ngmountaineering.com/courses/hill-walking-skills/

Fitness – here’s some great tips for long distance walking / hiking and running – https://davetalbot.net/running-your-first-ultra-marathon/

Fitness – if you’re struggling with fitness planning then take a look at some top tips here – https://bit.ly/3t9qAeh

Head Torch – ditch your throw away batteries and get a rechargeable battery to be used all the time – it will save you money and the environment. Carry spare disposable batteries just in case. For normal hill days I just charge my rechargeable battery and just take that, it lasts for ages. These are great for AAA battery packs – Rechargeable Battery Pack   

Baseball Caps – are great for many reasons. They keep the sun out of your eyes. If it’s raining, a baseball cap will be a great additional shield when used with the hood of your waterproof jacket. It’s also great for adding a shield over your sunglasses at higher altitudes when the sun is very bright and the UV rays are strong. 

Sunglasses – make sure that you have a good pair of sunglasses for high mountain use. I use Jublo sunglasses that have the wrap around sides for extra protection from those harmful rays – https://www.julbo.com/en_gb/sunglasses/mountaineering-mountaineering_1

Water bottles – a standard water bottle in conjunction with a flask is the best bet. Although water bladders seem like a good idea – they leak, you can’t see how much water you’re drinking and therefore you can’t regulate the amount you’re drinking and when it’s cold the exposed pipe will freeze. Simple systems work best. Water bladders are good for mountain biking though

Gaiters – make sure that the strap that goes under your boot is tight. If it’s snowy and you have a loose gaiter strap, the snow will stick to it, build up and then you won’t be able to put your crampons on. Keep it tight, keep it right.

These are some mountaineering top tips. I’ll keep adding and improving this list as a resource for folk. Happy hill days people. 

Jaywood house is situated in the village of Worrall Hill in the centre of the Forest of Dean. Coleford is 3 miles away and is the administrative centre of the Forest of Dean, with many shops, a cinema, restaurants and pubs. 

The Forest of Dean is one of the surviving ancient woodlands of England, covering an area of 110 square kilometres. It’s famous for stunning scenery, wildlife and outdoor activities – cycling, climbing, swimming, canoeing, caving, mountain biking – to name but a few. 

The forest is where England meets Wales, separated by the meandering River Wye, you’ll discover a place of beauty and nature. With breathtaking viewpoints, why not walk or cycle the miles of off-road paths, explore the iconic ruins and unique attractions or dine out in some of the local pubs. 

The world famous mountain bike centre is just at the end of the road, you can cycle your bike from the front door and drop straight into the purpose made MTB trails. We have several bikes that we don’t mind our guests using. They’re not top end mountain bikes but they are good for exploring with and getting to know the local area. More information below. 

This guide is here to help and assist your visit. We’re happy to help and offer advice, so that you can enjoy your stay – we hope you enjoy your time in Jaywood House. 

The house was built in 1935 and has been extended over the years. It’s the highest point in the village and has far reaching views across the forest. 

The rented annex has its own entrance with a balcony, ensuite bathroom, kitchen and large lounge area. The lounge area has a pull out double bed if you need to sleep four people. We have several bikes that you can borrow at £10 per bike, per day. The kitchen is well stocked and we provide bread, milk, cereal and tea and coffee making facilities.

The nearest shop is a medium sized central stores at the bottom of the hill – https://goo.gl/maps/Pf5kXUHdN4HGCKbQA

There’s also a petrol station and shop that’s open later on a Sunday two miles away here – https://goo.gl/maps/P58s2BML2DQNUn8s9

If you’re after a bigger supermarket, there’s a LIDL in Coleford – https://goo.gl/maps/yZQ3ubgrV3MiYuub6 and one in Cinderford – https://goo.gl/maps/QKav1SfBCBQeRLoX6

There’s also a Co-op and Tesco express in Coleford. 

Monmouth (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monmouth) is a gorgeous town with a massive selection of restaurants, shops, bakeries, coffee shops and much more. You can cycle down to Monmouth via the cycle path that follows the river Wye – it only takes 30 mins – 

Worrall Hill travelling by car too: 

• Symonds Yat – 10 mins
• Monmouth – 20 mins
• Bristol – 40 mins
• Gloucester – 35 mins
• Tintern Abbey – 26 mins
• Brecon Beacons – 40 mins
• Malvern Hills – 40 mins
• Cheltenham – 40 mins
• Cardiff – 55 mins
• Bristol Airport – 1 hr 5 min
• Birmingham Airport – 1 hr 25 mins

The Forest of Dean really does have a huge amount to offer and we can help and offer advice but the below links are useful. Dave – https://davetalbot.net/about-dave-talbot/ – is a fully qualified climbing and mountaineering instructor, bike /  kayak / canoe guide and can give helpful advice. 

MOUNTAIN BIKING

The forest of Dean is world famous for mountain biking. There’s so much to explore and experience for every level of rider. The main off road cycle centre – https://www.forestryengland.uk/forest-dean-cycle-centre – is 200 metres from our front door and you can drop straight into the trails – free of charge. Here’s the trail map – CLICK HERE –  There’s also so many other areas to explore – just ask, I’ve got the local knowledge for the ‘local’ areas. 

For easier cycling trails then the rides at Symonds Yat are perfect, there’s a guide here – CLICK HERE 

You can also cycle from the house to Monmouth via the cycle path next to the river Wye. This is known as the Peregrine Path and it’s a fabulous ride – https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-a-route-on-the-national-cycle-network/peregrine-path/

There’s more information to the whole area here – https://www.visitdeanwye.co.uk/things-to-do/cycling/cycle-trails

WALKING

The forest is a beautiful place for exploring and walking. The river wye is a picturesque place for hiking and a pub lunch, at one of the many countryside pubs. 

This is a walking guide to the Symonds Yat area –  CLICK HERE 

Brecon Beacons guide is here – https://davetalbot.net/brecon-beacons-classic-walks/

ROAD BIKING

There’s so many loops and journeys to be had in and around the Forest of Dean. Cycling from our place to Abergavneny for lunch and back is a great full day ride. 

Here is a good article with some shorter rides in the Forrest – https://www.komoot.com/guide/674175/cycling-around-the-forest-of-dean

CANOEING 

The river Wye is a stunning setting for a short afternoon paddle or for a multi day adventure.  Here is a full guide to paddling the river Wye, there’s quite a bit of information here – CLICK HERE 

If you’re staying with us and fancy a day trip. The section from Hoarwithy down is simply stunning – https://www.herefordcanoehire.com/

ROCK CLIMBING

Rock climbing can be done indoors and outdoors. There’s so much to go at. This is the local bouldering wall – https://www.forestclimbing.co.uk/

The nearest big roped climbing wall is Gloucester – https://www.the-warehouse.co.uk/

The best outdoor climbing areas are Symonds Yat – https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/symonds_yat-403/ and Wintours Leap – https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/wintours_leap-51/

I am also around for private guiding, if you want to have the best experience – https://davetalbot.net/rock-climbing-courses/

CAVING 

For the family fun stuff, go and visit – https://clearwellcaves.com/ – it’s amazing. 

For more ‘full on’ caving experiences you can explore the caves at Symonds Yat. Check out – https://borderlandsoutdoor.com/activity/caving/

OTHER ACTIVITIES 

Go Ape at Mallards Pike for adults and older children – https://goape.co.uk/locations/forest-of-dean-mallards-pike

And at Beechenhurst for younger children https://goape.co.uk/locations/forest-of-dean-beechenhurst

Puzzlewood – https://www.puzzlewood.net/

Trains at – https://www.perrygrove.co.uk/

The closest pub to Jaywood House is http://thecolliersinn.com/ – this is at the bottom of the hill. It isn’t open on Monday / Tuesday. There’s a lovely path that leads down through the trees to the pub from the house and takes 10 minutes. 

The Royal Spring is a great pub and that’s a bit further away here – https://goo.gl/maps/zi4yZJgnUMj4VWDP7

You can also cycle or walk on relatively flat paths to the village of Five Acres – https://goo.gl/maps/VfTuBD6KEBBDcMLN9 – there’s loads of good pubs serving food in this area. 

There’s a good restaurant in Coleford here – https://boltersincoleford.co.uk/

Here’s a list of some other pubs – https://www.campingintheforest.co.uk/blog/things-to-do/forest-of-dean/pubs

There’s a good cafe at https://www.beechenhurstcafe.co.uk/ and at Symonds Yat – http://www.symondsyatrockcafe.co.uk/