We had a typical four-season kind of day as we set off for a morning hike in the high mountains. While our windscreen wipers swiped the rain away, we admired a vibrant rainbow arching into the valley. 

The trailhead just had a couple of cars parked up which meant it was going to be a lovely, peaceful hike. The sun was beaming down through the clouds, dispersing light through the valley in a beautiful way. Sadly, the sunshine was short-lived as we ended up walking through drizzle the majority of the way.  

Even in less ideal conditions, the hike was spectacular, with narrow ridgelines, cliff-edges and dramatic mountain peaks. Yellow flowers blanketed the hills and offered a fabulous pop of colour. 

It was a really easy, level hike, but soon enough the steep climb to the summit began. The trail suddenly deteriorated as we navigated our way up a narrow, muddy ledge, the drop-off beside us becoming greater with every step. 

I’d read that the hike wasn’t recommended if you suffer from vertigo, and I was starting to struggle. I realised it would only get worse, the rain was getting heavier and the cloud thicker – so we decided to head back. It was a shame because I think in dry, clear conditions I’d have been more comfortable continuing. 

So we headed back down and decided to drive to the west side of the island as we had yet to explore it. The area is known for being pretty wild with undulating cliffs and a dramatic coastline. 

I’d read about a cool cable car that can take you down to the coast, but according to Google it was closed. We decided to go there anyway just to enjoy the view from the cliffs – only to discover it was up and running. 

It’s actually one of the steepest cable cars in Europe, with a 98% slope. Only two little gondola-style cabins were taking it in turns to go up and down, and the whole system looked rather vintage. It was funny because listening to it clanking while it manoeuvred over the cliff completely put us off.

We both agreed that it looked too scary – but then the fear of missing out sank in. We enquired about the price and it was just €5 for a return journey. Then we saw other tourists happily entering the rusty contraption and we got jealous and bought some damn tickets.

Three other people were in the car with us, and after a bit of a creaky start, it was a surprisingly smooth ride. In fact, it was very slow and tranquil until we saw the other car zip past us at lightning speed. 

As we descended towards the coast we had fabulous views of the cliffs and ocean. We expected there to be a worker at the bottom, but it was totally unmanned so we just let ourselves off which felt a bit lawless. Then we were free to wander along the beautiful promenade. 

It was a lovely area, with the sea crashing into a pebble beach to our right, layers of cliffs rising through a misty haze ahead of us, and a whole little agricultural community built out of natural materials to our left. 

The cable car was originally built to help the locals take their produce back up the cliffs, as the alternative route was a steep, zig-zag footpath. It was sort of like a huge allotment, separated by little walls and kitted out with small stone houses and rickety sheds. There was even a vintage wine press inside one of the buildings, and an irrigation system that meandered between the plots. 

We continued walking until the path finished, which offered the best views of the cliffs, before turning back and wandering through the humble village. We didn’t spot any locals, so I’m not sure if anyone permanently lived down there or if they just visit to tend the land. Although we did notice a large bin that was next to a cable, which made us wonder if they attach the bins and transport them up to the top of the cliffs. 

When we decided to head back up, we waited on a lone bench positioned directly beneath the precarious-looking cable cars. Again, we were left to our own devices, so we stood to the side to allow the passengers to get off, before we hopped on board and it scooped us up towards the cliffs. I didn’t spot a camera or any way of watching what was happening at the bottom station – it wouldn’t take much for too many people to squeeze on board and push the weight limit allowance. Luckily, it was just us on the way back so we could spread out and enjoy the ride. 

We stopped a couple more times along the west coast, which offered different vantage points of the cliffs, and then we picked a location to watch the sunset on the southern coast. 

We found an empty picnic area with a sea view so we grabbed a beer from the shop and sat down to watch the show. Some moody clouds swooped by which created glorious sunbeams, and we expected something spectacular to happen once the sun had set but it ended up being a colourless night. 

For our final day in Madeira, we woke to drizzle. We weren’t in a major rush to leave our accommodation so we waited it out for a couple of hours and then did the final climb up hundreds of steps through the banana plantation to our parked car. 

I didn’t have much planned for our final day, except for making our way towards a little village near the airport where we’d be spending the night. Nearby was one of the island’s only sandy beaches so we decided to go for our only swim in Madeira. It was pretty cold and a little longer than we anticipated as someone’s hat blew off their head and landed in the sea, so we swam over to retrieve it.

We basked in the sun for a while and then it was time to return our little rental car. The rental company kept trying to push for us to upgrade to a larger car for more power, but we stuck with our 1.1 litre engine and she did us proud on those wild mountain roads.

If you’re planning a trip to Maderia (or anywhere else in the world) and looking at renting a car, then I highly recommend using Discover Cars. You can look at prices and book through our affiliate link here where we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

In January, rentals were as cheap as £4 a day! We accidentally booked the wrong month and only found out when the rental company called us in England asking where we were. Luckily they changed all the dates for free so we were very happy with the service. We always buy fully comprehensive insurance through Discover Cars too, which cost us an additional £7.50 per day for peace of mind.

The return was a breeze, although a lot of companies these days charge a cleaning fee if it’s not spotless so we opted to pay an extra €12 to have them clean it and save any disputes. It was our fourth time renting with Discover Cars and we will continue to use them as every rental has been affordable and efficient.

We spent the rest of the afternoon on our hotel balcony, watching the planes coming in to land and rainbows filling the sky with colour. 

Seeing as we had to wake up at about 4am, we went to bed at around 8pm. While it was pitch black we began the 2km walk to the airport – in the pouring rain. It was a bit of a shit-show because we didn’t even have our waterproof trousers on so we were getting soaked. 

I’m surprised security let us into the airport as we looked a state when we rocked up, with our trousers sticking to our legs. I was concerned that our flight might be cancelled or delayed as strong winds were howling through the building. Flights in Madeira are often cancelled due to wind, especially landings as the runway is so short. Luckily everything was running as normal and we set off back to England – which was also rainy, but in a much greyer, more depressing way.