Off the beaten track

One of the things I'd been hoping to do on Madeira was go on a Landrover safari out into the wilder bits of Madeira and away from the tourists. So, Sunday morning, my uncle and I (him being the only one of the group to fancy being rattled around on steep roads for 3 hours) headed off with 3 others in a small Landrover.

Cue:
- several "he's not going to drive up there, is he?!" "he is!" moments
- off-road tires scrabbling for grip up what had to be 1 in 3 gradients through villages
- a moment when at least two wheels came off the ground
- a heart-stopping moment involving a hairpin bend, off-road, in mud, facing a drop of about 2000ft
- some breathtaking views and crisp, clean air
- a drive down a boulder-strewn dry river bed

Bloomin' marvellous it was. Only thing I'd have changed is that I'd have loved to have been driving rather than been driven.

Two of the others on the trip were from a cruise ship that was docked in Funchal for a few hours. We wandered down after lunch to see her leave - not my cuppa tea for a holiday, but she's certainly impressive. And very big!