Boca da Encumeada to Pico Grande

The mountains of Madeira.
Our first good day so we headed for the highest peak. Pico Grande is 1654m high and the views from it and the routes leading to it are spectacular.The track led us through forests of Eucalyptus, Spanish Chestnuts and Laurel, whilst we marvelled at the Brambles and Broome underfoot. At times the path was exposed and precipitous, at times it was enclosed and gently sloping. We were disappointed by the steady descent from our starting point (Boca da Encumeada 1000m) before the inevitable climb to the summit, but we were glad of the security ropes on the path below the summit. Bob, John and I did Pico Grande, tried to force a route north along a different ridge and then reluctantly retraced our steps to Boca da Encumeada to pick up the cars, whilst the rest carried on to Corticeiras. They took a taxi back to Funchal where we regrouped over dinner. Espada again for me thanks to Kath's advice.