Madeira

THE book that made walking on Madeira so popular. In print since 1981, with over half a million copies sold. Pocket-sized and in full colour, the guide describes six car tours (with fold-out touring map), highlighting places where you can stop for a walk or just a stroll to a lovely picnic setting. But the major part of the book is devoted to 100 different long and short walk routes, illustrated with large-scale topographical maps (1:40,000). While keen hillwalkers have long known about the island's mountainous terrain, what has attracted visitors of all ages and abilities is the opportunity to walk the 'levadas' - the paths beside the island's irrigation channels. The Sunday Times said: 'A remarkable paperback which may have done more than any other to change the way its readers spend their holidays; this book single-handedly turned levada-walking into something approaching a craze.' Walking on Madeira is superb all year round. Walks can be done from a hired car or by using the excellent public bus network (the book contains copious up-to-date timetables, one of its key features).
The authors spend a month on the island every year, rechecking the routes, and maintain a unique on-line update service to keep users abreast of any route changes since publication.