Rock pool dips and cable car trips: get active in Madeira

Basket case: gravity-assisted transport An abundance of altitude helps – as you discover at the pretty hilltop town of Monte, 550 metres above sea level. One of them, Arnando Gama, says his passengers tend to react in the same way: “They get very excited before the run, then they go quiet on the way down.” I speculate that the descendants are inwardly whooping with joy as they glide downhill with a superb view of the capital, Funchal, aboard a fairground attraction that has been released into the wild. For more information visit carreirosdomonte.com Higher and higher: discover ancient forest and thrilling trails For a compact island, Madeira packs some impressive heights – with roads and tracks criss-crossing the island at more than 1,000m. There’s a wide menu of options for spending rather more than an hour happily on the ocean: from sunrise and sunset cruises to a full day exploring the south coast of the island – with the chance to see cetaceans, and to visit private beaches accessible only by sea. For more information see happyhourmadeira.com Nature’s spa: splashing around in the volcanic rock pools Making a splash anywhere in Madeira is great fun, especially in the volcanic rock pools in Porto Moniz at the far northwest of Madeira.