Comments on: Madeira: The Royal Road to Ruin (Pico Grande . . . nearly)

By: McEff

McEff — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:35:59 +0000

Hi Paul. That cheered me up on a dull Sunday night. Cheers.

By: Paul

Paul — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:20:00 +0000

Hi Alen,

I can only echo the other readers comments, I am totally gutted for you- But it may not seem it as you wrote your post, but I bet right now, you can look down at your scared ankles & 70’s Y front T shirt & smile, no regrets…

Paul

By: McEff

McEff — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:07:02 +0000

Cheers Mark. Apparently it’s a year-round destination, which I think means the sun shines all the time.

By: markswalkingblog

markswalkingblog — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:57:12 +0000

Alen, great read as always. Fantastic scenery, never really considered the opportunities for walking on this island. I will tuck this away as a place to go when the weather is not so great here.

By: McEff

McEff — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:43:33 +0000

It certainly makes you think. Even the stalkers paths that zigzag up into the corries and onto the ridges of the Highlands, and the original packhorse routes over places such as Styhead and Nan Bield, must have been constructed by similar groups of workers. As for the Camino del Ray ??? I was looking at some videos of it on YouTube only yesterday. Er . . . no thanks. I prefer solid ground under my feet!

By: David

David — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:06:32 +0000

As ever a great read. Sounds like you had quite an adventure, it will certainly remain in your memory for a long time. As Alex and others have commented I feel sorry for the young lad toiling away on the mountainside. No doubt when his back or general health gives out they will simply replace him with someone else. I bet few of us pause to think about those who put their energy and in some cases lives into the construction of the pathways we use in the mountains. It brings to mind some exposed paths I have scared myself on such as the Camino Del Ray (Kings Way) at El Chorro in Andalicia, or many of the pathways in the Dolomites that were created during the wars.

By: McEff

McEff — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:26:06 +0000

Thanks for that, Scott. I don???t know about better than watching the telly because I???ve just watched a programme about the development of high explosives on BBC4 and it was, er, explosive. Give those dogs a pat for me. Ta.

By: McEff

McEff — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:18:32 +0000

I couldn???t agree more with you there, Alex. One half doesn???t know how the other half lives, but from where I???m standing most people live in the wrong half ??? which doesn???t seem to add up. And on a lighter note, get that plane booked!

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:36:34 +0000

Informative, entertaining, uplifting and depressing all at once. I don't know how you manage to keep doing that, but it's a lot better than watching the telly.

By: Scotlands Mountains

Scotlands Mountains — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:08:40 +0000

God,I feel sorry for that poor wee boy humping slabs all day long.
Politicians/economists/bankers should be forced to watch folk like that toil for a day to put a human face to their actions.
On a lighter note,more good photos of what looks like a lovely island….

Alex.

By: McEff

McEff — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:18:24 +0000

Thanks for that, Orel. I think it does a person good to have a painful day every once in a while. Just so long as they don’t happen too often.

By: Orel Engel

Orel Engel — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:06:12 +0000

Aw! That was unfortunate indeed. Awkward moments with the workers too, I hate this kind of situation. But the worse is that you had to go back on your steps and see them again. I laughed when you said “this royal road, which has become a royal motorway thanks to the efforts of the workmen”, that but true. I think some parts of the world should remain accessible to people who really make the effort to reach them. It should be a privilege, not some kind of easy-access attraction for tourists. But then I dont know, in that case maybe they were building it to link villages or smthg? Anyway, great photos as always.