Madeira (again): Monday 12 February

This was the second time we had been on Madeira on this cruise and today we were on an excursion to the Skywalk.  Once again it took some time for us to get off the ship so it was a brisk walk to the meeting place near the Cristiano Ronaldo Museum. We had a photo with the former Manchester United number 7 and waited for our tour.

We were a little nervous as it was billed as an off-road 4 x 4 experience (not the description we had booked for!) but the reviews were excellent. Our guide, Chris, got his 7 passengers on board his Land Rover Defender and off we went. Chris entertained us with his knowledge of Madeira, switching seamlessly between English and German as we drove up steep, narrow roads and dirt tracks.

Our first stop was at a viewing point overlooking Nun's Valley where we enjoyed the fresh air and scent of the eucalyptus trees. We then got back in the Land Rover. Chris had taken the roof off and, as we drove along the rocky tracks we were encouraged to stand up which was more enjoyable than we might have thought.

Next stop was at a lovely little bar where we had a demo of how to make ‘pancho’, a local drink of rum, lemon, orange and honey. Then it was back to the car and off to the Skywalk. Disappointingly there was a lot of cloud cover so we decided it would be best to do the Skywalk on another visit.

Our final stop was for Madeira wine tasting and then it was back to the ship for lunch. We bumped into Katherine and Richard again and had lovely catch-up with them.

Then it was dinner. After dinner we went to the theatre expecting to see the 'Headliners'. However there had been a change to the programme and we saw 'The Noise next Door', four lads who did improvised comedy which we quite enjoyed.

We then went on deck for the sailaway and a chance to admire Madeira's beautiful nighttime waterfront for the last time this trip.