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Darren and Janet
Darren and Janet

Darren and Janet

📍 England Read more🇦🇺Adelaide
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  • Darren and JanetScotland, Faroes, Romania 2024Darren and Janet
    1Cille Choirill Church and graveyard
    Inverlochy Castle ruins3Fort William hydro pipes, originally built to power the towns aluminium smelter3Commando Monument, Spean BridgeLaggan Reservoir, one of the 2 dams that supply Fort William's hydro plant1Cache stop1Pitlochry main streetPitlochry fish ladderRiver Tummel, near Pitlochry damPitlochry, walk from dam back to town

    To Pitlochry

    May 16, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We departed Fort William after a visit to the supermarket and a couple of caches, on the road to Pitlochry for the night.

    Our first stop was Spean Bridge, and the Commando Memorial. It was a popular stop for the tour buses, and had the obligatory busking bagpiper setting the mood.

    Next stop was Cille Choirill, a 15th-century Roman Catholic church situated in Roy Bridge, a picturesque setting on the side of a hill overlooking Glen Spean.

    We stopped for lunch at the local pub and were the only patrons in the bar.

    We arrived in Pitlochry around 3pm, checked into our hotel and walked down the hill into town to visit the dam and fish ladder.

    The fish ladder is a series of 34 pools over 310 metres which allow the salmon to travel upstream during breeding season, bypassing the dam.

    Dinner was at a local cafe, before the walk back to our hotel.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetScotland, Faroes, Romania 2024Darren and Janet
    1Steall Waterfall
    1Only a few minutes outside Fort William1On the way to the West Highland Way1Glen Nevis walk, final section2Our morning tea companion1Fort William High Street1On the way down from retrieving a cache, near West Highland WayApproaching Steall Falls

    Walking Wednesday

    May 15, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Back to sunny days with 24 degrees forecast, so it's shorts out again!

    We had a full day around Fort William, so we began with a walk along a section of the West Highland Way, a 96 mile walking trail from Glasgow to Fort William. The section we walked was along the Old Military Road and was the site of the Battle of Inverlochy (1645), one of the many battles between Highlanders and Royalist troops.

    We headed back into town for lunch in the High Street (soup and a Scotch pie, while watching a busking bagpiper). We visited the West Highland Museum and browsed the shops, before heading towards Glen Nevis for the afternoon.

    Glen Nevis is a valley near Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in the UK), and the most popular walking track is along the gorge to Steall Waterfall, the second tallest waterfall in the UK at 120 metres. It's a 3.5 km walk along uneven terrain, so took us an hour to walk in, and about 45 minutes out, with a steady stream of walkers going in both directions.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetScotland, Faroes, Romania 2024Darren and Janet
    1Road on the left, river on the right
    1Fishnish to Lochaline Ferry2Single lane road along the western shore of Loch Linnhe53Corran ferry crossing, at the narrowest point of Loch Linnhe1Fort William, view from across Loch Linnhe1Glenfinnan Viaduct... as close as we got1Neptune's Staircase2

    Mull to Fort William

    May 14, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Our final morning on Mull, after grabbing a couple of caches we caught the ferry from Fishnish to Lochaline. This ferry has no bookings, just turn up and wait in line. We got to the terminal 20 minutes before departure, so had no problem getting a spot.

    The weather today has turned very Scottish - overcast with drizzly rain all day. Fortunately most of the day was driving, taking the scenic route up the western shore of Loch Linnhe, to Glenfinnan.

    Lunch stop was at Corran, watching the ferry go back and forth across the loch.

    Our plan for the afternoon was to visit the Glenfinnan Viaduct, the tall, arched bridge made famous by the Harry Potter movies. But it seems everyone else had the same idea. We arrived a few minutes before the steam train was scheduled to travel through, and the carparks were already at capacity and had been closed, leaving many people to park along the main road and walk great distances. We were happy take a snap of the viaduct as we drove past!

    We arrived at Fort William and visited Neptune's Staircase, the longest staircase lock in Britain, rising boats up 20 metres through 8 locks.

    We walked back into town for dinner at a local hotel.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetScotland, Faroes, Romania 2024Darren and Janet
    2Tobermory waterfront
    Aros Castle1View from Aros Castle2Cill An Ailean cemetery1Tobermory waterfrontTobermory waterfrontAros Forest1Aros Waterfall, Aros Forest1Salen Wrecks, a restoration project abandoned in the 1970's

    Destination: Tobermory (not the Womble*)

    May 13, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    We had an easy day today, with only a few kilometres of driving planned. We began with a visit to Aros Castle, an abandoned 13th century castle just north of Salen, our base on Mull.

    Next stop was a walk in Cill An Ailean, a forested area with an ancient chapel and cemetery.

    We continued north to Tobermory, the colourful capital of Mull. The name is derived from the Gaelic Tobar Mhoire, meaning "Mary's well", which refers to a well dedicated in ancient times to the Virgin Mary.

    The city centre is concentrated along one street on the waterfront, running between the ferry terminal and the marina, with multiple souvenir shops, a bakery, pub and distillery most prominent.

    We snacked on local produce from the weekly produce market at the marina, topping it off with some fare from the award winning fish and chip van by the pier.

    On the way home we stopped for a walk in Aros Forest, with multiple waterfalls and views across to Tobermory harbour.

    *For those unfamiliar with the 1970's TV show, the main Wombles are Great Uncle Bulgaria, Tobermory, Madame Cholet, Orinoco, Wellington, Tomsk and Bungo)    Read more

  • Darren and JanetScotland, Faroes, Romania 2024Darren and Janet
    2Lachlan Macquarie's mausoleum1Eas Fors Waterfall3View of Dervaig. Note the white, pencil shaped church in the village.3Calgary Bay1Why have powerlines follow the road when you can cut across the beach!2View from a cache. Me in the midground, car in the background, sheep between us

    Mull northern loop

    May 12, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Our day began with a visit to the mausoleum of Lachlan Macquarie, former Governor of New South Wales. He was born on Ulva, an island off the west coast of Mull.

    Our drive today took us north, with windier roads and more reversing into passing bays - we had good luck yesterday and could see the upcoming road, but with the windy roads and limited visibility, at one stage we had to reverse 3 times in 10 minutes after meeting oncoming cars.

    We visited the aptly named Eas Fors Waterfall, a 3 tiered waterfall that falls directly into the sea. Eas is Gaelic for waterfall, Fors is Norse for waterfall... so it is literally named Waterfall Waterfall Waterfall.

    Our lunch stop was Calgary, a hamlet on the west coast (and the origin of the name of Calgary in Canada). We were almost resigned to having snack lunch from our emergency rations, but were very pleased to find a cafe open for lunch on a Sunday! Calgary Bay is also one of the most popular beaches on Mull.

    Our route home took us along a series of hairpin turns, part of the course of the Rally of Mull, where the island's roads are closed for a round of the British Rally Championship each October.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetScotland, Faroes, Romania 2024Darren and Janet
    1
    1Duart Castle1Single lane road, with passing bays2Mull, southern road scenery1Iona housingOne of the many road hazards we encountered1Iona Abbey1First highland coo spotted!2The central coast road, Mull

    Mull and Iona

    May 11, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    We were up bright and early today to catch the first ferry of the day from Oban to Craignure, on the Isle of Mull.

    It's only a 45 minute crossing, so we hit the ground running at 8.15am and headed towards Duart Castle, ancestral home of Clan McLean, built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the straight. Original construction began in the 13th century, but after various periods of siege and abandonment, much of what we see today is a 1911 reconstruction.

    The main road around Mull is a single lane road, with passing turnouts at regular intervals, usually 100-200 metres apart. If you meet a car coming in the opposite direction, one of you must stop at the nearest passing bay and let the other through. So progress can be slow, with lots of stopping, headlight flashing and waving to other drivers!

    We arrive at Fionnphort in time for lunch at the pub, before boarding the ferry for Iona.

    Iona is known as the birthplace of Celtic Christianity, with Iona Abbey founded by St Columbus in 563. It has a small art, craft and tourism industry, focussing on wildlife and nature conservation. There are a small number of roads for locals to use, but no tourist cars are allowed, so walking and cycling are the preferred transport methods.

    We returned to Mull late afternoon and drove back to the east coast via the central road. The scenery along the way is spectacular, so we made plenty of stops for photos, caches and animals on the road, arriving at our accommodation in Salen after 5pm.

    The hotel we are staying in has a pub quiz tonight, so we had dinner and a night of quizzing before catching the end of Eurovision.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetScotland, Faroes, Romania 2024Darren and Janet
    1Bridge Over the Atlantic
    McCaig's Tower dominates the skyline in Oban11View of Oban from Pulpit Hill, McCaig's Tower in the backgroundCache in hand, KilninverEasdale Ferry2Only grass roads between the houses on Easdale1View from the highest point on Easdale, looking toward Seil IslandHaving a go at stone skimming from the official launching block

    Double island day

    May 10, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    We started the day with a visit to one of the most recognisable features of Oban, the unfinished McCaig's Tower, which looms over the city on Battery Hill. It was based on the Colosseum and planned as a lasting monument to the builder and designer John McCaig, and his family. Unfortunately he died after only the outer shell was completed and his family refused to compete it, so it remains unfinished.

    We drove a few miles south of Oban and visited our first island, Seil Island, via Clachan Bridge. Because the Clachan Sound connects at both ends to the Atlantic Ocean, and might therefore be considered part of that ocean, the bridge is known as the Bridge over the Atlantic.

    The hotel next to the bridge is called Tigh an Truish (The House of the Trousers). It’s named this because several years after the Jacobite rebellion - when the British government tried to suppress Gaelic culture, banning kilts, tartan, bagpipes, and language - islanders heading for work on the mainland would change into trousers here and back into their kilts when returning home.

    Our final stop, off the south western coast of Seil Island, is Easdale, one of the Slate Islands. Once the centre of the Scottish slate industry, it is dotted with disused quarries which filled up with water following a storm in 1850 and were abandoned. The island has no roads, and a population of 60 permanent residents, and has hosted the World Stone Skimming Championships since 1997. It is the smallest inhabited island of the Inner Hebrides.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetScotland, Faroes, Romania 2024Darren and Janet
    2Castle Stalker
    14Wetherspoons Oban carpet

    To the highlands and back

    May 9, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    We woke up this morning to the first rain of the trip and the temperature had dropped considerably with it.

    We left Dumbarton and travelled up the narrow, winding road along the western shore of Loch Lomond, before continuing north towards Glencoe, the skiing and bushwalking centre of Scotland, and the start of the Highlands. The clouds got lower, the traffic got heavier and the scenery more spectacular at every turn.

    We stopped for lunch at Kings House Hotel, which is a popular stop for bushwalkers on multi day hikes, before continuing on to Glencoe and a walk down the main street.

    We then headed back south towards Oban, our destination for the night... but not without stopping first at Castle Stalker, an island castle best known in popular culture as "The Castle Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh" in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

    Dinner tonight was at the Oban Wetherspoons, part of the chain of 850 pubs across the UK. Fun fact, each Wetherspoons pub has unique carpet, representative of either the building or location. I've included a photo of the Oban threads for the record 😁    Read more

  • Darren and JanetScotland, Faroes, Romania 2024Darren and Janet
    Unusual headstones, St Michael's church graveyard
    St Michael's cemetery, Dumfries1Robert Burns' mausoleum, DumfriesBike track, near Glasgow3Blending in with the foliage, BowlingBowling Basin and canalGorse in flowerDumbarton CastleRiver Clyde and Dumbarton Rock

    Bowling to Dumbarton

    May 8, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We started the day with a visit to Robert Burns' mausoleum in the grounds of St Michael's church in Dumfries. The mausoleum is quite out of place in the cemetery as it's the only thing painted white.

    We drove on the minor road towards Glasgow, then joined the motorway to skirt the city, heading to the northern bank of the Clyde River.

    First stop was the linear village of Bowling, hemmed in between the mountains and the River Clyde, with a harbour and locks leading to the Forth and Clyde Canal. The canal opened in 1790 and provided a route for the seagoing vessels between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. This allowed navigation from the port of Glasgow on the west coast to Edinburgh on the east coast.

    After coffee and cake at the lock we continued to Dumbarton, our stop for the night. We visited Dumbarton Castle, which sits upon Dumbarton Rock, a natural fortress overlooking the River Clyde. The castle last saw action during World War 2, when anti-aircraft guns were placed there to protect the nearby shipyards from German bombing.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetScotland, Faroes, Romania 2024Darren and Janet
    High Street, Dumfries
    5The rolling hills of northern England3Gretna GreenGlobe Hotel, a favourite haunt of Robert BurnsRiver Nith, DumfriesRobert Burns statue, Dumfries

    Queen of the South

    May 7, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Our flight arrived in Manchester later than expected, then we had delays collecting our hire car (but we did get an upgrade!), so we didn't set off north until nearly midday.

    Traffic was heavy on the motorway, until we reached the rolling hills between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, then and onto Gretna Green, just over the border.

    After a visit to the famous Blacksmiths Shop, where runaway couples from England have wed since 1754, we headed towards Dumfries for the night.

    Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South, which is also the name of their soccer team in the Scottish leagues. It was the birthplace and childhood home of JM Barrie (author of Peter Pan), resting place of Robbie Burns, Scotland's National Poet, and, less famously, home of Alex Graham, creator of the Fred Basset cartoon.

    We walked through the historical centre, along the River Nith and had dinner at a local pub , before walking back to our hotel to watch the Eurovision song contest semi final.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetScotland, Faroes, Romania 2024Darren and Janet
    1

    Changi transit

    May 6, 2024 in Singapore ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    After an overnight stay at the airport hotel, our 9am flight to Singapore was comfortable and uneventful - the only way flights should be!

    We have an 11 hour transit in Singapore, so took advantage of their free bike hire from the airport. Their suggested trip to Changi Village was estimated to take 2 hours return, but we were barely a third of the way there after an hour... and we'd only stopped for 1 cache 🤣

    The humid weather wasn't conducive to fast riding, so we turned around at the water treatment plant and had a leisurely ride back to the airport.

    After a walk around the butterfly garden, a shower and a meal, we settled in to wait for our 2.25am departure.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetMorocco and Portugal 2023Darren and Janet
    1Sri Veeramakaliamman TemplePlenty of gold shops open on Sunday morning

    Little India, and away

    April 23, 2023 in Singapore ⋅ 🌧 31 °C

    Another early morning, this time for a quick visit to Little India before we check out and fly home.

    Little India is the meeting point of the local Indian community. It is a snapshot of the sights, sounds and smells of the culture, and was particularly busy around the shrine this morning. Of course our main activity was caching, so we visited the popular (and some less popular) areas of the city within a city.

    We caught the train to the airport early afternoon in readiness for our overnight flight home.

    Cache count for the trip: 627    Read more

  • Darren and JanetMorocco and Portugal 2023Darren and Janet
    Palm Valley Lawns
    1Children's Garden. We were barred entry because we didn't have any children with us!The waterfall provided a welcome cool offMonitor lizard, Singapore Botanic GardensSquirrel, Singapore Botanic GardensOtter Pond... no otters spotted todayFragrant GardenMarina Bay Sands, view from lunchMerlion, Fullerton Hotel and skylineThe Thinker, Fullerton Bay Hotel

    Botanic Gardens and the Bay

    April 22, 2023 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    We took the other method to avoid the heat today and was on the train to the Botanic Gardens just after 8am.

    Singapore Botanic Gardens is the only tropical garden to be recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's immaculately maintained and in addition to the 10,000 plant species, is also home to otters, monitor lizards, squirrels, monkeys and numerous bird species (we saw the last 4, but no sign of the otters today).

    We walked the length of the park from south to north, and caught the underground back to the bay area.

    After lunch in a cafe in the Esplanade complex with views of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, we walked back to our hotel via the Merlion, Fullerton Hotel and stumbled across Rodin's sculpture, The Thinker outside the Fullerton Bay Hotel. Turns out Rodin encouraged wide distribution of his art, authorising 23 copies of his work in marble and in bronze during his life and sanctioning the Rodin Museum to create posthumous editions (55 have so far been created). So there are many versions of The Thinker exhibited throughout the world!

    Afternoon swim and dinner at Chinatown again, once the sun had gone down.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetMorocco and Portugal 2023Darren and Janet
    People's Park Complex
    2View from the cache over ChinatownRetrieving the cache... it takes you to all the best places 🤣🤣Chinatown, far busier than last time we were here.Hawker Chan's hawker stall was closed for the day1Michelin star worthy Soya Sauce Chicken RiceQueue for one of the Chinatown restaurants

    Chinatown by night

    April 21, 2023 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    We woke up to a massive thunderstorm and torrential rain, so had a bit of a late morning... so late it became afternoon until we left the hotel.

    We went in search of a cache on the rooftop around one of the landmark Chinatown skyline buildings, we also visited when last in Singapore (February 2020, just as Covid broke out).

    The building is known as the People's Park Complex, a 31-storey mostly residential development straight out of the 1970's. Happily we found the convoluted route to the rooftop and the cache considerably quicker than last time!

    Dinner was also a flashback, treating Oliver to dinner at a Michelin star restaurant again... admittedly the Cheapest Michelin-starred meal in the world, Hawker Chan - famous for his Soya Sauce Chicken Rice. His hawker stall had closed for the day, so we went around the corner to his shopfront, where 75% of the menu was sold out, but the signature dish still available. Sadly the serve was no where near the size of last time 😕 (here's the flashback - https://findpenguins.com/4ar8jyvngbq0y/footprin… )

    Another visit to the supermarket and another night swim rounded the day out nicely.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetMorocco and Portugal 2023Darren and Janet
    Night swim
    Boat Quay, the old and the newMarina Bay Sands, visible from everywhere!High rises, with high rise gardensClarke QuayMall's Balls, deconstructed

    Steamy Singapore

    April 20, 2023 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    We caught the train from the airport to the city, arriving at our hotel at 8am... a little too early to check in, so we dropped our bags and went for a walk in the local area.

    We found the nearest supermarket, had some morning tea, and found a few caches before heading back to check-in at 11.30am.

    Neither of us slept much on the flight, so we had an afternoon nap before going for another walk along the river late afternoon.

    It was very hot walking around, 32 degrees and super humid, so we had a bite of tea and went back to the hotel for a swim before bedtime.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetMorocco and Portugal 2023Darren and Janet
    Arriving Zurich Airport
    1Watching some planes take off before we departSuper quiet at Changi this morning

    Zurich Flughafen

    April 19, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Only one activity today, a flight to Singapore.

    The nice thing about an airport hotel, it's just a walk to the terminal.

    We departed a few minutes late at 11.55am, but arrived Singapore on time at 5.50 am... to 30 degrees and humid!

    Changi Airport is as quiet as a mouse, we were off the plane and had our bags in hand by 6.15 am, ready to catch the train to the city...    Read more

  • Darren and JanetMorocco and Portugal 2023Darren and Janet
    1
    1The River Limmat flows through Zurich1Funicular to the university2Zurich is tram central!1Funicular behind airport precinct1Zurich central train station1Lake Zurich, start of the River Limmat

    No time to zzz in Zurich

    April 18, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We only have one day in Zurich, so caught the train to the city this morning. This was our first lesson in what an expensive city this is - return train tickets were $22 each (for a 24 hour pass anywhere around the city).

    We walked across the many bridges in the city, up and down the funicular to the university, and around the old town streets, stopping for lunch and a few caches on the way. (Lunch from a street caravan was a burger, pesto pasta and 2 cappuccinos... $57. Ouch!)

    We noticed plenty of Lamborghinis, Bentleys and Maserati's in the streets, and had a quick look in the Tesla dealership in the heart of the city.

    We caught the train back to our airport hotel late afternoon and went for a walk around the park behind the airport, home to the shortest funicular in Switzerland with a length of 78.5 metres and a rise of just 23 metres!    Read more

  • Darren and JanetMorocco and Portugal 2023Darren and Janet
    6The name change in 2018 wasn't unanimous... they even had protests!
    EasyJet landing, plenty of others ready to take off (no airbridges at Funchal)BA turns around at the end of the runway after landing2On our way with Edelweiss Air

    Aeroporto da Madeira

    April 17, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We have an afternoon flight to Zurich, and only 6km to travel to the airport, so we had breakfast on the terrace before making our way to the airport late morning.

    The road from Machico to the airport travels under the runway, between the supporting pylons - the runway extension completed in 2000 was built on a platform, partly over the ocean, supported by 180 columns, each about 70 m tall. The terminal itself is mostly underground.

    We already had plenty of time to kill, but that was made worse by our plane from Zurich being an hour late leaving, so we were then scheduled to depart Funchal at 5.50pm.

    The airport is constantly busy, averaging 84 aircraft movements a day, and handling over 4 million passengers a year. Fortunately the departure lounge is on the top level and has an outdoor viewing area which overlooks the runway!

    By the time our departure time came around the original flight plan had expired, so we had another delay on the tarmac, finally taking off at 6.15pm.

    We arrived Zurich at 10.50pm and were thankful that we booked an airport hotel, so we were in the room by 11.45pm (the bloke in front of us at reception didn't have a booking... and both hotels in this area are fully booked with a conference this week, so he may have been in for a long night!)    Read more

  • Darren and JanetMorocco and Portugal 2023Darren and Janet
    Machico, old town streets deserted on a Sunday
    Machico, looking northMachico walking near the fort, quiet todayMachico, view from the west of town3Found this old house with furniture, family photos and the key still in the door2Machico, view from our apartment, last cache was at the isolated white building in the distanceVereda = path, Levada = waterway (literally, taken)Crabs on the steps, Machico foreshoreMachico beach

    Meandering in Machico

    April 16, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Free day in Machico today, and the weather is warm and clear, so we thought we do some of the walking tracks around town.

    As we discovered in Porto Moniz, there are walking tracks throughout each town, but they don't appear on any maps, so it's a bit of trial and error to get the right one.

    We began near our apartment on the western side of town, with a track that crosses the main highway and heads toward the airport. It got very steep, very quickly, so we found another path down, back towards to centre of town.

    After some meandering we realised we were only a few hundred metres from one last cache (there's always just one more 🤣), so we trekked up the hill to the east to claim it.

    We found a series of levadas and roads down to the beach to join Bek and Jake for alfresco lunch near the fort, then headed back uphill to our accommodation for a quiet afternoon.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetMorocco and Portugal 2023Darren and Janet
    Sexial Beach
    1Machico, 2 beaches, airport in the backgroundWatching planes landing at CR Airport2Another lookout to watch landings1Porto da Cruz from cache vantage pointTraditional house, Santana2Glass viewpoint, GuindasteSexial Beach and township

    North Coast

    April 15, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Time to leave Porto Moniz and travel across the north coast from west to east.

    We engaged the same taxi driver to pick us up and give us a tour of the north coast, narrowly avoiding a road block as the São Vicente Car Rally was starting on the public roads this morning.

    We stopped at the black sand beach of Sexial, voted in the top 3 beaches in Europe in 2022 - not for the quality the beach (because the blank sand turns to black mud after going in the water), but because of the setting.

    We stopped briefly to see some traditional Madeiran triangle houses in Santana. They are made of straw and wood because they were both abundant materials in the early days, and the high pitched roof assisted to keep the rainwater running off.

    Another glass viewpoint visited at Guindaste, this one vying for the world's shortest? 😂

    Porto Da Cruz is home to a rum distillery, so while Bek and Jake sampled their wares, Oliver and I climbed the nearby viewpoint for a cache and watched the many surfers in the bay.

    Two more viewing areas were visited before arriving in Machico, both with views of the airport. We stayed a while and watched a number of planes take off and land - the airport is certainly busier that we thought it would be!

    After settling into our accommodation, we headed to the city centre for a late lunch and a walk around the beach front, which is split into two by a breakwater. One end is a pebble covered surf beach, the other a sandy swimming beach in a protected end of the bay. It is one of the few sandy beaches of Madeira, with sand imported from North Africa. The sand imports were quite controversial, as the sand was taken from Western Sahara, a Non-Self Governing Territory which has been largely occupied by Morocco since 1975.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetMorocco and Portugal 2023Darren and Janet
    2Second cache was next to the pink house, toward the top of the hill
    On the way down to the first cache of the day2View from first cache2Found the path up the mountain!2Coffee and pastel de nata, overlooking Porto Moniz...and the path down11Waves crashing into the natural sea pools

    Caching up and down the mountain

    April 14, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    The weather is cool and overcast again today, so our plan to swim in the natural sea baths was put on hold.

    We solved a puzzle cache this morning so we set out on a mission! It was located beyond the end of a walking path, about 700m from our apartment. After some searching we found that one and was walking back to town past the school got chatting to the caretaker (it's currently school holidays), so we had a look around their indoor football stadium and 6 lane swimming pool... and he motioned that there is a walking path up the mountain (his English was as good as our Portuguese 😁).

    We set off up the path (toward a cache that we aborted the search for 2 nights ago when we ran out of footpath), and kept going up until we reached our destination. And, as luck would have it, a local cafe was just up the road. After a steak sandwich, coffee and Portuguese tart, we headed back down the walking path toward the coast.

    Still too cold for a swim, we walked around the town for a while, and had dinner in.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetMorocco and Portugal 2023Darren and Janet
    Porto Moniz, low clouds coming in
    1Archadas da Cruz, village at the bottom1Archadas da Cruz cable down... but no car runningView east from Porto Santo, entrance to one of the island's 286 tunnels on the rightPorto Moniz natural sea poolsPorto Moniz, the other natural sea poolsPorto Moniz natural sea pools, bit fresh for a swim todayPorto Moniz natural sea pools

    The teleferico that wasn't

    April 13, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Our plan today was to catch the cablecar from nearby Achadas da Cruz, down the cliff to sea level to a village that has no inhabitants, but the farmers still visit regularly to tend their crops. ,

    The cable car has a length of 600 meters and a slope of 98%, starting at 451 meters and ending by the sea... one of the steepest around and a must see for us.... except that when we arrived it was closed for maintenance 😞

    Our taxi driver claimed he didn't know it was closed, despite it being closed all week and him specialising in tourist transfers in the area (as well us asking at the start of the trip if it was open)... so that was 50 euro not well spent! 

    He gave us the option of walking down and up instead, a path about five kilometers long, which was once used by local farmers to transport their crops. We declined.

    The afternoon was raining off and on, so in between showers we grabbed a few caches and made another visit to the supermarket, before cooking dinner in.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetMorocco and Portugal 2023Darren and Janet
    1Fanal Forest in the mist
    6Cabo Girão Viewpoint, view down through the glass platform... 589m down1Cabo Girão Viewpoint, view to the east1Cloud rolling in, near Paul da Serra1Above the clouds, Encumeada3Fanal Forest, cloud rolling in1Fanal Forest, not as atmospheric without the cloudRibeira da Janella, view along the north coastPorto Moniz, view from our apartment2Levada walk on the way to a cache... not the finest example!

    Cliffs and Clouds

    April 12, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We're leaving Funchal today and heading to the north west corner of the island to Porto Moniz.

    We contacted a taxi driver a few days ago who specialises in transfers for tourists and agreed a price for the journey, including stops on the way. To drive direct takes one hour, so we hired him for 4 hours with 3 stops.

    First stop was the Cabo Girão Viewpoint, famous for its suspended glass platform. At 589m it's claimed as the highest sea cliff in Europe and the 2nd highest in the world (but both claims are in dispute!)

    We then ascended the central mountain range close to the highest point of the island, where we were above the clouds for much of the journey.

    On the northern side of the island we stopped at the Fanal Forest, an old growth laurel forest - it's at 1500m altitude and often shrouded in cloud, giving it a mystical appearance... but the cloud blows in quickly and disappears just as fast. Laurel forests were once spread throughout Europe, but today are practically extinct, so the Madeira Islands laurel forest was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, covering an area of 150 square kilometres.

    We arrived at Porto Moniz at 2pm, had some lunch on the foreshore and a trip to the supermarket. Oliver and I then went for a caching walk, and had an impromptu Levada walk.

    A levada is an irrigation channel or aqueduct specific to Madeira. They were originally constructed of stone and later concrete to irrigate the sugarcane fields, and usually have a walking path next to it. There are more than 2,170 kilometres of levadas - not bad for an island 57km long and 22km wide.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetMorocco and Portugal 2023Darren and Janet
    1Sideways sliding action (sadly couldn't get a photo of us)
    Cablecar, looking up the mountainMonte GardensMonte GardensOn the cable car, looking back over FunchalCarreiros do Monte start point2Oliver ready to slideUs being pulled in a slow sectionSome other people enjoying the ride!More cool street art1Footage of a random family, courtesy of Bek

    Teleferico up, Carreiros down

    April 11, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We made an early start today to ride the cable car (Teleferico) up the mountain behind Funchal. The cruise ship passengers usually do it in the morning, so we avoided the last 2 days when there were 2 ships in, with a total of 7,500 passengers. Today there is only 1 ship of less than 200.

    The journey up the mountain is 3km, and there there are a number of gardens, churches and a palace that can be viewed at the top.

    The fun way to come down is by wicker basket sled (Carreiros do Monte). The small village of Monte, perched in the hills overlooking Funchal, was formerly a health resort for Europe's high society, so what began as a method of transport in the late 1800's for the elite, is now purely for tourism.
    Standing on the back of the sled, 2 white-uniformed drivers (Carreiros), wearing straw boaters and rubber soled shoes, steer the baskets along the narrow winding streets 2km downhill, at up to 40kmh.

    After our slide down the hill we caught the local bus back to the city centre, walked along the promenade, and visited the supermarket to buy supplies for dinner.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetMorocco and Portugal 2023Darren and Janet
    Câmara de Lobos and banana plantations
    3View over Valley of the Nuns - former road, closed in 2002 on right cliffsideViewpoint, Valley of the Nuns3Ice cream shop opened just for us!2Street art, Câmara de LobosOliver and WinstonCâmara de Lobos harbour3View from my afternoon solo caching expedition!Poncho and Nikita

    Nuns, Winston, Poncha and Nikita

    April 10, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We joined a half day tour to the Valley of the Nuns today, only 8km as the crow flies, but 17km by road from Funchal, and at an altitude of 1,095m. The road out of Funchal is very steep and windy and the views spectacular. The south coast is thick with eucalyptus trees... but some history fun-facts first...

    Madeira Island was discovered in 1419 by the Portuguese navigators João Gonçalves Zarco, Tristão Vaz Teixeira, and Bartolomeu Perestrelo. It was uninhabited at the time. Due to the number of trees, they named the island "Isla de Madeira" (Island of Wood).

    Most of the islands' trees were cut for timber by early settlers. In the 16th and 17th centuries the southern side of Madeira was converted to sugarcane plantations, and Eucalyptus was also planted extensively, displacing native species.

    We began our day with a visit to a viewpoint over the Valley of the Nuns, which was the best way to see the village (named when Nuns fled there for just 3 days in the 1500's fleeing a pirate attack in Funchal... so there is no convent and no Nuns!

    On the way back to Funchal (the name Funchal derives from the plant Foeniculum Vulgare, the fennel plant, prominent in the early regional cuisine and confectionery), we stopped in at Câmara de Lobos, a fishing village famous for black scabbardfish and Winston Churchill's visit in 1950 where he painted landscapes in his leisure time.

    In the afternoon we partook in some traditional Madeiran drinks - Poncha, made with sugarcane rum, honey, sugar, and fruit juice, and
    Nikita, originally from Câmara de Lobos, consisting of pineapple ice cream, pineapple juice, and either white beer or white wine. It was created in 1985 by a man called Marcelino, who named it after his favourite Elton John song.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetMorocco and Portugal 2023Darren and Janet
    1Cristiano Ronaldo statue - looks like it's been rubbed a bit for good luck!
    Church of Saint John the Evangelist Church of Saint John the Evangelist, Sunday service in sessionTrash sculpture and cache in hand, near CR7 museum6Porto Santo ferry reverse parkingFunchal Promenade, walking back from the docksJacarandas in bloom, Funchal centreTime to sit and do some drawing from our apartment balcony

    Down the waterfront with CR7

    April 9, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We had a sleep-in this morning, the first day in 7 weeks we haven't set an alarm. After a leisurely breakfast we headed out for a walk around the backstreets.

    Being Easter Sunday there wasn't much open, but after a quick visit to church, we found a cafe to stop for lunch (black scabbardfish rolls).

    Our original plan was to catch the cablecar up the mountain behind town, and ride a traditional toboggan part way down. That was stymied when we got to the front of the ticket line and saw a notice that the toboggans don't run on Sundays.

    Change of plan was to visit the waterfront near the Cristiano Ronaldo statue, museum and hotel - they certainly are proud of their favourite son in this town!

    We tried to go down the main cruise ship dock (to get a cache, of course), but were blocked by security, so we rested a while and watched the ferry from Porto Santo dock and unload (Porto Santo is the second largest island in the Madeira Island group - Christopher Columbus lived on Porto Santo briefly, having married one of the daughters of Bartolomeu Perestrelo, one of the navigators who discovered Madeira).

     We meandered back to our apartment via Santa Catarina Park, and had favourite Portuguese dinner in-house - toasted sheep's cheese and black pork neck sandwiches.    Read more

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