Madeira, Between the Mountains and the Sea

Madeira is not a large island, but it never feels small. You can drive from the south coast to the north in under an hour and pass through three different kinds of weather on the way. The mountains make their own climate. Most days, the cloud sits on the peaks like it lives there.

Walking the levadas

The old irrigation channels — the levadas — run for hundreds of kilometres across the island, and the paths beside them are the best way to see it. We walked one almost every day. Some were wide and easy; others clung to cliff edges with nothing but a thin railing and a long drop into green.

Waiting for the light

We learned quickly that the island doesn't care about plans. A valley would be completely hidden, and then ten minutes later it would open up in full sun. Many of these photographs exist only because we sat down and waited a little longer than felt reasonable.

The north coast

Seixal felt different. The dark Atlantic, the black volcanic sand, the mountains disappearing into low clouds. There was something raw and quiet about it all — the kind of place that stays with you long after you've left.