Around Madeira

Just a reminder that May is the month of the annual Flower Festival. This year's parade takes place on Sunday, 4th May, starting at 4.30pm along the Avenida do Mar. There will be road closures, bus routes will be curtailed and the area will be very busy - and if you haven't booked a place on one of the official grandstands, you'll need to arrive early to find a spot from which you can see the procession.  Although the parade is the highlight of the festival, there are 25 days of activities to keep everyone entertained and there will be carpets of flowers in various locations to admire.

TAP have announced a direct flight connection between Madeira and the Algarve for the summer season. Flights, taking a little under two hours, will run twice weekly (Mondays and Thursdays) from June 2nd and September 11th - the linked announcement gives details of the schedule. There have been various attempts to establish a direct link between the two tourist destinations without any lasting success, so this latest attempt will be under some scrutiny. Connecting flights are available throughout the year via Porto or Lisbon (in the latter case continuing by train is also a realistic option) and may prove cheaper, if more arduous.

Owing to works on the electricity system, there will be diversions on the Levada das 25 Fontes (PR 6) walking route on 16th, 17th and 19th April. As some one-directional parts of the trail will have two-way traffic, the route is likely to be more crowded (even) than usual. Please pay attention to the local signage.

The ferry to Porto Santo has yet again been cancelled on 7th April owing to adverse weather conditions. More details on the operator's website .

According to local press report, the Levada do Furado walking route (PR10) will be closed to visitors on Thursday, 3rd April, while various repairs are completed. The trail is expected to reopen the following day.

Owing to the continuing bad weather, the IFCN advises that all the recommended walking routes are closed on 19th March, as are the Quinta do Santo da Serra and the Forest Road that connects Eira do Serrado to Pico do Areeiro. It has also been reported that owing to very heavy rainfall there have been some temporary road closures in the Pico do Areeiro area.