Madeira invites you to live the passion of one of the world’s classic rally events in the first week of August. more: http://www.rally-erc.com/rally_cover.php?sec=6

Have you had any good tours on the island, or by sea?  What would you recommend to other visitors?

Doing some research on Praia de Calheta, which is the man-made beach on the south-west of the island and came across a Portuguese language forum on skyscrapercity.com. Despite its name, there’s a vast amount of other architecture and development discussion on the site.

Check out this link for the main forum.

I particularly liked Volta à Madeira em 7 dias (Tour of Madeira in 7 days) and Fotos do (of) Funchal.

Originally introduced to supply water to the southern parts of the island, the network of irrigation channels known as levadas is now a popular way to get around on foot, taking in some breathtaking scenery as you go.

The word is based on the Portuguese ‘levar’, which means ‘to take’ or ‘to lead’.

Walks vary from tame and leisurely to impassable without specialist equipment so choose your route carefully!

Read more at this web site.