The Portuguese island of Madeira lies to the west of the African coast out in the Atlantic Ocean and enjoys a climate ideal for walking almost all year round. An independent walking holiday on Madeira is one of the best ways to see the island. Often described as a garden in the Atlantic this volcanic island is mountainous with lush vegetation. Away from the capital, Funchal, the land is steep and rugged with most other settlements being small coastal fishing villages. As well as a network of walking trails in Madeira the walker benefits from a vast network of irrigation channels, known as levadas, which are easily followed as they wind round the hillsides hardly changing altitude