Ribeira da Quinta Grande

Completely dry in mid-October and in August, which is normal for the time of year, with rubbish accumulating before R1. In mid-December the flow can be very good and strong: the first C33 (R2 on the sketch) then runs in strong current but is doable, and R7 sits in the water line with heavy spray.

A fractionation was installed at R3 in October 2015. In December 2024 the R3 anchor needed renewing: the upper bolt was loose with 2 cm of thread showing above the nut. The original R4 is right under the dead tree on river right, as on the sketch; a new station of two 12 mm bolts with ring was also placed about 10 m straight below the huge tree on river right, on the only grass-free area, in fractured rock 6 to 7 m below the original point (it can be avoided). With the new station R3 is about 33 m and R4 about 70 m. R7 sits in an obvious spot for those used to Madeiran canyons. A 12 mm bolt on river right allows the last two steps to be rappelled in one (C15), now referred to as R8 (about 8 m), although the right bank can also be downclimbed. All anchors show corrosion from the sea air but none has fallen out; overall they are acceptable, with corrosion clearly visible.

Huge rockfall risk on the line along the second waterfall. Tide matters: the beach is reached about 30 min before high tide only when waves are small: with big waves the exit becomes impassable. Strong wind is a reason to abandon a descent, because the rope can blow into bushes or over sharp edges on retrieval.

The classic entry is effectively dead: since 2020 the access is no longer marked and the wooden ladders have gone. The current entry goes down the concrete stairs at the end of the road to a 20 m drop on river left, bolted in December 2024 with two new hangers (rope left in place), from which bamboo and brambles were cut to reach the old first anchors (R1/R2); these are in good condition but needed tightening. This avoids the degraded and very exposed old path. Check that the cable car is running before descending; the ride up cost 8 EUR in December 2024 (buy before, or on arrival at the top).