São Vicente lies on Madeira's north coast, in a narrow green valley where the mountains drop almost straight into the sea, and it is the sort of place where a road has to be persuaded into existence. The old road along the north coast, the ER101, runs between the sea cliffs and the steep slopes, in and out of tunnels carved through the rock, and over small bridges that cross waterfalls. The result is one of the most dramatic coastal roads in the Atlantic, wild, wet and green.
The village has about six thousand people, a whitewashed church with a blue-tiled interior, a small harbour and a street of cafes. Its most unusual attraction is the São Vicente Caves, a series of volcanic lava tubes found in the nineteenth century, where visitors can walk a stretch of the tunnel formed when molten rock flowed through the mountain. The cool, dripping darkness is a good place to be on a hot day, and an exhibition explains how the island was born from the sea floor.
Madeira's mountain interior is covered in laurisilva, an ancient laurel forest that has survived in a few places in the world, and UNESCO has listed it. The levadas, narrow irrigation channels cut into the hillsides, run through the forest, and walking beside them is a classic way to see the island. From São Vicente, the road to the Encumeada pass climbs to about 1,000 metres, with views to both coasts, and in the morning the clouds boil up the valley.
For riding, the north coast is a pleasure but demanding. The bends are tight and often wet, the tunnels are long, and the surfaces can be slippery with moss and rain. Fog can come down quickly on the high roads, and rockfalls are possible after heavy rain. Traffic is light, but tour buses take up the middle of the road on blind corners. Look out for water running across the road.
Fuel is available in São Vicente, and the town has shops and restaurants, but stations in the mountains and on the coast are few, so fill up when you can. Try bolo do caco, a round bread cooked on a stone, with garlic butter, and a glass of poncha, a local drink made from sugar cane spirit, honey and lemon.
The best months are spring and autumn, but rain can come at any time.