December

Risco waterfall at maximum flow, and only 2 km on an easy path

Always muddy here, and winter makes the Laurisilva floor worse

Quiet old Rabaçal levada, though the laurel floor stays sodden

Portela is windy and damp, but the Funduras forest shelters most of it

Terraced descent to Ribeira da Janela gets slick in winter rain

Caldeirão Verde is at full flow but the four tunnels run with water

Cascades at full flow, but the laurel forest floor stays slick

Flat and safe year-round; the Balcões viewpoint is often in cloud

Gentle and sheltered, but the cloud forest section drips constantly

Short coastal descent; winter swell and wind hit Paul do Mar hard

Short Laurisilva loop stays walkable; the valley viewpoint is clouded

The channel runs all winter, but 15 km from Fanal in short daylight is a lot

Wide and safe, but the Laurisilva path to Ribeiro Bonito runs wet

Storm closures are routine; ledges and tunnels are lethal when wet

A long exposed traverse at 1,700 m is the worst place to be in a winter storm

Fog, wind and a sharp temperature drop at the 1,862 m summit

Winter wind on the narrow Larano cliff path with vertiginous drops

Tunnels flood impassably and rockfall closes the Pináculo section

Often closed; the narrow cliffside sections are treacherous when wet

Winter gales across the shadeless peninsula and its unprotected cliff edges

The exposed ridge above Arieiro is wind-scoured and fogbound

Fog and cold wind on the climb toward Pico Ruivo

Cold and fogbound at Boca das Torrinhas; the 931 m descent is unsafe

12.5 km of old road with nowhere to shelter when the weather turns

Fog closes in on the plateau at Poço da Neve; seasonal closure likely