On 10th March, 18 of us left Burton at 4am on a dark, cold morning to get to Birmingham for a 7am flight. The other 5 had the better option of leaving East Midlands Airport at about 9am.

However, the unearthly hour was soon forgotten as we landed in a warm, but slightly wet Funchal. As the day progressed the sun came out and stayed out for the rest of the week. The first impression of the island is lots of hills and houses built on very precarious hill sides.

A weeks’ walking also confirmed there is a lot of uphill! Eric and Jane did a superb job on finding interesting walks, from walking along Levadas, some with extremely sharp drops down the hill side, to walking in the forest which provided some delightful scenery around every corner, and a very scenic circular walk on the east side of the island.

For those unable to manage the walks there was a shuttle bus into Funchal and 2 very helpful taxi drivers who took some of the group out and escorted them providing information on the sights.

Other activities included: a whale watching trip, jeep safari and 2 inclusive coach tours. The first coach tour was a morning tour of Funchal, which included visiting the colourful markets and admiring the architecture. The second trip was a panoramic tour which went to villages along the coast.

The hotel was superb. All the rooms had sea views, and a very loud bird that starting singing about 4am in the morning! Meals were buffet style with plenty of choice. On Friday night we attended Saga’s Gala dinner where we were treated to a four course meal served by the waiters, together with champagne and plenty of wine and brandy.

Five people have stayed on for another week, but the rest of us arrived back at Birmingham at about 3.30pm on the 17th. All agreed we had had a fantastic week.

Thank you to Eric and Jane for arranging the holiday and providing good walking.