So we have packed our running gear and although now injured and I probably won't run, the few days away in Madeira for a half marathon gives us more street cred than going to Madeira because that's what old people do.

Leaving at a civilised 9 am, enabled us to get to Gatwick without any hassle. We tried to spot some cool running people getting on our flight, but no it was mainly "old" people. The flight took off and landed ahead of schedule , good old " Easy Jet" .The aerobus from the airport was very efficient, for the bargain 8 euro return the bus driver drops his passengers at stops nearest their hotels and tells you where the stops are for your return trip. An excellent service!
We managed to see quite a bit of the awesome landscape on the bus ride. The road going through mountain tunnels, winding down the valley and crossing bridges across deep ravines. The houses are built on the sides of ridiculous slopes and many look a bit precarious.
Our hotel Vildamer was rather smart, we don't usually do such luxury, the main criteria was it was near the start of the race. All the rooms have wonderful sea views even though the receptionist tried to tell us we had been upgraded to a sea view .After the compulsory cuppa and freshen up,we went exploring the various facilities before dinner.

There is an enormous drop from the street level which is on level 4 to get to the sun terrace and pools, but no time for swimming today.

The weather wasn't as warm as we had hoped there was a strong wind blowing but we decided to brave the outside terrace of the restaurant, which was just about warm enough under a patio heater. The help yourself buffet is always a temptation to eat too much and you can see some of residents were used to over endulging on holiday. The food was good and a quick stroll around the local area and we were ready to retire.