Madeira, the Pearl of the Atlantic for Solo Travellers

Madeira may be tiny, but this subtropical paradise offers world-renowned gardens, spectacular coastlines and jagged peaks, while picturesque Funchal boasts an architectural charm and rich maritime heritage to match the island's natural splendour.

Rising from the ocean floor 600 miles southwest of Lisbon, Madeira is a subtropical paradise that captures the hearts of all who visit. Even the difficult-to-please Winston Churchill was seduced by its charms! The largest island in an archipelago, Madeira has a huge range of landscapes within its tiny surface area, just 35 miles long and 13 miles wide, from sunny beaches in the south to jagged peaks and cliffs in the north. Its topography - a mountainous backbone and plateau running along the centre, riven by steep valleys - was forged millions of years ago by intense volcanic activity.

With fertile volcanic soil, Madeira is a plant-lover's dream with an enormous diversity species, from imported purple-blossomed jacaranda trees, orchids and bird of paradise plants to its native Laurisilva forest. So much flourishes here in its mild climate all year round, making it a superb destination through autumn and winter.

In legend, Madeira was one of the 'Isles of the Blessed', a winterless earthly realm inhabited by heroes of Greek mythology. But it was serendipity that led the Portuguese here in 1418 when João Gonçalves Zarco was blown off course and set eyes on Porto Santo, the northernmost island in the archipelago. A year later, Zarco returned to find another forested island, claiming it for Portugal and naming it Madère after the Portuguese word for wood. New settlers were delighted to discover that it was ideal for crops, including bananas, grapes and sugar cane, and virtually any spare patch of land is now cultivated, resulting in hillsides covered in terraced fields and levadas, or irrigation channels. The seafood, unsurprisingly, is exceptional and there is an abundance of fish to sample, from the ferocious-looking black scabbard fish to marlin and albacore tuna. Also popular are dishes such as espetada - beef marinated in Madeiran wine, then grilled over smouldering wood chips. Bolo de mel or honey cake is a traditional pastry locals insist should be torn into pieces by hand and never cut with a knife, while fried dough balls called malasadas are enjoyed on Mardi Gras, which is celebrated with gusto. Madeirans are devoutly Catholic, but they also enjoy a multitude of festa or festivals, many in honour of the island's flora.

One of the wonders of visiting Madeira is that so much is packed in, from inspirational gardens to thundering waterfalls and from soaring peaks to the hidden Valley of the Nuns. This Portugal escorted tour begins in the picturesque capital, Funchal.