Sao MIguel was probably everything I'd hoped the Canary Islands were, and Madeira everything I was glad they hadn't been.

Incredibly lush, alive with rolling green paddocks everywhere you looked, the beauty of the island beats you into submission. The views underwater were just as impressive, as I managed to squeeze in a couple of dives to a WW2 wreck and the reef of Lava Quita, where an Octopus got hold of my hand, which took surprisingly more strength than I expected to pull away from him.

Unfortunately Madeira was a bit of a letdown. More brown than green, and the skies more grey than blue. But we found a rock to sit on, and a cliff edge to make you fairly uncomfortable peering over. The traditional snack Bolo de Caco was also a resounding success for many meals spent with Adam and Paul. We'd for years talked about travelling together with the three of us, and in Madeira we finally made it happen.