Mrs FEEG and I have just returned from a short sojourn in Madeira, where we consumed much good food and wine. Amongst the fun things we did there was to have a toboggan ride from the village of Monte, down the hill to Funchal. The toboggans are made of wood and wickerwork, and are steered by two fit young lads, pulling on ropes and steering by dragging their feet. It was great fun! I had to pinch a video from You Tube as I did not have my video camera with me!
Boadicea's Chariot 
I presume you had some Madeira, m’dears? 😀
Oh. yes!
Good time of the year to take a break, FEEG.
I’m impressed by the idea of toboganning without snow. 🙂
You are braver than I!
I took one look and politely declined!
My favourite haunts in Madeira were the parks, I found all the gardeners extremely susceptible to bribery for a root of this and seeds of that! We used to have business with Madeira so went several times in the eighties.
Did you walk the little water canal networks? One of my nephews is a river surveyor and did loads of work for them a few years back when they were getting under pressure to increase the water supply for their irrigation systems.
Did you stay in Funchal? I found it too smelly from exhaust fumes being in a bowl in the coastal plain and always went out to a hotel along the cliffs, much fresher there. Salt Lake City has exactly the same problem only worse, only that is in an intermontane basin and stinks to high heaven.
It used to be that Madeira was far more upmarket than the Canaries, kept out the yobs and peasants by having no cheap hotels deliberately, do they still pursue the same policy? I do hope so.
We spent new Year 1987 there. Returned to a metre of snow and only one spade. But Mrs J did a sterling job. 😉