Chestnut Festival weekend in Curral das Freiras 2026: walks, history and how to visit gently

For many of us who grew up in Madeira, autumn smells of roast chestnuts. The place that smells of them most is Curral das Freiras, the village at the bottom of a deep green bowl under the island's highest peaks. This weekend it holds its Festa da Castanha (Chestnut Festival), which has run since 1984. It's a good excuse to explain why chestnuts grow here at all, why the old groves are struggling, and how to walk and visit without getting in the way of the people who live there.

Key facts

• Festa da Castanha: Saturday 31 October from 14:00 and Sunday 1 November from 09:30, in the centre of Curral das Freiras (DN Madeira, regional government).
• The chestnut tree isn't native. It came to Madeira with the first settlers, and chestnuts have been one of Curral das Freiras' main crops since the 18th century (Câmara de Lobos 360).
• Under the regional "+ Castanha" programme, 511 new chestnut trees were planted in February 2026, with more planned for autumn 2026 and winter 2027 (regional government, 23 Sept 2026).
• IPMA weather warning: yellow for showers, sometimes heavy, possibly with thunder, in the mountains and on the south coast, from 21:00 Saturday to 09:00 Sunday, local time (IPMA, as of the morning of 30 Oct). Warnings change, so check IPMA before you set off.

Why "the nuns' corral"?

Curral means a pen for animals. According to the parish council and the Elucidário Madeirense (Madeira's classic encyclopedia), the valley started out as pasture where shepherds grazed sheep and goats. In 1480 the land was sold to João Gonçalves da Câmara, the second captain of Funchal. He gave it to the Convent of Santa Clara in Funchal as the dowry for his daughters, who became nuns there. In 1566, when French corsairs sacked Funchal (the parish council's date; some older texts give 1560), the nuns fled to their land in the valley. Sources disagree on whether the name "Curral das Freiras" (the nuns' corral) dates from the gift or from the escape.

People often call it a crater. The regional geosites inventory explains it differently. From the Eira do Serrado viewpoint you see the wide headwater basin of the Ribeira dos Socorridos, the stream that drains it, narrowing into a deep gorge downstream. The flat-topped spur the village is built on is made of jumbled rock left by a large landslide.

Why chestnuts, and why they're struggling

According to Câmara de Lobos 360, the council's official visitor site, the chestnut tree arrived with the settlers as a source of raw material. Unmanaged growth and regrowth after fires created a lot of variety, and seven local types are now recognised, including Curral, Coração de Boi and Preta. Depending on the variety, the nuts ripen between October and December. That's why chestnuts are part of local festive days such as Pão-por-Deus and São Martinho (St Martin's Day).

The groves (soutos) are having a hard time. The regional agriculture department blames irregular harvests on climate change, too little rain and cold, chestnut blight (a fungal canker), fires and, until recently, the chestnut gall wasp. The responses so far:

• Replanting: 511 new trees in February 2026, using varieties and rootstocks chosen for local conditions, with more planned. The programme covers 13 farmers.
• Fighting blight with a weaker blight: in 2026 technicians made 146 inoculations at 64 sites with a "hypovirulent" (weakened) strain of the blight fungus. 111 of those inoculations were in Câmara de Lobos, in Curral das Freiras and Jardim da Serra.
• A wasp against the wasp: by 2024 a parasitic wasp, Torymus sinensis, was parasitising 43% of the gall wasps, and technicians now consider the pest under control.

The government also says the groves protect the soil and help prevent erosion and wildfires.

Walking into the valley

Caminho das Voltas, from Eira do Serrado. Before the road tunnel, this zigzag path down from the Eira do Serrado viewpoint (about 1,026 m) was the valley's main link to the south coast. People, animals and goods all moved along it (Aprender Madeira). Look out for the "pés-de-boi" (ox-foot) steps, long shallow steps built for animals' stride on steep ground. The path isn't on IFCN's list of classified trails. That means there's no SIMplifica booking, but there are no official status updates either. It's steep, and it's hard on the knees coming back up. We haven't found an official distance for it, so we don't give one.

PR 2 Vereda do Urzal. This is the classified trail from the valley. According to Visit Madeira it runs 10.6 km one way, takes about 4 hours 30 minutes and is moderate. It starts at Fajã dos Cardos in Curral das Freiras, climbs to the Boca das Torrinhas pass (up to 1,450 m) and then drops through laurel forest to Lombo do Urzal in Boaventura on the north coast, so plan your transport back. It needs a €4.50 slot on SIMplifica, and IFCN currently lists it as open.

With a yellow warning overnight into Sunday, we'd save PR 2's high pass for another weekend. Check the IFCN list the morning you go.

How to be a good guest this weekend

• Take the bus if you can. Horários do Funchal's line 181 (formerly 81) serves Curral das Freiras. Sunday and holiday (1 November) times can differ from weekdays, so check the official timetable before you go. The road down from Eira do Serrado is narrow and twisting, and on festival days every parking space matters to residents.
• Don't pick chestnuts from the groves or off the ground. The soutos are farms, and for many families chestnuts are part of their income. Buy them at the festival instead: roast, in soups, cakes and liqueurs.
• Respect the rain. Steep valley paths get slippery fast. If the warning holds on Sunday morning, have a slow breakfast and arrive for the afternoon parade instead.

Quick answers

When is the Chestnut Festival 2026? 31 October and 1 November, in the centre of Curral das Freiras. The parade is at 15:00 on Sunday.

Will it rain? IPMA had a yellow warning for showers in the mountains and on the south coast from 21:00 Saturday to 09:00 Sunday. Check IPMA on the day.

How do I get there without a car? Horários do Funchal bus 181. Check the Sunday timetable on their site.

Do I need to book to walk to Curral das Freiras? Not for the Caminho das Voltas, which isn't a classified trail. You do need a SIMplifica slot for PR 2 Vereda do Urzal.

We love seeing people come up for the chestnuts. Come hungry, come by bus if you can, and leave the groves for the people who look after them.