THE wheels were lowered. The plane was coming in to land. And yet, from the window, all we could see was a fast-approaching mass of blue.

Unless an aircraft carrier made a last-ditch appearance on the scene we were all going to get very wet.

I nervously made a mental note of the location of my lifejacket. The Portuguese girl in the seat next to me dug her Nancy Dell'Olio nails into my arm.

Then miraculously, at the very last, Madeira sprang out beneath us. A tiny porcupine of an island, each of its rocky prongs holding a spectacular viewpoint on its tip.

The plane of passengers burst into spontaneous applause.

"Thank God!" cried the girl next to me.

But then, Madeira is like that – the land of the unexpected. Every time you cut through one of its motorway passes, the weather changes. Take a walk through the island's gorgeous, rising wilderness and you'll see wild canaries singing in trees. Even the Madeira cake doesn't taste anything like the spongey concoction Mr Kipling supplies, being rich, dark and fruity – something my disbelieving colleagues and I nearly came to blows over on my return. Portuguese Madeira isn't known for its beaches.

There's only one golden sand beach on the island and that was imported from Morocco.

Instead, British tourists – including, in the past, Winston Churchill – have flocked to the tiny volcanic isle (last eruption 6,500 years ago) for its great outdoors – specifically its levada walks.

Levadas are man-made channels that have been used since the 15th century to irrigate land, supply drinking water and – more recently – hydroelectric power.

There are 2136km of main levadas on the island. We walked along the Faja Ama levada on the north of the island which stretches for about 20k along dizzying precipices and through the famous laurissilva forests with their rising marbled barks which carpet the island – now a UNESCO World Heritage nature site.

After all that exercise we needed to eat and the Madeirans were only too keen to assist us with that.

Island fare is massive and rustic – tuna steaks the size of Michael Phelps' feet and marinated beef suspended above our tables from metal skewers, like meaty maypoles. Madeiran flavours are uncompromising and pack a punch on the palette. And, of course, it wouldn't be Madeira without a few surprises on the table – in this case, a local speciality served in butter-filled shells which turned out to be limpets. Chewy but worth sampling was the verdict.

We could see how Winston Churchill obtained his waistline.

Our bellies filled, we exited for another Madeiran attraction – tobogganing.

Yes, you read that right. Gentlemen in straw boaters and cream trousers, looking for all the world like extras from Brideshead Revisited, hop on the back of a straw basket (each one containing two seats) and propel you down a course of smooth, Tarmac streets. Familiar Madeiran sights – whitewashed houses, terrace-stacked hillsides – flash past as you hurtle towards the shore.

We also went swimming in a rock-enclosed pool in Porto Moniz on the North West of the island... a chilly, if thrilling way to make a splash against the pounding backdrop of the mighty Atlantic.

If I'm making this all sound a bit helter-skelter, it has to be said that these more high-energy attractions are the exception in Madeira.

Quieter recreations include strolling around the famous botanical gardens in Madeira's capital Funchal. These contain more than 2,500 species, some of them outlandish. Madeira's vegetation, like its food, proved the show-stopper.

Staying poolside at your hotel is equally relaxing, thanks to a gentle breeze that fans your face.

Our base was high on a spectacular precipice that formerly belonged to Blandys – the famous makers of Madeira booze. It belongs to HPB – the Holiday Property Bond, who have 29 such complexes throughout Europe and the UK.

HPB differs from the usual timeshare options, partly thanks to the variety of its locations (many of which are restored historic buildings) and partly down to the flexibility of its scheme which can be cashed in at any time. Founded in 1983, 70 per cent of HPB's original investors remain with the group, suggesting they like what they've found.

Whether you decide to opt for a bond or not, there are plenty of good reasons to visit Madeira – sun, mountain greenery – oh, and it's the native isle of hair-gelled Premiership footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. Which should, at least, put the Manchester United fans off. Gotta be worth a visit, hasn't it?

Flights from Gatwick to Madeira start from around £121.80 return with TAP Portugal (www.flytap.com/Portugal/pt/Homepage). To find out more about the Holiday Property Bond, which holds luxury apartments in locations as diverse as Cornwall, the Lake District, Scotland, Austria and Italy, call 0800 230 0391 or log on to www.hpb.co.uk.