Twenty seconds of Porto Moniz, Seixal and more, written for this very spot. On the tour it plays by itself as you arrive.
Pull off the old north-coast road here and look back at the cliffs: a waterfall spilling hundreds of metres down sheer black rock straight toward the sea, fanning out as it falls. They call it the Véu da Noiva (the Bride's Veil), and on a windy day you'll see exactly why, as the wind catches the water and lifts it sideways into a drifting white trail.
This stretch of coast is one of the most dramatic drives on the whole island. The original road here was carved by hand into the cliff face, with waterfalls that literally fell onto the tarmac and tunnels dripping overhead, a piece of engineering madness that took decades. Most of that old road is bypassed now by tunnels, which is safer but means you have to choose to stop at the viewpoints like this one to feel it.
Across the water you can take in the rugged Seixal coastline, with its vineyards somehow clinging to the cliffs above black-sand coves. This is the Madeira from before mass tourism: raw, vertical, and a little bit unbelievable.
Local tip: the waterfall is fullest and most spectacular after rain, and the north coast gets plenty of it. There's a small platform for the photo; the light is best in the late afternoon when the sun comes round to the west.
