The holiday island of Madeira is on the itinerary of the many luxury cruise liners that plough the Atlantic Ocean between Europe and the Americas. It is also a choice destination for young, honeymooning couples. However, for many people, it is a section of the holiday brochures that often goes overlooked.

Regretfully, Madeira is often considered to be a dull island with not much to attract the holidaying visitor.

This is definitely a wide-held misconception that should be addressed.

The fragile wicker sleds of the mountainous village of Monte are just one example of the unique attractions that the Madeiran Archipelago has to offer.

Traditionally, the means of travel in Funchal, Madeira's capital, did not include wheeled carriages. The unsophisticated cobblestone roads, steep hills and sharp bends, meant that horse drawn carriages and, later, motor cars were regarded as unsuitable. Rather, the locals opted for various other, more unconventional, forms of conveyance.

Crude wooden carts, mounted on wooden runners, lubricated with grease and pulled at a sedate pace by oxen were a favourite. These "carros de bois" were reported to have been introduced to Madeira by a British Army Officer who required a means of transport for his invalid wife.

Whilst travelling by the carros de bois was acceptable on the flat, it proved to be an extremely slow way to climb the steep hills that dominate the landscape as soon as you leave the narrow coastal plain.

Another, solely Madeiran, means of transport was the transporting hammock. Here, a length of cloth was slung between two, long wooden poles. Two men, one at the front and one to the rear, would lift the assemblage in a mode rather akin to that of a sedan chair. The occupant of the hammock, usually a woman, was thus carried in what must have been a rather uncomfortable fashion.

The transporting hammock was particularly popular with British society women who were resident on the island in the seventeenth century. Often, to the delight of their passenger, the hammock bearers would sing in the local Portuguese tongue as they made their way to the final destination. A tip for this extra service was invariably given. What the passenger did not realise was that sometimes the songs were extremely disparaging of their customer. It is reported that on one occasion the bearers of a rather overweight passenger were singing to the effect: "The fare we are allowed to charge is fixed, but just look at the size of this load!"

These popular forms of conveyance were used everywhere on the island, including the mountain village of Monte. Cumbersome oxen drawn carts and hammocks were the accepted way to convey both people and goods.

Progress, in every sense of the word, was slow. The four kilometre journey down from Monte into Funchal could take anything up to three hours.

However, the road from Monte into the heart of the capital was one long, steep, downward slope. Accordingly, it was to be expected that one day, some 160 years ago, one of the locals decided to explore a more radical means of transport. By mounting a fragile wicker basket on two ski-like wooden runners it was discovered that you could glide headlong down the hill and reach the city centre in a matter of just 10 minutes.

The logistics were simple. All that was needed was one hefty push to get going and someone to stand on the rear to steer. In no distance at all, you would soon reach speeds of up to 48 kilometres per hour.

Suddenly, there was a fast, and cheap, means of transport from the outlying mountain village into the commercial centre of the island - the snow less, Monte toboggan sled was thus invented.

As a profitable aside, the local inhabitants soon discovered that rich Europeans and Americans would take the journey just for fun - hence, the original Madeira tourist attraction was created. Indeed, Ernest Hemingway famously described his Monte toboggan wicker basket sleigh ride as the "most exhilarating experience" of his life.

Today, the toboggans persist, but they are for tourists only. Two carreiros guides, dressed in traditional white with straw hats, will propel you down a shortened route from Monte.

There are no seat belts and the only brake you can rely on is the rubber sole of your driver's shoe. The views can be stunning, if short-lived and the usual souvenir photo awaits you at your journey's end.

The ride is priced rather expensively by Madeiran standards. But, if you want to treat yourself to an experience that you are unlikely to find anywhere else, then give the Monte toboggans a go.