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Walking on the Azores

AuthorPaddy Dillon
PublisherCicerone Press
ISBNISBN-13: 978 1 85284 908 5
Price£16.95
Lagoa do Fogo on the island of São Miguel

Lagoa do Fogo on the island of São Miguel

Pico is Portugal's highest mountain

Pico is Portugal's highest mountain

The start of the GR1 on Flores

The start of the GR1 on Flores

The Azores are a fascinating archipelago of nine islands, located in the mid-Atlantic between Europe and North America. Lush and green, featuring immense volcanic calderas, rugged cliff coastlines, abounding in great scenery, interest, history and heritage, the islands are criss-crossed with a network of splendid signposted and waymarked trails.

The islands are easier to reach than most people imagine, and within the group there are regular inter-island flights and ferries. Best of all, every island has a system of signposted and waymarked trails, and some of them have stretches of a long-distance trail designated as the GR1. The walking routes vary from short and easy to long and difficult, taking in the rugged coastline, high mountains, forests, lakes and interesting geothermal areas. There are also intriguing lava tubes and amazing volcanic chambers to explore underground.

Researching routes in the Azores took three trips of a month apiece, with anything from two to four islands visited on each trip. All the islands offer bus services, which were good enough to allow most of the routes to be reached. The weather is pretty good all year round, often sunny, though it can rain at any time, which helps to keep things fresh and green. Snow in winter is restricted to Pico, which is Portugal's highest mountain, rising twice as high as anything else in the Azores.

GPX tracks are available for all the routes in this guidebook. They can be downloaded from the Cicerone website.

Walk Contents

Eastern group

Ilha de Sao Miguel

Walk 1 Sete Cidades Caldeira Circuit
Walk 2 Sete Cidades and Lagoa Verde
Walk 3 João Bom to Candelária
Walk 4 Capelas to Rabo de Peixe
Walk 5 Remédios and Janela do Inferno
Walk 6 Lagoa do Fogo from Água de Alto
Walk 7 Caldeiras and Salto de Cabrito
Walk 8 Furnas and Lagoa das Furnas
Walk 9 Pico do Ferro
Walk 10 Povoação to Ribeira Quente
Walk 11 Riberia do Faial da Terra
Walk 12 Lomba da Fazenda
Walk 13 Pico da Vara
Walk 14 Achadinha and Salga
Walk 15 Fenais de Ajuda
Walk 16 Ribeira Funda and Maia

Ilha do Santa Maria

Walk 17 GR1 Vila do Porto to Cardal
Walk 18 GR1 Cardal to Norte
Walk 19 GR1 Norte to Bananeiras
Walk 20 GR1 Bananeiras to Vila do Porto
Walk 21 Santa Bárbara and Norte
Walk 22 Pico Alto

Central group

Ilha Terceira

Walk 23 Monte Brasil from Angra do Heroísmo
Walk 24 Serreta and Lagoinha
Walk 25 Gruta do Natal and Mistérios Negros
Walk 26 Rocha do Chambre
Walk 27 Alagoa and Ponta do Mistério
Walk 28 Baldio and Biscoito da Fontainha
Walk 29 São Sebastião and Porto Judeu

Ilha do Graciosa

Walk 30 GR1 Santa Cruz to Praia
Walk 31 GR1 Praia to Luz
Walk 32 GR1 Luz to Santa Cruz
Walk 33 Caldeira and Furna do Enxofre

Ilha de São Jorge

Walk 34 GR1 Ponta do Topo to São Tomé
Walk 35 GR1 São Tomé to Serra do Topo
Walk 36 GR1 Serra do Topo to Fajã dos Cubres
Walk 37 Norte Pequeno and Fajã da Penedia
Walk 38 Pico do Pedro to Fajã do Ouvidor
Walk 39 Santo António and Fajã de Além
Walk 40 Farol dos Rosais and Pico da Velha

Ilha do Pico

Walk 41 Gruta das Torres to Madalena
Walk 42 Fetais, Lajido and Santa Luiza
Walk 43 Santana to Lajido
Walk 44 Lagõa do Capitão to São Roque
Walk 45 Caminho dos Burros
Walk 46 Caminho das Lagoas
Walk 47 Prainha do Norte
Walk 48 Santo Amaro to Piedade
Walk 49 Calhau, Manhenha and Piedade
Walk 50 Calheta de Nesquim
Walk 51 Lajes and Cabeço do Geraldo
Walk 52 São João to Silveira
Walk 53 Ascent of Pico

Ilha do Faial

Walk 54 GR1 Capelinhos to Capelo
Walk 55 GR1 Capelo to Miradouro da Caldeira
Walk 56 GR1 Miradouro da Caldeira to Porto da Boca da Ribeira
Walk 57 Horta and Monte da Guia
Walk 58 Morro de Castelo Branco
Walk 59 Praia do Norte and Fajã
Walk 60 Levada to Alto do Chão
Walk 61 Caldeira da Faial

Western group

Ilha das Flores

Walk 62 GR1 Santa Cruz to Ponta Delgada
Walk 63 GR1 Ponta Delgada to Fajã Grande
Walk 64 GR1 Fajã Grande to Lajedo
Walk 65 Lagoas to Fajã Grande
Walk 66 Água Quente
Walk 67 Lajes to Fajã de Lopo Vaz

Ilha do Corvo

Walk 68 Lagoa do Caldeirão
Walk 69 Cara do Índio
Walk 70 Farol da Carneira