Walking on the Azores
Author | Paddy Dillon |
Publisher | Cicerone Press |
ISBN | ISBN-13: 978 1 85284 908 5 |
Price | £16.95 |
Lagoa do Fogo on the island of São Miguel
Pico is Portugal's highest mountain
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 |