Part I belongs to the protected vineyard landscape of Pico, the Azorean island dominated by a single volcano, and it lies on the northern side, between Cais do Pico and São Roque, with Madalena a bit further west. It is the other face of the island from the sunny southern slopes, a coast where the sea beats against black rock, the cloud sits low on the pasture, and the fields are small and green. The place is best understood as part of a long strip of cultivated lava running along the shore.
What you see here is the work of generations. Early settlers, who arrived in the fifteenth century, found fresh lava fields with little soil, and they broke the stone, piled it into walls and filled the gaps with whatever earth they could collect, creating small walled enclosures where vines could survive the salt wind. In places the old wine cellars and tanks, made of dark volcanic stone, stand by the shore, and small harbours, such as those for hauling barrels and boats, are cut into the lava. Whaling was also a Pico tradition, with lookout huts on the hills and open boats rowed out to hunt sperm whales until the 1980s, and the old whaling museum at São Roque tells that story. Today the same waters are used for whale-watching, and the animals can be seen on many days in summer.
Riding here, you follow narrow roads between stone walls, with the mountain behind and the sea in front, and a mix of village streets and short climbs. The surface is generally good, but there are many sharp bends, and mist can cut visibility to a few metres on the higher slopes. Dry weather is more common in summer, though showers pass through at any time, and the light after rain is spectacular, with the mountain suddenly emerging from the cloud. On a clear day, you may see the whole cone and, across the water, the island of São Jorge as a long line on the horizon.
Cais do Pico and São Roque are small towns with basic shops and cafes, and fuel is available in the larger settlements. Madalena has the best selection, so plan ahead.