Why this ride
A 202 km round trip from Castro - roughly 4 h 24 in the saddle. On the way it passes Church of Achao, Church of Tenaún and back through Church of Achao. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Church of Nercón and Church of Tenaún
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 202 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 24
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Chiloe Island Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 44 km this is Chiloe Island Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 44 km
- Named road
- Chiloe Island Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Church of Nercón
Chiloé, the big island off the coast of southern Chile, is a place of rain, mist, green fields and sheep, and its most distinctive treasure is its wooden churches. More than a hundred and fifty were built, mostly in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and sixteen of them were listed by UNESCO in 2000. The Jesuits began the tradition in the seventeenth century, when they travelled around the archipelago by boat, holding mass in chapels in each community, and after they were expelled in 1767, the local people kept the tradition going on their own, with carpenters and shipbuilders who knew how to work wood.
Read the complete Church of Nercón write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of Nercón is where the day begins. Next is Church of Achao.
2. Church of Achao
Chiloé is an island of rain, green hills and wooden churches, off the coast of southern Chile, and the church of Achao, on the small island of Quinchao, is the oldest of them. Built in the eighteenth century by Jesuit missionaries and local carpenters, it is made entirely of wood, joined with wooden pegs instead of nails, and its interior is painted in soft blues and whites, with a vaulted ceiling and carved altars. It is one of the sixteen churches of Chiloé inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
Read the complete Church of Achao write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of Achao comes up about 44 km into the recorded legs. Next is Church of Tenaún.
3. Church of Tenaún
Out on the eastern coast of Chiloé, where the island looks across a channel at the smaller islands of the inner sea and, on a clear day, the snowy volcanoes of the mainland, the village of Tenaún gathers around a wooden church that looks almost too bold for its setting. The façade is painted deep blue, scattered with white stars, and topped not with one but with three towers. It is one of the sixteen churches of Chiloé on the World Heritage list, masterpieces of a unique tradition of wooden architecture.
Read the complete Church of Tenaún write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 101 km into the recorded legs you reach Church of Tenaún. Next is back through Church of Achao.
4. back through Church of Achao
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Church of Achao write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Church of Achao, late in the day. Next is Church of Nercón.
5. Church of Nercón
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Church of Nercón write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Church of Nercón. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Church of Nercón to Church of Achao
Church of Nercón → Church of Achao is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of Achao to Church of Tenaún
Church of Achao → Church of Tenaún is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of Tenaún to back through Church of Achao
Church of Tenaún → back through Church of Achao is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Church of Achao to Church of Nercón
back through Church of Achao → Church of Nercón is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.