Why this ride
From Castro it runs 258 km to Castro; allow about 4 h 28 of riding. On the way it passes Church of Achao, Church of Chelín and back through Church of Achao.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Church of Rilán and Church of Chelín
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 258 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 28
- 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: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Church of Rilán
Chiloé is an island of rain, wood and faith, lying off the coast of southern Chile across the narrow Chacao channel, and its wooden churches are its great treasure. Built by island carpenters following a tradition introduced by Jesuit missionaries in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and continued by Franciscans, they combine European church forms with local shipbuilding skills, using native timbers and covering the walls with overlapping wooden shingles called tejuelas. Sixteen of them were listed by UNESCO in 2000, and the church of Santa María de Rilán is one of them. It stands on the Rilán peninsula, east of Castro, facing a quiet inlet, its tall tower and painted wooden facade rising above the low houses and green fields of the village.
Read the complete Church of Rilán write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of Rilán 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 59 km into the recorded legs. Next is Church of Chelín.
3. Church of Chelín
Getting to Chelín is part of the pleasure, because it lies on Lemuy, a small island off Chiloé's east coast reached by a short ferry. From Chonchi the crossing is quick, and the vehicles line up on a ramp, with the sea bright and often choppy. Lemuy is a rolling island of small farms, potato fields, sheep and hedged lanes, with a population that is mostly spread over small settlements. There are no big towns here at all, and fuel is not something to count on, so fill up in Chonchi, about 21 km away by the map, before you cross.
Read the complete Church of Chelín write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 129 km into the recorded legs you reach Church of Chelín. 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 Rilán.
5. Church of Rilán
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Church of Rilán 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 Rilán. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Church of Rilán to Church of Achao
Church of Rilán → Church of Achao is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of Achao to Church of Chelín
Church of Achao → Church of Chelín is 70 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of Chelín to back through Church of Achao
Church of Chelín → back through Church of Achao is 70 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Church of Achao to Church of Rilán
back through Church of Achao → Church of Rilán is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.