Why this ride
103 km from Castro to Castro, about 2 h 57 of riding. It goes by way of Church of Detif and Churches of Chiloé. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Churches of Chiloé and Churgh of Caguach
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 103 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 57
- 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 51 km this is Chiloe Island Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 51 km
- Named road
- Chiloe Island Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Churches of Chiloé
Chiloé is a large, rain-washed island off the coast of southern Chile, a place of mist, green hills, wooden houses on stilts and a culture of its own. The Spanish Jesuits arrived in the seventeenth century, and with few resources they trained local carpenters, who built churches out of native timber using the shipbuilding skills of the islanders. The result is a collection of wooden churches with pitched roofs, covered porches and towers, covered in shingles of alerce or cypress, many painted in bright blue, yellow or white. Sixteen of them are listed by UNESCO, and the town of Castro has one of the grandest, the San Francisco church, built in the early twentieth century, yellow outside and in warm varnished wood inside.
Read the complete Churches of Chiloé write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Churches of Chiloé is where the day begins. Next is Church of Detif.
2. Church of Detif
Of all the islands of the Chiloé archipelago, Lemuy is one of the quietest, and the church at Detif, at its far eastern end, stands almost alone on a grassy slope above the sea, with a few houses scattered around and the islands of the inner sea on the horizon. It is one of the sixteen wooden Churches of Chiloé listed as a World Heritage site, built in the late nineteenth century of native wood, with a simple façade, an arcade at the front and a tower rising above the entrance. The interior is equally simple and beautiful, and the church is cared for by the local community, which still uses it for services and festivals, such as the feast of its patron saint.
Read the complete Church of Detif write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of Detif comes up about 51 km into the recorded legs. Next is Churgh of Caguach.
3. Back to Churches of Chiloé
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Churches of Chiloé 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 Detif, late in the day. Next is Churches of Chiloé.
4. Churches of Chiloé
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Churches of Chiloé write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Churches of Chiloé. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Churches of Chiloé to Church of Detif
Churches of Chiloé → Church of Detif is 51 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of Detif to Back to Churches of Chiloé
Church of Detif → Back to Churches of Chiloé is 52 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.