Why this ride
95 km from Madalena to Madalena, about 2 h 00 of riding. It goes by way of Part I, Buffer zone 3 and back through Part I.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Cult and Buffer zone 3
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 95 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 00
- 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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Cult
The vines on Pico grow in a basalt maze. For five hundred years, the islanders have built tiny walled enclosures called currais out of black volcanic stone, each one just big enough for a few vines, to protect the plants from salt wind and sea spray, and the result is a landscape of thousands of small rectangles covering the rough coastal lava plain, mile after mile, with parallel walls running down toward the sea. UNESCO listed this vineyard culture in 2004, and the sight of it from the coastal road is among the strangest and most beautiful in Europe. The grapes ripen in the heat that the black stone holds, and the wines, especially the white Verdelho, were once shipped to the courts of the Russian tsars.
Read the complete Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Cult write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Cult is where the day begins. Next is Part I.
2. Part I
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.
Read the complete Part I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Part I comes up about 15 km into the recorded legs. Next is Buffer zone 3.
3. Buffer zone 3
Pico Island rises out of the Atlantic in the central Azores as a single enormous volcano, and its summit, at about 2,351 metres, is the highest point in Portugal. It is a country of black lava, small stone-walled fields and a sea that is always close, with the great cone usually wrapped in cloud above you.
Read the complete Buffer zone 3 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 48 km into the recorded legs you reach Buffer zone 3. Next is back through Part I.
4. back through Part I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Part I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Part I, late in the day. Next is Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Cult.
5. Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Cult
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Cult write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Cult. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Cult to Part I
Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Cult → Part I is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Part I to Buffer zone 3
Part I → Buffer zone 3 is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Buffer zone 3 to back through Part I
Buffer zone 3 → back through Part I is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Part I to Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Cult
back through Part I → Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Cult is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Part I and Buffer zone 3 · 65 km
- Buffer zone 3 and Part I · 65 km