We booked this cycling trip to provide an additional week following the Exodus ‘Walking in the Azores’. That holiday visits four islands but not Terceira. So, by booking both trips we were able to visit five of the nine islands. It’s easy to get between islands by ferry or plane. There is a lot to see on Terceira so it’s a good place to visit. Angra is super, the volcanic cave is really good and I developed a keenness for photographing the colourful ‘imperios’ of the Holy Spirit which can be found in most villages. They look like (but aren’t) brightly coloured little chapels. The cycle route takes you round the island over three days with inland rides on the other two – five days in total. You can see quite a lot. When you go inland off the coastal roads it can be quite steep. This is especially the case with the first day of cycling (Day 2) which is probably the toughest, especially if you’re getting used to the bikes. These are mountain bikes with 2 x 10/11 gears. We’re used to hybrids and 3 x 8 so these took a bit of getting used to and we found we needed to walk up some of the hills. Having recently done two ‘moderate Exodus’ cycle trips, I reckon it is one is at least ‘moderate’ with some tougher bits where it’s absolutely fine to walk. One of the nice things about Terceira is that outside the towns there isn’t lots of traffic. We adjusted our route on Days 2 and 5 (the inland days) to suit our interests and were given good ideas from Tiago who supplies the bikes. Day 3 was our best day. There is a choice of routes. I did the route down to the edge of the coast and my wife stuck more to the roads. There were great views of the islands of Soa Jorge and Graciosa and we had lunch at the café attached to the cheese factory. The highlights of Day 4 were cycling through a herd of cows that was being moved between fields, cycling through the US airbase (mostly mothballed) and arriving at the religious monument that looks down on Praia. Praia is lovely. My wife relaxed on Day 5 in Praia and I cycled in the morning to the mountain with the wind turbines, for a great view both ways. We were lucky, there was a summer festival while we were there and we enjoyed a local food area, bull running and marching bands. It rained on Day 6. I completed the route and could see that it is pretty nice through some fishing villages and past interesting volcanic hills. We then added an extra day in Angra. So there are five interesting days of cycling - especially if you’re used to mountain bikes, are good at steep hills or don’t mind walking occasionally. If you’re not so sure then e-bikes are available and one of us would have preferred that! Being self-guided, the dates are flexible and so it’s easy to combine this with another trip or your own island-hopping plan. We booked late and at relatively short notice but rooms were available by upgrading our accommodation. The other islands we visited were very interesting and had different attractions – see the walking tour for ideas. Tip: one of the delightful things about the Azores is the blue hydrangeas. Our week in Terceira was in early August and we found that the hydrangeas were getting past their best at lower elevations.
Porto to Lisbon Atlantic Ride - MEO (Sep/17) This was my 7th cycling trip and biking was a great way to see this region of Portugal. The route is mostly flat with the occasional steep but short hill.. The views while cycling along the coast were beautiful. Our cycling group was a lot of fun and the pace was perfect such that we enjoyed a relaxing time at coffee stops (always near a beach) and got into the next town/city in time to explore a bit. The weather was perfect for cycling and we had no rain on the trip.
Wonderfully diverse group with excellent guide, Luis. Well organized, well managed with excellent transportation and drivers. Would have preferred three nights in Porto and skip the University town and tour.
Renato SantosTravel Expert in Portugal
Sandro PinheiroTravel Expert in Portugal and Spain
Mariana AfonsoTravel Expert in Portugal
