Caminho das Fontes

This circular trail starts at the port of Calheta village, right next to the Francisco de Lacerda Museum, dedicated to studying, preserving, valuing and showcasing São Jorge’s heritage and its community. It’s also a good starting point for what surrounds it: you’ll find a supermarket, restaurants, pharmacy and a bathing area here, useful before or after your walk.

From the village you climb up Ladeira Velha, a steep path that once connected to the upper area and still preserves the traditional nineteenth-century cobblestones. Along the way it’s worth stopping at the Parque de Merendas da Ladeira Velha and especially at the Miradouro da Rua de Baixo, with open views over Calheta and its surroundings and, in the distance, the islands of Pico and Faial. The highest point of the route is the Biscoitos area, where you can visit the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Socorro.

From here you enter the Trilho das Fontes, which gives its name to the entire trail. It carries strong local historical significance: this is where people from neighbouring settlements came to fetch water from the Fontes da Rocha and wash their clothes. On the uphill section, heading towards Fajã Grande, you pass the old washing troughs and the ruins of a water mill where cereals were once ground. You also cross areas where water yam is still cultivated, typical of São Jorge, with some rest areas and viewpoints along the way.

Already in Fajã Grande, you’ll find the Ermida do Senhor Bom Jesus and, next to the camping park and bathing area, you follow the coastal path. Here you pass an old windmill and the Santa Catarina factory, Indústria Conserveira S.A., dedicated to tuna preserves in the village since the 1940s and which maintains preparation according to the traditional methods of the old master preservers. Continuing along the sea, you also pass the Igreja Matriz de Santa Catarina, patroness of Calheta municipality, and the Império do Divino Espírito Santo, on the church steps. The trail closes the circle at Calheta port, where it began.