Das Vinhas ao Mar

This small linear trail is located in the parish of Santa Cruz da Graciosa and bridges two worlds: the vineyards of Bom Jesus and Achada and the bathing area of Barro Vermelho, where it ends. Along the way, you’ll enter part of the Protected Area for Habitat or Species Management at Ponta da Barca.

The starting point is next to the old primary school of Bom Jesus, where there is still a 19th-century fountain. From there, you follow the Caminho do Barroso, between the typical rural houses of the area, and after about 200 metres you turn left onto a beaten earth path. At the next fork, take the right option: this is the section that crosses the wine-growing landscape of Bom Jesus and Achada, with countless stone walls made of basalt that shelter the vines and ruins of old wineries, signs of when this area was more important to the island’s life.

When you reach the mill at Achada, one of the most characteristic buildings of Graciosa, head right, pass the water reservoir and return to Caminho do Barroso. Thirty metres ahead, turn right onto a narrow shortcut that takes you through a second area of vineyard walls. When you reach the asphalt, let the markings guide you to Baía do Forno and further on to the Farol da Ponta da Barca, whose 23-metre tower is the tallest in the Açores. From here you can see the Ilhéu da Baleia, a geossite that is nothing more than the chimney of an ancient volcanic cone, now reduced by the force of the sea.

From there the trail follows the coast, between bays and coves that serve as refuge for seabirds such as the Monteiro’s storm petrel (Hydrobates monteiroi), the Cory’s shearwater (Calonectris borealis), the Audubon’s shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri baroli) and the common tern (Sterna hirundo). It’s worth stopping at the natural viewpoint overlooking the curious grid of square vineyard walls that surround the airport runway. Then it’s just a matter of continuing along the cobblestones until you reach the turn-off for the road that descends to the bathing area of Barro Vermelho, the end point of the trail.