The Atlantic Ocean. Planet Earth’s second largest ocean spans from the coast of the Americas to Western Europe and Africa. I had flown out to St Lucia for a once in a lifetime sailing trip across this beast of an ocean. Along the way, we encountered dolphins, poor weather and long night shifts. Towards the end of the second week at sea, we began to see land rise above the horizon. The Azores. Owned by the Portuguese and sat in the middle of the Atlantic, this small island chain gave us the refuge we were after.
Volcanic Roots
The nine islands were inhabited even before the Portuguese colonisation of the 15th Century. However, many of the islands’ volcanic origins have made many areas inhospitable for life to flourish. Serviced by ferries to and from the mainland, the islands are home to predominantly agriculture and tourism, but also homes almost 250,000 people!
Ponta Delgada, sitting on the island of São Miguel, is seen as the capital of the Azores. It is home to just over 17,000 people and reflects the culture of the Portuguese mainland. Another site of interest in the chain is Mount Pico, the largest point in the Azores. It even measures in as the highest mountain in all of Portugal! A now sleeping volcano (the last recorded eruption was 1720), there are many scrambling routes you can take up to the summit.
The Azores are located over the boundaries of the North American, Eurasian and African tectonic plates. This causes its beautiful scenery and volcanic activity.
Faial – The Gem Amongst The Rocks
Nestled in the centre of the nine islands, Faial is home to the westernmost point in Europe. This is due to it being at the edge of the Eurasian plate, and the islands to the West sitting above the North American plate. The island, like its neighbours, produces dairy, beef and beautifully crafted trinkets. Traditionally, they were rife in the production of whale crafts, however due to Portugal’s ban on whaling, many of these that are still made can cost a small fortune. Nonetheless, you can see some beautiful designs in the small shops along the coast.
We sailed into Horta, the island’s capital, and put our boat to bed. A quick dash to the port’s showers and we were ready to explore the island. 16 guys, 1 island and 1 boat – what was the solution? Hire a car.
Exploring Faial
Many car rental companies dot themselves around Faial; the Azores being so isolated calls for these to allow visitors to get around the island. HortaRent and Ilha Verde (Green Island) are the 2 options we were considering and both gave good value. It would be worth just playing them off each other (especially as these are on the same street) and go with the best deal. Watch out for the insurance products and fully check the vehicle for damage before taking over; the usual pre-hire car checks!
Out of the shop and onto the road. We took the cars back to the ship to get the rest of the crew and we headed out for our own little self-drive tour of Faial. As mentioned, the island has its volcanic roots, meaning plenty of beautiful scenic spots. To start our tour, we headed up to the Caldeira (volcano top) for the best views of the island.
After appreciating the views of both the Caldeira itself and over to Mount Pico (pictured right), we got back into the cars and drove down the hill. We went for lunch in Restaurante Rumar. A beautiful, quaint family ran place on the island’s outer ring road, Rumar offered a range of foods, including locally sourced seafoods.
The restaurant had its own little shop, and everything was well priced (including the meal). The hospitality was great as they welcomed our large party with open arms and provided great recommendations of their locally sourced foods. It was then time to move on for the rest of our tour.
Westerly Point
The next stop on our tour was Capelinhos, the most Westerly piece of land in Europe. As mentioned earlier, with the Azores sitting across 3 tectonic plates, Europe ends as North America begins. This point, above land, is Volcão dos Capelinhos. Unsurprisingly, with all the tectonic activity, this Westerly point is a volcano. It is still deemed active, hence many parts of it (including the furthest point) is cordoned off. All that stands in the area is a museum, dedicated to the history of the rock and its volcanic origin.
After spending some time around the coastline (including down to the rocky waters below), we headed back onto the road and looked for somewhere to cool off. Fortunately, Google came to the rescue and we found a natural pool near the sea. Another hidden jewel to stumble across.
Cooling Off
The site was flushed with freezing cold sea water and was deep enough to dive into. As hot as the Atlantic sun was, the cold water was only bearable for a short while. Nonetheless, we spent plenty of time between sunbathing on the rocks alongside (drying off within minutes) then diving back into the pool. Several hours were spent here through the afternoon before heading back to the ship to shower and get ready for the evening.
Day Trip to Pico
To keep things fresh, we jumped on a ferry and headed over to Pico for the day. Ferries run between all the islands and serve multiple ports. We took one to Madalena on the West coast of Pico. After strolling around the town for a while (and as the shops were closing) we decided to venture out of town on foot. We headed along the coastal road and stumbled across a beautiful place called Cella Bar.
The venue was fantastic; there were stunning views out to sea and as the sun began to set, we drank wine and ate good food. Even across both islands, the food is locally sourced and tastes fantastic. Although slightly pricier then other places we had visited, Cella provided a greater dining experience than any other in the Azores.
Despite it looking like a romantic date, the setting was a fantastic way to spend an evening around the Azores. A beautiful chain of islands nestled in the Atlantic and certainly worth a visit. I personally wouldn’t take a holiday explicitly to the islands, however if in the area, they are definitely worth a few days of exploration.