Atalho dos Vermelhos

The walk leaves a resting place on the Regional Road in João Bom, part of Pilar da Bretanha, passing a minimarket, a small chapel and the street Rua da Relvinha before turning onto a dirt road through fields and grazing land toward the coast. A gate — please leave it as you found it — opens onto a viewpoint over the island's northwest coast, with a further detour through woodland to a lookout over the village of Mosteiros.

The route down passes through cover of Azorean heather, Hypericum foliosum, Euphorbia azorica and white wood (Picconia azorica); the area is an Important Bird Area, and buzzards, rock doves and chaffinches are often seen or heard here. A water-collection point makes a natural rest stop before the trail climbs back toward João Bom, skirting Pico de Mafra.

It's a medium 5.4 km loop of about 2 hours, with some 340 m of climbing on the return leg. A fountain near the last crossing marks the final stretch back to the start.