Lomba da Fazenda

The walk starts at the garden by the church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição in Lomba da Fazenda and heads toward the camping ground, crossing the Ribeira do Guilherme stream past old watermills and a 1982 fountain. It climbs through a wood of Japanese cedar, cheesewood and blackwood, with an optional detour into Nordeste village, before dropping to the bathing area of Boca da Ribeira.

From the cove, a dirt road climbs the cliff through fields and pasture to the shoreline, where the trail crosses a stream into the Parque das Endémicas do Pelado, named for the dry, low-growing endemic vegetation found here. The coastal stretch passes a detour to a small harbour once used to unload supplies, before a tarred road leads back toward Lomba da Fazenda.

A short detour before the end takes in Parque da Morgada, a picnic spot with old stone washing sinks, before the loop closes at the church. It's a medium walk of about 6 km and 2.5 hours, with roughly 480 m of climbing as the route drops to the coast and back up twice.