It is our second visit to the beautiful island of São Miguel and, unexpectedly, we land during a downpour. As we cross the tarmac to the arrivals lounge at Ponta Delgada, steam is evaporating from the runway - I haven't seen that since Florida in 2012.
The guy at the car rental place warned us to 'expect the four seasons in one day' - he wasn't wrong.
São Miguel is the largest island of the Azorian Archipelago, and known locally as the green island (ilha verde) due to its rolling hills, green fields and verdant flora. It's also actively volcanic, with its many lava cones and craters, calderas and geysers, hot springs and bubbling aquifers; and it is these features that make it both unique and mesmerising.
We arrive at our guesthouse, just outside Ponta Delgada, and settle by the pool, enjoying the warmth and the alternating hot sunshine and cooling mists as the clouds pass skittishly across the sky. It is strange sunbathing weather.
The next morning we awake to cloud which soon turns to a light rain. We head to the coast, to Vila Franca do Campo, planning to catch the local ferry to the 'ilha' a
beautiful islet, showcased in many a travel advert, and a trip we missed last time we visited.
Just a short boat ride from the mainland of São Miguel, the islet is actually the crater of an ancient volcano, with a perfectly circular lagoon of clear and turquoise waters surrounded by lush vegetation, a great spot for nature watching. We took our snorkels and enjoyed a couple of hours enjoying the marine life, before returning on the same local ferry. Since it is a nature reserve, the number of daily visitors allowed is limited, which is why we went in the morning, but people were still arriving as we left.
Ilha Vila da Franca do Campo
We had been lucky with the weather on the ilha, but the low-lying cloud was now descending over the mountains. We decided to drive around the eastern coast, a place we have not previously explored, enjoying the lush mountain vegetation - the Hydrangeas are spectacular in July - passing through Furnas and dropping into the small town of Povoação.
Povoação
The small town, nestled at the foot of seven hills, is where the first islanders settled. The weather was kind and we enjoyed a drink at a cafe overlooking the marina, before returning to the car and ascending into the mist.
We managed to enjoy one of the many 'miradouras' (above) of which there are many along the Nordeste coast, but unfortunately, the weather deteriorated and we found ourselves driving through the clouds for the rest of the afternoon.
This morning, summer had returned.
We drove west to Ginetes, parked the car and followed a coastal trail that runs between Mosteiros and Ginetes, a dusty undulating track which, for the main part, winds between fields of sugar cane, but also provides some spectacular sea views, including those from the Miradouro da Ponta do Escalvado, reaching north to Mosteiros and south to Ferraria, from high above the rugged coastline. A well placed roadside cafe offered the chance of welcome refreshment before we made the return journey, a total walk of about two and a half hours.
On to Setes Cidades. We have been before, but it would be wrong to miss the opportunity of taking in the view from the Miradouro da Vista do Rei over the twin lakes - it is that spectacular!
Finally, we returned downhill to the coast, the road flanked by swathes of Hydrangeas - three metre high walls of lilac and purple for miles and miles.
Descending further, to sea level, we treated ourselves to an hour in the 'termas' at Ferraria, sea pools set beneath a 300 metre lava fajã; the meeting of geothermal rock, hot springs and the sea water providing hot pools, perfect for relaxing at the end of a busy day.
The pools are free, but do get busy, and the tides can make the water temperature variable; but today, for us, it was a perfect end to a lovely day.
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