PR 1.2 Vereda do Pico Ruivo — Attraction in Santana

We did this hike today (22.04) and it was really beautiful. It was supposed to fill in the gap for the closed PR1 Pico Areeiro - Pico Ruivo and I think that it did a great job :) I am not sorry anymore that we cannot do the full PR1 although I do believe it must be beautiful. The good thing about PR1.2 is that the total hike (including return) is a bit under 6 km. I was worried about the weather because as we started it was really foggy but we had magnificent views. The fog can appear and disappear in a matter of few minutes so go anyway :)

PARKING: go there early due to the parking issues, we were at 9:25 at the parking lot and it seems that we were the last cars arriving that were able to find a spot easily (we were followed by a line of cars). On our way back we could see that there was a long line of the cars parked just down the street which means that you are adding 1 km walking uphill just on a regular street.

DIFFICULTY: it is not a difficult mounting hiking, meaning that there is not a lot of height exposure. There were people doing it with children. It is not strenuous in the very beginning, only the last 500 m is tiresome as it is done on the stairs to go uphill. We completed it in 1,5h, had a break at the very top and then had a coffee going down (there is a spot with toilets, coffee and snacks 500m...

Parking: we arrived at 08:30 and the parking lot was for two-thirds full. There are for some reason no lines to indicate parking spots, so people park quite inefficiently with lots of space between the cars.

Toilets: the opening hours of the restaurant are nowhere to be found and it was closed when we arrived. As a result, many people were pissing next to the restaurant in the bushes. When we got back from the hike, we understood that the restaurant is open from 09:30 until 18:00. There are also toilets uphill: the free toilets outside are closed but there are paid toilets available in the shelter when it is open (opening hours are again nowhere to be found, so expect quite some toilet paper in the bushes)

Restaurant: a slice of cake is 5,50 euros and pretty delicious. Not a lot of seats available inside.

Views: we arrived at 08:30 and it was super foggy, we didn’t see any views at all…

Hike: fully paved so no mud at all. The altitude on AllTrails is not correct everywhere along the route, but expect a moderate climb of 2-3 hours in total. Lots of stairs so hiking sticks can be nice when you have knee issues.

Fees: the parking is free. Officially you have to buy a ticket of 3 euros per person to start the hike, but the website didn’t work, the internet connection is poor, and no one...

I took my time to pick the right day (8th of September) to walk this trail. A clear morning, for the best 360° views, with crisp air to help me get up the mountain in the bright morning sunshine. It was spectacular! I went early (9 am) and walked most parts in absolute silence with only the sounds of nature to accompany me. The views were stunning. The walk itself is doable, if you go slow and steady, small steps on an even pace, and within 1.5 hours I reached the summit of Pico Ruivo from Achada do Taxeira. The trail is well maintained, clean, has multiple stops and shelters - including picknick places and at the crossroads with the trails Vereda do Arieiro and Vereda da Encumeada, a restaurant with toilets (Casa de Abrigo) - and view points along the way. I must have taken a million photos. Up top it was a bit crowded with people but since we all shared the accomplishment it was a nice atmosphere. Around 11 am the clouds came and changed the views, starting to obscure most valleys and views of the Ilhas desertas for example. But by then I enjoyed the experience of being "above the clouds" and seeing the clouds bulged up against the mountain sides with swirls and...