Achadas da Cruz

On the edge of a great rocky escarpment, this lookout plunges onto Calhau das Achadas: the fajã washed by the Atlantic at the foot of the slope, with the photogenic pattern of its plots. The cable car that gives it its name was built to carry the harvest and let farmers reach these very fertile plots; it has become an attraction, sliding down the cliff face to the peaceful Fajã da Quebrada Nova, one of the fajãs of the Ponta do Pargo Protected Area.

The cable car drops from Achadas da Cruz to the Fajã da Quebrada Nova, on the shore 460 m below. It was built for the fajã itself: the land there, watered and at sea level, has always been the most productive of the parish, and it is still worked — vines and vegetables for the village. The Vereda do Calhau and the Vereda da Ladeira reach the same shore on foot.