Whilst Robert and Lyn drove off somewhere to base themselves for a bike ride to and from sumptuous café and lunch breaks, Sue and I drove up to the small car park, Es Pixarells, at kilometre 17 on the Pollença to Lluc road.
A 10.20 start found us walking under a blue sky along the main road to km 17.4, before heading up a quiet tarmac lane past Menut to Binifaldó.
Our route is well described in Paddy Dillon's Cicerone guide - route number 21.
Highlights of the day include:
- numerous frolicking goats
- an entertaining ascent of a rock band aided by wires and stemples
- masses of bright blue rosemary on the ascent
- eagles and other birds of prey soaring near the summit
- good access - not always the case in Mallorca - though some of the ladder stiles (see middle picture) were not for sufferers of vertigo
- a huge green grasshopper
- fabulous summit views, especially to the Formentor peninsula and across the sea to Menorca
- I spotted a couple of small orchids, one of which was a very small and very pretty new one for us - more on this in due course
- several lime kilns near Binifaldó
- a huge snow pit below the summit - it must have been a good eight metres deep, with accompanying corrals for mules
- brilliant wilderness paths that were once mule tracks
- afternoon tea in an olive grove on a thin path with two mules (pictured - bottom)
We saw a few folk, including a dozen or so German women on the summit, but a lot of the time it felt like just us in the wilderness.
The total walk was 17 km in six and a half hours, including ascent of around 700 metres. An excellent excursion. Highly recommended.
Later - a most enjoyable final evening with Robert and Lyn in the apartment.
That's it from Mallorca for now. I'll try to produce a slideshow when time permits.
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