Cool but sunny today, though much warmer in the afternoon, when fleeces could be dispensed with.
Sue went off to summit Binifaldo and Menut (Cicerone route 23) and met an orchid man/guide with two clients.
Robert, Lyn and I took the van to Manacor and repeated a lovely route that we enjoyed two years ago.
Pleasing back roads with fine views of the Mallorcan countryside took us some 25 km to Artá in the morning. The first two thirds of this included some gentle ascents - nothing strenuous - followed by a very pleasant descent into Artá.
After a route finding decision we luckily came upon the main thoroughfare and soon settled down for lunch in the breezy courtyard of Café Parisien. We sat at the same mosaic table as we did two years ago, but we chose food other than the tartiflet that Robert recalls me giving a low rating on that previous visit.
Then the disused railway back to Manacor offered a leisurely 29 km of earth and gravel surfaced track with no vehicular traffic. I recall fighting against the wind on our previous visit, but today it was mostly behind us, offering frequent free wheeling opportunities.
The old railway track has been converted to a fine cycling/walking route in the style of the Middlewood Way and the Monsal Trail. It goes quite close to the sea on its undulating journey, offering fine views and many trackside flowers to admire.
A diversion to the centre of Sant Llorenc des Cardassar for ice creams provided entertainment for Lyn when a man nearly as tall as Robert arrived, dressed in Clown Yellow with a hole in the backside of his shorts.
Suitably refreshed, we whizzed the final 10 km back to the van, and by soon after 6 pm we had joined Sue, rehydrating on our patio.
Trout fillets were the stars of tonight's repast. Thanks to Sue for organising that - her day on the hill was shorter than our day on the bikes, although she had to drive at bike speed for much of her way to the start of her walk at Lluc Monastery.
2 comments:
I like "Clown Yellow" as a double whammy - visually describes the colour and hints at absurdity of subject both at the same time. Was it your invention or is there such a colour out there? I couldn't see it when I Googled.
'Clown Yellow' - I should copyright it?
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