Sue and Martin in Mallorca 2019

Sue and Martin in Mallorca 2019
On the Archduke's Path in Mallorca

Thursday 2 May 2019

Thursday 2 May 2019 - The Alcúdia Peninsula


 

 

 

 
Annoyingly, I've just found the missing draft from yesterday. Duh! Hopefully today's entry won't take so long!

The forecast of cloudy weather drew Sue and me to the lower summits of the Alcúdia peninsula. A combination of walks 2 and 3 in the Cicerone guide, amounting to 13.5 km, with about 1000 metres ascent, and taking about five and a half hours.

Meanwhile, Robert and Lyn enjoyed a 40 mile bike ride from Sa Pobla.

After a cool start from a parking area near the coast just before a sign telling us it was 300 metres to Bar S'Illot, fleeces were soon removed. 

Almost immediately we noticed lots of Wild Mallorcan (aka 'Quality') Goats. They are brown animals, always horned, and a little smaller than domestic goats that have turned wild. The Billies have fine twisted horns and long, thick beards.

After a gentle ascent to Coll de na Benet the 100% humidity triggered drops of light rain for a while. Today's second picture shows the path to the Coll, with the summit of Talaia d'Alcúdia showing high on the left.

We paused for lunch just after passing below the minor summit of Puig des Boc. Crips and sardines. A bit of a come down from our cycling fare. 

Despite the mist, there were lots of people on this hill today. An excellent winding path soon saw us to the summit of Talaia d'Alcúdia, where we lingered for some time in a sheltered spot after taking a selfie, just above a watch tower. 

There were mountain bikers traversing this 446 metre peak. Quite a few of them. Not one of them was actually cycling. This  must be one of Mallorca's few mountain biking areas, though given that they were all pushing or carrying their bikes we questioned why they were bothering.

Our traverse took us down a steep, rocky path to a gravel track. At a hairpin bend on this track, a thin path led to a viewpoint from below Penya Roja, from where the bottom picture was taken. By now the weather had cheered up and the summits were free from cloud.

After this taste of Walk 2 in the Cicerone guide, we returned the same way to continue with Walk 3, past the Ermita de la Victòria, where refreshments may be available, and thence along a pleasant narrow path to a busy youth camp near where the car was parked.

That left us plenty of time to return home, enjoy beer and tea in no particular order, and get ready for a meal out at Stay restaurant. (It's a tradition.)

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