HIKING TO CALA TUENT
S
pring in Mallorca is my favourite time of year. The heat of mid-summer has yet to kick in and a breeze blows through the long, green grass. It is, as I am informed by my guide Michelle, the perfect season for hiking. For it was on one such sunny, cloudless day that I set off on a guided hike through the great Tramuntana Mountains with Sóller-based adventure outfit Tramuntana Tours. After a short drive from Port Sóller, the hike began at Mirador de Ses Barques, a spectacular viewpoint overlooking the town below. The hike was to be 11km long, ending at Cala Tuent from where, we were informed, a boat would greet us. Tramuntana Tours has a stellar reputation on the island and have been specialising in all things outdoors for over eight years. I knew I was in good hands, and with Michelle’s energy and obvious passion, I was excited to get going. We set off at a comfortable, amiable pace, our small group quietly enjoying the morning bird chirping and bleating of sheep. We stopped regularly as Michelle explained the landscape around us, bringing the past to life in a land that I have seen so many times but until now never fully understood.
Evidence of the Moorish period is everywhere, their 300 years on the island having left a long legacy, from the stepped terraces to the stone irrigation systems that trickle with water. We passed through rustic, well-tended farmland, walking around ancient, gnarled olive trees in our path, the scent of wild heather and rosemary wafting through the air. We passed great, 16th century fincas (farmhouses), making a pit-stop at Balitx d’Avall for a refreshing glass of Sóller orange juice, pressed from nearby groves. From here we left the agricultural valley behind, and climbed the stone path into the mountains. At the Coll de Biniamar we stopped for breath to inspect a curious large stone circle in a holm oak forest, an age-old coal pit as Michelle explained. We stopped for lunch at the top of the mountain. The deep blue Mediterranean stretched before us, pine trees blanketing the slopes down to isolated bays of calm, turquoise water. From here it was a gentle one hour’s hike along the narrow coastal path into the beautiful natural beauty of Cala Tuent. We flopped tired but exhilarated into the area’s only restaurant, Es Vergeret, for a well-deserved coffee and locally-made
almond cake, the hardiest of the group enjoying a dip in the sea. On the boat back to Sóller I asked Michelle what her favourite hike is. “I love this hike” she told me “People of all fitness levels can enjoy it and on a day like this it’s just so beautiful”. What’s the toughest of Tramuntana Tour’s excursions, I asked? “Definitely the Torrent de Pareis” she answered without hesitation “but the canyon is so spectacular, the physical effort is completely worth it”. I didn’t need convincing; I’ll be conquering the canyon very soon.
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