Dry stone construction is a traditional technique that builds walls and structures using only stones, without any mortar or cement. It relies on the careful selection, placement, and interlocking of stones to create a stable structure.
Distances and ascent/descent: I recorded each day’s tracks on a Garmin 245M watch and uploaded to Wikiloc. I’ve used the distances and ascent/descent from Wikiloc.Times include breaks.
Friday 02 May 2025
Transfer to Esporles
It’s only 30 minutes by car from Palma to Esporles (pop 5,000) in the Tramuntana Mountains.
Saint Peter Church, construction began in 1904 but its façade and bell tower remain unfinishedRestaurantes in the shade along the main street
We left Esporles climbing on a country road but when the path got rough and steeper our pace slowed to 2kph. It’s a fascinating walk passing remains of charcoal burner’s settlements, old lime kilns and ancient forest dwellings. This is World Heritage Dry Stone country.
A cloudy day restricted viewsGutters on the vault collect rainwater and direct it into the cisternWe passed many sitjes (charcoal burning sites)A dry stone bread oven to sustain the charcoal burners and their families An old lime kiln – it took two weeks burning limestone to produce the lime for buildingThe route is mostly well markedClimbing over a dry stone wallDescending on the rough stone trackThis little Eurasian chaffinch followed us alongCarthusian Monastery in Valldemossa (pop 2,000), originally a 14th century royal residence. Chopin spent the winter of 1838 hereArròs Brut (literally ‘dirty rice’), one of the most typical dishes of Mallorca. It is spiced rice soup, cooked with vegetables, meat and game We went to Can Marió restaurant which has been serving it for 4 generations
Instead of following the GR221, we ascended to 950 meters on a beautiful old mule path with views down to Valldemossa to pick up the GR for the descent. The steep, vertiginous descent to Deia on loose gravel was slow and painful for us, less than one kilometre per hour at times.
A beautiful old mule path leads 3 km from Valldemossa up to the charcoal burners hut and stops thereLooking back down 150 meters above ValldemossaBaby Balearean Wild Goat indigenous to MallorcaPath across the plateau on Muntanya del VoltorAbove the tree line dominated by these flowering plants (branched asphodel)Indigenous White Mallorcan SheepClouds rolling in at the top, 950 metersDeia far below, an agonisingly slow, steep descent on loose gravelAfter a charcoal burners hut, an old constructed mule path 3 km to DeiaFont de la Rota, dry stone with a barrel vaultDry stone construction to exploit the irregular water supply was introduced by the MuslimsThe dry stone terraces are centuries-old and so are the olive treesDeia with the Mediterranean Sea behind Deia (pop 700) dates back to the Muslim occupation
A much easier walk than yesterday’s. It’s less isolated and popular so we passed many other walkers.
Cobbled path downhillAncient olive tree growing in the old terraces Path between Deia and Port de SollerViews of the sea on the walkWalking towards the lighthouse A young girl selling freshly squeezed orange juice beside the pathFaro de Cabo Gordo Lighthouse at the entrance to Port de Soller harbour, first lit 1849Port de SollerWe had baked fish Mallorcan style for lunchThe tram we took from the Port to SollerThe tram goes through restaurants on the main square, toot toot, and past the church of San Bartolomé in SollerThe tradition of the Mallorcan giants started in Sóller during the 17th century
Today we transferred up to Cuber Reservoir, about 30 minutes by car, and walked back down. We might have been a bit slow but not due to a difficult descent but stopping every few minutes to admire the beauty of the Barranc (Ravine) de Biniaraix. The path, winding down the steep slopes of the deep gorge is one of the most outstanding examples of drystone engineering on Mallorca.
From Cuber Reservoir at 750 meters we climbed to Coll de L’Ofre at 880 meters The reservoir was built in 1971 to supply the city of Palma with water The clouds starting to clear as we begin desendingInitially the path is a good trackBarranc de Biniaraix, a spectacular deep ravine with views to the Port de Soller lighthouseThere’s 1932 steps in the dry stone path From the 14th century, the pathway became an important route for pilgrims heading to the Lluc Monastery and to provide access to villages on the other side of the Tramuntana MountainsBefore the mechanisation, indigenous Balearic donkeys were used in all kinds of agricultural workBiniaraix TorrentWater was led into the aqueduct To irrigate the olive trees in the terraces The trees still produce olives for oilThe stone village of Biniaraix, a former Muslim stronghold, at the bottom of the gorgeLunch & dinner – roast lamb stuffed with soft spicy Mallorcan chorizo and blood sausage on a bed of mashed potatoes
We found it difficult today with two major climbs and descents, overcast weather spoiling the views.
Gorg Blau an artificial reservoir used as a drinking water source for the city of PalmaThis area would have been a major supplier of charcoal, there are hundreds of these charcoal burners platforms Ascent through ancient holm oak forestA watering trough supplied by a spring protected by a dry stone enclosure At 1205 meters, the mountain pass Coll des Prat is the highest point on the trailSnow pits, used for storing snow for medicinal and gastronomic use were of great economic and cultural value for centuriesA Balearean Wild Goat on a cliff – this is mountain goat country!It’s a long descent from the 1205 meter pass to the Monastery at 480 meters along the bridle path originally built to provide access to the snow pitsDry cobblestones help to conserve the trails because water seeping between the stones reduces the downhill flow in heavy rains and the stones are too heavy to wash away. But they are very hard on the feet! Santuari de Lluc, the most important holy site on Mallorca, dates from 1229 when a young boy called Lluc found a statue of the Virgin Mary hereBasilica of Santuari de LlucPorches built in the 16th century for pilgrims to stable their horses and as facilities for the pilgrims’ own use
The final day of the dry stone route was longer but easier without any strenuous climbs or descents. The path proceeds along shady paths and cobbled trails through holm oak forests, with views of the limestone peaks of the Serra de Tramuntana and the sea at Port Pollenca.
Looking back on the Monastery in a valley in the Sierra Tramuntana mountain rangeWe were up there yesterdayStile for crossing the stone wallOne of the characteristics of holm oak forests is the abundance of mosses benefiting from the humidity and shade beneath the treesViews to Pollenca Port 15 km awayDown the 365 Calvari Steps into PollencaWalking along laughing about having pizza for lunch but here in Pollenca there’s a wood-fired pizzeria!
What a hike! Challenging at times, delightful at others. About 88 kilometres with 10,000 vertical meters in 6 days, a lot of up and down!
