Mallorca hiking blog

[Brisbane]

G'day all.

I'm staying in PP over the winter and intend to hike all over the island on day trips. I've been persuaded to put a blog of my trip together and I've already completed quite a few hiking routes around PP, Alcudia and CSV over the past few weeks. I thought this might be useful to fellow forum members, here's the link:

Steve's hiking blog

There's loads of pics of PP from every peak around the place, some good, some not so good - my camera's not too flash

I'll be updating this over the next five months as I continue to hike around the north and west. If anyone wants info on hiking let me know, by next April I should have done the lot

If anyone wants a free guide that's fine too, it would be good to get some group hikes going...

Steve.

 

[andrew711]

This is excellent, Steve.

 

[Sparky]

Wow!! Steve that's fantastic, great photos as well thanks for sharing it with us .

 

[Ronnie]

G'day all.

I'm staying in PP over the winter and intend to hike all over the island on day trips. I've been persuaded to put a blog of my trip together and I've already completed quite a few hiking routes around PP, Alcudia and CSV over the past few weeks. I thought this might be useful to fellow forum members, here's the link:

Steve's hiking blog

There's loads of pics of PP from every peak around the place, some good, some not so good - my camera's not too flash

I'll be updating this over the next five months as I continue to hike around the north and west. If anyone wants info on hiking let me know, by next April I should have done the lot

If anyone wants a free guide that's fine too, it would be good to get some group hikes going...

Steve.

Excellent blog Steve. Friends of ours are very much into hill walking and Hiking and we introduced them to Pollensa area for the first time this year. They asked me to find out about various walks for next year, so your blog covers it all!!!!
Well done and keep it coming

 

[debz1]

G'day Steve I have just tried, not very successfully, to read your post out to my daughter in an Australian accent It sounded more English West Country!! Your blog is excellent and has given us food for thought for some walks to do next year in our attempt to get fit

 

[Rosie34]

Hi Steve I've just started looking at your blog and just have to say that the photos from Cavall Bernat route are the most amazing photos I have seen of PP area - just make me dizzy! - I cant stand heights but always wondered what the view would be like from those 'pointy' heights as I've looked at them from ground level (where I feel safer!)

 

[Brisbane]

Thanks for all the positive comments on my blog folks!

debz1: You might do a better Aussie accent than me, I'm from Edinburgh! Been living in Oz for six years but can't shake my Scottish accent!

Rosie34: Yeah, it's a bit of a feat getting up there, a bit scary at times. I've only got a little canon IXUS camera, now I wish I'd invested in something better as I'm sure the pics would be a lot clearer. I think the ones taken from La Mola on the far side of CSV are the best so far...

 

[cumberland8]

Wow Steve I have run most of those routes over the years , I am now unable due to knee problems, but I kept it all to myself without a camera, absolutely fantastic memories keep em coming. Thank you.

 

[El Gordo]

Hola Stevo

What a fantastic resource you have created. Thanks.

The walk to Penya Rotja is one of our favourite strolls, you can make it as long or short as you like by choosing where to start and finish.

I see the rickety fence has disappeared at the "protected pass" on the way since I posted my picture of "whaa lass" squeezin through some years ago.

You can find it Here on Flickr

PS Would love to do the Cavall Bernat peaks sometime....you have inspired me!!

 

[sws97sdg]

Great Blog Steve, done some of them ourselves, but you have inspired me to try some more walks when we are over in January, have the sunflower book but will see if Santa will bring me some of the others.
Always wondered about the right of way on these walks as I know most of the land is private, do the books tell you where to go and more importantly where not to go?
Hope you carry on enjoying your time and your walks there over the winter, very jealous!

Some useful guide books and maps on the main website here

 

[pollensa]

Some useful guide books and maps on the main website here

Hopefully I have listed all the key walking books & maps that have been mentioned here & in Steve's excellent blog but if I haven't do let me know & I'll add them to puertopollensa.com/Books2.html#walking

 

[Brisbane]

Thanks again for all the positive feedback!!

Regarding the walking books, I have the following:

Walk! Mallorca (north and mountains) by Charles Davis (retail £13) + associated map (approx £9)

Walking in Mallorca by June Parker/Paddy Dillon (retail £15)

Mallorca: Car Tours and Walks (retail £13) (sunflower book)

I’m not in a position to fully review these at this time. I would say that I’m aware that the June Parker/Paddy Dillon book doesn’t get fantastic reviews. I’d have to defend it at this stage since it’s the only one of the three that details the fantastic hike (climb!) over the peaks at the back of PP (Serra del Cavall Bernat route). Perhaps it’s considered too difficult by the other authors

I would say that generally, at this stage, I use the Charles Davis book more than the others, but this is probably because I have the detailed map that kind of accompanies the book, as the routes in the book are detailed on the map, as can be seen in my blog. Having said that the map is a separate purchase, and as I discovered a couple days ago when I bought a new one, it costs 11 euros here in PP. It’s a new “super durable polymer” version, I hope it’s more durable than my last one at that price!

The Charles Davis book is the only one of the three that has GPS waypoints listed and marked in the little maps in the book, for those with hand held GPSs. Initially I considered buying one in Oz, the price of the electronic topographic map of north Mallorca to load into a GPS was $80! A reasonable hiking GPS device costs around £250.

The sunflower book is good, especially if you want to do car tours too, and it’s great that it has the fold out map at the back, well two really, on one side is a map of the entire island, which shows the car tours but also has the positions of the walks numbered, and on the other is a detailed map of the central north (between Soller and Lluc), with the routes in this area detailed.

The Parker/Dillon book is the most comprehensive, with around twice as many hikes detailed as the others, and also covers the south-west, unlike the others. It does lack an overall map however, although all the books have little detailed maps on the relevant pages showing the specific hiking routes. This book is twice a big as the others with 380 pages, it’s a bit of a brick!

As I said I’m not really in a position to fully review these three, but I’d have to say that the sunflower book (Mallorca: Car Tours and Walks) is probably the best value for money, and unless you’re going to be here for a couple of months or more, or you’ll return regularly, I’d say that this is the one to go for. It's not quite as comprehensive as the others but comes with a good overall map built in. I’ll probably be in a position to write another book by April, but frankly there’s already enough out there, with a lot of the routes featured in all three books!

Regarding rights of way, yes, the books give specific info on this. I’m aware that there’s currently an issue with part of the GR 221, the route form the north-west (Capdella) to the east (Pollensa), where a farmer has built a large wall across the public right of way between Valldemossa and Deiá

Steve.

 

[Brisbane]

I've managed to find more peaks to get images of PP from

There's more pics (20th Nov and 22 Nov) here:

Steve's hiking blog

Heading west next week...

Steve.

 

[Rosie34]

Thanks again Steve for more stunning photos It's fascinating to see the views from so high up - and your route instructions will be so helpful to anyone brave enough to follow in your footsteps! Keep 'em coming

Rosie

 

[Sparky]

Oh my God Steve!!!!!, absolutely stunning and totally different views of the area, thank you for sharing this with us .

 

[El Gordo]

I've managed to find more peaks to get images of PP from

There's more pics (20th Nov and 22 Nov) here:

Steve's hiking blog

Heading west next week...

Steve.

You are far too modest Steve in what you have achieved in such a short time.

What a fantastic resource you are creating. I just wish I was there and able enough to accompany you on your explorations.

Keep them comming................

 

[roig cat]

Hi Steve Just done walks 19 and 30 from C Davis walk Mallorca North book. (23rd and 24th this month) both amazing, would recommend both. Would strongly recommend insect repellent on walk 30, im covered in mozzie bites from walking through the thick undergrowth!!. Walk 30 is 20 KM and took us 6 1/2 hours but we did stop quite a bit for photos and a picnik.
Get to Caimari early as we got the last parking space at the Mirador at 9am. For those without the book i'm refering to a walk from Caimari to Lluc and back to Caimari via Binibona.

 

[Brisbane]

Cheers for the info roig cat. Glad to hear that you enjoyed those walks, they are on my "to do" list, probably next week... I've got insect repellent here and I've never used it, but I have been bitten while out during the day and have spotted some very large mozzies

El Gordo: Thanks for your kind words mate! You are welcome to join me while I hike around. I'm probably going to be going solo from now on, family and friends have been and gone. Even my Spanish mate I've been learning the lingo from is emigrating to Dubai

 

[El Gordo]

Cheers for the info roig cat. Glad to hear that you enjoyed those walks, they are on my "to do" list, probably next week... I've got insect repellent here and I've never used it, but I have been bitten while out during the day and have spotted some very large mozzies

El Gordo: Thanks for your kind words mate! You are welcome to join me while I hike around. I'm probably going to be going solo from now on, family and friends have been and gone. Even my Spanish mate I've been learning the lingo from is emigrating to Dubai

Hi Steve

Thanks for the offer, I am out from the 4th to 25th January, maybe get in touch? if you are still around

 

[Brisbane]

Hi Steve

Thanks for the offer, I am out from the 4th to 25th January, maybe get in touch? if you are still around

No worries Gordon. I'm here until the 13th Jan then off to Lanzarote for a couple of weeks, then back here until April. Just PM me with a day or so notice and we can go hiking wherever you want. I got well off the beaten track today - fantastic, and more photos of PP, from Puig Pinoa, right in between PP and Formentor. I'll update the blog tomorrow, got a bit of a thirst on right now

Steve.