Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

A walk on the wild the side

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Far removed from the mega-resorts and sunburnt package tourists, Mallorca’s ancient mountain trails reveal the natural beauty of Spain’s largest island. James Litston follows the Dry Stone Way

They certainly built things to last in the olden days,” comments my friend Alex as we pause for breath during our mountain ascent. He’s not wrong: the trail on which we’re hiking is ancient, the polished surface of its cobblestones attesting to its antiquity. We’re following the age-old route from Sóller to Lluc through Mallorca’s rugged Sierra Tramuntana, and the stones underfoot have been worn smooth over generations of use.

In the past, pilgrims came this way to worship the holy relics in Lluc’s imposing monastery, but we’re not so pious; we’ve just come to enjoy the wonders of the great outdoors.

Today, hiking in the Sierra Tramuntana is big business, and this path is part of the GR221, a long-distance trail that spans 135km from Port d’Andratx in the south to Pollença in the north. Much of the route follows ancient paths that, like the one we’re on now, were long ago paved in stone – hence its alternative name of la Ruta de la Pedra en Sec: the Dry Stone Way. Tackling the entire thing would take about a week, but we’ve opted for the gentler approach of only hiking the most appealing sections and interspersing our endeavours with relaxing days off in a boutique hotel. It is a holiday, after all.

The Sierra Tramuntana runs the full length of Mallorca’s northwest coast, its limestone peaks cloaked in fragrant pine forests and terraced groves of olive trees. The wildness of the scenery and sleepiness of the scattered towns and villages makes it feel very remote – certainly a world away from the tourist scrum that typifies much of the island’s other coastlines. From up here in the mountains, the package-holiday resorts feel a very long way away.

Splendid stay

That’s not to say that mainstream tourism is unknown in the northwest. The area’s main resort, Port de Sóller, is a pleasantly laid-back place strung around a perfect horseshoe of a bay. It’s particularly popular with French and Scandinavian visitors on account of its civilised ambience – there’s not a karaoke bar in sight – and it’s here that we’ve chosen to base ourselves, at the aptly named Hotel Espléndido (5 Es Traves, tel. , www.esplendidohotel.com, from €150).

This turns out to be a good move: not only is the resort perfectly located for the mountains, but the hotel’s spa, pools, excellent restaurant and contemporary interiors also make it the perfect place to recover from our exertions.

Natural Choice

While the vast majority of people come to Mallorca for its mega-resorts and their beaches, nightlife and chips-with-everything cuisine, those that make it to this side of the island are mostly drawn by the refined atmosphere and astounding natural beauty of the Sierra Tramuntana.

An impressive parade of high-profile visitors, from Michael Douglas to Andrew Lloyd Webber, have loved the area enough to buy property here over the years, especially around the hilltop village of Deia. This impossibly pretty collection of honey-coloured houses is a 30-minute bus ride from the port and makes an ideal starting point for another hike along the GR221. After a nose around the town’s lovely old stone houses, we pick up the trail that leads down through cascading olive terraces to Cala Deia, a tiny cove that’s home to some of the most beguiling, emerald-green waters I’ve ever seen. Here we stop for lunch, enjoying chiparrones (deep-fried baby squid) and refreshingly cool gazpacho soup in a tiny, open-air restaurant perched precariously above the brine. With a wistful look at that welcoming sea, it’s then time to get back on the road.

The GR221 is well marked throughout its length, so it’s easy to follow the route back to Sóller as it snakes through the hills. Much of the way is shrouded in forest, from which nightingales sing mellifluously, but there are also plenty of viewpoints for admiring the coastal scenery. The deep green of the pines and smoky grey of the olive trees contrast sharply with the dazzling blue sea, whose surface appears unruffled by even the merest ripple, all the way to the horizon. It’s the perfect backdrop for a fantastic day’s hiking – and better yet, despite many photo stops, we still make it back in time for our well-earned appointments at the Espléndido spa.

Thrill seekers

Having conquered the trail, the next day we decide to try something a little more challenging. There are several companies offering outdoor pursuits in the Tramuntana, covering everything from guided hikes and mountain biking to sea-kayak excursions along the wild and undeveloped coastline. Feeling bold, we opt for a canyoning expedition into the Torrent de Pareis – arguably the island’s most dramatic water-course – with a guide from Escullaventura (www.escullaventura.com), a local adventure outfitter. After heavy rain, the canyon echoes to the roar of raging water, but by mid-summer it’s pretty much run dry and is easier to navigate on foot – without the need for a wetsuit. The sheer power of the water is still very much in evidence, though; the canyon walls rise to over 200 metres in height, their sides worn smooth by the force of the flow, while in places the way is blocked by huge boulders that need to be scrambled under or over.

The challenging terrain makes for slow progress – it takes us around five hours to complete the 8km course – but by not rushing, we’re able to appreciate the canyon’s ethereal beauty. The fissure finally opens out to the sea at the tiny resort of Sa Calobra, where we catch a boat back to the port before losing ourselves in the comforts of the hotel.

That evening, our last on the island, we sit on the Espléndido’s waterfront terrace and consider our experiences over a glass of cava as the sun sets behind the port’s twin lighthouses. The Sierra Tramuntana, we decide, might well be Mallorca’s worst kept secret, but for us it’s been a revelation – and the bits of the Dry Stone Way that we missed give us the perfect excuse to come back.

Randonnée dans la nature sauvage

Oubliez les formules de vacances pour touristes. Découvrez les anciens sentiers de randonnée de Majorque, qui révèlent la beauté de cette plus grande île d’Espagne. James Litston suit la Route de Pierre Sèche

Toute la côte nord-ouest de Majorque est dominée par la Sierra de Tramuntana, spectaculaire chaîne montagneuse qui s’étire parallèlement à la côte, où culminent les forêts de pin et les oliveraies. De Sóller à Lluc, nous suivons une ancienne route que les pèlerins empruntaient jadis pour aller se recueillir au monastère de Lluc. Ce chemin fait partie du GR221, un sentier de randonnée qui s’étend sur 135km et dont le tracé suit des chaussées autrefois pavées – d’où le nom de la Ruta de la Pedra en Sec, ou la Route de la Pierre Sèche.

Il faudrait une semaine entière pour parcourir cet itinéraire. Nous avons plutôt opté pour l’exploration des coins les plus surprenants. Et durant la randonnée, nous nous sommes réservés quelques jours de repos à l’hôtel The Espléndido (www.esplendidohotel.com), dans la station balnéaire du Port de Sóller – un endroit très calme, sans un seul bar de karaoké en vue !

À 30 minutes en bus du port se trouve le charmant village montagneux de Deia. Après un rapide tour des lieux, nous prenons le sentier qui redescend à travers les cultures d’olives en terrasses, direction Cala Deia. Là, nous nous arrêtons pour le lunch. Au menu : chiparrones (calamars frits) et gazpacho.

Le GR221 est bien indiqué et nous trouvons facilement la route de retour jusqu’à Sóller. Les dominantes de couleurs, le vert des pins et le gris des oliviers, contrastent avec le bleu éblouissant de la mer. L’endroit est idyllique pour une journée de trekking et nous parvenons même à rentrer à temps pour notre rendez-vous au spa de notre hôtel.

Certaines sociétés proposent également des activités sportives ou de loisirs dans la Tramuntana ; le lendemain nous décidons de faire du canyoning dans le Torrent de Pareis avec Escullaventura (www.escullaventura.com), une façon d’apprécier la sublime beauté des gorges.

Le soir, nous nous retrouvons autour d’un verre de cava à la terrasse de l’Espléndido pour partager nos impressions, tandis que le soleil descend doucement derrière les phares jumeaux du port.

Het avontuur tegemoet

Ver weg van de typische toeristen ontdekt u langsheen de oude bergpaden de schoonheid van Spanje’s grootste eiland. James Litston volgt de Stenen Weg

De kalkstenen bergtoppen van de Sierra Tramuntana, omgeven door pijnbomen en rijen olijfbomen, spreiden zich uit over de hele noordwestkust van Mallorca. We volgen een oude reisroute van Sóller naar Lluc, in vervlogen tijden gevolgd door pelgrims op weg naar het klooster van Lluc. De route maakt deel uit van de GR221, die zich over 135km uitstrekt, en een groot deel van het traject loopt langsheen paden die lang geleden uit stenen werden gehouwen– vanwaar de naam Ruta de la Pedra of letterlijk de Stenen Weg.

Het volledige traject volgen zou ongeveer een week in beslag nemen, maar wij opteerden ervoor om enkel de meest aantrekkelijke plekjes al wandelend aan te doen, met tussendoor een aantal vrije dagen in het Espléndido hotel (www.esplendidohotel.com) in Port de Sóller – een rustig plekje ver weg van alle karaokebars.

De bus brengt je op 30 minuten van de haven naar het prachtige bergdorpje Deia. Na een korte ontdekkingstocht volgen we het spoor dat ons via olijfterrassen neerwaarts voert naar Cala Deia, waar we tijdens de lunch smullen van chiparrones (diepgevroren babyinktvis) en gazpacho.

De GR221 staat goed aangeduid; het is dus niet moeilijk het traject terug naar Sóller te volgen. Het groen van de pijnbomen en het grijs van de olijfbomen contrasteren fel met de oogverblindend mooie blauwe zee. De perfecte setting voor een dagwandeling – we zijn zelfs nog tijdig terug voor onze schoonheidsbehandelingen in het wellnesscentrum van het Espléndido hotel.

Er zijn verschillende bedrijven die outdoor excursies aanbieden in het Tramuntana gebergte; de volgende dag kiezen we ervoor te gaan canyoning in de Torrent de Pareis met Escullaventura (www.escullaventura.com). We ontdekken de etherische schoonheid van deze canyon.

Diezelfde avond nog, terwijl de zon verdwijnt achter de twee vuurtorens van de haven, zitten we op het terras van het Espléndido hotel en kaarten we bij een glas cava nog wat na over onze avonturen.

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