Walking in Menorca

If you are going to be relying on public transport, stay in or near Mahón or Ciutadella so as to have easy access to the buses. But if you plan to hire a car, on this relatively small island, you will be able to reach most of the walks from any of the main resorts.

2 car tours, 50 long and short walks, 18 picnic suggestions
136 pages + touring map; plans of Mahón and Ciutadella; 1:40,000 topo maps
6th ed, 2016; ISBN 978-1-85691-457-4; UK retail price £12.99 / USA retail price $18.00

Table of contents:

Preface 5
Acknowledgements 5
Useful books 5
Introduction 6
How to get there 6
Geography 6
Weather 6
Where to stay 7
Getting about on the island 7
Language hints 8
Place names 9
Country code 10
Picnic suggestions 14

TOURING 20
Tour 1: Eastern Menorca 22
Tour 2: Western Menorca 27

WALKING
WALKS NEAR MAHON
1 A walkabout tour of Mahón 32
Plan of Mahón 36-37
2 Sa Torreta 41
3 Es Vergé and the Ermita de Sant Joan 45
4 Fort St Philip and Mahón harbour 48
5 Trepucó 53
6 St Stephen’s Creek and the Binissaida coast 56
7 Torelló and Talatí de Dalt 59

WALKS NEAR ALAIOR
8 An archaeological ramble 63
9 Two walks to the valley of Egypt 66
10 Monte Toro 70
11 Beside the reed beds: Son Bou to Sant Tomàs 74

WALK NEAR SANT LLUIS
12 Through the deep south 77

WALK NEAR ES MIGJORN GRAN
13 The Binigaus valley and Sa Catedral 81

WALKS NEAR FERRERIES
14 A walk along the ridge 86
15 The gorges and prehistoric village of Son Mercer 88
16 Cala Mitjana and Trebalúger Bay 92
17 Cala Santa Galdana · Torre Trencada · Cala Macarella ·
Cala Santa Galdana 95

WALKS NEAR CIUTADELLA
18 A coastal walk between Cala’n Bosch and
Cala Santa Galdana 101
19 Es Pujol de Son Tica and Cala Macarella 109
20 A walkabout tour of Ciutadella 112
Plan of Ciutadella 114-115
21 Two country strolls near Ciutadella 122
22 The Naveta d’es Tudons 124
23 Curniola and the caves of Cala Morell 129

Destinations in the bus timetables 132
Bus timetables 133
Index 135
Touring map inside back cover

Alaior (town) 22, 25, 27, 28, 63, 70, 72-73, 132, TM
Alcaufar (resort) 79, 80, 132
Arenal d’en Castell (resort) 22, 24, 132
Artruix, Atalaia d’ (tower) 96-97, 102-103, 106, 107
Barranco (gorge, valley, river)
de Binigaus 74-75, 81, 82, 100
de Cala Santa Galdana 95, 96-97
de Macarella 110
de Sa Cova 88, 90
Biniancola (resort) 26
Binibeca Vell (resort) 22, 26, 132
Binidalí (resort) 26
Binigaus (beach) 74-75, 81, 82, 100
Binimatzoc (farm) 66, 67, 68, 69
Binisafúa (resort) 26
Binissaida (farm and district) 23, 49, 56, 58, 80, TM
Cala (creek, cove, bay)
de Fornells 24
de Sant Esteve 14, 50, 56, 58, TM
de Son Vell 102-103
d’es Talaier 102-103, 107
Figuera 26, 49, TM
Fonts 52, 58, TM
Macarella 16, 95, 96-97, 98, 104, 105, 108, 109, 110
Macarelleta 96-97, 104, 106
Mesquida 15, 22, TM
Mitjana 16, 29, 92, 94, 96-97
Mitjaneta 29, 92, 94, 96-97
Padera 51, TM
Parejals 101, 102-103, 108
Pregonda 16
Presili 15
Sa Torreta 41, 42, 44
Trebalúger 92, 93, 96-97
Cala Blanca (resort) 132
Canutells (resort) 26
Morell (resort and prehistoric caves) 12, 15, 129, 130, 131, 132
Santa Galdana (resort) 16, 27, 28, 92, 94, 95, 96-97, 98-99, 101, 104, 105, 108, 109, 132
Cala’n Bosch (resort) 101, 102-3, 108, 132
Cala’n Porter (resort) 17, 22, 25, 28, 132, TM
Cala’n Turqueta (beach) 96-97, 103, 106
Cales Coves (prehistoric caves) 17, 22, 26
Caló d’es Rafalet (cove) 17, 77, 78, 80
Camí d’en Kane (‘Kane’s Road’) 22, 29, 70, 72-3, TM
Cap d’en Font (resort) 26
Ciutadella 27, 29, 112, 113, 114-5, 116, 117-122, 123, 124, 126-127, 128, 132
Town plan 114-5
Curnia (site) 60, 65, TM
Curnia Vell (farm) 60, 62, TM
Ejipte (farm and valley) 66, 67, 68, 69
Ermita (church, chapel)
de Fátima 22, 66, 67, 111
de Sant Joan 14, 22, 45, 46, 47, TM
de Sant Joan de Missa 109, 110-111, 111
de Sant Llorenç 67, 69, 111
Es Caló d’es Vi Blanc (creek) 57, TM
Es Castell (town) 14, 22, 26, 48, 52, 56, 58, 132, TM
Es Castell de Sant Felip (Fort St Philip) 17, 48, 51, TM
Es Custe d’Ejipte (farming area) 67, 68, 69
Es Grau (resort) 15, 27, 29, 41, 44, 132
Es Mercadal (town) 16, 22, 24, 25, 27, 29, 70, 72-73, 132
Es Migjorn Gran (town) 27, 28, 81, 82-83, 85
Es Pujol de Son Tica (farming region) 109, 110-111
Es Vergé (market gardens) 45, TM
Favaritx, Cap de (cape) 22, 23
Ferreries (town) 27, 29, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 132
Fondearo de los Llanos (beach) 41, 42, 43, 44
Fornells (town) 20-1, 22, 24, 25, 132
Fort Marlborough see Marlborough Redoubt
Fort St Philip see Es Castell de St Felip
Golden Farm (house) 53, TM
Illa de l’Aire (island) 79
Mahón (Maó) 14, 22, 25, 26, 27, 29, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36-38, 39, 40, 45, 47, 49, 52, 53, 59, 62, 63, 65, 132, TM
Town plan 36-7
Mallauí (farm) 102-103, 106
Marlborough Redoubt (fort) 14, 50, 56, TM
Monte Toro (‘mountain’; 358m) 22, 24, 70, 71, 72, 72-73, 88
Na Macaret (resort) 24
Naveta (ossuary)
d’es Tudons 27, 124, 125, 126-127
L’Argentina 29
Rafal Rubí 29, 64, TM
Pou de Na Patarra (prehistoric well) 63, TM
Puerto Addaia (resort) 24
Puig Menor (hill) 66, 67
Punta Prima (resort) 26, 77, 80, 102-103, 108, 132
Punta Radona (point of land) 74-75, 76
Racó d’es Pi (cove) 102-103
S’Albufera (lagoon) 41, 42, 44
S’Algar (resort) 17, 77, 80, 132
Sa Catedral (cave) 81, 83, 85
Sa Roca de S’Indío (rock) 16, 25
Sa Torreta (bay, farm, site) 41, 43
Sant Antoni see Golden Farm
Sant Climent (village) 22, 26, 132, TM
Sant Jaume Mediterrani (resort) 27, 28, 74-75
Sant Lluís (town) 4, 22, 25, 26, 77, 80, 132, TM
Sant Patrici (farm) 2, 11
Sant Rafael (farm) 64, TM
Sant Tomàs (resort) 27, 28, 74-75, 81, 84, 85, 132
Santa Agueda (hill and site) 15, 28, 65
Sol del Este (resort) 51, 58, TM
Son Arret (farm) 86, 87
Son Bou (resort and caves) 19, 28, 74-75, 75, 76, 132
Son Mercer (farms and site) 88, 90, 91
Son Parc (resort with golf course) 24, 132
Son Saura (bay and beach) 102-3, 107
Son Vitamina (village) 17, 26, 132, TM
Son Xoriguer, Platja de (beach and resort) 102-103, 108, 132
Talatí de Dalt (site) 1, 12, 13, 15, 29, 59, 60-61, 62, 64, TM
Terra Rotja (farm) 11, 86, 87
Torralba d’en Salort (site) 22, 25, 63, TM
Torralba Vell (farm) 63, TM
Torre d’en Gaumés (site) 13, 28
d’en Penjat (tower) 50, TM
d’en Quart (fortified farmhouse) 128-129, 130
Llafuda (site) 28
Trencada (site) 17, 28, 95, 96-7
Torellisa Vell (site) 25
Torelló (site, also called ‘Torrelonet Vell’) 59, 60, 65, TM
Trebalúger (village, site, see also Cala) 77, 80, TM
Trepucó (site) 13, 53, 54-5, TM, cover
Xoroi, Cova d’en (nightclub in prehistoric cave) 25

Menorca, 6th edition (2016); updated 21/05/2018

Updates for walks and car tours (drives) on Menorca given below supplement those provided in the guidebook. It is vital that this Update is read in conjunction with the text of the book, but note that the Update applies only to the edition stated and not to any earlier editions. (If you have an older edition of this book you can “upgrade” to the latest edition at half price.)

Information has been forwarded to us by users of the book, and Sunflower Books offers the data in good faith but cannot be held responsible for any misleading or inaccurate content in the Update. Unless indicated otherwise, what appears here has not been verified by the author or publisher, so please allow due caution when new or amended routes are suggested. Each piece of information is dated; bear in mind that some of the older observations may have since been overtaken by events or further changes. If, during your holiday, you are using the current edition of the guide and are able to provide any additional updating to add to this page, we will be pleased to hear from you. Please send information, preferably by e-mail, to info@sunflowerbooks.co.uk.

Walk 1: Page 34, third full paragraph. “Leave the door diagonally opposite the one you came in by…” The number 7 has been erroneously inserted here; [ 7 ] is the tourist office. (Sunflower)

Walk 2a: Access to Sa Torreta talayot village no longer possible. Closed by the park authority with a notice at the path turn off from the beach, locked gate 150m up the path, ‘Privado’ etc.

Think the walk is still worthwhile with the loop around the headland. From the top it is possible to find your way down to the ‘exquisite tiny beach’, and from it the path back to the Cami is easy to follow. (User, 10/17)

Walk 4: On page 51, after passing Admiral Collingwood’s house/hotel, the final path off to the right is easy to miss as it is very overgrown and there are loose rocks underfoot (we didn’t take it the first time as it looked unlikely to be the path). However, it quickly leads to a concrete path and steps past the white houses on the left down to the small, pretty harbour of El Fonduco, before continuing round to the Cala Figuera start/stop point for a leisurely stroll into Mahon port past all the fancy boats… On the earlier part of this walk, which we did in reverse as we were staying in Es Castell, on page 50 there is now a street sign on the lane beside the Cafe Sol Del Este, ” Passeig de sa Font Dolca ” which leads to the coastal path to Fort St Philip. On the old site of the harbour we found sticking up from the rock an old cannon upturned on its trundles which is unfortunately now being used as an ashtray! However this did not detract from the excellent views from the site which made it well worth the detour. Next time we intend to do the guided tour of the underground passages of the fort; the Military Museum in Es Castell has info on the dates and times of the tours. Also the cafe at Cala Padera is now closed and up for sale in common with many businesses in Minorca. (User, 6/17) + Restaurant Sol Naciente is indeed, as noted by another user, now closed. Note that it was renamed to ‘Villa Alba’ prior to closing. (User, 10/17)

Walk 8:  At the bottom of Page 62 it says “Algendar de sa Costa, turn left at the crossroads.  In 20 minutes you will come to another prehistoric village in a lovely setting. Talati de Dalt”  We thought we had walked for 20 minutes and came across a big sign “Talati de Dalt” at the end of an old track.  We passed it as we were uncertain and then returned as no signs appeared and we thought we had gone wrong.  It was a farmhouse and on the map Talati de Dalt covered a large area.  It was confusing so please tell walkers to ignore this sign, continue around the corner and they will see the car park. (User, 5/18)

Walk 9b: ‘After about 15 min you will come to another locked gate’. The landowner has gone to considerable effort to block the route to climb over the wall to the right with a mesh fence. On the far side you can see the steps to climb down from the wall, but it not possible to get through. Barbed wire on top of the gate itself and ‘Privado’ signs.

Retracing steps, did try to find an alternative path through the woods at the far end of the field, but not possible -all walled and gated. Renders this walk no longer worthwhile. (User, 10/17)

Walk 15: Coming off the main road from Ferreries, the track up the hill no longer states only open on Saturdays. There is a standard official sign to the poblat, also a sign to the farm.

The path to the left down to the Torrent de Son Gras is still open and the gates on the tracks/paths are all open, with no ‘Privado’ signs. At the top of the climb from the valley, before turning 90 degrees right, there is a rather splendid naveta ahead of you in a field, which is again not gated/fenced and is open. The path to the left to the poblat is impossible to miss as there is now a large official sign where you rejoin the track to the farm. At the poblat itself there is parking for several cars. The track is a dirt farm track, but is good and poses no problems in dry weather. It might be preferable to drive to here and take the walk from the poblat to avoid the first part from Ferreries on tarmac and the main road with no pavement after the bridge, which was not pleasant. There is also space for a couple of cars on a hairpin bend part way up the track from the main road (below), and there was a tourist-looking vehicle parked there on the way out, but no indication of whether parking is or isn’t permitted.

This is a fabulous walk and highly recommended – probably the best one of the week. (User, 10/17) + We were enchanted by the glorious song of nightingales and enjoyed this shady walk to magnificent cliffs. (User, 5/18)

Walk 16:  Page 91 “take care the drop from the last step into the narrow river is bout 1m/3ft and requires agility.  You may have to paddle across the end of the stream to reach the sand of a glorious bay”.  Sadly the lagoon higher up the beach and the outfall of the river was dark brown with sewerage and smelt disgusting.  Some men managed to jump it but if you had to paddle, you need medical wipes to guard against infection.  Therefore it was not a beautiful bay, nobody risked swimming in it and one fellow walker took photographs to complain to the authorities as Menorca has been classified as a biosphere.  This might have been an accidental leak, but it is as well to be careful. (User, 5/18)

Walk 17: The track on the right after leaving Torre Trencada, closed to cars, is secured by a substantial locked gate at either end and required considerable agility to climb over/round it to manage the circuit. The road down to Cala Macarella is now surfaced all the way to the car park, which means there is now a wearying amount of tarmac on this walk. (User, 10/16) + We did only part of the walk but got disoriented at this point of the description on page 93. The paragraph starts with “Curl right, then left, pass the farm, keeping the farmhouse on the right…” What it does not mention is the gate you need to go though. It should say “Go through the gate, curl right…” (User, 1/17)

Walk 18 in the direction from Santa Galdana to Cala’n Bosch. Page 103, second complete paragraph it states “Cross the beach and go over the water drain… To your right at the foot of the cliff is an iron gate barring access to a track leading to the Macarella estate (closed to walkers). A green arrow here points to a second path, immediately to the left of the gate… In fact after going over the water drain we did not find any iron gate but straight ahead, there is Cami de Cavalls Signpost towards Cala Turquetta. This path leads up the hill, initially along the wall of the mentioned Macarella estate. It goes away from the cliff but will also reach Macarella Beach before going onto the Cala Turquetta. This path is wider and easier that the path over the cliffs. We took this path on our way to Macarelleta Beach but took the path described in the book on our way back. The path described in the book goes to the left of the mentioned Cami de Cavalls signpost when facing it and is not particularly well marked. The only gate we could see is a shiny new wooden gate, but that is well to the right when you cross the water drain. (User, 1/17)

Walk 21: Firstly, the guide says you pass the new cemetery and then cross a busy road – it is the other way round as the busy road is before the cemetery. The biggest issue, however, is that the Naveta d’es Tudors was not accessible from the walking route on the day we visited. The gate is locked with padlocks and signs everywhere saying “No entry” and “Privado”. We just turned back because the bigger walks on this page were too long in the heat. We were a bit disappointed but to be fair, the three taliots you pass [just before going under the RC-2] were very interesting and well worth a visit. (User, 7/17)[Sunflower: We would be very grateful for any further information from users. Perhaps the gate it padlocked to deter people from accessing the site without paying? Google Earth shows two paths a very short way further east that would also access the naveta, but they may also be closed off.] + The rear entrance to Naveta d’es Tudons is indeed closed, as noted by others. From inside the site, the path back up to the gate is not blocked and is accessible, so this does appear to be a revenue-raising closure. No other access path from the road – everything with locked gated and ‘Privado’ signs. Given that Torre Trencada is included on other walks in the book, I suggest that Walk 21, as a long walk on tarmac to Torre Trencada, no longer justifies inclusion. (User, 10/17) [Sunflower: The large sign in the photo only says ‘Private hunting ground’ – can’t make out what the small sign says. In any case, the gate looks very firmly locked, with no steps to help one over the wall.]

Walk 22: There is a smaller extension loop through woods on Cap Gros. Turn left immediately after the gate shown below, by path marker 07-129, follow the path, and it brings you back to the Cami just after some water troughs on the main path. Very pleasant wander through woods, clear path and no locked gates. Sadly, time didn’t permit continuing further to try to trace the longer loop. (User, 10/17)

Walk suggestion: As a replacement for Walk 21 in the next edition, I suggest you try out the walk up to Castell Santa Agueda, north of Ferreries. It is clearly signposted off the Me1 to Ciutadella and again at the access path. Parking for only a couple of cars at the side of the road. There is quite a steep climb up to the site. At the top there are a good few buildings to see, with several information boards. Good views from the top. From the top there is a path to the neighbouring hill, which is chained off by a chain between two posts, but no ‘Privado’ signs, and nothing to make it difficult to access the path. The neighbouring hilltop has remains of what looks like, to this untrained eye, talayotic remains. Rejoin the path and continue to where it rejoins the main path from the road, again with chained posts. The whole path is clearly regularly used and well-trodden, and there are no signs or attempts to block the path. This was a very pleasant walk, especially and unusually for Menorca, for being wholly off tarmac. Round trip shown on my mobile ‘phone as 4.2 km. (User, 10/17)