Tuesday, 20th September
| Walk: | Valldemossa, Mirador de Ses Puntes, Pouet, Archduke’s Way, Coll de S’estet, Caragoll, Teix, Coma des Cairats, Valldemossa | ||
| Distance: | 10.6 miles | Time: | 6.75 hours |
| Ascent: | 2,830 feet | Descent: | 2,830 feet |
| Weather: | Overcast with sunny spells in the morning and more sun in the afternoon. | ||
| Comments: |
We travelled from Puerto de Sóller to Valldemossa and took a good stony track gradually ascending and passing through Holme Oak forest. A couple good vantage points allowed us to enjoy views of the coast to the east and west. Eventually we found that we hade to descend into a valley to reach the Archduke's Way. This is a spectacular path with brilliant views. The Austrian Archduke Ludwig Salvador purchased Son Morague estate in 1872. The estate extended as far as the Puig des Teix, the highest peak in the area at 1064m. The Archduke was a keen conservationist and environmentalist and was responsible for halting the rapid demise of the evergreen oak forest on the estate. He commissioned a purpose built stone path that snakes around the ridgeline towering high above unrivalled views as far as Puerto de Sóller. Leaving the Archduke's Way we took an indistinct path to the summit of Puig de Teix. Returning to the main path we then descended on a zig-zag path, sometimes rocky and sometimes metalled. This brought us into Valldemossa in time for a drink before the coach took us back to Puerto de Sóller. A brilliant day with a good leader and the first opportunity to walk at a good pace. |
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Scroll down to see photos of the walk
Assembling outside the hotel - note the sand being raked smooth!
The group stops to inspect a well in the Holme Oak forest . . .
and the sun creates dappled shade . . .
as we continue along the path
Our 'elevenses' stop provides views to the west . . .
before we prepare to leave
Trees find the unlikeliest of places to grow . . .
and dead ones maintain a hold in the ground
Another view to the west . . .
en route to a small summit
Continuing along the Archduke's path . . .
we take time . . .
to admire the views . . .
which are quite spectacular
The sun highlights Perforated Rock . . .
which gets its name . . .
from the large hole
The path is a little exposed in places . . .
but is a joy to walk along
A stile takes us towards Puig de Teix . . .
where we can enjoy more great views . . .
including Puig Major
Time for a group photo . . .
before we descend on an easy track . . .
joined by goats . . .
who don't seem to mind us walking by