Trekking in Mallorca. Paddy Dillon

and greenfinches. Linnets and great tits are common and robins and chaffinches are abundant. Firecrests are found fairly high in the mountains.

Travel to Mallorca

      By air

      Most visitors fly to Mallorca from airports as far apart as Iceland and Israel, from all over Europe, including over two dozen British airports. The choice of routes and airlines is bewildering, but there are plenty of budget operators and deals for those willing to search online. It is worth accessing the Palma de Mallorca airport website to discover just how many routes and operators are available, www.aena.es/csee/Satellite/Aeropuerto-Palma-Mallorca

      By road or rail

      Few travellers consider an overland journey to Mallorca, but the Mediterranean ports of Barcelona and Valencia are served by trains and buses. For coach travel check Eurolines, www.eurolines.com, or for trains check www.renfe.com. Driving overland is a very time-consuming approach, but may suit British expatriates living in southern Spain.

      Ferries

      Ferries sail from Barcelona and Valencia to Palma, including Iscomar, www.iscomar.com, Trasmediterranea, www.trasmediterranea.es, and Balearia, www.balearia.com. Ferries berth so close to Palma that it is possible to walk straight through the historic city centre for onward bus or rail connections, or use EMT bus 1 to get from the port to the Estació Intermodal on Plaça d’Espanya. Some buses heading west to the GR221 can be caught near the ferryport, without the need to go into the city. These include bus 102 to Port d’Andratx and bus 111 to Calvià and es Capdellà.

      Taking or hiring a car

      Taking a car to Mallorca is not a good idea. The GR221 is linear and returning to a parked car is a huge inconvenience. Some walkers may wish to use a car in order to have a personalised backup service. If so, choose a good navigator to meet you at intervals along the route. Car hire can be arranged in advance, on arrival at the airport or through most hotels.

      Travel plans

      Shop around travel agents or browse websites to find appropriate flight, coach, rail and ferry schedules, as well as fair prices. Choose outward and return dates, but build in a couple of extra days in case delays, fatigue or inclement weather cause alterations to your planned walking schedule. See Appendix E for a selection of useful contacts.

Travel around Mallorca

      By train

      There are only two railway lines leaving the centre of Palma, just off the Plaça d’Espanya. An expensive, rickety, vintage train called the Ferrocarril de Sóller runs northwards to Bunyola. It then passes through 13 tunnels beneath the Serra d’Alfàbia and spirals down to Sóller. It links with an electric tram to Port de Sóller. For timetables, tel [phone] or 971 752028, www.trendesoller.com.

      Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca (SFM) trains don’t serve the GR221 directly, although buses can be caught from a couple of railway stations along the line to points on the GR221. For instance, bus 320 links the Consell-Alaró station with Alaró, and bus 330 links the Inca station with Caimari and Lluc. For train timetables, tel [phone], www.tib.org.

      A vintage tram, or ‘tranvia’, links Sóller and Port de Sóller

      By bus

      Bus timetables are published to cover summer (April to September) and winter (October to March) seasons. The Estació Intermodal in Palma provides them, and they are posted on brightly coloured bus stops around Mallorca, but otherwise printed copies are difficult to obtain. Most buses, but by no means all of them, are red and yellow. Buses run from early until late, but some remote villages have few buses. A list of useful bus services covering all parts of the GR221 is given in Appendix C. For bus timetables, tel [phone], www.tib.org.

      By taxi

      Taxis are available in all towns and most villages throughout Mallorca, usually close to the main squares or near popular hotels. Cars are generally white, with a stripe bearing the crest of the local municipality. The green sign Lliure/Libre means ‘free’ and any taxi displaying this can be used. In case of difficulty ask your hotel, or a roadside bar, to call one for you. Offer a couple of Euros if they seem reluctant. A general rule of thumb is that a long taxi journey will cost five times more than the bus fare. If three or four walkers share a taxi, the individual cost is close to the bus fare for the same journey. You can ask to see a scale of charges approved by the local municipality, but if you want to go on a long journey you may have to pay the fare both ways even if you’re not returning. Tips of 10 per cent of the fare are customary.

      Transport to and from the GR221

      Reaching the start

      Catch an EMT bus from the airport into Palma. Get off at Plaça d’Espanya and walk into the nearby Estació Intermodal. Bus 102 runs directly to Port d’Andratx, otherwise use bus 111 to reach the alternative starting points of es Capdellà and Calvià. If arriving by ferry, both these buses can be caught near the port without needing to go into Palma.

      Reaching the middle

      Details of trains, buses and taxis are given at appropriate points along the course of the GR221 in this guidebook. Most villages along the route have good connections with neighbouring villages, as well as with Palma, and it is often possible to commute to and from the route, or leave the route in search of accommodation. Always arrive at a bus stop in good time, as the bus will not stop anywhere else. If in doubt, ask local people where the bus stop, or parada, is located.

      Leaving the route

      Bus 340 runs direct from Pollença to Palma. If using one of the alternative finishing points, other buses can be caught. These include bus 221 from Orient to Bunyola, which must be booked in advance, linking with bus 220 to Palma. Bus 320 can be caught at Alaró, linking with the SFM railway at the Consell/Alaró station. Bus 330 can be caught at Caimari, linking with other buses or trains at Inca. Once in Palma, EMT bus 1 runs frequently from Plaça d’Espanya to the airport and ferryport.

When to go

      In theory the GR221 could be walked at any time of the year, but the peak summer period is very hot and any strenuous activity is quite exhausting. Spring and autumn are usually warm and clear, with a chance of rain, and most walkers would be happy with conditions at these times. The winter months can be clear and warm, but there is a greater risk of rain and the possibility of cold winds and snow on higher ground. Roughly every 20 years the whole of Mallorca is covered in snow, all the way down to the beaches, making transport to the GR221 and walks along mountain paths difficult.

      Note the large number of religious or cultural holidays, or festas, on the island. Many businesses close on these days and public transport operates a reduced level of service. The main dates are 1 and 6 January, 1 March, Easter (Thursday to Monday), 1 May, 25 July, 15 August, 12 October, 1 November and 6, 8, 25 and 26 December. Some towns and villages have local festas, but these usually only affect local businesses and not public transport.

      Mountain weather on Mallorca

      Mallorca has a typical Mediterranean climate with mild, damp winters and hot, dry summers. The relative humidity is around 70 per cent throughout the year. This, together with sea breezes, makes the hot summer days bearable, providing you are not walking uphill too much. There are nearly 300 sunny days in the year and even the winter months see an average of five hours of sunshine a day.

      Rain usually falls in heavy showers that soon clear up, although