Mountain Walking in Mallorca. Paddy Dillon

route-finding. This guidebook contains extracts from the excellent Editorial Alpina 1:25,000-scale maps, which cover the entire Serra de Tramuntana. The Editorial Alpina maps are far and away the best and most popular maps for exploring the mountains, and are widely available around Mallorca. For details see www.editorialalpina.com.

      Maps can be ordered in advance from British suppliers such as Stanfords (www.stanfords.co.uk) or The Map Shop (www.themapshop.co.uk).

Path conditions

      For the most part, clear paths and tracks are followed, sometimes cut through solid rock and often built laboriously by hand. Some of the paths were engineered as zigzagging mule tracks from village to village, and these are often quite plain and obvious to follow. Others were made to exploit woodlands for charcoal, so they tend to fan out among dense woodlands, with many spurs reaching dead-ends. On these tracks it is necessary to pay careful attention to maps and route descriptions, confirming your location at every junction before making the next move. Even when the signposting and waymarking is good, remember that markers can go missing.

      Conditions underfoot range from bare rock to stone-paved paths. However, there are also some uncomfortably stony stretches, and some paths are deeply eroded. Leaf-mould can obscure uneven surfaces, so tread carefully. Some mountainsides are covered in huge grassy tussocks of càrritx. Walkers quickly learn to high-step through càrritx, because stepping onto the tough fronds can cause the other foot to be caught as it is swung forward!

      Many routes in the mountains – including Walk 32 – involve exposed rocky scrambles

      The route could be in the Torrent de la Vall d’en Marc after rain (Walk 44)

Guided walking

      Various companies and individuals offer guided walks in Mallorca. While this guidebook gives all the information you need to complete a variety of walks, some readers might be discouraged by some of the tougher routes involving intricate or exposed scrambling on rock (see route descriptions to get an idea of the potential challenges involved; Walks 36 and 47 may be prime candidates). For these routes it could be worth seeking an experienced local guide who specialises in individuals or small groups. Some hotels will put guests in touch with walking guides and companies that they have dealt with in the past and tourist offices will have some useful contacts. There are opportunities to join guided walking groups, and these may be advertised in tourist resorts. Tramuntana Tours, tel [phone], www.tramuntanatours.com, offers a variety of walks that anyone can join. Jaume Tort, www.camins-mallorca.info, guides individuals and groups, and having done all the research for the Editorial Alpina maps of Mallorca, his knowledge of the mountains is extensive.

Emergencies

      Until 1995 there was only a voluntary mountain rescue service on Mallorca, but now there are two professional teams: one from the fire service or Bomberos (tel 080 or 112) and the other from the Guardia Civil (tel 062 or 112). There are three police forces: the Policía Local wear blue uniforms and are attached to local municipalities; the Policía Nacional wear brown uniforms; and the Guardia Civil wear green uniforms and are often seen in rural areas. All three police forces may be called upon in an emergency, tel 112.

      Mountain rescue is free of charge and unfortunately has been kept very busy. However, getting a message out in an emergency is not always easy. Mobile phones and GPS units may not get a good signal in some places, and time lost trying to get a signal can be crucial.

      Carry a first aid kit to deal with the usual cuts, scrapes and blisters. For other health issues there are pharmacies in the towns and most villages. If any regular medication is needed, include it in your pack. If a doctor or a trip to a hospital is required, an insurance policy might help to offset the cost of certain treatments. Some insurance policies may class walking in the mountains of Mallorca as a hazardous pursuit, in which case you might not be covered. Others, such as the BMC (www.thebmc.co.uk/insurance), are more likely to class it as ordinary walking.

      Best of all, walk safely and avoid suffering any injuries.

Using this guide

      The rugged coast from Torre de Lluc to Morro de sa Vaca (Walk 42)

      The overhanging peak of el Fumat towers above Cala Figuera (Walk 49)

      This guidebook offers all the information you need to organise a successful walk in the mountains, whether the route is waymarked or not. The routes may be adapted and amended, bearing in mind any alternatives that are suggested. Many of the routes link with, or run concurrent with other routes, allowing for significant variation.

      If using public transport to reach a route and depart afterwards, be sure to check current bus and train timetables online, or obtain them from the Estació Intermodal in Palma. If you have timetables to hand, then you can refer to them easily. If you don’t have them, then you risk missing a bus by a matter of minutes and might discover that the next one will not arrive for several hours, or even a couple of days! If a taxi is likely to be needed, be sure to get a local taxi number in advance. At the last minute, bars and restaurants usually have the numbers for local taxis.

      Read the walk descriptions in advance to see where refreshments are located, and be sure to buy provisions to cover for long walks that lack refreshment options.

      An information box at the beginning of each route provides the essentials for the day’s walk: start and finish points, distance covered, total ascent and descent, the length of time it’s likely to take to complete the route, the title of the sheet map you should carry with you, refreshment options, and details of public transport. The nature of the terrain is always described, so that you know which routes involve open mountainside, which are in dense forest, which are on rugged paths and which run along gentle tracks. Some routes involve hands-on scrambling, agility and a head for heights; any potential difficulties or challenges are highlighted in the walk information boxes.

      In the route description, significant places or features along the way that also appear on the map extracts are highlighted in bold to aid navigation. As well as the route being described in detail, information about local places is provided in brief.

      Many things are likely to influence the time it takes to complete a day’s walk. The timings given in this guidebook are walking times, and do not account for breaks along the way. If you keep beating the stated times, you probably always will, and you can plan ahead on that basis. If you fall behind the stated times, then work out by how much, and apply that to future routes.

      If stuck for words, needing a handy phrase, wondering what an item of food is on a menu, or just idly curious about the meaning of some of the placenames on maps, check the glossary in Appendix A – which includes a topgraphical glossary containing terms used within route descriptions. Detailed information about public transport, including which buses can be used for which walks, is given in Appendix B. Useful contacts are listed in Appendix C.

      GPX tracks

      GPX tracks for the routes in this guidebook are available to download free at www.cicerone.co.uk/949/GPX. A GPS device is an excellent aid to navigation, but you should also carry a map and compass and know how to use them.