The pine tree of Son Grua, a tree with its own name at the crossroads of time

PalmOur proposal is to explore a section of the old Lluc road, now part of the Dry Stone Route (GR 221), between Pollença and the Son Grua pine tree. This is a tree with its own name, situated at a crossroads of time. Despite being slightly over 70 years old, its location at the confluence of the old road (Ma-2230), built in 1914, and the new road (Ma-10), from the mid-20th century, has made the Son Grua pine a landmark in the Pollença landscape for generations of hikers. Sheltered by the Coma mountain range and the monumental trio of peaks—the Fartàritx peak, the Ca de Míner mountain, and the Tomir mountain—the Son Grua pine is one of the most significant place names in our cultural landscape. A few steps from the tree is the Sopera bridge, inaugurated in May 2021 and dedicated to the memory of Miquel Llobera Cerdà Tureen (1955-2020), one of the leaders of the Mountain Section of the Pollença Club, promoter of the summer camps in Cala Murta and, in general, of everything related to the world of hiking.

If you use public transport, the lines that connect to Pollença are the 301, 321 and 322. You can check timetables and availability on the Balearic Islands Transport website (tib.org), the intercity public transport network of the island of Mallorca, managed by the Mallorca Transport Consortium (CTM). Before starting the walk, a very special thanks to our friend and mentor, the geographer Miquel À. March, for all the information he shared, which has allowed us to complete and expand the route description.

The route

[00 min] From the same bus stop, past the Sant Domingo convent (17th century), we head to Pollença's Plaça Major, the town's central square since the mid-19th century. From here, we go to Plaça de la Almoina via Carrer del Temple, to the right of the main entrance of the Church of Our Lady of the Angels, a parish founded by the Knights Templar in 1248. Following Carrer Major (named after Miquel Costa i Llobera), we continue towards the 16th-century Oratory of Sant Jordi. Originally located on the outskirts of town, it served as the meeting point for the local militia when they had to defend the town and its property from pirate attacks [10 min].

The next landmark is the Roman bridge. Leaving the oratory on our right, we continue along Carrer de Sant Jordi towards Carrer de l'Horta via Carrer de les Barques. A route through the town's historic center, where the layout of the roads and the urban toponymy exude a series of stories and anecdotes. Finally, along Campos Street, we reach the Roman bridge [20 min], on the northeast side of Pollença. The origin of this structure, built over the Sant Jordi stream (the confluence of the Marc and Ternelles valley streams), is a complete mystery, as it has been known by this name since the 19th century, but there is no record of it until 1403. It was the exit from the town towards l'Horta de Cubelles and the valley.

Now, we backtrack a few meters towards the Consell de Mallorca refuge. The GR 221 markings, already visible at this point, will help us find our way. Located outside the town center, next to the Sant Jordi stream, [25 min] this refuge on the Dry Stone Route occupies the old municipal slaughterhouse, built in 1908. From here we are on the old Lluc road. To the left of the road, below the slopes of Calvario, we can see part of the Ternelles canal, an irrigation ditch that once supplied water to the town. Soon, on the right, we find the Grifonet, which is the ventilation shaft for the siphon through which the water passes after crossing the stream via a long viaduct, known as 'l'Arc'. The origin of the construction is medieval, although some scholars trace it back to Roman times. Our steps now approach the Vall d'en Marc stream, in front of Can Diable. Here, the memory of Legend of Son GruaA story set in the late 16th century, collected by the Jesuit from Pollença, Guillem Vives Rotger (1866-1935).

"The lord of Son Grua had befriended a sinful woman. His madness led him to abandon his own wife, resigned to his fate, and to neglect the cultivation of his estate. Intoxicated by sin, nothing stopped him, and after sending the eldest child to his death, and after sending the younger son to his death in a lime kiln, he condemned him to hell." (Magazine) Lucas, no. 611, 1972).

Llinars Mills

Thus we arrive at the Pas d'en Barqueta bridge [40 min]. The existence of an infrastructure for crossing the stream has been documented since the late 14th century. The cobblestones on the streambed, built to facilitate the passage of carts, and the pedestrian walkways are still visible. We continue along our path, which suddenly reveals the wide, expansive, and magnificent panorama of the Serra de la Coma (411 m), surpassed behind by the trio of peaks that rise above the Fartáritx plateau: the Cuculla de Fartàritx (711 m), the Puig de Ca de Mí (1,104 m). The GR 221 trail markers ensure we don't get lost at the successive forks and changes in the path. [1 hr 10 min] The path approaches the road (Ma-10) in front of Can Pontico and turns back inland after crossing the Llinars stream, at the monumental wooded entrance to Can Serra. At this point, it's worth taking a look at the slopes to our right. If we look closely, we'll see the Llinars mills, a group of seven medieval water-powered flour mills, declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1990, in the category of historical site.

[1 hr 15 min] The last stretch of the route takes us to the Sant Jordi stream. After a long and pleasant walk through the thick holm oak forest and dense vegetation surrounding the stream, near the entrance to the houses of Son Grua, [1 hr 35 min] we cross a ford above the irrigation channel of the Vàrtix spring, which will accompany us for a short distance, at the foot of the Son Grua pine tree [1 hr 45 min]. If we do not want to return on foot to Pollença [3 h 00 min], the L-231 (Puerto de Sóller-Alcúdia) operates from April to October.u

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