From his childhood are the memories of the youth years of P. Rafel Ginard i Bauçà (Sant Joan, 1899-Artà, 1976), a gem of Majorcan literature from the first half of the 20th century, first published in November 2003. Through the work, we get in touch with the daily life of Majorcan rural life in an exquisite way, with an authentic and passionate language. It is not possible to pass through the Sant Joan domains in Pla de Mallorca without evoking the spirit of a soul attached to the rocks of tradition. About 'the Sant Joan landscape', Father Ginard says, “it is the triumph of humility. It is not a showy and magnificent land, but it is fertile. Other places will be a garden, my town is a granary. Land without daring; the hills barely dare to raise their heads, afraid of breaking the rhythm, monotonous and solemn, with arrogant postures. Very smooth hills that, from below, raising your hand, you already reach the summit.”

The hill of Banya is a spur of 598 meters in height of the Teix massif. At the Tramuntana end, we find the Rocafort rock, our objective, a natural viewpoint from which we can contemplate all the charms of the Sóller valley. At its foot, there is a small viewpoint located at one of the stops of the Sóller train, which offers good views over the Sóller valley. All in all, an intense trek through the interior slopes of the Teix massif, via the Metro path and the Pi pass, which allows us to reflect on the description transmitted to us by the Catalan journalist and writer Josep Pla nearly sixty years ago. “The Sóller valley has all the charms that can be desired in this life: tranquility, silence, a mild climate, a warm and sweet air like a feather pillow.” (Les illes. Josep Pla i Casadevall. 1970, Edicions Destino).

On the border between the regions of Pla and Raiguer in Mallorca, we find the small town of Biniali, in the municipality of Sencelles. Its surroundings are dressed in a deep sea of vines from which flows 'the blood of the earth' (an expression borrowed from the great poetess Antonina Canyelles), a sea of vineyards where the craftsmanship of wineries with long history and enormous prestige is breathed. It is no coincidence that we are in one of the most important wine-growing areas of Mallorca, with great tradition and quality. The Designation of Origin (DO) Binissalem, recognized in 1990, brings together a dozen small and medium-sized wineries, of family tradition, spread across the municipalities of Santa Maria del Camí, Consell, Binissalem, Santa Eugènia, and Sencelles, with a total area of 154.75 km2. The wines produced in these lands of Pla and Raiguer enjoy great Spanish and international recognition.

On this long and demanding route, we aim for the Puig del Sementer Gran (1,013 m), in the municipality of Escorca, bordering Bunyola and Sóller. A summit that often goes unnoticed, discreet, but which becomes a monumental balcony over the Lofra valley and a natural viewpoint towards the central sector of the Tramuntana mountain range. A pleasure for the senses and a real torment for the legs; nevertheless, the effort is worth it. We start from the Cúber barrier, located near milestone 34 of the Ma-10 road (Pollença-Andratx). Very close by, at the height of the recreational area of the Font del Noguer, the bus of line 354 of Mallorca's interurban public transport stops. On the website tib.org you will find all the information on timetables and availability of all lines.

L’Estufador is a coastal area located on the southern slope of La Mola, between El Ram and Punta Roja. The strict toponym, documented as early as 1712, refers to a cove at the foot of the cliff where there is a fishermen's pier, close to the outlet of the Torrent de la Talaia and Punta de les Pesqueretes. There is also the path of L’Estufador, which connects these landing places with the nucleus of El Pilar de La Mola, crossing the territories of the Talaiassa estate. Popular tradition associates the name L’Estufador with peculiar cavities in the rock that, when receiving waves on stormy days, expelled water vertically, creating a spring. These rock formations were removed by fishermen during the first half of the seventies, to prevent them from favoring the accumulation of posidonia. (source: eeif.es)

In this route, we explore one of the most genuine environments of Ibiza, between the terms of Santa Eulalia del Río and San Juan de Labritja. It is a set of mountain ranges and ravines located north of the Morna plain, the continuation towards the northeast of the Amunts. One of these small mountain ranges is Mala Costa or Sierra de Morna, although on the route we also cross the Sierras de San Vicente and San Carlos.

“Galilea was known in the early 16th century as the mola of Cortei, a quite revealing toponym”. Tomàs Vibot and Just Hernàndez make this clear in the book Son Cortei, Conques i Galilea, published in 2009 by the Puigpunyent Town Hall: the establishment process of this nucleus is “a slow process motivated by inheritance policies” that led around 1586 to the segregation of an old farmstead of Bartomeu Cortei and the creation of small plots for the new settlers of the area.

The route we present is a walk through part of the historic road network between Pollença and Lluc. An itinerary that starts from the Son Grua pine tree, a tree with its own name and a landmark in the territory, to climb up to the robust and monumental Muntanya fountain, following the old Lluc road (Ruta de Pedra en Sec/GR 221); while the descent follows the old road, the construction of which began in 1916. In between, between the old medieval road and the new road infrastructure of the early 20th century, numerous reconstructions of the old road to make it more passable, both for animals and for carts.

On this route we explore a part of the natural heritage that surrounds the sanctuary of Lluc. We are in the municipality of Escorca, one of the most extensive and at the same time least populated in Mallorca. It is home to the highest and also the most important and visited mountains on the island: Puig Major de Son Torrella (1436 m), Maçanella (1365 m), Puig Tomir (1104 m), Tossals Verds (1099 m), Puig de l’Ofra (1091 m) and Puig Roig (1003 m), among many others. The repopulation church of Sant Pere d’Escorca and the sanctuary of Lluc are the most important landmarks of the cultural landscape of the term. However, as a whole, from Andratx to Pollença, the Serra de Tramuntana must be understood as a mountain system of great geomorphological interest, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in the category of cultural landscape. It is a complex limestone relief, dominated by karst modeling, with strong contrasts between mountain and coast, and with an erosive dynamic marked by irregular water and Mediterranean processes.

On this route, we explore a part of the natural heritage surrounding the Lluc sanctuary. We are in the municipality of Escorca, one of the most extensive and at the same time least populated in Mallorca. The island's highest and also most important and visited mountains are concentrated here: Puig Major de Son Torrella (1436 m), Maçanella (1365 m), Puig Tomir (1104 m), Tossals Verds (1099 m), Puig de l'Ofra (1091 m), and Puig Roig (1003 m), among many others. The repopulation church of Sant Pere d'Escorca and the Lluc sanctuary are the most important landmarks of the cultural landscape of the term. But, as a whole, from Andratx to Pollença, the Serra de Tramuntana should be understood as a mountain system of great geomorphological interest, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the category of cultural landscape. It is a complex calcareous relief, dominated by karst modeling, with strong contrasts between mountain and coast, and with an erosive dynamic marked by irregular water and Mediterranean processes.

The following itinerary proposes the ascent to the moleta of Son Cabaspre, following a section of the GR 221 between Esporles and Valldemossa via the mola of Son Pacs. We cross lands and historical possessions such as Son Dameto and Son Cabaspre, which reveal the extensive and deep human footprint on the territory. A walk for the pace and the gaze to feel the aromas and smell the territory. The moleta of Son Cabaspre allows us to survey the hills and slopes surrounding Esporles and, also, to contemplate the mountains that make up the western sector of the Tramuntana mountain range-World Heritage. Consider that we have public transport to get us to the starting and ending point of our itinerary. The line 202 that connects Estellencs and Palma stops at the central promenade of Esporles. You can go to the website tib.org for any consultation of timetables and availability of the routes.

The center of Mallorca is located in Lloret de Vistalegre, within its municipal boundaries. We won't argue with that. But the true heart of Mallorca lies in the fertile plains within the magical circle formed by Sineu, Sant Joan, Montuïri, Lloret, Sencelles, and Costitx. Our route begins at the true 'geographical center of Mallorca,' certified by the National Geographic Institute, and heads towards the edge of this imagined circle, marked by one of its most legendary points: the Llorac well. All of this is a pleasant stroll along paths that gently caress the landscape's subtle nuances.

The Swiss writer Robert Walser (1878-1956), who wrote in German, said that every walk should be accompanied by the contemplation of nature. The proposal we want to share with you all embraces this from two perspectives: the natural, the Santa Eulària River; and the historical, the fortified church on Mount Misa. All of this in a short but intense itinerary. Because climbing to the top of Mount Misa in Santa Eulalia del Río is to enter the white light that Villangómez so aptly described: a vertical, vigilant, and silent Ibiza, where the church is both the house of God and the wall of the people. "From here, what you yearn for, beauty, / is offered to you, extended and expansive. / A thick forest that rises and falls slips down. / The field is sanded with green and ochre. / The orchard ends there and the sea begins. / White above blue, foam, ship in the (Santa Eulalia del Río. Mariano Villangómez Llobet. Mediterranean Poems –1943-1944–).

A comellar is a wide, deep expanse of land with a sloping floor due to the depression in the terrain, situated between higher ground. This is the most orthodox definition offered by the Alcover-Moll Dictionary (DCVB), which allows us to understand some of the toponymy of the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range. The route we propose is a hike through the Comuna de Bunyola (Buniola Commune), beginning at the emblematic Cocons estate and venturing into the heart of this immense communal space—the most important in the Balearic Islands—through the Comellar de la Cocina (Kitchen Basin). This toponym also refers to a large cave, which we will visit during the hike, and which in the past served as a refuge and meeting point for those who worked in the Commune. This natural area represents one of the largest forests in Mallorca, covering 716 hectares, which is 8.5% of the total area of ​​the municipality of Bunyola.

The Cingles path and the Bini Gran and Bini Petit estates form a unique section of the Tramuntana mountain range's cultural landscape. We find ourselves between the Sóller valley and the rugged, precipitous slopes of Puig Major de Son Torrella. Here, we discover a high plateau above Tuent, with fertile farmland, well-irrigated by numerous springs and two spectacular streams: the Al·lot Mort and the Gorg dels Diners. Our proposal is a hike in search of the human imprint on the land, its paths and estates. One cannot be understood without the other, and the other would be meaningless without the others. The memory of our journeys, the paths themselves, explain how we have related to the geographical space and how we have shaped it to our needs. All of this forms a complex cosmos, with the Lluc sanctuary at its center. Thus, the Bini or Cingles path, a name that refers to the pronounced cliffs of the Pelut headland and Puig Major, as it passes close to them, is the old royal road used by the inhabitants of Fornalutx to go to Lluc and Pollença.

Our 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.

Although the route we describe this week begins and ends in Santa Margalida, the town, it actually passes through four municipalities, including Muro, Llubí, and Maria de la Salut. In fact, the route's main focus is the Muro mountain range and the estates of Castellet, Tanca, and Son Tovell. Beyond municipal and property boundaries, we visit a territory marked by the long and dark shadow of the past: that of Count Mal. Ramon Burgues Safortesa Pax-Fuster de Villalonga y Nieto, the second Count of Santa María de Formiguera, waged a bitter and violent legal battle during the 17th century, with tragic consequences, against the town of Santa Margalida, its university, and its people. The lawsuits centered primarily on the nobleman and his family's interest in direct control and the collection of tithes from the common lands, as well as their claim to exercise civil and criminal jurisdiction over the inhabitants of his estates. "Because of the misdeeds he committed in life, his soul found no rest and he was condemned to wander the lands he ruled in life, from Santa Margalida to Galatzó" (source: Count Evil: Between History and LegendCatalina Valriu and Tomàs Vibot. El Gallo Editor, 2013). And before starting the route, a very special thanks to the historians Antoni Mas Forners, from Villa, and Pau Mateu Vives, from Muro, for all the historical and toponymic information collected on this route.

The Barca mountain range might be described as unassuming, but it must be added, in its favor, that it is extremely effective. Easy to climb, its crags offer a splendid view of the Granja plateau and the Planícia plateau, above the Les Rotasses valley. The route we offer traces a different path through the highlands of the municipality of Banyalbufar, between the estates of Son Valentí, Ses Mosqueras, and Sa Granja. A feast for the senses, a true test for the legs.

Biniparratx Beach is a small cove of sand and pebbles located between Binidalí and Binissafúller, on the southeast coast of Menorca, right on the border between the municipalities of Maó and Sant Lluís. The cove is very long with shallow, sheltered waters, surrounded by high, steep cliffs. To the right, towards the west, you can see a group of 11 artificial caves, dating from between the 6th and 5th centuries BC. The island's ancient inhabitants buried their dead in spaces excavated into the slopes of the ravines. During the walk, we will also have the opportunity to visit the Biniparratxet archaeological site, from the Late Talayotic period. Menorca has just over 700 km² with 1,586 archaeological sites. Not all of them are open to the public. However, UNESCO decided to include them (a good part of them) on the World Heritage list on September 18, 2023 under the Menorca Talayotic brand.

The Borges stream, at over 40 km long, is the longest watercourse in Mallorca. It collects the waters of one of the island's largest river basins, covering more than 330 km². It rises between Manacor and Felanitx, flows north, crosses the municipalities of Vilafranca de Bonany, Petra, and Santa Margalida, and empties into the sea near Son Serra de Marina. On its journey between Petra and Manacor, the Borges stream becomes the backbone of a long and fertile valley that we propose exploring, both on foot and by observing, to savor the rich cultural landscape and natural heritage of inland Mallorca.