Los Bini, the plateau above the rugged coastal peak of Puig Major

PalmThe 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.

There is no public transport option. Line 231, which connects the port of Sóller and Alcúdia, only operates between April and October, and furthermore, it doesn't stop at the entrance to the Monnàber tunnel. Therefore, we set the starting point of the walk at the public parking lot located at kilometer 37.7 of the Ma-10 road. It's time, then, to start walking.

The route

[00 min] From the parking area, we head down the road towards Sóller until we reach kilometer marker 38.1 on the Ma-10. On the right, [05 min] we find the dirt track that climbs the slopes of the Migdia crag, also known as La Reina, to the Cards Colers pass. Initially, we are within the territory of Monnàber, in the municipality of Fornalutx, until after a few minutes [15 min], we come across a gate that clearly indicates the change of ownership; we enter Bini Gran. The pedestrian crossing is to the left of the wider gate, reserved for authorized vehicles.

Once past this point, the path forks. Either one will do, although we recommend the left-hand fork, which, being level, leads to a small field with a hut, located in a narrow clearing and always surrounded by sheep and donkeys. A few meters further up, to the right of the path, is the Fonteta [20 min], a small and humble spring. After a few bends, we rejoin the other path we left earlier, very close to the Cards Colers pass (890 m) [30 min], which marks the boundary between the municipalities of Fornalutx and Escorca.

Here, we leave the Cingles path, which we will follow in its entirety on our return from the Bini, and head towards the cross we find on our left, on the rocky slopes of Mount Señor Nofre (923 m). It was erected in September 1985 in memory of the old 13th-century chapel of San Salvador, whose existence was documented by Father Rafael Juan y Mestre (Porreres, 1908 - Lluc, 1989), historian and archivist of the Lluc sanctuary. A chapel-hermitage was located in the forestation area around the pass, along the route from Sóller to Lluc via Bini, Cals Reis, and Turixant. A second plaque, dated June 18, 1989, is a tribute from mountaineers to Father Rafel, an enthusiastic hiker who loved all of Escorca and its surroundings, and who also thoroughly studied the history of the entire region.

To the left of the cross is an old shepherd's hut; in the middle, facing west, a small path begins that turns left towards Mount Nofre. It soon becomes an old, badly damaged bridle path that descends to a road, where we find a weather station. We continue downhill to a wide pass covered in a dense pine forest [45 min]. To the right, we see the start of the old Bini path, which is where our hike continues. First, we need to summit Mount Alzinar (930 m). The ascent is well-marked and progresses up the slopes to the left until reaching a first plateau, with a prominently marked summit. Our objective lies to the northeast, on a small promontory accessible through a narrow gap marked with numerous visible cairns. Once past this small step, the summit of Mount Alzinar is to the right [1 hr 05 min].

We return to the last pass mentioned and turn left onto the Vell dels Binis path [1 hr 25 min]. Initially, the path is easy to follow, despite the dense vegetation and numerous trees felled in past storms. At one point, it becomes easier and faster to descend the stream to our left. When the slope begins to level out, the path reappears, or rather, its trace. In any case, we must follow the stream to the point where it plunges down to the Coma Estrecha, where we find a dry stone wall perpendicular to the cliff face [1 hr 45 min]. Beyond the cliffs, to the left, a small rocky outcrop opens up, which we must follow until we reach a gate. From here, an old bridle path begins, which we follow to the bottom of the valley, though we won't follow it completely. Because once at the bottom, the path veers to the left, passing through a narrow gap between the crags [2 h 00 min], before beginning a rapid descent that should lead us to the path connecting Bini and Montcaire via the Bini pass [2 h 10 min]. We follow it to the right.

Col des Cards Colers

We leave behind the Bini Gran and Bini Petit estates and the paths leading to our left. We follow the dirt track that gradually climbs above the plateau, on the north-facing slopes of Puig Major. We pass through several gates, one of them over the Coma Estrecha stream, which further on becomes the Al·lot Mort stream. [2 h 35 min] We reach a major fork in the path. Straight ahead, the path continues towards the Subauma spring and Cals Reis via the Porxo Esbucat pass. We turn right and begin the Cingles trail, now a dirt track opened during the 1970s, which we follow towards the Cards Colers pass. Before reaching it [2 h 55 min], next to a gate, we find the Corb spring. A deep, narrow stream collects the waters that spring from beneath some rocks at the foot of the Saltadora rock (a legend links it to King James's horse and its spectacular, powerful leaps). [3 h 20 min] After passing the Cards Colers pass, we only have the descent to the road and a short walk to the Monnàber tunnel parking lot [3 h 55 min].

@Fita_a_Fita