Biniparratx, a cove sheltered from the cliffs of a bygone era

PalmBiniparratx 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.

Biniparratx is a serene, long, and shallow cove sheltered from the ravages of time, which still speaks to us of the occupation of the territory in bygone eras. This route requires vehicle coordination or use of Menorca's public transport network. The walk begins in the Plaça de la Biosfera (Biosphere Square) in the Malbúger neighborhood, whose streets are named after sites of global significance for their natural value.

The route

[00 min] We begin the walk in the Biosphere Square. From here, heading south, we make our way to Alaska Street, which runs along the southern edge of the Malbúger neighborhood. We move to the western end of this street. [05 min] At the end, on the left, amidst the scrubland, we find the well-marked Camí Negre (Black Path). This path is interrupted by the Malbúger ring road [10 min], which we must cross carefully to rejoin the path. It soon forks; we take the left fork, along the Malbúger Vell path. We follow it to the end. [20 min] We emerge onto the Malbúger road, just behind the Sant Lluís airfield. We turn right, heading towards Llucmaçanes.

Heading west, our walk continues along an old dirt track, a living reminder of the old traffic along the Mahón countryside. The dry stone wall shelters the sarsaparilla that climbs the stones with its stalks equipped with annoying thorns. On the other side of the walls, there are fields of crops and the occasional fig tree. [35 min] We enter Llucmaçanes via Malbúger Street. Without changing our initial direction, we will reach the church of Sant Gaietà, founded in 1885. The first records of a settlement in Llucmaçanes date from the 16th and 17th centuries, when there was mention of the concentration of small properties where vineyards were cultivated and wine was made.

On the right side of the main portal of the church we find the beginning of the Biniati road, which largely retains its original narrowness, always bordered by dry stone walls, with the typology of a bistia road (carts could not pass). "Very intense stories are told about this type of road, such as when they had to be used at dawn to transport the deceased to the city and the coffins would damage the sides of the wall as the pack animals passed over them."Walking around Menorca. 15 itineraries to discover the island(Miquel Camps, Francesc Carreras and Manuel Lora. GOB Menorca, 2007). Fortunately, nowadays the journey of the dead is different, and the path has become a very attractive and evocative walking route. [50 min] Before leaving this section of the path, after a very sharp double bend, we find ourselves on the boundary between the municipalities of Maó and Sant Lluís.

The Biniati path leads us to a paved road which we must follow to the right. We will pass between the houses of Biniati and Biniati Vell, on the left and right of the road. For a significant stretch, we are accompanied by the airport facilities, which we will skirt to the south. [1 hr 30 min] The first point of interest, as we already mentioned in the introduction, is the archaeological site of Biniparratxet (500-123 BC), right in front of the houses of the place of the same name. It is a rounded house built with a double-layered wall. The floor is excavated and properly worked from the bedrock. Therefore, it is easy to deduce that the stone blocks used to build the house were partly extracted from the same site. It is also here that our steps encounter a curious place name that evokes the island's pre-tourist era: the 'Milord's Turn'. Its origins date back to the 18th century, and it was a route that traversed the eastern part of the island, with Mahón as the starting and ending point after passing through Llucmaçanes, Sant Climent, Sant Lluís, and Es Castell. The first written references to the 'Milord's Turn' date from the first decade of the 20th century, and its name refers to the type of carriage used, the milord.

Tower of Saint Nicholas of Binidalí

Having just rounded the southern end of the airport runway, the path continues westward. We pass the houses of the Binidalinet hamlet on our right and then turn left onto the old Binidalí road [1 hr 55 min], which descends steeply towards the sea. The route now alternates between houses, garrigue forest, and dry-stone walls. [2 hr 00 min] The tower of San Nicolás de Binidalí is an example of the old rural defensive towers. Its origin is unclear; some sources indicate it dates from the medieval period, others from the 16th or 17th centuries. A long stretch awaits us, which, if only briefly, overlaps with a section of stage 17 of the GR 223 (Camí de Cavalls). We enter at marker 127 and leave it at marker 136, just above a fork in the path where we continue southward.

The Binidalí Vell path overlooks the coastal road that runs along the coast of the municipality of Sant Lluís and connects with the village of Sant Climent [2 h 25 min]. A few hundred meters to our left is the cove of Biniparratx. To avoid the asphalt, we cross the road and follow a path that runs parallel to it. At the end, it joins the path that starts at the cove's public parking area. From there, we simply descend along the coast to the sea and fully enjoy the surroundings. [2 h 35 min] Biniparratx is the end of our route, although to return to our starting point, it's best to use public transport, which departs from Binissafúller, about twenty-five minutes from the beach, towards the east [3 h 00 min]. However, line 94 only operates during the summer months (check timetables and availability at [website address]). mou-tmenorca.com).

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