The paths of Pinyella and Minoies, the triumph of humility

PalmaFrom 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.”

On the following route, we will travel through the Sant Joan region, along paths and landscapes that will reconcile us with a discreet and proud cultural landscape. “But my land, rich as it is, hides its wealth so much that it gives a somewhat unfavorable impression. However, treat it and you will rectify your opinion. It is dry, austere, seasoned, and prolific,” says the illustrious folklorist. With this purpose in mind, we set off. As always, we recommend using public transport. The L-442 (Sineu-Sant Joan-Vilafranca) allows us to connect train and bus in our approach to the starting point of the itinerary (check lines, timetables, and availability on the website tib.org).

The route

[00 min] We start walking from the same bus stop in the direction of the sanctuary of Consolació, which coincides with the route that leads to the municipal cemetery. We climb the long and wide steps to the sanctuary with our steps and gaze, savoring an environment where history, faith, and heritage marry perfectly. [10 min] Old hermitage of Sant Joan, its origin dates back to the 13th century, when these lands were grouped with those of Sineu and Lloret. The inhabitants of the region built a first oratory here. The village is from the 14th century and the new church, from the 16th century.

From the sanctuary, we move towards the northwest along the Camí de Son Juny, a newly laid and well-paved path, which passes below the municipal sports center and the public school. From Carrer Joan Mas i Matas, a teacher and illustrious son of the town since 1983, we descend to Carrer de Solanda. From here, to the left, we reach the road, which here becomes Carrer de Palma [25 min]. At this point, there was a wayside cross; the inscription on a marès stone reminds us that Bishop Campins granted "50 days of indulgence to all the faithful who devoutly recite a Creed before this figure of the Holy Cross."

We turn right along Carrer de Palma and immediately ascend the steep street that appears on our left, Carrer del Sol, and then, again to the left, along Carrer de les Roques. To the right of the gateway of les Roques d'en Pagès, we find a path that leads us to Carrer del Mirador. Here we can admire one of the old mills that crowned this hillside. [40 min] Upon reaching Carrer del Vent, we turn left. Soon the road becomes the Camí de Binifarda. We advance on a gentle descent. However, we soon abandon it to the right, along an unpaved path that crosses a dense forest. We enter the pine forest of na Simona. We progress northwards, heading towards the fields of Son Roig. We ignore all the paths we find on the right and left.

[1 h 00 min] We cross the Camí de Son Roig and continue straight along the Camí de Pinyella, clearly oriented towards the northwest. We leave the nurseries of Son Roig to our left, while our path turns right, below the slopes of the hill of Pinyella. To the left, fields accompanied by reeds and extraction wells. [1 h 15 min] Upon reaching the height of a small house with a washbasin, we turn left along the unpaved Camí del Pas de na Bou. This track crosses the torrent of Son Riutort and later turns left to reach the road from Sant Joan to Sineu (Ma-3232) [1 h 30 min].

Possessió de Son Gual

Once located at this point, we cross the road with great caution and go to look for a dirt path that we see on the left; it is the path of Son Pastereta. The stretch ascends gently until it leads onto the old road to Sant Joan. We continue straight on through a small path that initially climbs a small slope and passes below a villa. We emerge onto the road to Les Algorfes [1 hour 40 min], where we turn left in the direction, again, of the road we crossed before. 100 meters before reaching it, we turn right onto a cart track and without demarcation. We move through the ancient domains of the Son Gual estate, now divided into three properties. Always with a good perspective of the entire area.

This stretch turns left and finally opens onto the Camí del Picà [2 h 05 min]. Head left and, immediately after, right, through the Gossalba field towards the Sant Joan to Pina and Lloret road (Ma-3230). We cross it and join the Camí de les Minoies [2 h 15 min], of enigmatic etymology. We do not leave the track, which crosses wide sown fields bordered by porches and small houses, until we reach the Sant Joan to Montuïri road (Ma-3220) [2 h 25 min]. We cross the road and continue along the asphalted path directly in front of us. Where the path turns right, we continue straight ahead. Further on, the asphalt runs out. [2 h 30 min] Here, continue left, even at the next two junctions. This is a stretch of path very frequented by runners and mountain bikes.

[2 h 40 min] We emerge onto a wide cart track which we take to the right and which in a few minutes will lead us to the Camí d’Horta. Here, we turn left and set off on the last stretch of our route. We leave the municipal cemetery on our left, located below the slopes of the Puig de Consolació, and head towards the village and the bus stop [2 h 50 min].

@Fita_a_Fita