With our guests packed off, Rach and I have been exploring on both four and two wheels. Perhaps one of the main highlights of our time here has been our climb up into the mountains and national park of Formentor, out to the unassuming lighthouse that marks the northernmost point of the island. It’s about a 40km roundtrip for us. Rachel is still struggling with her knee, so we’ve been reserving the road bikes for the flat terrain. But since this route involved a series of steep climbs, we opted for the e-bikes, which are fantastic because you can control the level of assistance. (To be honest, as we climbed about halfway, I was very glad I wasn’t on the road bike!)
The twists and turns took us through beautiful forests and then along the precipice, offering incredible views out to sea and of the northeastern side of the island, which we hadn’t seen before. Interestingly, Formentor is so popular that its narrow cliff roads are closed to regular cars (except for restricted local and service vehicles) from June 1st to September 30th to help protect its natural beauty. This makes it a cyclist’s paradise year-round.
On the way up, our main obstruction was the wild goats, which roam wherever they please, much like they do in the foothills where we are staying. We were passed by only a handful of cars, so the mountain was essentially ours for the morning, which made the ride all the more enjoyable.
The lighthouse itself wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing building I’ve ever seen, but given the rugged coastline, it certainly serves an important purpose. The only other people at the top were a group of mad lads who were filming a commercial by luging down part of the mountain, quite the spectacle!
As the weather had started to cool, we headed back down, enjoying the ride and relishing the fact that the return journey was mostly downhill. And as if the cycle hadn’t completely drained our energy, we decided to finish ourselves off with a good swim in the port. Brilliant day! Needless to say, we slept well that night.
We’ve managed a swim most days and have taken the road bikes out a few times, which we’ve really enjoyed. One of our last trips was another excursion up into the Tramuntana mountains, which feature some fantastic hiking trails that we’ll have to try next time. This time, however, we had come to visit the Santuari de Lluc, Mallorca’s most important pilgrimage site.
In the 13th century, a Moorish shepherd boy discovered a small buried statue of the Virgin Mary here. Over time, the site gained papal recognition and has become a globally significant religious destination. The main building has even been converted into a hostel to accommodate visitors. The statue now resides in the basilica, which, like all the historic churches we’ve seen here, was incredibly impressive. The entire area had a calm, spiritual atmosphere that left a lasting impression.
Dream Chasers 