27th September 2009
Map: Mallorca Tramuntana Central
Weather: Some sunshine, with a touch of cloud cover
From the villa in Deia along the coastal path to Port Soller, via the Refugi de Muleta: 8.5 miles by Satmap Active 10 gps in 4 ½ hrs
We arrived in Deia on Saturday afternoon, picked the car up and drove slowly up to Deia. Settled in to the villa and had a little walk about the town. The highlight of the first day was seeing a very overweight gent running back along the main road to rescue an oversize teddy bear that had fallen off his scooter. He was desperate to get there before cars started to run over it. He had another one which was under the back wheel of his bike – a comical start to the trip, which was followed by seeing Bart Simpsons dog in Deia.
The hilltop church – Robert Graves grave is here
Down towards the road to Cala Deia
One of the two restaurants that overlook the inlet
Another view from higher up above the cove
Day 2 dawned and it was fine with a little hazy sunshine, Mrs RP had checked the bus timetable last night and said there was a bus to Soller at 10am, so we planned the day accordingly. Well surprise, surprise Cilla, the bus was at 11:45 – not far out – so we had to walk to Soller instead, which was no big deal except that it was Sunday so we had to time the walk well enough to catch the 4pm bus back to Deia. Needless to say with all the time we spent messing about we missed the bus, so ended up in a taxi – an expensive mistake, but ‘hey’ were on holiday. The present exchange rate is making most things quite expensive in Europe, however fresh air is free and there was plenty of it.
The path close to the edge in places – looking towards Soller
There is much erosion like this along the coast
We set out on the Gr221 to Soller, a well signposted route that went right past the villa. It was easy walking for most of the way, and there were several rustic stiles to climb over. They don’t look like they could take the weight of many walkers, but they are well polished struts of pine nailed and wired together. The GR221 is Mallorcas LDP that runs from the SW of the island through the Tramuntana Mountains to the North coast – I think I’d rather do the UK LDP’s though – I like a little bit of luxury or failing that a pint or two at the end of a day’s walking. The route took us down to the Cala Deia through a deep cut gorge following the torrent major, and above the small hamlet at the cove – it has a couple of small restaurants that cook up freshly caught fish.
Looking back along coast
Not all of the path is crumbling away
Before we got down to the beach level we veered off to the right, which took us up above and around the bay. The coastal path is very badly eroded in places due to landslips and fallen trees, and it is slow progress in one or two places. That also involved a degree of scrambling up old terraces, a limbo underneath a fallen trunk, and being high above the rocks on top of a steep slope. So it’s not the easier of the options of walking between Deia and Soller – the GR221 route is simpler (see later).
Typical Mallorcan coastal scenery
Some artwork in a tree – a bit random really, but appreciated
How to get past the tree – the choice is yours
High above the sea at times
The path generally stuck close to the sea, a couple of hundred feet in places, with glorious views – better than the GR221 route which is higher up the slope through woods. It was the usual Mediterranean mix of pine forest, washed clean by recent rains, and white limestone which was pretty sharp in places. I guess we were lucky this week because the last entry in the guestbook said that it was the wettest September since the 70’s, and they spent most of the time in the local bars. I thought that we see some rain as the forecast wasn’t the best, and I had set my GPS to UTM co-ordinates to match the reference on the map I had, and they concurred well enough to mark our progress. Several spots along the coast had chopped down trees to use as seats and tables, but we found a quiet olive grove to sit and refresh with a snack after a couple of hours walking.
Tree mayhem – there’s a lot of this
The valley next to this was badly eroded requiring a diversion
Eventually we came out onto cultivated terraces
And once on the GR221, it is well signposted
And very easy walking
The gentle rhythm of the walk was interrupted the landslides, more so on the second half of the walk, but it did make for a bit of fun – but watchout for scratched legs and arms. We met a few Germans along the way today, saying hello to most, and as with most walkers, all seemed friendly enough no matter what the language. We did pass by some locals out for a walk and they looked like a fully kitted out Ninja Turtle group complete with sweat bands, double walking sticks, big backpacks and very sweaty T-shirts. It was nicely warm today at about 25deg, almost perfect with a light breeze blowing through the trees. We finally left the coastal path when we met a road and a small hotel and villas, and had a trudge uphill for a mile or so before meeting up with the GR221 again. We continued down a wide farm track, passing through olive groves in pleasant sunshine, with a distant view of Mallorca’s highest peak – Puig Major – towering above all in the distance.
Port Soller comes into view
The lighthouse at Cap Gros
With Mallorca’s highest mountain in the background
Port Soller – Puig l’Ofre is the pointy mountain
The path split with a signpost down towards the Refugi de Muleta, and we followed the old mule route downhill all the way to the Refugi. We were glad to spot the lighthouse and reach the refuge for some refreshments. The manager told us there was no food as it had to be pre-booked – it did look nice though. So we bought some drinks and then he told us we could have a sandwich of dry bread, ham and cheese with olives and tomatoes – deliciously simple and very tasty. After eating our fill we sat back and forgot about time, and as I was looking at the camera a lovely lady walked by and her dress blew up in the wind. Apparently she wasn’t wearing any knickers – or so my wife told me. So off we set again and took some pictures of the lighthouse and lo and behold there was a cafe right next door to the refuge – typical, but I didn‘t mind really.
One of the old trams – based on the San Francisco ones
One of Picassos ceramics – happy to be here
Meanwhile back in Deia it looked a bit ominous for tomorrow
But then again not so bad either
Then we were out on the road walking down to Port Soller, watching the ferries sail in and out, and people watching all the way along the promenade – some not so pretty sights I can tell you. We hopped on the open tram back up to Soller town, where we had a look around the Picasso museum of ceramics – what a talent that man was. We missed the bus but weren’t that bothered, so we had an ice-cream, and looked for a taxi – we found one and the driver told us to naff off, then changed his mind and ordered us in! It was a set price so we didn’t mind and he drove serenely around the bends back to Deia and an appointment with a San Miguel. A great little stroll leaving me ready for a good feed and a good walk tomorrow.
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