Camí de Cavalls. Els Alocs to Benimel.lá

The "Cami de Cavalls" is a hiking route that borders Menorca in its entirety. Sometimes it runs a few meters from the shore and other times it goes into the interior of the island.

Years ago, the young people used to go around the island in stages. Today it is a tourist attraction and in summer many people go hiking, although the hardest stages are not usually done in summer due to the heat.

The geological wealth of this area is remarkable. On the other hand, the vegetation is scarce and in general there is little natural life. At least we didn't find much on this cold February morning.

This is one of the least easy stages since, although the distance to be covered is not very long - about twelve kilometers - it crosses some quite inhospitable landscapes and some impressive cliffs over the sea.

Es Caparrot de Forma

On the cape of Caparrot de Forma near the Es Canutells development is a necropolis consisting of 23 artificial caves or hypogeums.

Of particular interest on the site is a large wall running across the coastal headland along the isthmus. Inside, two circular constructions can be distinguished, and under a pile of stones, a fresh water well. The wall is included as part of the Talayotic Minorca World Heritage bid.

Rudymentari

 Entre poc i massa.

Rudymentari

Quality reggae made in Menorca.

Isn't it a global world? 

Cala d'es Pou d'en Caldes

 

 

One of the sections of Cami de Cavalls that best define the rich and varied environments that make up the island’s north coast. The itinerary starts at Cap de Favàritx, a space that is well known for its dark rocks and the scarcity of vegetation.

The course passes through typical Minorcan agricultural surroundings, formed of ploughed fields, fields for livestock to graze in and areas with Mediterranean bushes. As the path approaches the coast again, it reaches Pou d’en Caldes, a space with dense concentration of endemic plants.

 

 Arenal de Mongofre

Pou d'en Caldes

Mongofre Vell
 

Cavalleria

 

Undoubtedly, the times we are living are uncertain, but that gives us the opportunity to revisit some places that I wanted to see after some time.

The initial idea was to walk from Cala Pregonda to Cala Viola, in the Cavalleria area, trying to find in the rocks of the coast a deposit of cephalopod fossils that I had heard of.

But the area well worth a visit. 

 

 The beach at Cavalleria, also known as Cala Viola de Llevant.  A beautiful and lonely beach in these first days of November.

Although it was not what I was looking I found this set of fossils of plant appearance.

In practically the entire coastal contour of the island there are military structures that were built before the Spanish Civil War. Most of them belong to the state because they are located within the maritime-terrestrial domain zone.

 
However, in many of them, some locals have turned them into fishing warehouses or even places to spend the weekend .It's not the right thing to do, but at least they take care of the buildings and prevent their deterioration.

Gloria

A storm with the disturbing name of Gloria has hit our country viciously.

And despite its destructive power, it has left precious images in the island.

Na Macaret, January 2019.

Slightly windy these days in Menorca.

Picture by Paco Noguero.

Burial niches in Calan Blanes.

Small set of niches of Greek or Roman origin. Apparently they are related to some type of funeral rite.

Starlings

Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are winter visitors in Menorca. We do not see any in the rest of the year, but since October til February or March there are thousands of them who reach the island covering the sky with forming flocks that become authentic clouds dancing capriciously especially late in the afternoon.

Picture taken by Barbara Salva near Son Bou.

Epic Trail Menorca 360. 2018

A 185KM legend

The Trail Menorca Camí de Cavalls (TMCdC) is an ultra distance event consisting of flip Menorca for coastal path originally drawn by the British over 300 years ago and whose main purpose was to defend the island.

This is a race of 185 kilometers that has a positive slope of 2863 meters in which each rider will discover their limits and enjoy the idyllic scenery in this wonderful lost corner of the Mediterranean sea, full of dreamy beaches, impossible cliffs, magical views and local cusine with which to celebrate that life is a race in which you score goals and experiences.

To overcome the challenge, each rider has 40 hours to finish an adventure with taste of an adventure. Also the organization provide 15 aid stations on the route with water, sports drinks, fruits, nuts, energy bars, among others products, or foods with the same caloric intake.

The start was last Friday, May, 18th 2018, and definitely a part in the life of any runner who took part of one of the longest non-stop test and no doubt pretty trailrunning european landscape.

Camí de Cavalls. Binigaus, Cala Escorxada.

In a splendid morning of January we have completed the stage of the coastal path that goes from Santo Tomás to Cala Escorxada.

The route always passes near the sea, through pine groves, rocky trails and cliffs. It is not difficult and in just over an hour and a half we have reached our goal that was Cala Escorxada -very lonely at this time of year- and found a paleontological site of what I had read, but I had never seen before.

 Cala Escorxada

Binigaus

 Gastropod fossil on the rocks near Escorxada.

What is this I found on the beach? is it a mermaid's purse?

The enchantingly named structures are the egg cases of skates and some sharks. This is why they are also known as skate cases.

While some sharks bear live young, some sharks (and all skates) release their embryos in leathery egg cases that have horns and sometimes long tendrils at each corner.

The tendrils allow them to anchor to seaweeds or other substrates. Each egg case contains one embryo. The case is made up of a material that is a combination of collagen and keratin, so a dried egg case feels similar to a fingernail.

Good days are coming

Fishing in Alcaufar in a glorious end of Season morning.

Sanitja and Malva Sylvestris.

The Sanitja port or Sanisera is a natural port located next to the old roman town Sansiera. The port is in the Caballeria cape and it has an approximately lenght of 800 meters and very little depth which represent a perfect shelter against Tramuntana wind for boats.

The port isn’t very exploited and you can barely see few little wooden boats during high season. The entrance to the port used to be very protected by the Sanitja Tower, a british Tower of Defense built of stone and mortar in 1801. The inside of the tower can’t be visited because over time, it has deteriorated significantly and it’s almost demolished.

The scientific name, Malva sylvestris, is just as lovely as this flowering plant in the Malva genus, and is more popularly known as high mallow or common mallow. This plant is often found in fields and hedgerows and has a striking purple flower. It is native to western Europe, but has spread to portions of the Mediterranean and northern Africa, and has been imported to much of the English-speaking world. 

 The flowers and leaves of this unique herb are used for medicinal purposes, particularly in topical applications as a pain reliever.

Spooky weather

Several tornadoes lashed last Saturday the west coast of the island and Cala Galdana. Fortunately there were no injured people but many trees plucked and small boats sunk

Malachite in Es Pla de Mar.

For years I had wanted to follow the trace of the malachite mineral that was extracted in Menorca from very ancient times. Experts say that mining has been carried out in the island from prehistoric times up until the end of the 19th century. 

Although there is no clear evidence of this, the filon that alternates malachite and lignite crosses the cliff and it is so colorful that it is not difficult to think that these small nodules that of mineral that appear could be collected and worked in small scale, as it happens in many other prehistoric communities.

Macar d'Alfurinet.

Copper mineral Thread

Malachite (a Copper Carbonate Hydroxide) is a famous semi-precious stone. The stone's name comes (via Latin and French) from the Greek molochitis, "mallow-green stone", from molochē, variant of malachē, "mallow". Its banded light and dark green layers are so characteristic that malachite is easily recognized, even by non-specialists. The beautiful green of Malachite has been known for millenia. It was mined by ancient civilizations, and when ground to a powder it was used as a pigment.

Malachite is typically associated with copper deposits within limestones (limestone being the source of the carbon in Malachite). 

Malachite from Es Pla de Mar.

Thus, and based on quotations from old archaeological works and more recent works on the history of local mining, we were looking for ore veins in the area of Costa de Alfurí, Cala Pilar and Bombarda until we found the old mines.

Nearby farm Sant Bernat

Osprey in Es Grau

A magnificent specimen of Osprey flying over the lagoon of Es Grau

The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) — also called fish eagle,— is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and 180 cm (71 in) across the wings. It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts.

This is one of the most emblematic birds of Menorca and at the same time more scarce.
 
It is estimated that there are four couples that nest on the island and perhaps some exemplary unpaired.

End of the Season, Santandria Beach and Smoix Restaurant

After a few days of autumn weather, the first day has ended after the tourist season have been radiant and warm. Just perfect for a walk on the beach and lunch at a good restaurant. 

In both cases, the choice has been adequate.

Santandria Beach, calm and quiet she invited to take a dip

Smoix is today one of my favourite Restaurants in Menorca. Imaginative and very fresh food.

Smoix website

Rainy day...and hoopoes

The rain, which started in the morning, has not stopped falling throughout the day. At times it fell hard and other times it was very light, almost imperceptible.
 

And it is in those moments when you can see some movement among the small animals of the field. The hoopoes, which are insectivorous, taking advantage when the ground is wet to peck worms and slugs.

Hoopoe

 

Rock Samphire inflorescence, near Binidali.

The shipwreck of the 'Francina'

It happened in 1974. Specifically, on February 3.

The Liberian flag merchant ship, had left the day before Marseille towards the Algerian coast, carrying oranges, iron, primers for explosives and chemicals on board. The explosives had been stowed in the ship's bow. Due the bad weather, with strong winds and high waves, there was a chain reaction explosion on board that caused the fire in the ship. Only four of the fourteen members of the crew saved their lifes in the fatal accident.

More than 40 years later, they are still recognizable remains of the old engine room of the 'Francina', 12 meters deep, near the cliffs of Cala Morell

At sea among whales in Son Bou

Two friends from Sant Lluis who had gone fishing in a small boat last week met with a group of pilot whales. The video is spectacular.

See HERE the video at the Diario Menorca website

Pilot whales are cetaceans belonging to the genus Globicephala. The two extant species are the long-finned pilot whale (G. melas) and the short-finned pilot whale (G. macrorhynchus).

The size and weight depend on the species, as long-finned pilot whales are generally larger than short-finned pilot whales.Their lifespans are about 45 years in males and 60 years in females for both species. Both species exhibit sexual dismorphism. Adult long-finned pilot whales reach a body length of approximately 6.5 m, with males being 1 m longer than females. Their body mass reaches up to 1,300 kg in females and up to 2,300 kg in males. For short-finned pilot whales, adult females reach a body length of about 5.5 m, while males reach 7.2 m and may weigh up to 3,200 kg.

Pilot whales can be found in oceans nearly worldwide, but data about current population sizes is deficient.They are not rare in the Menorca but is very unusual to see them so close to the coast.