The hotel used for this holiday was Hotel Marbell - I had many negative points about this hotel, but as I look at my latest Rambler's brochure they don't seem to be using this hotel next year, so I'll take my grumbling to Tripadvisor and not clutter up this blog post.
The holiday is graded as 'D'. While the length of the walking days fit the profile of a 'D' grade, the walking underfoot is quite hard work as the paths are stony and very easy on which to trip and slip. The location in the island meant that the walks were generally quite steep, as Port de Soller is surrounded by steep hills. As a very overweight asthmatic, of average fitness I was able to walk with the group and keep up, so as long as you're happy with walking on steep and rocky paths it's all fine. The local transport, operated by Repic were great - they were always there to meet us at the end of the day, and were only slightly late once to collect us at the start of the day.
The leader of our holiday was Bob, a regular leader for Ramblers. He was always there with a dry comment on the walk, and was knowledgeable about the terrain we should expect when giving the pre-walk briefings.
The town of Port de Soller was very walker friendly, you could order a sandwich to take on your walk from the Spar and there was a small outdoor goods shop Tramuntana Tours
I'll describe the walks we did as part of the holiday, other departures may vary, as the weather can make some of the walks difficult. A map covering the majority of the area used for the holiday is ISBN 9788480903585. It seems to be available more cheaply in the local outdoors shop in Soller. The map is 1:25,000 and very clear. Sadly the paper used for the map is very low quality and it is prone to splitting.
Day 2
Just to get us started, we had a walk taking us from Soller, to the village of Fornalutz where we had a tea break in a lovely cafe. From there we went uphill and then back down via the Hermitage which was our late lunchstop. The Hermitage had this little chapel which had very unusual decoration inside, like a grotto with rock formations and statues of the Virgin Mary.
Unfortunately the church in Soller was closed for refurbishment so I couldn't explore there, but the small streets, interesting shops and cafes kept me busy.
Day 3
From there it was a walk up through the valley towards the village of Deia. We had an hour to explore and get a restorative cup of tea. I walked up the hill, past the stations of the cross embedded in the walls to visit the very humble grave of Robert Graves (author of I, Claudius). The grave was marked with a simple concrete marker, that appeared to have had his name written in whilst still wet.
Day 4
The scheduled walk on this day was to travel by bus to Cuber reservoir, walk up for a total ascent of about 100m, and then walk down the Pilgrim's steps to the village of Biniarix (approximately 650m).
I played hooky this day, and went for a walk to the lighthouse at Es Cap Gros which gives stunning views along the coast.
I had a coffee at the newly refurbished refuge, part of the network of refuges support the Pedra En Sec walking route
Day 5
Official rest day! I decided to visit Palma city. There are two methods for getting to Palma, tram to Soller and train onto Palma , or the express bus 211 operated by TIB . The train + tram combination costs €14 single, and the bus is €2.90 single. There is a long siesta gap in the train service which could make getting home quite awkward.
I'd done some research on the internet and discovered a cafe that sells churros and the thick hot chocolate that is very filling and rich. So on my way into city I stopped at
Xurreria Rosaleda
Costa de la Pols, 12 Baixos
07003 Palma de Mallorca
Fabulous! So unhealthy but so tasty! After that I had to try and work off the huge amount of calories so I visited the cathedral which while small, has a large number of alters around the church. One was a recent installation by a modern artist, which was very unusual
The cathedral is also pretty impressive when viewed from the outside.
Day 6
A walk starting from the Ses Barques mirador (viewpoint) over Soller, walking eastbound to Platja Tuent. There was a stop in a valley where we could purchase freshly squeezed orange juice from a small farmhouse. It was needed as following this was a steep ascent out of the valley. Once over the saddle of the hills, we had great views along the coast, and our lunch was taken on a large rocky outcrop.
The walk continued along the coast, gently undulating until we reach Tuent. There we could stop for a refreshing drink at the cafe, or go down to the beach for a swim.
Our group of walkers had some very keen swimmers, who took every chance they could to go into the sea, as it was still warm and pleasant.
Day 7 (Or "You can see Ibiza from here!")
This is the crowning glory of the week! A bus journey to Valdemossa, from where we walked steeply uphill to join the 'Archdukes Walk'. This walk may be at the very top of the grade but the scenery is more than worth the extra effort. I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.
Valdemossa is a pretty tourist town, featuring many cafe serving local delicacies such as almond cake, and horchata made with almonds which was very refreshing after a tough day walking.
Day 8
It was sad to say goodbye to the people in the group, who were all very kind and friendly to me, and to the beautiful scenery around Port de Soller. Hopefully I'll meet them again on other Ramblers Holidays, as they have a very loyal customer base.
