Two men go hiking
Miguel is the new boss and co-founder of Predator Arquitectura SL. We offer architectural services there. For us internally as well as for external clients.
Miguel comes from Mallorca. In between, he spent a long time in Madrid. But as a family man, he loves the island as a place worth living.
And this Miguel shares with me the passion for "men's tours". By that we really don't mean pub crawls. Rather, we're talking about well-groomed hikes that aren't too long and are then crowned by lunch.
I had researched the day before in komoot about Cala Sant Vicenç and found a nice route. Indicated with "moderately difficult" and something with 4.5 hours. From the sofa, very manageable. And there was the possibility to shorten the tour easily.
At the EROSKI supermarket in Port de Pollença you turn left if you come from Pollença. And at the second traffic circle was a parking lot where we met. Who was late? Of course the German ...
Then there was the typical problem with hiking in Mallorca: "Let's take the other way there". Namely, the way that is clearly visible in Google Maps. Or in OpenMap maps or wherever. It's just stupid that someone has drawn a fence there. And the way is not passable.
So I determined that a variation on the hike wasn't really going to work and settled for letting the cell phone tell me where to boot through the thicket.
In fact, I had hiking boots on. Heavy boots. 25 years in my possession. Miguel had sneakers. However, I was at a disadvantage with my shorts because we were struggling parallel to the ridge through the misanthropic Mallorcan tundra.
Suddenly we reached the place where the "path" should bend steeply upwards. And by steep I mean steep. But since from path far and wide nothing at all was to be seen and the scramble over bare rock at great steepness is neither my case nor looked particularly sensible, we just continued parallel to the ridge.
What looked like a high plateau was unfortunately only an intermediate plateau. No realpath goes from dor. Almost free of vegetation. So we continued to struggle through until we somehow arrived back on the main trail.
Isn't that a beautiful way to go? Exactly! Really good to walk on. Wonderful. We marched then following the path slowly up the hill towards Cala Sant Vicenç. The path becomes narrower and it gets warmer and warmer, almost 30 degrees. We will not die of thirst on such an almost child-friendly hike?
A truism indeed, but if you're going on a hike like this, remember water. And for the bald heads or those with thinning hair, think of headgear. Both really essential. Now we've almost reached "the top", in fact it's just a good 100 meters in altitude. But feels in the heat and after the up and down after much more.
The rest of the way is mostly downhill. We cross a torrent and meet an English hiker who is already on her way back. How disciplined some people are ... The route winds gently along the slope into the Cala Sant Vicenç, the view opens to sweet vacation cottages probably from the 70s / 80s, which stand under the pine trees, as if they were inseparable and time has just stopped a little.
At the end we reach the small bay of Cala Sant Vincenç and enjoy an ice-cold Coke. It somehow seems a bit as if time has stood still here. And the light is very special.
Either way, a nice little trip. If you stick to the "normal" way right away.
When we set off again, we decide - against all reason - to try the "unknown" way. You can imagine, this ended in disaster.
First we follow the road to Cala Carbó, a beautiful bay with super clear green water (sounds paradoxical actually ... super clear and green ...).
Now we commit the crucial mistake. Instead of simply following the path that would have brought us quickly and pleasantly to Port de Pollença, we trust my navigation skills and embark on the next wrong track. Uphill again, of course...
Here are always these so-called cairns on the "right" paths to find. There one can not get lost allegedly. But has anyone ever thought about the fact that a collection of stones on a scree slope is not very clearly defined?
And apparently everyone somehow also finds his own special way, because there are cairns everywhere. What that has to do with males is then the next question. They are rather stone pyramids ...
No matter how, we rant and curse and the ridge doesn't get any closer. At some point we just give up. And go back ...
When we are back on the right track, we breathe a sigh of relief. Finally! It goes stoically quite easily uphill. Without this corrosive coarse scree, which - and now it becomes tragic - my beloved hiking boots have made the kill.
Suddenly the sole of my 25-year-old Salomons starts to peel off. I curse and think "this is not true now". Apart from the heavy ideal loss (I hiked extra little to spare them!) running becomes difficult because the front part of the sole hangs down in the meantime. And I have to stalk around in a stork's step.
Hoping that the shoes somehow hold out, I continue to stalk until the other shoe also starts. Can you believe it? 25 years of nothing. And then they "die" together? An almost romantic idea!
In fact, at some point I tear off the sole and the remaining layer is enough protection against the pebbles and small stones and we make it to Port de Pollença.
Summary
Hike Cala Sant Vicenç - Port de Pollença
If you stick to the "normal" route, which is the diagonal shortest connection from Cala Sant Vicenç to Port de Pollença, then the hike is more of a nice little walk with really good views.
The detour to "A" or the paths to the east, which we have made shortly after Cala Sant Vicenç, you can save ... And in the end I have - for "Normalos" - doubt that the tour, which I had picked out, would have been walkable in 4.5 hours. The problem here is also often simply that there are no longer entrances. There are then suddenly fences ...
So if you get hikes recommended, make sure they are reasonably current.
Afterwards, by the way, we rewarded ourselves by stopping at the Placeta Garden Restaurant, you must read this!
