Epic Hikes of the World ( PDFDrive )

limestone peaks scarred by the elements. Here, ochre-stone villages cling to
hilltops, cliffs drop abruptly to the deep blue sea and terraces march up from the
coast. The clang of out-of-tune monastery bells echoes through remote valleys,
where nimble-footed goats share the trail.
I begin the Ruta on one of those clear spring days that make you feel glad to be
alive. Leaving behind the seaside town of Port d’Andratx, the trail eases me in
gently with a four-hour trudge to Sa Trapa, which dips in and out of sun-dappled
pinewoods and coastal scrub heavy with the scent of wild rosemary in purple
bloom. At Sant Elm, the offshore nature reserve island of Sa Dragonera appears
like a reclining dragon. But more arresting still is the grandstand view of sapphire
sea from Sa Trapa and its ruined Trappist monastery.
Cairns and the odd paint splash guide the way on the second leg of the hike
from Sa Trapa to Estellencs. I sometimes lose the rocky trail but soon pick it up
again, all the while marvelling at the dividing blues of horizon and sea. Onwards
and upwards I go to the knobbly summit of Moleta de s’Esclop (3038ft, 926m),
where the view of the Tramuntana is out of this world, with fissured peaks rippling
into the distance like waves on breaking point. A gravel trail leads down to
Estellencs, a laid-back hamlet with honey-hued buildings scattered on the hills
below 3363ft (1025m) Puig Galatzò.