Soller

“From royals like Prince Rainier of Monaco or Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria, to celebrities past and present such as Charles Chaplin or Leonardo Di Caprio. All of them fell in love with Mallorca in their day, leaving a little piece of their soul behind them on the island for all eternity.”

We have done a lot of walking so far and have not used the rental car for 2 days so we are going on a 50 km road trip from Soller through the UNESCO World Heritage Tramuntana Mountains to the northern point of the island (Cape Formentor) where there is a stunning lookout over the Mediterranean, the Mirador es Colomer.

The road that we took through the mountains was a good one but narrow and filled with curves, but Chris did a great job staying focussed and driving at a good speed. Whoever planned the road did a good job of including spots where the road widened so people could get out of their vehicles, have a break from driving on the winding road and could enjoy checking out the views. The landscape is truly postcard-worthy and with unforgettable views.

We passed a wildlife reserve and a huge water reservoir, lost our phone connection a few times and had to be careful when rounding a corner and seeing sheep or goats on the road! I kept thinking of my brother’s sheep in a garbage bin story! Ugh.

Cyclists use this road for races also. It would be very challenging. We talked to a 67 year old man from Alabama who was in a cyclists camp and cycling the route. Amazing.

At one point, we arrived at a monastery, Lluc, high in the mountains and surrounded by a pine and oak forest.

Legend has it that in the 13th century a Moorish shepherd boy, newly converted to Christianity, discovered a dark wooden statue of the Virgin in a cleft in the rock. The image was placed in the local church but three times it returned miraculously to its cave, whereupon the villagers recognised this as a message from God so a small chapel was built on the exact spot where the discovery. Historically it was an important place of pilgrimage and is still a key religious site on the island. These days, as well as the chapel, there is a shop, restaurant, and a museum, and you can stay in one of the 100 rooms created from the old monk’s cells. Cyclists and hikers use this spot as a meeting place as there are many trails that start here.

Continuing onwards, we arrived at the towns of Pollenca and Formenta, where many famous people have either stayed in the Formentor Hotel or have Mallorca villas. Some of the famous guests include Charlie Chaplin, F Scott Fitzgerald, Sir Lawrence Olivier and Sir Peter Ustinov.

We finally got to our destination - the Mirador es Colomer with its magnificent cliffs and views of the sea. There's a well looked after stone walk on the edge of the sea, built right on top of the steep cliff, that allow us to move around the viewpoint and take in all the different angles of the scenery. Vertigo played a small part in being in this spot! Chris can attest to that, haha. At the end of the path there were some rounded terraces that we could walk around and enjoy the views. There was a winding road leading to an old tower that was high upon a cliff but we decided that the view from our high point was high enough. Lol.

Heading home through the medieval town of Alcudia and then down the middle of the island on a straight highway was a good way to end the road trip. Easy and quick.

All in all a good day - a break from walking and … Chris’ arms got a good workout from driving on those winding roads.

Note - We are happy that we thought of bringing our Isotoner slippers. The tile floors in most houses here are cold and these slippers are perfect - warm, lightweight, washable and easy to pack. A traveller’s staple. Lol. Ad over.Read more