A walk up Na Blanca

The Formentor peninsula is the rocky, volcanic spit of land that sticks out into the blue Mediterranean on the north east coast of the Balearic island of Mallorca. It’s precipitous serrated cliffs rise up sharply all along the peninsula and provide a dramatic landscape. My walk today climbs one of those rocky outcrops, Na Blanca. After being unable to travel for a couple of years because of Covid it’s a pleasure to be back on this beautiful Balearic island for a late autumn break and I am looking forward to reacquainting myself with walking in Mallorca.

As I get off the bus at Formentor beach the sun is starting to warm up nicely and all of my fellow passengers are heading off towards the long stretch of sand that curves gracefully around the bay to enjoy a day of sunbathing and relaxation. Although I will start and finish at the beach there is no sunbathing for me, just the small matter of hiking up a three hundred metre hill.

I visit the beach to see the sea before walking back on myself the short distance to the car park. Here there is a fence and a sign saying ‘Privado’ ‘Big Game’. I imagine herds of wildebeest being chased by lions to come running round the corner any minute. But no. As with many of the trails in Mallorca there always seems to be some barrier, a shut gate or ‘private’ sign to negotiate before you can get out into the open countryside. In this case it is the threat of meeting ‘Big Game’.

I’m not one for deliberately breaking the law but this walk and others I’ve done on Mallorca feature in guides and in my walking, once into the wilds I’ve not come across domesticated animals or private dwellings or anything that would indicate the land is indeed private so I will continue to walk respectfully in these places, enjoy the views and leave no trace that I have ever been there. Always one to hedge my bets though I decide to walk up the road for a short distance and join the path via a track that is open to the road. As suspected the track has no barrier so heaven help the sunbathers on the beach if the lions escape. The only big game on show are wild goats. Within a short distance the track meets the path which then follows a lovely trail up through the pine forest.

The trail heads up through the forest with the smell of pines in the nostrils and birds in the ears. There is also that quiet stillness in the atmosphere that is only found whilst walking through woods. The incline is steady but not really noticeable and the walking is pleasant on a good stone path with an occasional covering of pine needles. The sun dapples through the leaves and I’m grateful for the cover as I know that soon I will be exposed to the sun.

As height is gained the tree cover thins and eventually disappears as the Coll de L’Olivardar is reached. From here the views start to open up and I stop for a break and to take on some water as the October sun is still plenty hot enough to burn and dehydrate.

The rugged, serrated ridges of the peninsula start to appear and the aqua blue ocean replaces the green of the pine forest. One of the things I love about walking in Mallorca is the closeness of the sea. Every walk has a view of of the ocean which is always contrasted against the sharp, pale, bush speckled volcanic rocks that make up the islands high mountain areas.

From the col the path continues on a track for a while but around the 200 metre contour it comes to a sudden end and the bush walking begins. From previous experience I have learned to pay close attention and look out for miniature cairns, just little piles of rock that somebody, (probably many people, over many years) have placed on the ground, about five metres apart that lead the way through the dense thorny foliage and rocky terrain where the path is hard to make out and is barely discernible. The plant life on the island has to be tough to survive the harsh sun but I always make sure I wear long trousers as once my legs were shredded on the sharp, dry bushes and grass.

I play my own game of ‘spot the cairn’ as I go from one little cairn to another, then another, slowly making my way up the hill until finally I am at the highest cairn and standing on top of Na Blanca.

Na Blanca is 332 metres high, not huge but it’s relative isolation gives far reaching views. Far down below is Formentor beach with boats moored up in the curving bay. In the far distance, the backbone of Mallorca the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, a world heritage site,  stretch out with some cotton wool clouds floating around the tops of them.  In the foreground the sharp ridges of the peninsula stand out on the skyline and seemingly perched right on the edge of a cliff is the Albercutx Watchtower/Atalaya de Albercutx. This centuries old watchtower was once used as a lookout to give early warning of invaders to the island. Fortunately the only invaders these days are tourists.

As I am enjoying the view a couple arrive from the direction I will be descending. Local I think from the language, we exchange smiles and ‘hola’s’ and I take a picture of them on his rather ancient camera.

The route down is shorter, steeper and more direct than the route up. Once again there are the small cairns that mark the way across the boulder fields and height is quickly lost when leaving the summit. Initially the path stays close to the cliff edge and care needs to be taken but after a short while the path veers away from the edge into a wooded area.

The woods provide shade but I struggle to see the cairns and keep on the route amongst the trees and bushes. The path continues down and after a bit of meandering around I eventually pop out onto the road right next to a newly built house.

I follow road which unfortunately passes through a building site where new apartments seem to be being built but eventually reach the beach just by the Illa de Formentor, a small island just off shore.

From here it’s a pleasant walk along the beach back to the start. I have a personal rule that once I’ve put my boots on, they don’t come off until I’ve finished the walk but if you’re not as weird as me you could always take yours off and have a paddle if you like.

For a map, route details and Geo-located picture gallery of this walk please click on ‘Learn more’ below.