A walk up Puig del Vilar, Mallorca

I am back for a second attempt at walking up Puig del Vilar. My first, halfhearted and unprepared effort was abandoned after having my legs scratched by thorn bushes and my hands scraped on the serrated, sandpaper like limestone that forms the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range in Mallorca. Thrust up from the seabed by the collision of Africa 170 million years ago and never ground smooth by any ice age, walking in these rough and rugged hills can be unforgiving, especially in the blazing sunshine.

This time I have long trousers on rather than shorts, a pair of gloves to take the hardness off the razor ridges and plenty of water. I had spied out and tried that impromptu effort last year on the way to Cala Sant Vicenç thinking it would make a nice half day stroll. Little did I realise that after the initial walk in it would involve a grade one, hands on scramble all the way to the summit. If you like scrambling this is the route for you.

A Little Egret sees me off as I leave the sea front in Port de Pollença and follow the well established path that goes up and over the Coll de Siller and down to Cala Sant Vicenç. At the highest point of the Coll I leave the track, step over an ancient wall and follow a line of small cairns, familiar markers on this island, along a small dry valley to a ridge line.

It’s here that the scrambling begins. From the start there are periodic drops below me that would involve some pain should I lose my grip and fall so I am conscious to keep three points of contact and my whits about me. The trail winds its way up through rocks, bluffs and bushes, the views down to Cala Sant Vicenç and across the vast swathes of deep blue Mediterranean growing with each step upwards.

All around me, in the crevices of the rocks are tiny flowers. So delicate and yet so strong to be able to survive in this landscape of fierce heat and months without rain. I feel less affection for the knife like leaves and thorny ball bushes that dot the hillside like tribbles.

Looking out for the small, sometimes just two or three rock, cairns that mark the route becomes something of a game and if a while has gone by without seeing one the relief when a tiny cairn appears telling me I am still on the path is palpable. The trail works its way around the side of the mountain and eventually joins the ridge that rises steeply from the Coll del Siller.

Once the main ridge of the Serra de la Punta is reached the scrambling becomes a little less fraught and before long I am standing on top of its highest point, Puig del Vilar which is marked by a small stone tower. The rewards of hill walking are a strong heart and stupendous views and the hills of Mallorca are rich and generous in their offerings to those who venture up them.

The aqua blue Mediterranean stretching to the horizon is always an attractive feature, Mallorca is not a large island and the sea is always near. Another remarkable sight is the Formentor peninsula, reaching out like a long bony finger into the sea, hills like knuckles along its length. Below me are the touristy towns of Cala Sant Vicenç and Port de Pollença and the graceful curve of the Badia de Pollença, sprinkled with yachts curves around to Alcudia. The bulk of the Serra de Tramuntana range lies to the south west.

I take a while to enjoy the fruits of my labours and drink plenty of water. For some bizarre reason I had packed a snicker bar which I can now squeeze into my mouth from the wrapper like a chocolate peanut smoothie. It’s only a thousand feet to the summit of Puig del Vilar but each one is hard earned and this is one of the roughest walks with the most hands on scrambling I have done on this island.

I lose all the marker cairns on the way down and get completely lost on the steep terrain among the loose rocks and bush but eventually manage to find the track not too far from where I should have. Once on the rubble track it’s just a question of enjoying the views and sunshine as it works its way down to the first house and tarmac at El Vilar and then eventually to the main road.

I contemplate waiting for the bus back to Port de Pollença but decide to walk along the road to decompress what has been a short but pretty frenetic walk. Not having to use my hands seems quite a novelty for a while.

To see a route map of this walk including stats and geolocated pictures please click on ‘Learn more’ below. Note: you won’t see this if reading in WordPress reader but click on the little world at the top of the page to view it on the browser