Day trips are easy on this island as most places can be accessed in an hours drive. In my Soller world it is the Arta area which takes the longest to get to. Most other places come under the ‘drive for an hour’ rule. These days the consideration of the drive is affected by how much it costs to fill the tank of petrol. Over 100 euros for most cars here in May 2022.
This means Nan’s Days Out are currently closer to home and sometimes even right on our doorsteps. In the Soller Valley we can go ‘left’ up to the lighthouse and the Muleta to pick up the route 221 towards Deya. ‘Right’ takes us to the peaks behind the Jumeirah Hotel. Turn to face the mountains and we have all the walks to Torre Picarda and Sa Figuera.
This mini-series will examine all three in the company of one or more of my grandchildren or friends who like to tag along for a ‘Nan’s Day Out’ or just me on my own. They are all ‘brand’ ‘Nan’s Days Out’
Today we drove through the Sa Mola Tunnel which links Soller centre to Puerto Soller. Just through the tunnel a sign to a car park which backs on the Camp de Football. This is a new temporary car park destined to be with us until all the wrangling over parking gets resolved. We left the car there and walked back to the tunnel exit where the road to Sa Figuera begins.
Two of my granddaughters had their early days schooling, in the one school Puerto Soller is proud to have in its midst. The Pere Cerde School with its great staff and ethos is a favourite of many families here. Every year, from a very young age, the children do the walk to the Torre Picarda which can be accessed from our starting point. They develop their walking feet very early in this world and no child leaves the school without knowing this route inside out.
Our steps today took us up the small road path, towards the little hamlet of Sa Figuera. This area is known for its fabulous bucolic views over orange orchards and olive groves. At the start of the walk we passed large houses with huge grounds, locally owned by Sollerics who use them for weekends and holidays. Small apartment living in the centre for the working week and then this space for when they have the time. These houses pass from one generation to another and are used for all the family large gatherings and celebrations.
A gentle climb. Lots of chatter and regular stops to admire the view. The odd goat came to check us out but apart from that it was birdsong all the way. At the point where the road divides we had choices, amongst them was to return the way we came. For the time we had, plus the location we parked the car, this was our sensible option.
This walk was done in the glorious sunshine of mid- May 2022. Hundreds of walkers are staying in the Soller Valley this month but no-one was on our route. This may be considered too gentle for some but more likely they didn’t know anything about it. Walking is such big business now that all the main routes and trails appear in books, online and in the heads of the tour guides. The gentle local ambles will always be just that. You will find them if someone tells you about them or you just walk and explore round the next corner without following the map.
We returned to find the car and then it was up to Fornalutx for an early evening drink and sit in the square. A perfect ‘Nan’s Day Out’.
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