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Clip-clop through Menorca's history W H I L E we B r i t i s h were b n s y a r g u i n g the pros and c o n s of t h e n e w H S 2 rail link, t h e c i t i z e n s of M e n o r c a w e r e discussing their own i m p o r tant transport matter.
Namely, the merlts of reopening an anciént route designed to allow horses and their riders t o circumnavigate the island. Built in the 1300s to connect. the S p a n i s h i s l a n d ' s d e f e n s i v e w a t c h t o w e r s . the Cami de C a v a l l s p a t h ( ' w a y of h o r s e s ' ) had sat unused and unloved, a n d w a s falling i n t o d i s r e p a i r until the decisión w a s t a k e n in 2010 to do s o m e t h i n g a b o u t it. Y o u can w a l k the p a t h if y o u insist, but really there's only one w a y t o e x p l o r e it p r o p e r l y : on horseback. T h e route is 115 miles long. so to ride the whole way would t a k e far longer t h a n the two days w e had set. aside. Instead, we set out t o explore t w o very d i f f e r e n t p a r t s of t h e island; the volcanic northern half, and the s o u t h . with its hidden white b e a c h e s and glorious s w i m m l n g spots. Our base was Torralbenc, a w h i t e w a s h e d and bougainvilléa-
by Camilla Swift
ciad farmhouse-turned-hotel w h i c h s i t s in t h e m i d d l e of i t s o w n vineyard in the s o u t h - e a s t of t h e island. O u r group of six s t r a n g e r s s t a r t e d our e x p e d i t i o n j u s t b e y o n d t h e l i g h t h o u s e at Binimel-lá b e a c h , where we met our s t e e d s for the first time. We also m e t our guide, o m i n o u s l y s p o r t i n g a b l a c k eye. 'What h a p p e n e d ? ' w e asked. He explained t h a t he had been galloping h o m e one evening and had gone straight into a tree. Almost all of the horses, includi n g my lovely mare, Zaica, were Menorciuin — a rare breed, w i t h fewer than 3,000 still in existence. Tliey are famous for the role they play in M e n o r c a n fiestas, where they p e r f o r m a m o v e called 'es Bot', which involves s t a n d i n g on their hind legs. Luckily, none of our horses d e c i d e d t o s h o w off their t w o legged tricks. We were split into two groups. T h e first were k e e n to h a v e a canter, the second happier sticking to walk ancl trot.. I w a s in the first group but, even so, I w a s
FROM PAGE 65 controversial n e w Californian law allowing people t o claim a half-share of their partn e r ' s e s t á t e , r e g a r d l e s s of w h e t h e r t h e y w e r e legally m a r r i e d , h a d b e e n t h o u g h t applicable only t o h e t e r o s e x u a l couples. When Mrs K i n g w a s phoned with n e w s of the case, d u r i n g a t o u r n a m e n t in Florida, s h e l e t o u t a p i e r c i n g s c r e a m . H e r first i n s t i n c t w a s t o p u b l i c l y d e n y t h e affair. However, w h i l e o n t o u r s h e h a d w r i t t e n clozens of intímate letters to her lover, w h o had quietly s t a s h e d t h e m away. Miss B a r n e t t t h r e a t e n e d t o use t h e m in s u p p o r t of a 13-page t e s t i m o n y c l a i m i n g t h e y h a d lived t o g e t h e r for m a n y y e a r s , b o t h at the Malibu house and in a N e w York apartment. Mrs K i n g had little choice but t o confess — first t o her h o m o p h o b i c p a r e n t s , w h o were remarkably supportive, then, t w o days later, t o the world. S h e did this by calling a press conference with her husband Larry at her side. R e s t i n g her head on L a n y ' s shoulder. she apologised for making a m i s t a k e ' , adding (to the anger of the gay c o m m u n i t y ) t h a t she did not 'feel h o m o s e x u a l ' ancl still loved her h u s b a n d . I a s k e d him this w e e k why he had s t o o d by her. 'A h u m a n being can love more t h a n one p e r s o n at a t i m e , ' he r e p l i e d evenly. 'Yes, I w a s her h u s b a n d , b u t I wasn't hurt. T h e only pain I felt w a s for Billie Jean, w h o w a s suffering." With a sardonic laugli. he added: ' M a y b e if Billie J e a n b e e n w i t h a guy I might h a v e been hurt. S o I w a s sexist, too.' Others were
travelmail
a little concerned. Riding racehorses three mornings a week a n d w i t h h o r s e s of m y o w n , a pony-trekking holiday on dobbins w a s not w h a t I w a s after. I needn't h a v e worried. Z a i c a w a s not a raceliorse. b u t she w a s far from a dobbin. And even t h o u g h t h e r e were s t r e t c h e s of follow-the-leader along the nai'row paths, the rocky teiTain m e a n t you couldn't. afford to lose concentration. M a n y of t h e C a m i de C a v a l l s p a t h w a y s are narrow and winding, with rocky s t e p s b o t h uphill ancl d o w n . T h e s e t r a c k s l e a d to the h i d d e n b e a c h e s t h a t m a k e M e n o r c a s o p o p u l a r with tourists, b u t are also p e r f e c t for a long canter along the shore or a stroll in the sea.
T
HE island's northern coastline, where we rodé o n our first day. is rocky and rugged. O n our second outing, w e followed the more sheltered s o u t h e m coast. We m e t our h o r s e s at t h e c a r p a r k of C a l a T u r q u e t a b e a c h . before proceeding to Cala des Talaier. where one nudist s e e m e d set on giving the six lady riders s o m e t h i n g of a show. T h e s e c o v e s are s o m e of t h e
Daily Mail, Saturday, November 25,2017
island's m o s t b e a u t i f u l and Cala T u r q u e t a was perfect for a post-riding clip (without h o r s e s , t h a t is). O u r g u i d e d i d w a r n u s t h a t in p e a k season the b e a c h can be s o bnsy t h a t if you arilve after 8am you won't find a s p a c e to park. We were there in May and enjoved two days of glorious sunshine. Our third day w a s l e s s g l o r i o u s , b u t a rainy day in the 18th c e n t u r y capital of M a h o n is perfect for n i p p l n g b e t w e e n t h e cafes and s h o p s for w h i c h the t o w n is famous. In the e v e n i n g s . we all ate t o g e t h e r in t h e h o t e l r e s t a u r a n t or wine cellar. O n t h e last night, we s q u a s h e d i n t o one r o o m . ordered room service, and reminisced a b o u t our rides. A bit like T h e Pony Club all over again. O n e afternoon we borrowed some bicycles and cycled through the vineyards to the h o t e l ' s winery. We all m a d e it there safely on the way down, despite the buiiipy t r a c k s . B u t the r e t u r n journey — a f t e r s a m p l i n g s o m e of the delicious w i n e s — w a s a d i f f e r e n t m a t t e r . B i k e s , w e all concluded, are far more dangero u s t h a n horses.
Iíit had been a guyf I may have been hurt' l e s s forgiving and t h e b a c k l a s h from her sponsors w a s instantaneous. T h e first t o c a n c e l h e r c o n t r a c t w a s a v i t a m i n company. It had n o t h i n g t o w i t h 'the controversy'. t h e y msisted, convincing nobody. It w a s j u s t t h a t M r s K i n g w a s 'too s t r o n g a c h a r a c t e r ' and w a s 'overpowering the product'. A tennis r a c q u e t m a n u f a c t u r e r w a s next t o d r o p her. T h e n a t o o t h p a s t e firm, a J a p a n e s e j e a n s c o m p a n y ancl c l o t h i n g d e s i g n e r s . ' S h e l o s t all h e r s p o n s o r s h i p deals. j u s t like t h a t , ' M r K i n g told me. It w a s e s t i m a t e d t h a t the s c a n d a l cost her £1.5million. T h o u g h the tennis world largely s t o o d by her, it also m a d e her a pariah in s o m e c i r c l e s a n d t h e b u t t of c r u d e bar-room jokes. Miss B a r n e t t , meanwliile, had a t t e m p t e d suicide by throwing herself from the 25fthigh decking outside the Malibu beach house in N o v e m b e r 1980. Pernianently cripplecl, she arrived at court the following year w e a r i n g a long skirt. t o hiele her calipers. b u t her bicl t o win possession of the house f a i l e d . T h e j u d g e s a i d it carne c i ó s e t o
•attempted extortion'. T h e palimony case w a s then slung out in N o v e m b e r 1982. It w a s s c a n t consolation for Mrs King. B y t h e n 38, w i t h injury and age d r a w i n g her playing career t o a cióse, her r e p u t a t i o n lay in rutas. A s s h e l a t e r remarkecl: 'If I h a d b e e n c a u g h t m a k i n g love to a movie star at high n o o n in T i m e s S q u a r e , it w o u l d n ' t e v e n have m a d e t h e six o'clock news. B u t Billie J e a n and a w o m a n . . . ' Mercifully, however, times were changing, and Mrs King's public outing actually did m u c h t o p e r s u a d e t h e p u b l i c t h a t p e o p l e ' s s e x u a l o r i e n t a t i o n w a s of n o great c o n s e q u e n c e . She continued her social advocacy and, by 2006, her s t a n d i n g w a s s u c h t h a t t h e stadium c o m p l e x in Flushing M e a d o w s , New Y o r k , w h e r e t h e U.S. O p e n is held, w a s n a m e d in her honour. T h r e e y e a r s later, she w a s received at the White House. S h e a n d Larry divorced in 1987, b u t n o t b e c a u s e of t h e l e s b i a n affair, he i n s l s t s . T h e y had simply grown apart. He remariied and lives in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of
Glorious views: M e n o r c a ' s c a p i t a l M a h o n . Inset, riding t h e C a m i d e Cavalls p a t h
TRAVEL FACTS
EASYJET (.easyjet.com, 0330 365 5000) flies from Gatwick to Menorca from £51 return. Torralbenc (torralbenc.com, 0034 971 377 211) offers riding experiences from £89 and sea-view rooms from £216, B&B.
California. N o w 74, and still playing tennis clespite having a double knee r e p l a c e m e n t , M r s K i n g r e s i d e s in N e w York w i t h her partner, S o u t h African-boni former tennis player llana K l o s s . T h e y are c i ó s e f r i e n d s of L a r r y and his wife ancl g o d p a r e n t s t o their t w o children, b o t h in their 20s. S o w h a t of t h e o t h e r players in this manylayerecl morality t a l e ? Mired in depression, Miss B a r n e t t d i s a p p e a r e d from view. S h e died prematurely, and somewhat mysteriously, in 1997, a g e d 49. A s for the m a d c a p B o b b y R i g g s . . . Ironically h e w a s h e n p e c k e d , and o f t e n bankrolled, b y his s e c o n d wife. Priscilla, t h e d a u g h t e r of a millionaire bustaessman. L a t e r in life, t h e i n v e t e r a t e liustler h a d s w i t c h e d from t e n n i s to golf, with equal zaniness. P e r h a p s his c r a z i e s t m a t c h carne w h e n , according to legend, he bet Bing Crosby t h a t he could b e a t him u s i n g a garden rake, a hoe a n d a b a s e b a l l b a t i n s t e a d of golf clubs — and w o n liands-down. Many s u s p e c t e d his loud chauvinism owed m o r e t o s e l f - p r o m o t i o n and d o l l a r s i g n s than ideology. b u t he never openly a c c e p t e d t h a t men and w o m e n were equal. N o n e t h e l e s s , he ancl M r s K i n g b e c a m e g r e a t f r i e n d s ancl s h e p h o n e d h i m w i t h c o m f o r t i n g w o r d s t h e day before he died of p r o s t a t e cáncer, at the age of 77, in 1995. One wonders whether the unrecons t r u c t e d A l p h a Male, w h o dared t o declare t h a t w o m e n ' a r e at t h e i r p r e t t i e s t w h e n they're bare-footed, pregnant and at h o m e taking care of the housework', could resist m a k i n g one last, outrageously s e x i s t jibe.