Secret Walks: Ibiza South by Secret Seeker

Secret Walks Ibiza South 18 walks of extraordinary beauty revealed by forgotten pathways Rob Smith

Ibiza South Highlights

Breathtaking views from the top of Cap Nunó S.13

Winter almond blossom in Santa Agnès S.14

Lush green grass in the Buscastell Valley

S.15

The famed flat rocks of Punta Galera

S.12

Sant Mateo

The best sunsets on Ibiza at Cala Comte S.11

Santa Agnès

Santa Gertrudis

c d

Sleepy village life in the heart of the island S.10

Sant Antoni

San Rafael

Sant

Views of mainland Spain from Sa Talaia at 476m S.07

Eivissa m

g Josep

h i

Es Cubells

j k

A tiny chapel perched high on a hilltop in Benimussa S.08

The myths and mysteries of Es Vedrá S.05

Hippy hang-out and carved rock at Atlantis S.05

A super-secret beach called Cala Llentrisca S.04

Perfect sand and turquoise waters at Ses Salines S.03

Ibiza’s historic heart and its many museums S.01

Secret Walks Ibiza South

Secret Walks Ibiza South by Rob Smith With additional texts by Martin Davies

This is an abridged preview of the printed book. The full book contains 192 colour pages and 18 walks of varying length and difficulty. All walk instructions in this preview have been obscured for online viewing.

First published by One More Grain Of Sand, 2015 info@onemoregrainofsand.com www.secretseeker.com www.onemoregrainofsand.com www.ibizawalkingassociation.com Edited by Martin Davies with Ulrike Humphreys Spanish translation by Eva Ríos German translation by Ulrike Humphreys Printed by Sterling, UK. Research and photography by Robert Smith Design by Ben Hoo and Robert Smith Maps by Dog’s Body Design, Chunning Chang, Joan Costa Bonet and Robert Smith

ONE MORE GRAIN OF SAND

All contents including text, photographs, maps and design © Robert A. L. Smith 2015, unless otherwise stated. Images on p.14 and p.129 produced in collaboration with the Arxiu d’Imatge i So Municipal d’Eivissa.AISME The moral right of Robert Smith to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988. The moral right of Martin Davies to be identified as the author of the Extra Step articles within this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from One More Grain Of Sand. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 978 Help us update: Over two years, 3000km and numerous pairs of walking shoes have gone into making this guide the best it can be, but if you think something could be improved, an instruction could be clearer or you find the perfect pitstop to include in the next edition, we’d love to hear from you: info@onemoregrainofsand.com Publisher’s Note: Many of the walks within this publication follow steep, rocky pathways which may be little used and are susceptible to erosion. Every effort has been made to provide sufficient warning where necessary. The publisher and author accept no responsibility for injuries or deaths that arise from following the routes featured in this book. You are responsible for your own safety – rely on your own assessment of whether a particular route is suitable for your abilities and whether it has deteriorated since publication of the book to a point where it is not safe. Place-names in this book have been given in the local language, Ibicenco, a dialect of the Catalan language. Every effort has been made to trace copyright ownership and to obtain permission for reproduction of the Extra Steps images. If you believe you are the copyright owner, and we have not requested your permission, please contact us.

CONTENTS KIT BAG

Introduction The Ibizan countryside code The island The climate Kit list Catalan or Spanish Bites, stings and other nasty things Getting around Ibiza road map How to use this book Icons and technical information Maps and map key Glossary The southern Extra Steps

THE WALKS

Southern walking route map The southern Secret Walks S.01 Dalt Vila S.02 Sant Jordi S.03 The Ses Salines Nature Reserve S.04 Es Cubells S.05 Es Vedrà and Atlantis S.06 Cala Vedella S.07 Sa Talaia S.08 Sant Josep East S.09 Sant Josep North S.10 Sant Agustí S.11 Cala Comte S.12 Sant Antoni S.13 Cala Salada S.14 Santa Agnès West S.15 The Buscastell Valley S.16 Santa Gertrudis South S.17 S’Estanyol S.18 Talamanca

16 17 20 32 40 46 56 64 72 84 94 104 112 122 130 140 150 160 166 174

BACK PACK

Tying knots: how to join routes together Loose ends: how to shorten routes Best walks for... Martin Davies and Barbary Press Ulrike Humphreys and Walk and Talk Ibiza About the author Ibiza Preservation Fund Acknowledgements and special thanks

178 182 184 188 189 190 191 192

6 7 8 8 9 9 10 11 11 12 12 13 13 14

INTRODUCTION

Majestic Es Vedrà, endless forested hills, gleaming salt pans, panoramic views and shimmering sunsets make southern Ibiza a walker’s paradise. The area is so special that UNESCO has conferred World Heritage status on several sites, namely Dalt Vila, Ses Salines and two archaeological gems, Sa Caleta and Puig des Molins, and all provide evidence of Ibiza’s pivotal role in early Mediterranean history. The routes chosen here will showcase the best the island has to offer. Discover timeless villages like Sant Agustí and Santa Agnès, visit the secret beaches dotted all along the coast and enjoy the secluded and peaceful corners of this legendary bolthole. Each walk has its own brief introduction, which describes the memorable scenery you will encounter and we have also added an ‘Extra Step’ for many of the routes. These short articles provide deeper insights into an island of endless beauty and fascination, the shy alter ego to the modernday extrovert. If you are not already acquainted with it, this book will introduce you to the natural side of Ibiza, and we’re confident you will get along famously. As always with our books we have tried to provide everything you may require for a pleasurable day out, so please note the pitstops, places we recommend for refreshment and relaxation. Many are specially chosen from our forthcoming Secret Kitchen: Ibiza, while the featured beaches are mostly excerpts from our earlier publication Secret Beaches: Ibiza. So make the most of these suggestions: they are fully researched and well worth a visit.

THE IBIZAN COUNTRYSIDE CODE

PROTECT Although allowed during the cooler part of the year, we would advise you not to make fires. There are pockets of the island which have been severely damaged by forest fires started by tiny sparks. Charcoal barbecues are also illegal during the summer months. Try to leave no trace of your passing by. We would love to encourage you to pick up litter as well, if you see any. Nature on Ibiza is fragile and compromised every year by summer tourism. Please help it to recover and try to avoid damaging plants or animal habitats. Keep an eye on your canine friend if you have one, and please use a leash in areas where there is livestock.

RESPECT There are many public-access caminos and tracks that are used to access homes, many of which cross private land. Even if they look disused, please don’t block lanes when you park and stick to the path when walking. Ibiza is open to ramblers and while most island residents love to help and chat, please don’t trespass on obviously private land. It’s always best to close any gates you go through – or leave them open if that is how you found them.

THE ISLAND

Ibiza is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, small enough to drive from tip to tip in about an hour, and yet large enough to get pleasantly lost in. For fiends of fact, the island is split into five municipalities, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about 572 square kilometres, 40 by 20km, sits around 80km off the coast of Valencia, the highest peak is 476m above sea level and the length of the coastline, with all its beaches, bays and inlets is an incredible 210km.

SANT JOAN DE LABRITJA SANT ANTONI DE PORTMANY SANTA EULĂ&#x20AC;RIA DEL RIU

SANT JOSEP DE SA TALAIA

EIVISSA

THE CLIMATE

Ibiza is relatively temperate and it is safe to walk at any time of year, so long as you are properly prepared. During the summer months (mid-June to mid-September) it is best to walk in the early morning or late evening, as afternoon temperatures can peak at over 35 degrees. Make sure you take plenty of water and protect yourself from the sun with a hat and sunscreen. During the winter months (mid-December to mid-February) the weather can do anything. One day you will be walking in shorts and T-shirts, the next you may need to wear a jumper or raincoat. Spring and autumn are usually perfect walking weather, but it can definitely get hot and there is always a chance of a good deluge. Our graphs below give you an idea of the temperature and precipitation averages to expect. AVERAGE RAINFALL

AVERAGE AIR TEMPERATURE

(MM)

AVERAGE WATER TEMPERATURE

(C)

5 J

(C)

0 J

KIT LIST

At any time of year it’s best to prepare for any eventuality. Always carry plenty of water. On hot days, a rough guide is about half a litre for each hour you are walking. We recommend walking boots, but during summer trainers with a good gripping sole will suffice.

SUMMER

SPRING/AUTUMN

Water and lots of it Sun hat Sunscreen Lightweight clothes

Water Sunscreen Sun hat Clothes for any situation

WINTER Water Sunscreen Extra layer Showerproof coat

CATALAN OR SPANISH

We have used Ibicenco, a dialect of the Catalan language, in our texts and maps. This will mean that all the place names you see in our book will match road signs and local directions. Just in case you are supplementing our book with a guidebook or map that is in Spanish, here is a list of the more common Catalan names with their Spanish equivalents:

CATALAN SPANISH Eivissa Sant Antoni (de Portmany) Santa Eulària (des Río) Sant Carles (de Peralta) Sant Joan (de Labritja) Es Canar Sant Josep (de sa Talaia) Sant Llorenç (de Balafia) Sant Rafel (de sa Creu) Sant Jordi (de ses Salines) Sant Miquel (de Balansat) Santa Agnès (de Corona) Platja d’en Bossa Platja de ses Salines Platjes de Comte

Ibiza San Antonio Santa Eulalia San Carlos San Juan Es Caná San José San Lorenzo San Rafael San Jorge San Miguel Santa Inés Playa d’en Bossa Playa de las Salinas Cala Conta

BITES, STINGS AND OTHER NASTY THINGS

Ibiza is a relatively safe island compared to other holiday destinations located in warm climates. There are no venomous insects, snakes or dangerous animals.

JELLYFISH If you swim regularly around Ibiza, you are likely to come across a jellyfish or two. The most common jellyfish you are likely to encounter is the Pelagia noctiluca – the ‘mauve stinger’ – which, while painful, does not pose any serious health risks.

SPIDERS Spiders will often spin webs between vegetation across pathways. Keep your eye out for these on our longer, more secluded walks.

SEA URCHINS These are common around the shores and in the rock pools of Ibiza. They’re easy to spot, so take care not to step on them – an urchin’s spike in your foot isn’t much fun on the dance-floor.

SNAKES Whether you believe the legends or not, there are no poisonous snakes living wild in Ibiza. Non-venomous snakes, however, arrived about twelve years ago in olive trees imported for garden centres.

DOGS Our canine friends can get very protective when walkers are near their territory. Their natural instinct compels them to bark aggressively to ward off any potential threat. Dog bites are extremely rare though and most dogs will not approach closer than a few metres.

GETTING AROUND Outside the summer months public transport is very hit-and-miss. Infrequent bus services run to the main villages and they can often be full, meaning they will not stop for you. The website for routes and timetables is www.ibizabus.com. Our recommendation is to hire a car, moped or bicycle. There are several websites where off-season you can hire cars for as little as €10 a day, a cost we think worth every penny considering how much more of the island you will be able to discover with the freedom of your own transport.

IBIZA ROAD MAP

Cala d’en Serra

PM811

es Figueral PM804

PMV804-1

PM812

C733 PM810

Platges de Comte

PMV812-1

PMV812-2 PM810

E30 C733 C731

PMV810-1

Puig d’en Valls

E10 E20 PM803

PM801-1

Platja d’en Bossa 5km

es Vedrà

2 miles

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK Important â&#x20AC;&#x201C; read instructions carefully and stay on track Ibiza is a fantastic place to walk and explore and the routes within this book will take you to areas of the island that are wild and seldon trodden. At regular intervals we ask you to look for small, specific markers in order to find a pathway. This means you must be aware of your surroundings and make sure you fully read the instruction you are following, and ideally the subsequent one as well, in order to not get lost. This is all the more important when walking and chatting with friends and family as it is easy to get distracted, misjudge distances and miss turnings. Important for GPS users â&#x20AC;&#x201C; estimated distances within the instructions Rather than giving the exact distances recorded by GPS between reference points in the instructions, we have given rough distances and adjusted them very slightly according to the terrain. On rocky terrain it will always feel like you have walked further than you actually have, and so we have accounted for this. The walk durations are based on an easy pace of 3km/hr with no stopping time.

ICONS AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Each walk has a series of icons that will give you important information about the route. Below is what they mean and how you should interpret them. 167m

225m

Max height The maximum height the walk reaches above sea level

Total height gain The total uphill walking during the walk

5 Panoramic views rated 1 to 5

18km

Walk difficulty E = Easy M = Moderate H = Hard X = Extreme

Walk length We have rounded this up to the nearest km

5 Family suitability rated 1 to 5

5hrs

Walk duration This is based on a leisurely walking speed without stops

5 Nature and beauty rated 1 to 5

MAPS AND MAP KEY The maps we have created for the book should be used to give you an idea of where you are along the route and a sense of your surroundings. It is not possible to show every road and pathway at the scale we use so don’t worry if you see turnings not marked on the map. Simply follow the detailed written instructions. Walking route & instruction w numbers

Wide asphalt road Narrow asphalt or wide dirt road

Narrow dirt road, track or pathway

Optional extra or short-cut route

Start point

Pitstop / restaurant

Church

Chiringuito

Watch-tower

Chapel

Viewpoint

Picnic spot

Spring / Well

Car park

Lighthouse

GLOSSARY Here are a few useful Spanish terms you’ll come across in this book and on the walks:

SPANISH ENGLISH camino coto privado de caza chiringuito finca carrer (Catalan) / calle ayuntamiento bodega bocadillo tostada café caleta hierbas alioli

small dirt road private hunting reserve beach bar, often serving food traditional country house street town hall wine bar or cellar filled roll or baguette open-faced toasted sandwich coffee with cinnamon and Brandy herb and aniseed liqueur garlic mayonnaise

THE SOUTHERN EXTRA STEPS

The Extra Step articles in this walking book cover a range of subjects that include nature, history, architecture, ethnography and more. Written by Martin Davies of Barbary Press, these short, accessible essays complement each walk with a little slice of island life. We hope they will make your time exploring Ibiza even more enjoyable.

Ramparts and Walls

p.26

Oranges on Vara de Rey

p.30

Worship and Protection

p.38

Fact File #1

p.52

Fact File #2

p.62

The Golden Calf

p.70

Ibiza’s Tragedy

p.80

Modern art and ancient history And our men in Havana

Ibiza’s fortified churches

Es Vedrà and Father Palau The pirate tower and Atlantis myths The rise and fall of Cala Vedella The Roques Altes plane crash

The People’s Prelate

p.100

The Six Cinderellas

p.108

Fact File #3

p.118

Hallucination Generation

p.128

Count Nunó Sanç

p.136

A Truly White Isle

p.146

Turrets and Turbines

p.154

Secret History

p.172

A brief history of Sant Josep and its church Sant Agustí’s fairytale The Hannibal riddle Sant Antoni’s trio of arthouse films A pirate and an empire builder The blossoming of the almond groves Buscastell and its water

The bombing of the beach huts

Ibiza Under Snow (Eivissa Nevada), 7 February 1907 Narcís Puget.AISME

Cala de Xarraca

Port de Sant Miquel Cala d’Albarca

Es Portitxol

Sant Joa

Ses Margalides

Sa Conillera

Sant Agustí

Cala Tarida

Cala Vedella

y Cala d’Hort

Sant Llorenç

Forada

Santa Gertrudis

Santa Eulà

Siest

Sant Rafel

Port des Torrent

Cala Vedella

Sant Mateu

Can Germà

Sant Antoni

Cala Bassa

Platges de Comte

Santa Agnès

g f

Cala Salada

Sant Miquel

a o

Jesús

w Eivissa l

Sant u Josep

Sant Jordí

s’Estanyol

Talamanca

Es Cubells

Es Vedrà

Platja d’en Bossa Platja des Cubells

Ses Salines Port des Jondal

Sa Caleta

Platja des Cavallet

Platja de ses Salines

s’Espardell

N 4 km 2 miles

s’Espalmador

THE SOUTHERN SECRET WALKS

ortinatx

Cala d’en Serra

Sant Vicent

Sant Jordi

Hidden stairways and panoramic ramparts Puig de sa Pega and its breathtaking views

Pou des Lleo

Es Cubells

Es Vedrà and Atlantis

A secret beach and soaring headland The rock and the beach

Cala de Cala Boix

Es Canar

Cala Llenya

Platja de S. Eulària Cala Llonga

Vedella

A sandy beach and a view of Es Vedrà

Easy – 2.5km – p.20

Medium – 11km – p.32

Easy to Hard – varies – p.40

Hard – 13km – p.46

Hard – 3km – p.56

Easy – 9.5km – p.64

Sa Talaia

Sant Josep East

Sant Josep North

Sant Agustí

Easy – 3.5km – p.104

Cala Comte

Medium – 13km – p.112

Sant Antoni

Medium – 8km – p.122

Cala Salada

Extreme – 10km – p.130

Santa Agnès West

The Buscastell Valley

Santa Gertrudis South

S’Estanyol

Medium – 14km – p.166

Talamanca

Easy – 2.5km – p.174

Platja des Canar

ària

Dalt Vila

Cala de The Ses Salines Nature Reserve S. Vicent Ancient industry and the wonder of nature

Es Figueral

Sant Carles



Ibiza’s highest peak A chapel with a view

A church-to-church circular The sea views and the almond valley A rave cave and a hermit cave The Flat Rocks and Punta de sa Galera The hunters’ trails of Cap Nunó The almond blossom in the moonlight Ancient wells and bubbling springs Woodland pathways and sleepy caminos Secret beaches and hidden gardens Ses Feixes wetlands

Hard – 16km – p.72

Hard – 15.5km – p.84

Medium – 8.5km – p.94

Easy – 10km max – p.140

Medium – 12km – p.150

Easy – 7km – p.160

71m

Dalt Vila

Hidden stairways and panoramic ramparts

75m

2.5km

2hrs

S.01

S. JOAN

IBIZA

S. EULĂ&#x20AC;RIA

S. ANTONI

EIVISSA S. JOSEP

With a trail snaking up worn old steps and secret passageways known only to locals, this alternative approach to Dalt Vila is the perfect walk to start off the book. Leading you past several museums and even into the old Council Chamber, the route eventually takes you up to the ramparts where spectacular views of Formentera and the southern part of Ibiza open up. For those with time, an optional detour to a secluded bay is included, and we recommend some great pitstops along the way where you can relax over lunch, coffee â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or something a little more bracing.

Puerto de Ibiza

Dalt Vila

Hidden stairways and panoramic ramparts

EIVISSA

y Re de ara R V de eig s s del Pa ça Pla Parc

1* 1&

LA MARINA

q w

SA PENYA

e r t

y iu

DALT VILA

Parc de la Reina Sofia

oR s a

1% 1$ 1^

C. del Calvari

100m 40

400ft

Es Soto 30

S’Arany

CLIMBS

70m 60m 50m 40m 30m 20m 10m 0m

.25km

.5km

.75km

1km

1.25km

1.5km 1.75km

2km

2.25km 2.5km 2.75km

GETTING THERE A

The start point for the walk is Vara de Rey. This is a buzzing boulevard See printed book for full at any time of year, located near the Marina quarter at the end of walk directions Avenida de España. Look on any map of Ibiza Town and you’ll find it easily enough. There is paid parking all over the town or, alternatively, free parking at the other end of Avenida de España near the roundabout where you will find supermarkets and a drive-through McDonald’s.

THE WALK



Starting at the monument in Vara de Rey (see Extra Step on page 30), See printed book for walk towards La Marina, heading east with thefull walls of Dalt Vila behind buildings on your walk right. directions

At end of Vara de Rey turn right and after about 50m take the second left onto Carrer d’Anníbal.

Walk about 200m until you see the ramp leading up to the main gate on the right. Follow up and into the old city. After the second arch go straight ahead into a longish square with shops and houses around you.

After 100m go right up a short slope, just next to a tapering curved tower, and then right into our first museum on the walk, the Museum of Contemporary Art.

NOT TO MISS Museum of Contemporary Art Based in the old arsenal this museum offers you unique perspectives in more ways than one. First and foremost, the art that is on display; secondly the views out of its wide windows to the outer walls and the main entrance of the city; and thirdly, underneath the thick glass floor of the basement gallery, the ancient foundations and remains that have been recently revealed by archaeologists. Free.

Back down the small into thebook square, walk diagonally right across Seeslope printed for full it and up some steep steps between buildings to the top, then turn left to walk directions walk to a seemingly dead-end. Here you will find a tiny hidden passage, Carrer de Sant Rafel. Follow up a couple of steps and along.

At the end of Carrer de Sant Rafel carry straight on to the asphalt road and uphill slightly, with the ramparts on your left.

S.01

Dalt Vila

Hidden stairways and panoramic ramparts

After about 150m look for the bronze statue of Isidor Macabich in the gardens on your right.

NOT TO MISS Macabich Sculpture Anyone exploring Ibiza will frequently encounter the name of Isidor Macabich, one of the most esteemed figures in Ibiza’s history. Known mostly as a historian and writer, he was also a priest, poet, scholar and occasional columnist for the Diario de Ibiza. One of his most famous aphorisms was coined when asked if he was descended from Ibiza’s noble families. He replied, “In Ibiza there are no nobles: we are all either sons of seamen, sons of peasants, or sons of bitches.”

Walk a few metres past the Macabich statue (away from the walls) and forfor full down a few steps,See thenprinted turn right.book Look left the steps going up an alleyway betweenwalk numbers 13 and 14. Proceed up these. directions

At the top of the steps turn left and walk 50m towards our first pitstop, Bar Es Cafetí and just diagonally right at the end of the street the Mirador de Dalt Vila hotel, our second pitstop. After possible refreshment at either, walk down the palm-lined road past the Mirador towards the viewing terrace after which the hotel is named. (See page 31 for both pitstops.)

Here you have a wonderful panorama of the harbour entrance. Heading back from the viewpoint go through the arched doorway on the right. This former convent is the old Town Council for Ibiza Town. (See Not To Miss on opposite page.)

S.01

NOT TO MISS The Old Town Council When you enter, smile sweetly at the person on the front desk and turn right into the old Council Chamber to see the 17th-century painted ceiling. After this, go back and turn right in front of the stained glass window. At the end of the corridor on the left is a wonderful set of portraits of Ibiza’s Hijos Ilustres (distinguished citizens). Back at the front desk, go up the short flight of steps to see a double-storied cloister where concerts are held in the summer.

Back out on the palm-lined street, go right and walk up the ramped See toprinted for fullhotel. alley that heads uphill the side book of the Mirador

Walking past Bar Can Botino you will have the Renaissance walls of the upper citadel on your left. (See Extra Step page 26.) Keep following the walkway up as it veers left and through an arch to the street at the top. Turn right here and look up and to the right at the window surrounds. These are some of the best architrave carvings in Ibiza.

Carry on down this street about 100m to visit Museu Puget, which is on your right. (See page 28.)

Emerging from the Puget Museum, turn left and go back up the way you came for 50m. Then turn right and go up the steps of Carreró de l’Esperança. At the top turn, right for a great view, left to carry on the walk.

Following the route under an old iron walkway and past some old derelict mansions, after a couple of turns you will soon find yourself at Plaça de la Catedral. Admire the views and the buildings before visiting Madina Yabisa. (This museum is located opposite where you enter Plaça de la Catedral, in building no.2., see page 29.)

walk directions

THE EXTRA STEP Ramparts and Walls Modern art and ancient history The Renaissance walls of Dalt Vila are among the masterpieces of European military architecture, and it comes as no surprise that UNESCO added them to their World Heritage List in 1999. The massive ramparts took shape between 1555 and 1598, following the blueprints of Italian-born engineers Gianbattista See printed book for Calvi and Giovan Giacomo Palearo (‘El Fratín’). The full eye-catching prow of our stone ship, the Santa Llúcia bastion, was added by Palearo, who realised article that the elevated suburb of Vila Nova represented an obvious bridgehead for would-be assailants. These days the largest bastion houses the Contemporary Art Museum, while Santa Llúcia provides an idyllic open-air stage for summer jazz festivals. The old powder magazine embedded in its centre has likewise been converted into an exhibition space: swords into ploughshares . . .

S.01

The Carthaginian necropolis of Puig des Molins ca. 1930, Domingo Viñets © Viñets Tur family

Since 1991, archaeological work around the smaller western bastions of Sant See printed book for full Jordi and Sant Jaume has uncovered an atmospheric stretch of wall, complete article with medieval battlements, towers and arrow loops. The inner casemates of Sant Jaume and Sant Pere now house fascinating historic displays. The Islamic and medieval city (around which Calvi traced his plan) occupied only the western half of Dalt Vila’s acropolis, separated into three walled-off precincts, with wealthy merchants and landowners ensconced at the top by the castle and mosque. About twenty of the thirty rectangular towers which punctuated the various stretches of wall can still be recognised, half-hidden among later constructions. Dalt Vila is also a veritable underground labyrinth, riddled with long-forgotten passages and rainwater cisterns which gave the ancient city a reputation for impregnability. The Romans, in fact, never conquered this proud Carthaginian colony, entering instead into a federated pact. By the same token, Pedro the Cruel was unable to add Ibiza to Castile-Leon (then separate from Catalonia-Aragon), withdrawing in 1359 after an unsuccessful siege. His kingdom was named after its castles, but this was one too far!

Dalt Vila

Hidden stairways and panoramic ramparts

NOT TO MISS The Puget Museum Dedicated to Puget Vi単as and Puget Riquer, this marvellous Dalt Vila palace houses a collection of 130 artworks that depict everyday life on the island in the early to mid-twentieth century. Ranging from sketches and drawings to watercolours and oils, the relaxing tempo of old Ibiza was perfectly captured by the father-and-son artists.

NOT TO MISS Madina Yabisa Interpretation Centre Beneath layers of building that has taken place on this site over the last thousand years are the ancient foundations and remains of a Muslim city called Madina Yabisa. Within this Renaissance palazzo archaeologists and architects have revealed what remains of these structures in a fascinating display. Audiovisual installations reveal what Dalt Vila was like as a Muslim medieval town and there is even a scale model showing its development throughout the ages.

To continue our tour, walk along the right-hand side of the Cathedral See printed book for full towards the ramparts. At the front, overlooking the panoramic view to walk directions Formentera, if you glance to your right you will see the tunnel walkway that descends inside the bastion to the headland below. Follow this down if you want the extra walk to the secret beach and back. Then simply follow one of the main paths heading south across the headland towards the coast â&#x20AC;&#x201C; there is a network of pathways here. Veer right to follow one of the paths before you reach the coastline. Then join a road where you should follow the coast again until you see the small beach to your left after about 100m.

S.01

THE EXTRA STEP Oranges on Vara de Rey And our men in Havana

Vara de Rey, Domingo Viñets © Viñets Tur family

Ibiza Town is still expanding on the plain, north and west of Dalt Vila, but the first building to rise beyond the harbour stockade stood alone for sixteen whole years. Teatro Pereyra (1898) takes its exotic Portuguese-Sephardic name from one of three backers, Vicent Pereyra y Morante, then military chief of Ibiza. As local comandante, Pereyra followed in his father’s footsteps, but See printed book for full he’d previously had a lengthy posting in Cuba. His gorgeous theatre with its colonnaded porch, pinkarticle pediment and ravishing interior (currently undergoing refurbishment) was among the first colonial-style buildings on Ibiza. Vara de Rey, Vila’s stunning showpiece, was once a humble orange grove, l’Hort de sa Tarongeta, complete with its own well. During the second half of the 19th century it was known as the Paseo de la Alameda after twin rows of plane trees (alamedas) brought over from Barcelona in 1849, making it ideal for an afternoon stroll. It received its current name in 1904 as a tribute to the late General Joaquín Vara de Rey, born in 1840 in Ibiza castle. In the same year Pereyra built his theatre, Vara de Rey lost Cuba to American forces at the Battle of El Caney – but in an action so valiant (two sons and a brother perished alongside), he became a national hero. The Ibizan statue was unveiled in a glittering ceremony by Alfonso XIII in April 1904 – the island’s first royal visit. The cutlass-wielding general stood in solitary splendour for a decade, as the first apartment building, La Mutual, was only begun in 1914. The avenue’s crowning architectural glory is surely the Hotel Montesol and it is fitting that Juan Gómez Ripoll ‘Campos’, its builder, acquired his professional skills in Cuba. One local forfeited the Indies, but two others brought back their eye-catching style.

Continuing ourSee walk,printed you now have a straightforward section that book for full takes you along the ramparts with their breathtaking views. After walk directions descending a couple of hundred metres down a steep walkway you enter the old city again where from spring to autumn you will find another of our pitstops, S’Escalinata (called ‘The Staircase’ after its original outdoors seating), a small bar, busy with locals. See below.

Just down by this little bar, where the ramparts rejoin the bustle of Dalt Vila, you will see an alley heading downhill to the left. It leads through an arch. This is Portal Nou or ‘New Gate’ and will bring you back out of Dalt Vila. Just outside the walls, proceed down the steps and then turn right to the bottom of the hill. Ahead of you is the top end of Vara de Rey. Go right and you will find yourself at the monument where you started.

THE PITSTOPS S’Escalinata

Hostal Parque

A cracking little bar for those who want a bit of buzz with the locals. It’s just a tiny room really, but outside everyone hangs out on the cobbled steps and some cushions and a couple of tables are offered to those who can get them and want to order from the simple but delicious menu. 971 30 61 93. sescalinata.es

At any time this is a popular restaurant and hotel. It has a great menu, the pièce de résistance being the couscous served as a Thursday special. Located just off our route on Plaça des Parc, which can be found easily by walking directly towards the Dalt Vila ramparts from the start or end-point of the route on Vara de Rey. 971 30 13 58. hostalparque.com

Mirador de Dalt Vila Those wanting to take afternoon tea or stop for lunch will be happy with the Mirador (a five-star hotel) where a line of tables run along its impressive frontage. Take your time here in spring when the sunshine is gentle and the sea breeze cool. 971 30 30 45. hotelmiradoribiza.com

Bar Es Cafetí Perfect for a quick stop for a coffee or simple drink, Es Cafetí is a cute little bar frequented by locals. It sits on the corner of a tiny cobbled street with room for just one small table and two chairs outside. No telephone or website.

S.01

307m

Es Cubells

A secret beach and soaring headland

381m

13km

4hrs

S.04 S. JOAN

IBIZA

S. EULÀRIA

S. ANTONI EIVISSA S. JOSEP

This walk has it all. Starting with clifftop views beside the church at Es Cubells, you are led along a dramatic asphalt lane that clings to the side of a cliff to a small fishermen’s path – and eventually the secluded bay of Cala Llentrisca, featured in our sister publication Secret Beaches: Ibiza. Continuing on, we take you up the steep slope on the far side of the beach for glorious views of Es Vedrà and a picnic spot facing its towering flank. Further on we offer you an additional climb to the highest point of Cap Llentrisca (optional but highly recommended), with even more spectacular views. Finally, a meander through small vineyards and along dirt roads takes you back to where you started the 13km route.

Rota d’en Paises

Es Cubells

200

A secret beach and soaring headland 350

Serra des Castellans

ep os tJ n Sa

300 200

ES CUBELLS

250

j k

Ctra. a Cala d’Hor t

Cala d ’Hort

2@ 2!

Cala des Cubells

150

Llentrisca

q 50

h 250

350 Puig

Plana se ses Boques

Plana d’en Casaques

100

Punta des Llumbi

S.05

Escull des Niu de s’Àguila Mac des Trèvol

300

S’Esqueneta Arenesta

d e r

s u Racó de sa Galereta

ses Pesqueres Noves

Raco des Boi d’en Sarri

Salt d’en Sit

Cala Llentrisca

50 Pla de Cala Llentrisca

100

CLIMBS

400m

Racó de sa Popa des Barco

o i

1,000ft

Cap Llentrisca 300m 250m 200m 150m 100m 50m 0m

1km

2km

3km

4km

5km

6km

7km

8km

9km

10km 11km

12km

GETTING THERE A

Es Cubells canSee be found on any decent map, in the southeast of the printed book for full island due west of Ses Salines. There is a bus stop with an irregular walk directions service and plenty of parking. The church, our starting-point for the walk, is in plain view when you arrive in the village.

THE WALK



From the front ofSee the Es Cubellsbook church,for walk towards the sea with the printed full church wall on your right. Just as you reach the back of the church, walk directions overlooking the sea, go down the steps on your left and follow all the way down to an asphalt road.

NOT TO MISS e

Font des Cubells

At the bottom of the steps you will see a small grotto inside which is a spring, an important source of water for local residents in former times. Its shrine-like appearance, with beautiful interior carvings and worn features, is due to an exiled Carmelite priest, Francesc Palau, who spent six years in a hermitage nearby in the 1850s. He also established a strong Ibizan cult around the Virgin Mary, and Es Cubells remains the leading place on the island for pilgrimage and prayer.

When you reach the road go right. Follow the asphalt as it undulates Seecliffs printed book for Do full half way up the high for about 2.5km. not turn off onto lower walk roads as the best viewsdirections are from the road you are on.

After roughly 2.5km the road double backs on itself to the left and heads steeply downhill. After about 100m fork right onto Vía Velázquez, carrying on downhill for the first part.

After 50m or so, Vía Velázquez will bend around to the right and then level out. After about 200m it becomes a track going uphill slightly and then a pathway. Keep going by following the pathway, downhill at first, and into the woods.

S.04

Es Cubells

A secret beach and soaring headland

NOT TO MISS Cala Llentrisca One of the beaches featured in our sister book Secret Beaches: Ibiza, this pretty hideaway is an irresistible spot for a rest. An old jetty juts into the sea, lending the beach charm and providing the perfect platform to slip into the clear and sheltered waters.

The little path meanders towards the sea and follows the coast at a See printed book for full slightly elevated position on the steep headland. After about 500m you will reach a small walk beach,directions Cala Llentrisca. (See opposite page.)

After relaxing on the beach, look for the small path that threads uphill over rocks behind the beach. It is located in the corner of the beach where you arrived. You should see it in the wide gap between a small concrete-rendered shelter and the first row of fishermen’s huts.

Follow the path as it winds up the steep hill behind the beach. Near the top you come to a junction with a wide path. Go left.

Follow this wide path around the headland until Es Vedrà floats into view. (See Extra Step on page 53.) Be sure to enjoy views of Formentera to your left as well. Just in front of Es Vedrà you can walk downhill slightly and out to the very front of the headland to admire the view or enjoy a picnic.

NOT TO MISS Es Vedrà picnic spot Look for the small cairn that should be at the front of the headland here, and you will find a ledge perfect for sitting and dangling your legs. It’s perfectly safe as there’s a wide lower ledge immediately below to reassure those scared of heights.

S.04

THE EXTRA STEP Fact File #1 Es Vedrà and Father Palau Ibiza’s southwestern corner is a happy hunting ground for mythmakers and mystics, seeding everything from Tanit worship and sirens to Atlanteans and underwater UFOs. The yarn-spinning is best enjoyed with some beer or bubbly as the golden orb slips into the waves and the crescent moon rides high among the clouds. To quench our thirst for empirical as wellSee as spiritual truth, we offer few facts to balance the printed book for afull rising tide of hearsay. article First up is Es Vedrà, one of many Berber place-names found throughout rural Ibiza, whose name probably signifies ‘The Mountain’ – adrar. Could this offshore colossus be one of the magnetic centres of our spinning globe, as a growing host of New Agers would have us believe? Geologists know that this unique spot lies firmly within the Earth’s iron core, while nautical experts also point out that compass anomalies around Es Vedrà are the stuff of fiction. There is, however, a connection with Catholic mysticism, due to a maverick Carmelite, Francisco Palau (1811–72), who was beatified in 1988. Palau’s unorthodox views led church authorities to banish him temporarily to Ibiza (1854–60), where he made his hermit’s

It seems that the good hermit [Father Palau] frequently travels to EsS.04 Vedrà in his boat to spend a few days there in solitary meditation. Archduke Ludwig Salvator, Die Balearen in Wort und Bild geschildert. Vol. 1. Die alten Pityusen (1869).

Engraving by Albert Toller based on the Archduke’s drawing

retreat in a shady grotto below Es Cubells. Early in 1864 he returned to the island to preach exorcising mission See an printed book for among full the more godless peasants, known for readily resorting to arms. Tired out by his lectures article and the curiosity of locals, the mystic friar retreated, with the assistance of a sympathetic fisherman to Es Vedrà, where he settled in a lofty cave in 1864. Here he had a series of vivid and slightly risqué night-time visions, which were later written up and published. They combine ecstatic self-transformation with gardening symbolism, Ibicencos being keen horticulturalists then as now. The island’s close association with the Mother of God, enshrined in a Marian cult of fiestas and personal names like Mariano, Carmen and Neus, owes much to this passionate and imaginative preacher. Since his lengthy sojourn Es Cubells has been a centre of Ibizan pilgrimage, and although we now have a rather different notion of Flower Power, the sleepy hamlet provides an insight into an earlier Earth Mother cult – the ancient cave-sanctuary of Es Culleram. Pious individuals and families would set off on foot, whether to Catholic Es Cubells or Punic San Vicente, to give thanks through deeds and prayers for the safe return of sons from military service and the restored health of loved ones. Just like Tanit, the Virgin Mary enjoyed immense protective powers. Christian and Punic religions even share the same symbolic bird, the sacred dove, as witnessed by the winged figurines discovered at Es Culleram in 1907.

Es Cubells

A secret beach and soaring headland

To return to the walk, take the first path on the right that leads uphill a few metres back from where the path drops downhill towards the printed book for follows full a lower route. picnic spot. IgnoreSee the first smaller path that

Stick to the path as it turns into a wide track. You will be led over and down the other side of a small wooded rise. If the weather is too hot to picnic in the open in front of Es VedrĂ , this is a deliciously shady alternative.

When you reach a flat section ignore the right turn. Keep going and the track will start to climb the high hill in front.

At the crest where you encounter several villas follow the route around the two bends to join a dirt road that heads gently downhill.

After about 250m (50m or so before a bend), you will see a driveway on your left. This is where you begin the optional extra climb to Cap Llentrisca, also called Cap des Jueu (Cape of the Jew), possibly after a watchman who stood guard over the quarry below (Sa Pedrera des Savinar) when stone for Ibizaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s walls was being extracted. Look to the opposite page to pick up directions marked from Number 20. To continue the walk without the extra section, keep following the dirt road you were on.

After about 1.5km of gentle downhill walking you will pass a large house slightly below to your right. Just after this is a small white electrical junction box and a right turn. Take the latter down a short steep section, and you will see the driveway for the house on your right after a few metres. Just opposite the driveway go left onto a track.

Stick to the main track as it leads past terraced vineyards, through a small wood and out to a larger field of vines. Follow the track along the edge of the field (on your left) and at the crossways go straight ahead, proceeding downhill after a few metres.

Follow the track as it turns into a dirt road with patches of asphalt. After about 1km, roughly 150m after ignoring a steep downhill road on your right, you will see a pathway in good condition on your right. Turn onto this. (Ignore anything else that is not distinct and obviously a path.)

walk directions

printed book fullthe path around to Reaching a smallSee clearing make sure youfor follow the right to carry walk on in the correct direction. directions

Stick to the main path ignoring a right turn, and after about 300m you will arrive at a wide dirt / patchy asphalt road. Go left.

Follow this road for the final 500m back to the church in Es Cubells.

OPTIONAL EXTRA TO CAP LLENTRISCA ONLY FOR FIT AND EXPERIENCED HIKERS.

Picking up from direction 13, look for the small path on the right of the driveway. ItSee is indistinct andbook heads for into full the sparse trees diagonally printed from the front of the drive. Walk to a small open area and over in the walk directions far right-hand corner join a small path. After a few metres fork right then fork right again. The path is indistinct at first but keep walking and you will find yourself on a more defined path that heads slightly uphill.

Soon you will be walking with a small gully on your left. Let the path lead you along and then to the other side.

Sticking to the path, after plenty of bends and short uphill and downhill sections, you will be led closer to the cliff where marvellous views of Es Vedrà appear.

After encountering a long steep section you will arrive at a flatter section and a junction. Go left. You should see the top of the concrete trig point ahead of you. This is the summit and the end of our there and back optional extra for this walk. Retrace your steps to continue the walk S.04. Alternatively, take on the challenging connection with walk S.05 to visit Atlantis or the Es Vedrà watch-tower detailed on page 181.

THE PITSTOPS Bar Llumbi

Restaurante Es Cubells

This has the best view over the sea and serves a fantastic paella for around €10 at lunchtime. The fresh fish is delectable and the service is relaxed. 971 80 21 28

Situated opposite the church on the large square, it’s a bustling and friendly place for people-watching in summer. Open in winter, it has a great three-course menu for just over €10 including a glass of wine or beer. 971 80 27 97

S.04

216m

Sant Josep North

A church-to-church circular

182m

8.5km

3hrs

S.09 S. JOAN

IBIZA

S. EULÀRIA

S. ANTONI EIVISSA S. JOSEP

The village of Sant Josep sits in the shadow of Sa Talaia and Puig d’en Serra, two of the highest summits on Ibiza. Our route starts off along quiet asphalt roads and quickly ascends on dirt roads to an elevated pass and down through almond groves to Sant Agustí, one of the smaller villages on the island. Along the way you will see the derelict remains of Festival Club, an abandoned outdoor venue that closed its doors in 1974, just two years after opening. The return route from Sant Agustí leads along a shady dry stream bed and back up the hill to Sant Josep. The whole circuit within this beautiful landscape is under three hours in total.

Sant Josep North

A church-to-church circular i ton An nt a S Ca l Pla a de tjes Bou & de Co mt e

100

SANT AGUSTÍ DES VEDRÀ

100

R PM-803

k l

j g h

; 150 100

Puig d’en Fuster

a o i

200

200 100

250

Puig d’en Racó

2! 150

FESTIVAL CLUB

2@ 2#

y t

200

250

Serra d’en Benet

Serra d’en Portmany

3 PM-80

200

r e w SANT JOSEP 2$ q R DE SA TALAIA

150 PM-803

CLIMBS

225m 200m 175m 150m 125m 100m 75m

1km

2km

3km

4km

5km

Feixa de n’Esteve

N 400m 1,000ft

Eivissa

6km

7km

8km

9km

S.09

GETTING THERE A

See printed for Sant Josepâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s church is on the mainbook street in thefull centre of town. There is plenty of parking dotted around in back streets and dirt parking areas, walk directions all free of charge. (But take care that some have a two-hour restriction.) Buses run regularly and daily throughout the year from Ibiza Town and Sant Antoni.

THE WALK

e e

ď ą

Starting at Sant Josep church square, walk along the left-hand side printed book of the church, away See from the main road, andfor joinfull the pedestrian street directions heading uphill past walk the small shop and restaurant.

Go round two bends, and after about 50m join the little asphalt road straight ahead going uphill.

Walking over a small hill, go right at the bottom before the road turns uphill again.

After 250m merge left with another road, then after 100m turn left to join another road that climbs with a field on the left.

After a sharp bend followed by a steep downhill section you reach a junction with dirt roads. Go right, uphill for 400m, to visit the ruins of the Festival Club.

NOT TO MISS Festival Club In 1969 work started on the grand scheme of Festival Club, the vision being a huge open-air music venue in the forested hills east of Sant Josep. It opened in 1974, but was destined to fail as the 1973 fuel crisis caused air fares to rise and tourism on the island took a short dip. Thirty years on it has almost been reclaimed by nature: trees grow in what was a small amphitheatre, and cast-concrete furnishings are crumbling beneath the blazing sun. It is an eerie place, decorated with decades of grafitti that make it resemble an impromptu gallery dedicated to street art. 129

Sant Josep North

A church-to-church circular

To continue the walk, go back down to the junction with dirt roads in the previous step. Turn right onto a small, long and straight dirt road that heads slightly downhill. After roughly 200m you will pass a finca on See ahead printed fortrack. full your left. Go straight ontobook the small

walk directions

After about 250m you reach a fork. Go right to join the track heading slightly uphill.

When you reach a small electrical substation at a junction after about 400m go right.

After 150m turn left onto a rocky pathway heading downhill next to another electrical substation.

After 75m go right onto a level pathway. Follow this as it winds down through a valley of almond and carob trees for about 1km. Stick to the main route as it gradually turns from a path to a track and then a dirt road. Ignore smaller paths and driveways.

At the far end of the valley, when you reach a junction with another dirt road go left downhill and then follow to the small asphalt road.

At the asphalt road go left, then after 100m, in the shade of some tall trees, go right onto a small dirt road that heads downhill slightly for the first few metres. Follow this as it turns into a rough track and winds through the almond orchards.

Following this track, eventually you’ll find yourself on a dirt road where you should turn left to walk up towards Sant Agustí. NOTE: If the fields have recently been ploughed the track will be impossible to make out. If so, go back to the asphalt road and turn right to walk about 200m to a parking area then go right up the short hill and skip to Instruction 15.

You will pass a large music school with a blue roof on your left. Keep going after the school where the road turns to asphalt. Then turn right to walk up some steps and you will see Sant Agustí church.

You are now in the heart of the hamlet of Sant Agustí and you can take refreshment at our recommended pitstop, Bar Can Berri (see page 110), opposite the church if it is open.

S.09

131

THE EXTRA STEP The People’s Prelate A brief history of Sant Josep and its church Sant Josep has always been a little different to other parts of Ibiza. Inland and elevated, with unusually large fincas, it boasts several of the island’s most prized assets – Es Vedrà, Sa Talaia and Es Cubells, not to mention the moneymaking salt lagoons. The naturally fortified centre (corsairs rarely Seeto printed book for got this far) contributed a special identity, andfull it is no accident that Sant Josep boasts the firstarticle of the island’s post-medieval churches. Benimussans and Vedrans, as southwesterners were then called, took the unparalleled step of petitioning Manuel de Samaniego, Archbishop of Tarragona, for their own place of worship. Rural Ibiza had no carriages until the late 19th century, making Sant Jordi and Sant Antoni too far off for regular church attendance. The mighty Tarragonese prelate, landowner of three-quarters of the island, paid a special visit in 1726, and lent a sympathetic ear as the Vedran elders explained how local population had risen by 50% since the bubonic plague of 1652. Work began the following year, and the church was completed in 1738 using local labour. Among its special treasures is a painted pulpit of 1763, the only one of three on Ibiza that survived the Civil War. Like all island churches, Sant Josep has its own rainwater cistern,

which can be seen in the unique arched extension to the right of the porch, S.09 Seewere printed book forthefull where mules and carts protected from sun and rain.

article

The spectacular landscape around Sa Talaia never fails to delight, with dramatic views opening up over three separate coastlines. The island’s climate is at its most benign here, making Sant Josep productive in spite of relatively poor soils. Large fincas meant expensive emprendades (gold breastpieces worn by girls of courting age), and the sense of local pride can still be felt among Josepins and Josepines. Between 1933 and 1936, Berlin Dadaist, Raoul Hausmann, chose Sant Josep for his residence, first in remotest Benimussa and then close to the village itself, renting a picture-book farmhouse, Can Palerm, a couple of hundred yards above the church. Much later it became one of Ibiza’s first boutique hotels. Many of the parish’s iconic farmhouses were captured on film by Hausmann and his silver gelatin prints now change hands for large sums of money in distant auction houses. Sant Josep has grown of late from a modest village to a bustling town, as might be expected of such a wealthy corner, while its offshore islets have turned sundown into a hallowed daily ritual. In spite of political scandals and occasional overbuilding, the municipality remains outstanding from a scenic point of view. And the charming descendants of those feisty Vedrans and Benimussans are still there to ensure you enjoy it all. Church of Sant Josep, Emilio Orsinger © Mariana Orsinger

Sant Josep North

A church-to-church circular

THE PITSTOPS See walks 7, 8 and 10 for pitstops in Sant Josep or Sant AgustĂ.

Once visited or rested in Sant Agustí, walk away from the church down a short steep gradient to a T-junction. Go right here to walk just a few metres then go left onto Camí s’Alqueria. Stick to this See printed book fordefull ancient path and you will be led downhill to a main road.

walk directions

When you reach the main road walk straight over, crossing carefully, and join an asphalt road opposite. After 50m turn onto a dirt road on the left. You will have a house and a large restaurant to the right after the turn.

Follow this dirt road as it leads past houses and then bends to the right. It will then lead you past some small orchards. After this the way turns into a track and you descend slightly and there is another right-hand bend. A few metres after this, just where you see the prickly pear, go left onto a path that leads down into the dry stream bed.

Walk on the path to the other side of the stream bed. Just before you reach a house go left onto a small overgrown terrace, and after a few metres pick up the indistinct path that takes you under a small concrete bridge and along the stream bed itself.

Follow this little path as it winds along the old dry stream for about 350m. You will encounter two well-defined paths that cut across the stream bed. Ignore the first. At the second, go left and up the steep bank to follow the path slightly to the right and join a track at the top. Make sure you are walking with the stream bed on your right when you join this track.

After about 400m on this track, follow it right to go around a sharp bend that doubles back and then after a few metres at the top of the short ascent, go left onto the dirt road.

After about 350m you meet a junction. Follow to the left and uphill slightly to walk a final 250m to a main road.

At the main road go straight over onto a small asphalt lane called Camí Vell de Sant Josep. Follow this now for just under 1km and up the steep hill until you reach Sant Josep. Ignore all turn-offs and driveways.

Just as you arrive at the top of the hill, follow forward for a few metres and you will see the church square where you started on your left.

S.09

86m

Cala Comte

A rave cave and a hermit cave

161m

13km

4hrs

S.11 S. JOAN

IBIZA

S. EULÀRIA

S. ANTONI EIVISSA S. JOSEP

Starting at the ever-popular beaches of Cala Comte and following a good stretch of their famous turquoise waters, our route will lead inland along hunters’ paths, terraced fields and hidden caminos. You will explore an old watch-tower and even meet a friendly hermit – if she’s at home. If you are lucky she may invite you into her cave for a cup of tea and spin tales about times past. Our walk has been given a rating of medium because of its length, but it’s a relatively flat route so if you have a fit and healthy family, it should not prove difficult at the right time of day.

Cala Comte

A rave cave and a hermit cave

sa Conillera s’Ollleta

Illa des Bosc

Cap des Blancar

Punta de sa Torre

400m 1,000ft

es Farallons

Torre d’en Rovira

es Picatxos

Cap de la Bassa

Punta Roja Cala Roja

Illa des Bosc Punta de na Juliana

Cap de sa Serra

Cala Bassa es Penyal

Platjes de Comte

w e rt y u

la Bassa

Escull Llarg

Puig de s’Argila

i o a s

2! 50 Serra d’en Vinya

Cap de Bou sa Figuera Borda

1( Cala Codolar

Plana de Cala Llentia

ni Anto Sant da ari la T Ca e d C.

Cala Llentia Cala Corral

CLIMBS

ses Roques Males

100

Cala Tarida 90m 60m 30m 0m

1km

2km

3km

4km

5km

6km

7km

8km

9km 10km 11km 12km 13km

GETTING THERE A

See printed book for Cala Comte is a popular spot for sunsets and full in summer the parking directions area can get busy,walk so be prepared. On any island map you will find it in the far west, facing the offshore islands of Es Bosc and Sa Conillera.

THE WALK



Starting at our recommended pitstop, Sunset Ashram, walk to the right See printed book for full along the coast with the sea on your left. You should follow the coast, walk directions weaving in and out as you use the rocky pathways, for about three or four kilometres.

NOT TO MISS The Watch-Tower And The Hermit On the first prominent headland there is the well-preserved Torre d’en Rovira. Watch-towers like these were used by islanders hundreds of years ago to keep a lookout for Barbary corsairs who raided settlements near the coast. On the eastern side of a second sizeable promontory (Cap de la Bassa), is a welcoming German lady who lives in a cave overlooking Cala Bassa. She has lovingly decorated the entrance and if you are invited inside you will be surprised by the warmth and comfort of her home. Recent reports say that she has moved out and the cave is up for sale. But if you see her, be generous if she spins a yarn for you.

After the hermit’s cave will soonbook pass Cala Seeyou printed for Bassa. full Keep going along the coast on the far walk side ofdirections the beach and you will pass two houses close to the sea where the path is paved. After these dwellings walk uphill slightly and then down to a sharp arrow-shaped inlet that cuts into the coastline. Walk to its innermost point, where you can descend a steep bank to bathe in the sheltered waters.

S.11

Cala Comte

A rave cave and a hermit cave

Resuming the walk, climb back up the steep bank to the main path See printed bookinland for full where you arrived. Follow as it heads from near the point of the directions inlet. It is a widewalk track which splits at one place around a small and attractive tree.

Ignoring the first left after the tree. 50m further on the track splits again. Fork left.

After another 50m you reach an area where you will see several tracks and pathways. Look left and turn onto a smaller path leading slightly downhill on a relatively straight section.

y u

After 150m you reach a junction. Go right and stick to the wide pathway.

After about 300m, follow the path around a bend to reach an open area, often used for parking in the summer. Walk straight ahead to merge with a track, then a dirt road, then follow uphill.

After about 200m the path you are following joins another wide path. Look opposite for the small pathway heading through the bushes and follow this sticking to the main path.

S.11 The dirt road bends to the left at the top of the rise. Just after the bend See dirt printed book full for 50m then join the turn right onto another road and walkfor downhill walk directions track heading off to the right. You will see a small electrical box here.

After passing the small field on your left stick to the natural route of the track and do not deviate onto other paths or tracks that lead off it.

This path will gradually turn into a track, and after about 150m it bends to the right, passing close to a house. Keep going and join the small dirt road by forking right.

After 300m when you meet the asphalt road, cross over carefully and carry on down the dirt road opposite.

After 200m, at the end of an orchard, there is a small clearing on your right. Join the pathway that leads into the trees from the far side of the clearing. The path will lead along a property boundary for the first 200m then, when the boundary turns 90 degrees, keep going roughly straight ahead for a further 200m until you reach a track and an attractive field.

NOT TO MISS Cala Codolar Cala Codolar is a lovely beach and a tranquil spot even in high summer. The friendly people who work at the chiringuito will prepare chilled cocktails, alcoholic or non, and simple meals for you to enjoy on the sunbeds.

THE EXTRA STEP Fact File #3 The Hannibal riddle Sa Conillera, ‘the rabbit warren’, is the largest of the Illots de Ponent, a string of rocky islets, which adorn Ibiza’s western coastline like pearls on a stunning necklace. Its rugged profile shelters Sant Antoni Bay from strong westerlies and there is a popular legend that Hannibal himself was born The story started Seethere. printed book for out as a creative interpretation full of a dubious passage in Pliny the Elder’s article Natural History, which cites three small isles opposite Palma – ‘Menariae, Tiquadra and little Hannibalis’. Palma Bay has nothing like an island, so Tiquadra was tentatively identified as Illa Plana, one of three small islands which once stood directly opposite Ibiza Town (now joined to the coast). This was also known as Conillera in earlier times, presumably for its rabbits, a source of ready protein. That the great Carthaginian was born in the Balearics is highly unlikely, but it doesn’t stop Ibiza from having its own Carrer d’Anníbal, otherwise known as the Calle de las Farmacias. Once forged, a good legend never dies, and the Hannibal yarn features in most guidebooks. Back to Conillera. Interpreting place-names is a delicate matter at the best of times, but Ibiza is fortunate in having its own expert, Enric Ribes, who has dedicated his life to an exhaustive study of Pityusan toponyms. Ribes believes Conillera has nothing to do with rabbits – but caves. The whole area (to which this place-name was once applied) has a number of outstanding sea caverns, and it makes sense that Latin cuniculum (cave) should carry through in garbled form into the present. Conillera itself boasts ten caves, the neighbouring Illa des Bosc four, and the nearby coastline dozens more – in other words plenty of outstanding speleology right by the water’s edge. Pityusan cave central was a locality where canny seafarers not only sheltered from sudden storms, but also stowed their precious contraband. The emblematic offshore island, whose lighthouse is now earmarked for an ambitious luxury hotel, embodies in its very name the Ibizan love of storehouses hidden close to sea-roads, ample enough for every manner of illicit treasure.

Cala Bassa and Conillera, 1965 © Josep Planas i Montanyà

S.11

Cala Comte

A rave cave and a hermit cave

Turn left onto the track and walk uphill. This track will take you up to and along the top edge of a large terraced field with spectacular views. Keep going when it turns into a path and heads into a more wooded area See printed book for full in the far corner of the field.

walk directions

After 100m the path splits. Take the left fork up to the top of the hill and then veer left to carry on. Walk downhill, forking right near the bottom to reach a point where your progress is blocked by a fence next to an asphalt road. Walk right to where the fence ends, and join the indistinct track that runs parallel to the asphalt road.

The track will eventually become a path and lead you slightly away from the road. After 250m you will meet a downhill section and will need to follow your nose through the low bushes to arrive at a dirt road after about 200m. Turn left, walk to the asphalt road and carefully cross to join the dirt road on the other side.

After about 750m on this dirt road, go right onto a dirt road that heads downhill. There are gateposts and a sign directing you down to Cala Codolar.

Once down at Cala Codolar follow the path at the front of the beach to the right, heading away from the sea and up the steps. At the top, walk ahead to the road and turn left.

;

After 50m take the right fork where the road splits. Do not turn off this road but fork right again after about 100m past the tennis courts. At the next junction go left to walk slightly downhill, then turn right where you see the sign for Sant Antoni. You will still be on an asphalt road.

On the first bend go left onto the rocky headland. Follow one of the paths to the sea and turn right to walk along the coast with the sea on your left.

Diverting inland to avoid property walls that are illegally blocking the coastal public access, after about 2km you will arrive back at the beautiful beaches of Cala Comte where you started the walk.

S.11

NOT TO MISS Rave Cave Along this stretch of coast is what is known as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Rave Caveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, where last-minute secret parties are organised beating out techno and house until the early hours. The cave is actually a huge arched cavity (tunnel) that goes right through the cliff on a promontory opposite the coastal path, reached via some rickety steps. Well worth exploring.

THE PITSTOP Sunset Ashram As the name suggests, this is the perfect place to sit back and watch the sun sink into the western horizon between offshore islands. In high season the daily spectacle is accompanied by live music or DJs playing chilled Balearic beats. The menu is relatively expensive, but the spicy Indian-themed food is top quality. 661 34 72 22. sunsetashram.com

184m

The Buscastell Valley

Ancient wells and bubbling springs

177m

12km

4hrs

S.15 S. JOAN

IBIZA

S. EULĂ&#x20AC;RIA

S. ANTONI EIVISSA S. JOSEP

Water has always been a precious resource on Ibiza, and our walk, from the small hamlet of Forada over the hills to the Buscastell Valley and back through the Ca na Peres farmland, will take you past ancient wells and the most prolific spring on the island, Es Broll. You will see how fertile inland Ibiza was in the not-so-distant past, and be able to picnic on a grassy terrace in the shade of a small olive tree to the purling sound of spring water. Even though this walk has a moderate rating, it is one of the longer routes in the book and has many instructions to find your way.

The Buscastell Valley

Ancient wells and bubbling springs

S.01 & N.04

200

Puig d’en Frit

150

Torrent de Busca stell

ES BROLL

150

s a

Puig d’en Tur S.01

200

150

l s gnè ta A San

Puig d’en Secorrat

100

1 12V-8 PM

100

2^ 2*

CLIMBS

900ft

s udi ertr aG ant a S r a. a Fruite Ctr de

2% 2&

Puig d’en Porró

300m

To Bu rre sc nt as de te ll

; 2) 2! 2@ 2# 2$

175m 150m 125m 100m 75m 50m 0m

w e r POU DE FORADA

FORADA

y t

u 100

2km

4km

6km

8km

10km

12km

Sant Antoni

14km

GETTING THERE A

See printed book full Sant Rafel and Santa Forada is a small hamlet about half wayfor between Agnès. Driving inwalk eitherdirections direction on the PMV-812-1 you reach the Forada crossroads, where you’ll see our recommended pitstop, Can Tixedo, with plenty of parking. Alternatively, there are buses that stop here but the service is irregular, especially out of summer.

THE WALK



From the crossroads in Forada with Can Tixedo on your left, walk straight ahead up the asphalt road following the sign for Sant Mateu.

After about 100m you will see a small dirt track leading off to the right. walk directions Take this and follow 100m to visit Pou de Forada, our first well on this route.

Back on the route, after a further 50m or so turn right onto a dirt road and follow around the bends to start a short uphill section after 150m or so.

r t y

At the top of the small rise, turn left onto another dirt road.

After about 200m fork left when you reach the driveway leading to a house, and after 25m join the pathway leading straight ahead, uphill.

After 150m fork right past a low stone wall and after 75m, go left onto a sleepy asphalt road. This is part of the Camí Vell de Sant Mateu, which originally linked Sant Mateu with Ibiza Town, created in the 1860s. After about 500m you reach another, slightly wider asphalt road. Go right.

Then after about 300m go left onto Camí Vell de Sant Mateu again. You should now follow this for about 2km. Even though asphalted this road has little traffic most of the time.

After this easy and undulating 2km on asphalt you will reach a high point where the road looks across a valley towards the northern hills. The road meanders downhill and about 200m further on, you will see a dirt road below to the left. There are two bicycle route signs just here. Join it where it meets the road you are on, and double back on yourself for 100m until it bends to the right.

See printed book for full

Turn right after a further 200m when you reach a T-junction and a house. After roughly 200m on this dirt road and a couple of bends you will see a house over to your right after which you descend a few metres to a junction where there is a concrete telegraph pole. Continue straight ahead and join the dirt road leading downhill which turns uphill after a few metres. You should be following a row of telegraph poles.

S.15

THE EXTRA STEP Turrets and Turbines Buscastell and its water

The fertile valley of Buscastell provides a rare window into Ibiza’s rural past. In recent decades historians have laid bare the exact chronology of its hydraulic networks demonstrating that the Catalan conquerors redirected farming away from Ibiza’s lush valleys towards secano terraces and pastures whose processed goods – flour, wine, wool, cheese – were storable and exportable. Moorish farmers would have See printed book for full operated four mills in the central section, with a narrow band of fields article hugging the main channel. Buscastell is nowadays associated with its powerful source spring, Es Broll, but the picturesque upper gorge was only brought under cultivation in the mid-18th century. Growing population pressure led to new springs coming into play and extended networks of channels and plots. The watermill closest to the source, Es Molí d’en Tià (Sebastian’s Mill), was furnished with a horizontal wheel like earlier ones, following a type invented by the Greeks. In 1920 and 1954 two mills switched to larger vertical wheels, with mixed results. There is a delicate balancing act in semi-arid lands between grinding corn and growing thirsty vegetables, highlighted by the emerging history of Buscastell. During the hard times that followed the Spanish Civil War, the state’s monopoly on grain drove peasants to clandestine measures. Windmills with rotating sails were a giveaway, but watermills hidden in secluded valleys and running on invisible mechanisms were perfect for midnight grinding. Buscastell still had four active millstones, and they were never busier. The magic of this verdant corner is intact for present day hikers, even if the well-oiled wheels fell silent around 1960, rendered obsolete by agricultural decline and diesel. But the purl of running water continues to cast a spell, and in 2011 Molí d’en Tià was meticulously restored. Buscastell’s name remains an enigma, as nothing like a castle has been found in the area. One expert believes it is linked to the steep slopes of Puig d’Alcalà (Puig d’en Tur) upstream, postulating a Romano-Arabic hybrid, Alveus Castelli or ‘Torrent of the Castle’. There is something military, too, about the aruba penstocks or circular towers adjoining each mill, hollow masonry structures down which currents accelerated under the force of gravity to power horizontal wheels, following the ancient Greek blueprint. Here in Buscastell these turbines functioned perfectly for something like a thousand years, grinding corn and feeding untold generations of islanders. Technology and history join hands in this surprising backwater that has begun to reveal a few secrets, while others slumber beneath the well-watered groves, awaiting a new generation of intrepid archaeologists.

S.15

The Buscastell Valley

Ancient wells and bubbling springs

Forking right to avoid a driveway, keep following and you will start to descend gently. After walking about 200m downhill you will reach a sharp right-hand bend. Go left just on the bend onto an even smaller See printed book for full dirt road. About 200m further on you see a house on your left. Keep walk directions going straight ahead to follow a track.

A good 400m after the house there is a left-hand bend and the track starts to climb. Go right here instead, passing around the vehicle control chain, if it is there, and joining a wide pathway.

After 150m merge with a track to walk straight ahead and downhill. Now you are on the final descent into the stunning Buscastell valley. Stick to the main track as the way meanders downwards.

When you reach the bottom and the valley opens up around you, look ahead and follow the little path alongside the low wall. Step down some irrigation channels to the dry streambed.

Follow the path across the bed of the old stream, and fork left by the wall of the restored mill, following the old water channel. If you look right just after the mill you will see a little bridge and an access path heading up the bank on your right. Take this up to visit the mill, the Es Broll source, and picnic on the small grassy terrace, a lovely spot.

After the rest and picnic, go back to the stream bed and turn right to follow the irrigation channel again. You should use the pathway where it appears every now and again, otherwise walk along the lip of the irrigation channel all the way to a dirt road.

Reaching this dirt road, after about 250m, look back and soak up the view of the valley from the direction you came. Walk left on the dirt road, slightly downhill.

Let the dirt road lead you further down the valley, past some houses and across the streambed. Now follow this sleepy dirt road for just under 2km. Ignore a couple of left forks onto smaller dirt roads and keep going when you pass another well until you reach an asphalt road.

At the asphalt road turn left to walk over a culvert bridge that spans the Buscastell stream. On the other side of the bridge, cross over the road and join the path that doubles back on the other side of the road barrier.

S.15

NOT TO MISS Es Broll Source To visit the prolific source of the Es Broll spring, walk up the path on the far side of the watermill and onto a grassy terrace above and behind it. On the far side of the terrace you will see where the irrigation channel goes under a wall. Peek over the wall and you will see a low well-like structure brimming with water. This is the reason for all the lush vegetation in the valley around you.

131

The Buscastell Valley

Ancient wells and bubbling springs

After a few metres you meet a small farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s terrace. Walk to the edge of the stream and go left along the edge of the field, away from the bridge and slightly elevated fromprinted the bottom of thefor streambed. See book full

Follow the right-hand edge of the terrace and soon you will see a path that leads down and across the streambed. Follow this and when you reach the small terrace on the other side, go left and walk along the edge of the field as close to the bushes as possible, using the path when it appears.

When you meet a track go straight ahead (left) and follow around the vehicle control chain. On reaching a left-hand bend keep going straight, joining the path ahead of you.

After 100m or so, continue straight ahead when you see an indistinct path to the right. You should now be walking with a low wall on your right.

After a further 100m, when you see the corner of the wall, follow the welldefined, but slightly overgrown path down and over to the other side of the streambed. Then follow the path to the left and you will have the bottom of the streambed on your left.

The path you are on splits a few times. Try to stay on paths close to the streambed but without descending into it. Soon you will have a low terrace wall a few metres away on your right and be following a well defined pathway.

When you meet a track, merge left to keep going roughly in the same direction.

When you meet a crossroads with a dirt road (actually a driveway) go straight ahead to follow the same track, which has now become a dirt road itself. You will still have the lowered course of the Buscastell stream on your left.

Reaching an asphalt road after about 300m, go left. This is a sleepy country lane that will lead you back for 1km to Forada and a well-deserved rest at our recommended pitstop, Can Tixedo.

walk directions

S.15

THE PITSTOP Can Tixedo Art CafĂŠ Perfectly placed next to our recommended parking spot, Can Tixedo must not be missed. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a favourite with locals and the menu is made up of eclectic tapas with vegetarian options that include a delicious spinach-and-pinenut lasagne. For summer, secure a table out on the sunny terrace and in winter make sure you cosy up to the big wood-burning stove. 971 34 52 48. cantixedo.com

Talamanca

Ses Feixes wetlands

2.5km

1hr

S.18 S. JOAN

IBIZA

S. EULÀRIA

S. ANTONI EIVISSA S. JOSEP

To finish off the southern routes we couldn’t resist a walk for night-owls who fancy a quick stroll after their time on the Pacha dancefloor. We have started the instructions from directly outside the iconic nightclub and the route is completely flat with a duration of just one hour. In fact, it’s a great route for anyone staying in or near Ibiza Town who wants to stretch their legs but doesn’t have time for a longer route. The walk takes you through the small wetland area that lies between Talamanca beach and Ibiza Town where you will be able to make out irrigation channels that divide the farmland into rectangular plots, known as feixes in Ibicenco. Many still have crumbling gateways that would once have held wooden doors, providing a striking entrance to each plot. This is a pretty and secluded walk. When surrounded by the tall reeds and brackish water, it is hard to believe you are so close to the non-stop bustle of Ibiza’s marina.

Talamanca

Ses Feixes wetlands

ll de C. Ve

s Jesú

Ses Figueres

e r

i q

Es Prat

a8 ud ing Av t os Ag D’

TALAMANCA

SES FEIXES de C.

es eix sF se

t R

R Cala Talamanca

u y

N 200m 600ft

Marina Botafoc S’ILLA PLANA

CLIMBS

Punta Tabernera

10m 5m 0m -5m -10m 0km 0.25km 0.50km 0.75km 1.00km 1.25km 1.50km1.75km 2.00km 2.25km 2.50km 2.50km

C. des Borafo

GETTING THERE A

See printed book for full

Park or walk to Avinguda 8 d’Agost near the Centre Salut Vila (medical walk directions centre). Make your way to the entrance of Pacha.

THE WALK



From outside Pacha, with the entrance behind you, walk left down the main road. There are tall buildings for the most part on both sides of this wide road. However, soon thebook buildings your left stop and you See printed foronfull will see the Feixeswalk wetland with its recognizable tall canes. Turn onto directions the dirt road on the left just where this area starts.

Fork right straightaway to stay on the dirt road and you will pass a pretty house with an irrigation channel alongside. This is Camí Vell de Jesús.

Keep to the dirt road, ignoring any left and right turns for about 1km. You will pass through the centre of the wetlands with the ancient feixa gateways beside the road.

After 1km you reach an asphalt road. Go left a few metres to the bus stop, cross the road very carefully – it’s busy in summer – then walk right. There will be a disused hotel (at the time of writing) on your left.

After about 75m you will see a flat area, occasionally used as a dirt surface carpark on your left. Walk into this area and you will see some tall canes ahead of you. Follow through to Talamanca beach and turn right onto the boardwalk.

After five to ten minutes of walking along Talamanca beach you will see an asphalt carpark on your right. It’s quite big and runs along behind the beach. Walk into this as soon as you see it where there is a wide gap between a couple of restaurants. Then join the small asphalt road that leads back away from the beach, inland.

After about 100m you will reach a crossroads with an asphalt road. Go straight over, crossing carefully, and join the dirt road opposite that heads back into the Ses Feixes wetland.

Follow this dirt road up until you meet a junction with another dirt road. Turn left and walk a couple of hundred metres to the main road. You should recognise this as the road where you started. Turn right to return to the entrance of Pacha.

S.18

TYING KNOTS

How to join routes together In this section we match up our walking routes to make extra-long hikes. Most are extremely long so should only be undertaken by experienced hikers in good physical condition. They should be planned carefully, and please make sure you have more than enough daylight to complete the routes. We’d also emphasise that these should not be undertaken on hot days – they are simply too long.

S.12 & S.13

20km

7hrs

a) At Instruction 9, S.12, keep going when you meet the sharp left-hand bend. The path you were on turns into a dirt road for and heads See printed book full uphill. b) Follow uphill and at the first junction fork left. Then after about 250m, when walk directions you reach a level section and another junction, turn left. c) This camino will wind its way uphill, level out, then curve gently to the right. When you meet a steeper uphill section, turn left to walk downhill on a smaller road. d) Follow this 100m to walk around a sharp left-hand bend. You will see a tennis court on your right after 50m. Go right just after this. e) After 30m join the path that leads downhill on your left. This path with steps will take you steeply down to Cala Salada beside a restaurant. f) Once on the beach, walk to the far side. You will see a road on your right. Look ahead and you should see a walking route that leads up the rocks a few metres back from the shoreline. You have two choices. The easy route is to walk up the road to the right, then at the first corner turn left joining Instruction 2, S.13 (following the sign for Ses Fontanelles). The quick route that involves a fair amount of scrambling is over the rocky shoreline ahead of you, following a path that leads over rocks to the second part of Cala Salada beach to join S.13 at Instruction 4.

S.13 & S.14

16km

6hrs

a) Following S.13, in Instruction 17, turn off to join the connecting route. Seegates printed bookhouse for full b) You will pass some and a large on your left behind some trees. walkquickly directions Then the small camino turns into a rocky track. Walking gently downhill to where fields open up to your right, stick to this old country lane. c) Follow around the right-hand bend at the bottom by the houses and stick to the main track, now a dirt road again, until you reach an asphalt lane. d) Turn left and follow the asphalt for just over 300m, passing a large house (es Cucons) on your right. When you reach the first sharp right-hand bend you should turn to Instruction 5 in route S.14. The driveways mentioned in the instruction will be on your left. Right is Santa Agnès, left the secret beach.

Punta des Castellar ses Margalides

Puig d’en Joan Andreu

Puig d’en Valor Penya Esbarrada

SANTA AGNÈS DE CORONA

Corrals d’en Guillem S.14

Puig d’en Guillem Caló d’en Vicentet

Pla de Corona C. des Pla de Co ron a

Tanques de s’Hereva

Cap Nunó

Pujol des Cocons

812 MaP ron Co e d C.

ses Fontanelles Puig de Cas Jal Puig d’en Tanca Puig de Can Lluc d’en Puig

Sa Foradada S.13

Punta des Vent

Serra d’en Bemat

PM -81 2

Cala Salada

Racó de Cala Llosar

Punta de sa Galera C. De SA

S.12 C. Cap

Cala Gració

Sa ler a

r ra Llo la Ca C.

Cap Negret

Puig d’en Ramon

CAN GERMÀ

Negre t

et gr Ne ap sC e d mí Ca

C. de Cl aG ra cio

Caló des Moro

SANT ANTONI

S.12, S.13 & S.14 SUPER-HIKE By joining these three routes you create a route worthy of the keenest hiker. Follow the connections as described on the opposite page.

28km

10hrs

S.15 & N.01

20km

7hrs

a) Follow S.15 up to Instruction 18. At this point in the walk you will be on the printed book for same grassy terrace asSee mentioned in Instruction 16,full N.01 b) Now follow N.01 instructions from 17 to 26. walk directions c) Instruction 27, N.01, mentions a wider dirt road. Once on this wider dirt road, walk straight ahead. Ignore a turning / small parking area on your left after 250m. After just over 500m you will see a path and another rocky parking area on your left. Turn onto the path here and after about 100m the path starts to climb quite steeply uphill. d) Now skip to Instruction 2 in N.01 and follow through to Instruction 11. e) In Instruction 11, when you reach the crossroads, go straight ahead instead of left. This will take you slightly downhill for about 200m then around some bends to arrive at an asphalt road. Turn left. f) Now skip to Instruction 24, S.15 and follow all the instructions to the start point in the little hamlet of Forada.

Puig Verd

SANTA AGNÈS DE CORONA

Sa Tanca

rca a Santa Agnes ba d’A eu t a Sant M e d . C

Y-SA Leaende

2 81 MaP Puig d’en ron o C C. Coca

Puig d’en Francoli

Puig d’en Baix

N.01 Puig d’er Tur

Puig d’en Frit Puig d’en Socarrat

Puig des Sant

S.15

1 12V-8 PM

Puig d’es Porro

C. de Can Taulall

ta San C. a

era ruit eF is d d u t Ger

a Forada

S.04 & S.05

15km

6hrs

STARTING WITH ROUTE S.04 a) Taking the optional extraprinted to Cap Llentrisca Instruction See book in for full 20, S.04, follow up to the trig point. Here, look ahead and you will see a small path that continues along walk directions the cliff, a few metres back from the edge through relatively thick vegetation. Take this and you soon start a steep descent. There is a point about halfway down where the path levels slightly, becomes indistinct and splits up, but if you use the paths closer to the cliff you should find yourself on the right track again. b) Eventually the vegetation around you starts to open up and the path levels gradually over a few hundred metres. After passing an old wire fence on your right you will see a stone spiral ahead of you. Turn to Instruction 10, S.05. STARTING WITH ROUTE S.05 a) From Instruction 10, S.05 unless you want to go down to Atlantis as well, when See printed book fulledge on your right. You you arrive at the stone spiral, walk ahead withfor the cliff should start to pick up a path that starts to climb up to the top of Cap Llentrisca. walk directions After a couple of hundred metres the path diverts inland, make sure you take the right turn just 20m or so after this to continue uphill. b) The path steepens and vegetation soon closes in around you. Although indistinct at times, you should be able to find your way to the top easily enough if you stick to paths closer to the cliff edge. When you reach the level section at the top, keep going for 50m or so to find the trig point. Walking past the trig point, make sure you fork right after a few metres and start following the small path that leads downhill, crossing over a gully near the bottom and eventually arriving at a small open area near a house. Walk across this and turn left onto the driveway, then join Rota d’en the dirt road. Paises c) Now follow the instructions from the final sentence of Instruction 13, S.04. C.

o rb Ca ala C a

Serra des Castellans

Plana d’en Casaques S.05

Torre del Pirata

Mac des Trevol

Plana se ses Boques

Puig Llentrisca S.04

Escull des Niu de s’Aguila Mac des Trebol

Raco des Raco des Materet Punta Llenyan Roja Es Marbres

S’Esqueneta Arenesta Salt d’en Sit Pla de Cala Llentrisca

Cala Llentrisca 50

Raco de Sa Galereta Pesqueres Noves

Raco de Sa Popa des Barco 100

Raco des Boi d’en Sarri

Ses Barbades Cap Llentrisca

Cala des Cubells

Punta des Llumbi

LOOSE ENDS

How to shorten routes Due to Ibiza’s frequent high temperatures we thought it might be useful for you to know how to turn some of the longer routes into short routes suitable for the heat of high summer.

S.04 – CALA LLENTRISCA

2km / 35mins / Moderate This route is great for summer. A simple there-and-back to take you to one of the prettiest beaches in our sister publication Secret Beaches: Ibiza. We have rated it moderate because it follows a safe but small path along a cliff. a) Drive past the church in Es Cubells and down the tree lined road, slightly downhill. Follow See this around to thebook right, past printed for the fullrestaurant and keep going around and down. Keep following without turning off onto smaller roads. Tell walk directions the security guard you are visiting Cala Llentrisca if the barrier is down halfway. Eventually after some steep climbing and descent in your car you will reach a sharp left bend and a steep section. Turn off to the right after 50m or so and follow the bend to the right. Park where there is space at the end of the road about 100m further after the bend. b) Walk in the direction you were going and join the dirt road heading sightly uphill. This opens to a viewing platform then turns into a pathway which winds downhill at first then follows along a contour of the sloping cliff. Keep following this path for about 15 minutes and you will reach your destination, Cala Llentrisca.

S.04 – PUIG LLENTRISCA

2km / 45mins / Hard Not for the faint-hearted, this short route takes you up to one of the best and least known viewpoints over Es Vedrà. Don’t forget your camera. a) Follow the Getting There instructions for S.05. On the sharp left bend where it tells you to turn off rightprinted onto a dirtbook road, keep See for going full around the bend instead. Follow around a few gentle bends, passing three small dirt turnings into fields on walk directions your right. When you reach the first reasonably sharp left-hand bend, turn right onto a dirt road which is relatively wide and in good condition. b) Stick to this ignoring smaller turns and driveways and after a good 500m the road starts to climb and becomes less well maintained. Keep following and you will reach a sharp left bend where there is a metal electrical pylon. Park sensibly in one of the wide areas here. c) Now on foot, walk in the same direction you were going and after 50m turn right onto a driveway that heads slightly uphill at first. This is the driveway mentioned in the start of the optional extra for S.04. Turn to page 55, Instruction 20.

S.07 – SA TALAIA

5km / 1.5 hours / Moderate This is a really simple one that is short and steep, but with a big pay-off. It takes you up to Ibiza’s highest viewpoint, Sa Talaia de Sant Josep where on a clear day you can watch the sun setting behind the mountains on mainland Spain. a) In S.07, simply follow the Getting There instructions and then the walking See printed bookyour forsteps fullto return. instructions from numbers 1 to 8. Retrace

walk directions

S.08 – SA CAPELLETA

1km / 30mins / Moderate With this route, about 15 minutes of walking will bring you up to a marvellous viewpoint over Ses Salines next to a pretty chapel. Be really vigilant with the instructions for finding the parking space – it’s easy to go wrong. a) Driving out of Sant Josep in the direction of Ibiza Town, follow down the hill and around the bends. where you see the SeeJust printed book forRenault full garage and a small row of shops, turn left onto a smaller road. It bends to the right after a few metres. walk directions b) Follow this for just under 1km to meet a T-junction. Turn left and after about 750m the road bends sharply to the right. Turn right onto a small dirt road just after the bend, Camí de sa Capelleta. c) Ignoring driveways and turnings, and following the odd sign to Capelleta, keep driving on this little dirt road around bends and all the way up the hill. d) The dirt road ends at the driveway of a house. Park where the road is wide enough. Walk towards the house and look to the right for the steps. Now turn to S.08, Instruction 14 (page 89) for the short there and back to the chapel.

S.13 – CAP NUNÓ

2.5km / 1 hour / Hard Although short, this is still a fair challenge, especially in summer. Cap Nunó should never be underestimated with its steep descent down its north flank. If you don’t want to take on this extreme descent, you can retrace your steps to avoid it. Follow instructions i) to iii) below to find the parking spot. a) After following the driving instructions below to reach Cap Nunó, leave your car and walk back the way printed you came tobook the first junction. See for full Turn left and pick up S.13 at Instruction 11. Follow all the way to Instruction 15. Turn right instead of left. walk directions b) Having turned right, after about 300m go right again at the first junction where there is a bicycle route sign. After a couple of hundred metres, ignoring a right turn, you meet a well-defined fork. Go left. c) Stick to this wide path now for a further few hundred metres until you reach a dirt road. There should be a stone wall on your left here. Turn right. d) After 100m or so you will recognise the left turning you made in your car earlier. Walk the final 200m back to your car.

S.13 – SES FONTANELLES

750m / 25mins / Easy Simple route instructions for how to find the cave paintings at Ses Fontanelles without following the rest of the Cap Nunó route. Follow instructions i) to iii) below to find the parking spot. a) Leaving your car, carry on the same way you were going. After a few metres See printed book for full you will reach a clearing and a junction. Turn right onto the track to visit the cave walk directions paintings of Ses Fontanelles. Now turn to the Not To Miss box on page 134. DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS FOR CAP NUNÓ & SES FONTANELLES i) Follow the Getting There instructions for S.13 but keep driving downhill when you see the carpark on your left. Onbook the second sharp left bend turn off right onto See printed for full the dirt road signposted Fontanelles. walkSes directions ii) Follow this dirt road for a couple of kilometres. It will wind up the side of a forested hill. At the top, the forest opens up to fields and houses. Keep going and you start a gentle descent, the road sweeping slightly to the left. After a couple of hundred metres, when you see the dead-end road sign, turn right. You will see double layered property gates ahead of you. Just before the property follow the road to the left and slightly downhill. iii) Drive for 200m passing a track on your right halfway and then on the first right-hand bend turn off onto a smaller dirt road on the left. Follow this for a couple of hundred metres and park in one of the flat areas next to the dirt road.

BEST WALKS FOR . . .

. . . SUNSETS S.05 Es Vedrà and Atlantis S.11 Cala Comte S.12 Sant Antoni S.13 Cala Salada

. . . LONG HIKES S.02 Sant Jordi S.04 Es Cubells S.07 Sa Talaia S.15 The Buscastell Valley

. . . NATURE S.03 The Ses Salines Nature Reserve S.08 Sant Josep East S.13 Cala Salada S.15 The Buscastell Valley

. . . SWIMMING & SUNBATHING S.04 Es Cubells S.11 Cala Comte S.14 Santa Agnès West S.17 S’Estanyol

. . . BREATHTAKING VIEWS S.02 Sant Jordi S.04 Es Cubells S.07 Sa Talaia S.13 Cala Salada

. . . YOUNG FAMILIES S.01 Dalt Vila S.10 Sant Agustí S.16 Santa Gertrudis South S.18 Talamanca

. . . PITSTOPS S.01 Dalt Vila S.06 Cala Vedella S.09 Sant Josep North S.11 Cala Comte

. . . PUBLIC TRANSPORT S.01 Dalt Vila S.08 Sant Josep East S.12 Sant Antoni S.17 S’Estanyol

MARTIN DAVIES AND BARBARY PRESS

Martin Davies, editor and contributor to the present guide, first succumbed to the spell of Ibiza and its enigmatic culture during two cycling holidays in 1992, the year before he settled permanently on the island. Long rambles in the interior brought him into close contact with traditional Pityusan architecture, and in 1997 he completed a full-length study of this subject. Since establishing Barbary Press in 1999, he has combined writing, translating and publishing, with eight popular titles to date exploring old photographs, archaeology, architecture, rural customs and birdlife. Over the past fifteen years Martin has contributed about 180 articles to various journals, books and websites. The ‘Extra Step’ project for this book has allowed him to focus on overlooked byways of island history and ethnography, while also unearthing the surprising truth beneath Ibiza’s many myths and legends. Further information on Martin’s publications can be found at his website, www.barbarypress.es c/ Murcia 10, 5º 1ª · 07800 Ibiza Tel. (0034) 971 399989 / 609 875 689 martind@telefonica.net

ULRIKE HUMPHREYS AND WALK AND TALK IBIZA Rika Humphreys is part of the team that worked on Secret Walks: Ibiza. Originally employed as translator for the German edition, she quickly became an indispensible part of the editing and proofing team. Her knowledge of the island has built up over twenty-five years and she walks regularly, especially in the northern hills. She is known here for her deep knowledge of the terrain, history and etymology, and consequently, regularly guides official walks for the municipality of Sant Joan. On Sundays, Rika takes small, relaxed groups along some of her favourite routes. Rika is the proud founder of a small business called Walk and Talk Ibiza, and has invented a refreshing way to teach foreign languages. She uses her translation and language skills in English, German, Spanish, Catalan and Ibicenco for relaxed conversation classes combined with wonderful nature walks. Her Facebook page is regularly updated with photos of walks and the natural beauty she encounters. This is also where she posts information about the Sunday rambles.

To find out about Rikaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activities (including translation) please get in touch via email (tradurika@gmail.com) or the Walk And Talk Ibiza page on Facebook.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rob has always had a love of walking, which stems from long summer holidays spent in southwest England as a child. In his late teens he moved to France to follow his passion for cooking, working his way up from plongeur to chef at a variety of restaurants. He travelled leisurely from Provence to Paris before returning to the UK in 1996 to establish The Shoreditch Map. This monthly listings magazine, for which he wrote about venues and events across the stylish London neighbourhood, ran for over 80 issues before he passed it on as a successful enterprise. These days Rob divides his time between London and a remote hideaway in the west of Ibiza. To research this book he walked every path in every accessible corner of the island for a year and a half, clocking up over 3,000 kilometres – equivalent to walking to his home in London and back. Also during this time Rob founded the Ibiza Walking Association, a non-profit organisation that aims to promote the Pityuses as a walking destination, as well as giving local guides an internet presence and Facebook page where they can promote their services. For the past couple of years, Rob’s IWA has organised fundraising walks for Ibiza-based charities. Thanks in good measure to the skills and enthusiasm of the participants, over €15,000 has been raised so far for worthy initiatives such as the Centro Menor de Conseil de Eivissa (an orphanage and children’s home), The Ibiza Preservation Fund and Mojis Animal Sanctuary. Rob’s other activities in the IWA include clearing overgrown pathways so they can be easily followed without a guide. Over recent decades many have become difficult to locate, corresponding to the rapid decline of traditional activities in the countryside. Rob sincerely hopes that his work on the ground and as an author-publisher will promote Ibiza’s outstanding appeal to walkers, while establishing at the same time a lasting network of viable routes accessible to everyone. www.ibizawalkingassociation.com

IBIZA PRESERVATION FUND We would like to draw your attention to the Ibiza Preservation Fund, which carries out vital work to protect Ibiza’s flora and fauna, as well as the traditional way of life in the countryside. As a reader of this book and most probably a keen walker, we are sure you will appreciate the beautiful surroundings Ibiza has to offer. One of the latest projects of the IPF is the funding of an almond-cracking machine that will make almond production on the island more financially viable. At the moment, the price of almonds is so low that it is not possible to make money from them. The farmers that currently gather their almonds do so mainly to keep the trees healthy, but even so, the number of almond trees on the island is diminishing. By automatically opening the almonds and removing their shell, the machine instantly increases the market value of the harvest, ensuring an income for the farmers. And for lovers of natural spectacles, the machine will mean that the magnificent blossom of Santa Agnès can continue for many years to come. In broad terms, the IPF aims to safeguard Ibiza and Formentera’s outstanding beauty and natural value. Its principal focus is the conservation of rural and marine environments. Projects it is currently supporting are: - Land Bank (Asociación de Productores de Agricultura Ecológica) - Almond-Cracking Machine (Cooperativa Agrícola Sant Antoni) - Alliance Against Oil Drilling (Alianza Mar Blava) - The Sea, a Shared Responsibility (GEN-GOB) - Promoting Renewable Energy (Amics de la Terra) - Balearic Shearwater Conservation (SEO-Birdlife) For more information or to make a donation please visit www.ibizapreservationfund.org

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Writing a walking book for a place where you have spent a relatively small portion of your life is a fairly rare undertaking. Before starting on this project Rob had resided for a mere eight weeks on Ibiza and the final result is in no small part due to the unconditional help from the following people. Rob would like to pass on his profound gratitude for their assistance and point out to the readers that the book would not have been possible without them. Martin Davies, faultless editor and brilliant publisher, for his excellent work improving Rob’s writing and content. For his advice and introductions to everyone else that has helped on the book. And in particular, for his firm collaboration on all aspects including the ‘Extra Step’ articles. Rika Humphreys for her guidance, tips, opinions and corrections. Not to mention her magnificent German translation. Which is where a big thank you to Eva Ríos comes in as well, for her superb work as the Spanish translator. Rika and Eva’s attention to all the last-minute changes did not go unnoticed. In the production department, Ben Hoo for developing Rob’s basic layouts into the beautifully designed book you are holding now. Katie Halpin for some marvellous tweaking and proofing. Piers (Dog’s Body Design), Chunning Chang and Joan Costa Bonet for helping Rob tackle the daunting cartographical content. Lastly to Simon Borrough and Jo Kirby for their work on the final checks and design to bring everything to completion. Finally, but by no means insignificantly, thanks to all who helped Rob in miscellaneous ways. Carmen Ferrer, Carmen Sánchez, Teresa Campillo Angeles López, Joan Bosque, Mike and Rachel Wake, Detlev Baumhoff, Cat Milton, Brian and Di Whetton, Liisi Toom, Jim Arymer and of course Steve Marvell, for his stalwart technical support behind the scenes.

SPECIAL THANKS Rob would also like to mention his respect and appreciation of the late Rolf Hürten, author of the first walking guides for Ibiza. Rolf laid down most of the routes that are used by walkers on the island today. His small blue markings escorted Rob to the best locations and are the backbone of the research in this book.

The secret is out... From tranquil coves and hidden pathways to romantic restaurants and pop-up beach bars, Secret Seeker guides guarantee an unbeatable day out at the most beautiful and unusual locations on Ibiza. Available in the Secret Seeker: Ibiza series

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Discover the true nature of Ibiza with Secret Walks: Ibiza South. Within these meticulously researched pages you will ﬁnd... - 18 spectacular walking routes of varying length and difﬁculty - Detours and shortcuts that take you to secret beaches or incredible viewpoints - Details of how to combine, shorten and adapt the routes for multiple variations - The best local restaurants, bars, cafés and chiringuitos - ‘Extra Step’ articles that reveal surprising secrets about island life All this is packed into the book with... - Easy-to-read maps and clear, detailed walking instructions - Hundreds of beautiful photographs - The Secret Seeker guarantee of an unbeatable day out

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