GR221 (Ruta De Pedra En Sec / The Dry Stone Route) - Mallorca

[Bachibouzouk]

Hello. We're flying out to Palma de Mallorca tomorrow and after a few days of R&R on the beach and in the sun I'll be setting off on the Ruta De Pedra en Sec/GR221. Not a Camino de Santiago but if enough people are interested I'd be more than happy to post some facts and impressions.

Alfin del Asfalto

 

[peregrina2000]

I’d love to hear about it, so there you have an audience of at least one!

Is this camino different than the Camino that goes from Santuario de Luc?

@laineylainey posted about her walk on Menorca, so we are building a reading list for the Baleares, it seems!

Buen camino @Bachibouzouk!

 

[Bachibouzouk]

As far as I know it is not same walk. There is an annual pilgrimage (a night walk?) in August from Palma de Mallorca to the Santuario de Lluc but that is not the Ruta De Pedra En Sec, which starts at Port d'Andratx goes along the Serra de Tramuntana via Valldemosa, Deia (one of the the main reasons for my walk), the Sanctuario de Lluc and finishes in Pollenca.

I will look up the Menorca walk you mention. The route around the island, Cami de Cavalls/GR223, is on my wish-list. A friend has recently walked it and recommends it.

 

[islandwalker]

if enough people are interested I'd be more than happy to post some facts and impressions.

Having greatly benefitted from your Ruta del Argar notes from Lorca, I'd definitely be interested in these!

 

[PeteAJ]

I'd be curious to hear impressions as well! I might go at it next summer. Not sure how it came on my radar even. I did the TMB and also saw Andrew from Knife Edge Outdoors has a GR221 guidebook.

 

[klimmo]

Following, would specifically like to know if it can be done in early november.
Have a great trip!

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Is this camino different than the Camino that goes from Santuario de Luc?

Just Googled Camino de Mallorca. Would appear that there is indeed a Camino on Mallorca from the Sancturio de Lluc that goes on to Palma, from where the Peregrino would catch a boat to the mainland. The August night pilgrimage in reverse? It's 60kms/4 stages. No mention of any albergues. I'll try and get more information 'sur place'.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Tomorrow I set out in the GR221/Ruta De Pedra En Sec/Drystone Walk.

My guidebook (Paddy Dillon - Cicerone) tells me that I can expect pine, oak, olive and palm trees along the way as well as other Mediterranean flora ('garrigue') to include broome, rowan, lavender, rosemary and thyme but also the strawberry tree. Not a tree I was familiar with, unless it also went by another name, until I Googled it. The bear and the strawberry tree in full fruit are, of course, the symbols of Madrid (see the Atletico Madrid football club badge with bear and tree, but no fruit in evidence). I imagine a certain Beatles' song will be playing repeatedly on my mental jukebox as I walk keeping an eye out for the tree.

As for fauna: pine marten, weasel, genet and hedgehog, osprey, booted eagle, falcons and vultures. A genet would be brilliant but I'm guessing it's probably nocturnal.

My guidebook also tells me that it is a 140kms hike best divided up into 10 days. Some of the outlined days are so short (8.5kms) that I will be doubling up. I'm also planning on spending 3 days in Deia so it will be taking me - yes, 10 days.

The route follows the Serra Tramuntana from West to East essentially parallel to the coast - imagine Mallorca as the profile of a goat's head and neck - from its lips to the base of its horns. Port d'Andratx to Pollenca, the latter I have been reliably informed, is 'the most beautiful place in the world'. High praise indeed, even if it does come from a Weshman!

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Bit of a mixed start to my walk. Got lost twice and had to backtrack to Sant Elm. Had planned to walk as far as Ses Fontanelles - two stages (8.5kms and 12kms respectively). Did the 20kms and more but only covered the first 8.5kms of the route!

It was what I call 'a 3 litre day' - in sweat, not intake of liquids. I was blowing a sweat bead off the tip of my nose with every uphill step I took. 33C in the shade - and there wasn't very much of that. I love walking in the heat and the sun but the GR221 isn't the predominantly flat Caminos of mainland Spain.

I struggled to find the path down from a cliff and wasted an hour in the morning looking for it in completely the wrong place. In the afternoon I just couldn't find the path up and over the next cliff. After two hours of defying Newtonian physics - going up when I should have been going down and going down when I should have been going up, I decided to backtrack, tail slightly between my legs but glad to still be in one piece after four separate falls (scary but no damage done) to look for a bed in Sant Elm and 'tae think agin'. My guidebook had warned me that markings were few and far between. I saw one faded red and white flash all day. Many cairns, it is true, but every path, and there were any number of those, had a cairn! All paths seemed to lead precisely - nowhere in my case.

Mistakes are the portals to new discoveries, as the saying goes and Sant Elm was indeed a pleasant discovery.

This morning I jumped on a couple of buses to Estellencs where I resumed my walk to Esporles. I had no intention of looking for the cliff top passage again particularly as everyone I spoke to repeatedly insisted that it was clear and obvious. Impossible to go wrong. I'd also pre-booked refugi in advance and had to keep moving forwards.

Today the weather was much kinder and the route impeccably waymarked with brand new posts at very regular intervals. I didn't get lost. It was a most pleasant stroll above the azure Mediterranean along drystone walled paths and a good deal of it on a drystone path (The Postal Path). Mallorcan postman were clearly fit - or at least their mules were. Mainly through pine forests but also along terraced olive and orange groves. It wasn't unusual to see 10 or even 12 levels of terracing. Along the way I saw the first of many 'sitges' and linekilns. A 'sitja' is a flat circular area where charcoal was produced. The trade became obsolete in the 1920s with the advent of Butane gas. The limekilns are simply deep, stone-lined pits. They had no draw-holes and the fire had to be kept burning for up to two weeks. A lot of hard work for little reward. 'He who makes lime goes barefoot'. The lime was used for the annual whitewashing of the houses and also for mortar.

Tomorrow onto Valldemosa and Deia. At least, I hope so as the guidebook warns of very little in the way of signage!

Alfin del Asfalto

 

[islandwalker]

That route finding sounds challenging! But it sounds like you made a good decision by getting to the next stage. There are quite a few tracks for the GR 221 on Wikiloc. Would any of these help you? You would have to download the Wikiloc app using wifi if you don't already have it. Then if you save it, you can follow the track offline.

Wikiloc | Trails of the World

Find the best outdoor trails for mountain hiking treks, bike tour itineraries, MTB rides, and up to 80 activities. Discover the most beautiful places in the world, download GPS tracks and follow the top routes on a map. Record your own trail from the app, upload it and share it with the community.

www.wikiloc.com

It looks like the user LucidDream posted all the stages.

GR221 (1/9) - Port d'Andratx - Sant Elm

GR221 (1/9) - Port d'Andratx - Sant Elm Hiking trail in Port d'Andratx, Baleares (España). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. Day 1/9 Day 2/9 Day 3/9 Day 4/9 Day 5/9 Day 6/9 Day 7/9 Day 8/9 Day 9/9 GR221 in 9 Tagen gewandert, Tag 1: Gute Streckenlänge für...

www.wikiloc.com

 

[Simperegrina]

@Bachibouzouk Mallorca is one of my favourite places in the world, and for me, Deia is one of the most beautiful (beats Pollenca by some way), and it’s great that you’re spending a few days there. You staying at Can Boi? Cala Deia will be a little less crazy now it’s mid Sep, so do go there for a dip - and see the famous location used in The Night Manager. Lovely choice of walks down to the Cala from the village. if you want restaurant recommendations, feel free to message me

When you pick up the GR221 from Deia, the route passes in front of Son Mico. It’s an old finca turned cafe run by 2 sisters, and the cakes are to die for! About 30 mins before you reach it, there’s a great place to stop for freshly squeezed orange juice…nothing better on a warm day

 

[Bachibouzouk]

@Bachibouzouk Mallorca is one of my favourite places in the world, and for me, Deia is one of the most beautiful (beats Pollenca by some way), and it’s great that you’re spending a few days there. You staying at Can Boi? Cala Deia will be a little less crazy now it’s mid Sep, so do go there for a dip - and see the famous location used in The Night Manager. Lovely choice of walks down to the Cala from the village. if you want restaurant recommendations, feel free to message me

When you pick up the GR221 from Deia, the route passes in front of Son Mico. It’s an old finca turned cafe run by 2 sisters, and the cakes are to die for! About 30 mins before you reach it, there’s a great place to stop for freshly squeezed orange juice…nothing better on a warm day

Thanks Simperegrino. I have been to Deia before - many years ago and in December. Likely to be quite different. And Robert Graves' house hadn't yet been open to the public. I will indeed enjoy a swim in the Cala in this baking weather.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

That route finding sounds challenging! But it sounds like you made a good decision by getting to the next stage. There are quite a few tracks for the GR 221 on Wikiloc. Would any of these help you? You would have to download the Wikiloc app using wifi if you don't already have it. Then if you save it, you can follow the track offline.

Wikiloc | Trails of the World

Find the best outdoor trails for mountain hiking treks, bike tour itineraries, MTB rides, and up to 80 activities. Discover the most beautiful places in the world, download GPS tracks and follow the top routes on a map. Record your own trail from the app, upload it and share it with the community.

www.wikiloc.com

It looks like the user LucidDream posted all the stages.

GR221 (1/9) - Port d'Andratx - Sant Elm

GR221 (1/9) - Port d'Andratx - Sant Elm Hiking trail in Port d'Andratx, Baleares (España). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. Day 1/9 Day 2/9 Day 3/9 Day 4/9 Day 5/9 Day 6/9 Day 7/9 Day 8/9 Day 9/9 GR221 in 9 Tagen gewandert, Tag 1: Gute Streckenlänge für...

www.wikiloc.com

Thanks Islandwalker. Que? As the Spaniards say. I still live in the Dark Ages. Internet and email are about as much as I can get my head around. Mobile phones? My old brick doubles up as a torch and I can never get it switched on when needed!

 

[klimmo]

Hi @Bachibouzouk , thank you for your updates. I'll be walking in your path from end of october and i will try to prepare myself for the first two stretches. Please keep your updates coming!
Wishing you a great trip,
Mo

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Hi @Bachibouzouk , thank you for your updates. I'll be walking in your path from end of october and i will try to prepare myself for the first two stretches. Please keep your updates coming!
Wishing you a great trip,
Mo

If you have a GPS gizmo you will have no trouble.

Day One (Port d'Andratx to Sant Elm) - once you reach the red and white mast on the cliff top, keep walking along the trail. Half way to Pintal Vermell (circa 500m) you need to climb up on your right for 50-100m and the track down to Sant Elm comes into view. It is after the mast, not around the mast, where I was searching in vain.

Day Two (Sant Elm to La Trapa and beyond to Ses Fontanelles). I can offer no advise here as I failed miserably. Everyone else I have spoken to and who has made it this far says it is convoluted but do-able. Waymarking after La Trapa is apparently no problem into Ses Fontanelles.

I would recommend taking your time. Doubling stages, I am now realizing, is not a great idea. The terrain is rugged, up and down constantly and treacherous underfoot when coming down even in the dry. Having got use to Camino distances I underestimated how long a mountain kilometre can take.

Buen camino.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Esporles - Deia (23kms)

23kms but a full day's walking, particularly if you want to spend a couple of hours in Valldemossa, and I would suggest you probably do. It's a little busy and cosmopolitan (hotels, boutiques, tourist shops, coach loads of daytrippers up from the coast, ....) but very picturesque nonetheless. If you have deep pockets it could be an idea to overnight here (different feeling to the place once the daytrippers have returned to their resorts?). There is no refugi or value hotel here. The Royal Charterhouse looked interesting but it was a hive of activity that I really couldn't face. I did take a quick look at the Chopin Museum, which also allows you a tantalizing preview of the monastery 'intra muros'. Chopin, lover George Sand (aka Amandine Dupin de Franceuil) and her two children spent part of the winter of 1838-9 in the Royal Charterhouse. Chopin had tuberculosis and he was prescribed warmer, dryer climes for the winter. A 'cell' in a damp monastery up in the mountains in the middle of winter would seem an odd choice of destination. The 'cell', it turns out, is more like a suite of rooms and a terraced garden with view down to the sea. Chopin's piano, which he had sent from Paris, is still there, as is one of Sand's pipes - looking remarkably like a sebsi! Mostly it is just replicas on display; music sheets, paintings, letters, Chopin's death mask and a plaster cast of one of his hands. Apparently he completed various Preludes, one Polonaise his Second Ballade and The Third Scherzo here. Sand completed her novel Spiridion. I know very little about George Sand and what little I do is through the writings of Julian Barnes. As I understand it, in her day she was one of the most read writers not just in France but in Europe. Chopin's popularity remains, as evidenced by the number of Poles visiting. Not one single French person! I picked up a copy of A Winter In Mallorca as a Sand sampler.

Back to Valldemossa: the local speciality is the 'coca de patata', not a potato as you might think but a bun with icing sugar on the top. Having a sweet tooth I liked it. It would be great for dunking in 'cafe con leche' or hot chocolate.

The trail, inspite of what the guide book says, is very clearly indicated. Brand new signposts with the red and white GR flash. To Valldemossa it is mostly through forests of pine with the occasional view through the trees down to the coast and over Valldemossa as you approach. Unfortunately the weather was overcast and views uninspiring. After Valdemossa there is another long climb, again through forest until you reach the plateau. The plateau is barren and wind swept but oddly, or maybe madly, an Austrian Archduke had a scenic carriageway constructed up here, which is now part of the route. How the carriages ever got up there is a mystery to me. The crazy Archduke also had a snow-pit built (20m x 5m x 8m deep, I calculated) but it was built too low to make ice.

The trail down from the plateau into Deia is another one that provides the ONLY safe descent down the cliffs. It is crucial to find the path - thankfully it is well marked. Be aware, it is a long and slippery way down into Deia. It had rained in the afternoon which made conditions particularly tricky underfoot but I should imagine that this is so at all times (smooth rocks, loose stones, roots, leaves, line needles).

Am now in Deia for a couple days. More about Deia later. The refugi Can Boi is a good one and provides both dinner and breakfast at reasonable rates.

In Esporles I stayed in the Sa Fita youth hostel. The refugi Son Trias is/was closed. Sa Fita has a plunge pool, should you arrive before the 16:00 check-in. It also has a good kitchen.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Deia. Where to start?

My fascination begins with Robert Graves - tangentially. Of course like most people of my generation I was enthralled by the BBC's serialization of his books; I, Claudius and Claudius The God and I've read a little more of his works over the years (Goodbye To All That, a set text at school as I remember, Count Belisarius, The Nazarene Gospel Restored and I've had more than one unsuccessful attempt at The White Goddess), although never any of his poetry. Whisper it quietly but I prefer the writings of his offspring; Tuning Up At Dawn and Bread and Oil by Tomas Graves, Wild Olives by William Graves and A Woman Unknown by Lucia Graves.

The Graves' family hosted a number of teenage English boys in the early to mid-Sixties. The first of whom was a young Robert Wyatt, he brought along his friends Kevin Ayers and Daevid Allen as the summers went by, and by mid 1966 The Soft Machine pop group had been formed with the financial backing an American millionaire who happened to be in Deia at the time. The Soft Machine were, along with The Pink Floyd (the The was soon dropped in both cases), seminal members of the London underground/alternative culture of the Sixties. Soft Machine were said to the third most popular Anglo-Saxon pop group in France in the Sixties behind The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. I imagine the Bronze medallists were a long way behind the Gold and Silver medallists, perhaps even lapped! Soft Machine unlike Pink Floyd, still exist and are touring at this very moment, although without any of the founding members.

Both Kevin Ayers and Daevid Allen came back to live in Deia. So it has long been a project of mine to track down the various relevant locations and try to separate truth from fiction (the source of endless debate between we fans). Robert Graves' house has opened as a museum since my last visit here and I have been able over time to gather more bits of the jigsaw puzzle. Yesterday I had a long chat with the painter and musician David Templeton, a contemporary of both Ayers and Allen - and by all accounts a fellow in bacchanalia. Truth can be stranger than fiction!

Ayers' ashes are scattered not far from Robert Graves' grave in the small cemetery next to the church on the hill. It is surprising to note how people with a foreign name are buried or have had their ashes scattered there.

 

[islandwalker]

Thanks for all the informative posts and the nice background on Robert Graves and family! Having enjoyed A Woman Unknown, I'm now off to read her brothers' books.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Thanks for all the informative posts and the nice background on Robert Graves and family! Having enjoyed A Woman Unknown, I'm now off to read her brothers' books.

Absolutely worth it. You won't regret reading either Tomas or William.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Deia - Soller (15kms?)

I made a late start wanting to visit Ca n' Alluny, Robert Graves' house. Only open Monday to Friday, so I had been unable to visit earlier. Neither was it open as a museum when I visited in 2004. The house has been restored and furnished pretty much as it was when Graves' lived there. The half hour audio-visual gives you a good thumbnail description of his life. Worth an hour of anyone's time who is vaguely interested in the man and much more time if you are really interested. In essence he put Deia on the map.

The walk from Deia to Soller is straight forward and very well marked. In fact many holiday makers were walking in sneakers. There is a 'refugi' out on a spur above Port Soller, but I didn't go there, preferring to head first to Port Soller (not actually on the GR221) before proceeding to Soller itself. The bay of Port Soller is stunning, great views as you descend on the GR221, but I can't help feeling that the architecture along the waterfront has not done it justice. Some pretty ugly hotels and restaurants.

Soller itself now has a backpackers place but my guidebook didn't mention it, so I'm staying in a cheap B&B. With its narrow streets, tramway, quaint railway line and extraordinary church facade Soller makes for a good overnight stop. It's busy but in a good way.

 

[klimmo]

I am very much enjoying your updates! Thank you!

 

[islandwalker]

I am very much enjoying your updates! Thank you!

Me too!

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Soller to Lluc

I had planned to walk this double stage because I couldn't get into the 'refugi' at Tossals Verds but luckily saw reason before attempting it (circa 35kms). Unless you are a Navy Seal or a SAS commando you might want to think twice about doubling up here. Soller is more or less at sea level and there's about 1000m of ascent just to Tossals Verds and about another 800m to Lluc, needless to say, a lot of descent too. There is an alternative.

But first, ..... because Tossals Verds 'refugi' is the one and only place to stay (you're high up in the mountains at this stage), and unless you are camping, you should make this your very first booking and then work backwards and forwards with further reservations. Tossals Verds 'refugi' is a bottleneck - and this isn't even the peak hiking season!

If you can't get into Tossals Verds 'refugi' there is a daily bus leaving Soller at 09:05 to the Cuber reservoir (bus 231?), which will cost you 3.00 euros. From the Cuber reservoir you can pick up the GR221. It is a straight forward walk to Lluc, bypassing Tossals Verds completly. Well waymarked. The completists could also walk up from Soller to the Cuber reservoir with a daypack, return to Soller by bus (there are two late afternoon buses) for a second night's accommodation there and then take the morning bus back to Cuber reservoir to continue on to Lluc.

You don't actually need to go to Tossals Verds at all. It is on a variant of the GR221 rather than on the actual route.

This part of the walk is amazing. Shortly after Cuber you are above the tree line with spectacular views in all directions.

You will come across some impressive ice-pits along the way. Ice was a highly prized commodity. Snow was gathered into heaps, compacted and stored in these deep (10m?) stone-lined pits. Clumps of carritx grass were strewn in layers over the ice so that it could be separated easily into blocks at a later date. The snow-gathering industry ended abruptly with the advent of modern refrigeration.

The Son Amer 'refugi' in Lluc is actually circa 30 minutes past Lluc itself. The monastery (Santuari) in Lluc was full, otherwise I would have stayed there. Son Amer is a fine 'refugi' but you should pre-order dinner if you want to eat there, otherwise you will need to walk back to Lluc or, like me, rely on the Camino standby - Cupa Soup.

 

[klimmo]

Thank you, I have been able to book both Tossals Verds and the monastery. Looking into the Cuber now, as it sounds very interesting. Keep them coming!

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Thank you, I have been able to book both Tossals Verds and the monastery. Looking into the Cuber now, as it sounds very interesting. Keep them coming!

If you have booked Tossals Verds, the Cuber reservoir will be on your route. Steep climb from Soller then another couple of hours on to Tossals Verds. Guide book says 20kms but don't underestimate the climb!

 

[islandwalker]

you should make this your very first booking and then work backwards and forwards with further reservations. Tossals Verds 'refugi' is a bottleneck - and this isn't even the peak hiking season!

That is very useful advice for future walkers!

I read your note about the pozo de nieve with great interest. We saw two of these in the Cazorla Natural Park in Andalucia this year. I had never seen one before. The one by the castle at Sierra de Segura was 20 feet deep!

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Lluc to Pollenca (20kms)

Returned to Lluc from Son Amer 'refugi' to have a look around the Sanctuari. I had arrived latish and under the rain the previous day. Very glad I did. NB - back long the road it is only a 10-15 mins walk.

I had imagined Lluc to be a small village. It is the Sanctuari, a couple of cafe/bars, a caferia, a small grocery shop and a souvenir shop all catering to the visitors. Nada mas.

The statuette of the Madonna and Child found by a shepherd boy in C13th is now sheltered in this impressive C17th monastery. Early in the morning, when I went, it wasn't too busy but Lluc must surely be on many coach tour itineraries. To see the statuette you join a queue and follow around behind the altar, much like you do in Santiago de Compostella cathedral. The statuette is sandstone but blackened through the years. There is also a nice homespun botanical garden to wander around with running water and sculptures. A school is attached to the monastery - for the choristers, who I believe perform briefly each day in the Basilica. Be sure to spend an hour or two in Lluc.

From Lluc to Pollenca is about 5 hours, mostly downhill and mostly in forests of Holm Oak. From time to time there spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. The last hour or so rather dull, parallel to the main road.

'Refugi' Pont Roma comes up very quickly as you enter the town. Town centre a further 5 to 10 mins away?

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Some thoughts (mostly to myself).

Apart from the first two stages, the whole route is now very well waymarked.

The route can be walked in either direction. Most walkers seen to be going West to East.

There is quite a lot of walking through forests (pine and oak), ergo, little sunshine and infrequent views. My favourite parts were above the tree line and parallel to the coast, where the terracing with the citrus and olive trees is very picturesque.

Some of the drystone pathways, particularly higher up in the mountains, are quite bewildering. How much effort was put in to building them?

Walking poles might be a good idea, particularly in the longer, trickier downhill sections?

Take your time and don't be tempted to double up stages unnecessarily.

Valldemossa, Deia, Soller, the Sanctuari de Lluc and Pollenca are worth at least a few hours break, some even a second night.

Sheets and towels can be hired and duvets are provided in all the 'refugi'. Not sure about the Youth Hostel in Esporles, however. Travel light.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Is this camino different than the Camino that goes from Santuario de Luc?

Yes it definitively is.

I gleaned the following information re. the Camino (Cami de Lluc).

Kilometre Zero is right in front of the Santuari.

It is 1360kms to Santiago de Compostela (circa 60kms to Palma). Not sure if that is walking distance or includes the distance across the sea to the Spanish mainland. Presumably the latter.

The Camino starts off following the GR222 down to Caimari. After that you follow other routes down into Palma, from where any Peregrino would have taken the boat to the mainland, presumably picking up the St Jaume in Barce!ona, La Lana in Valencia, the Levante in Alicante or wherever else landfall occurred.

There are no specific Camino waymarkings (flechas amarillas or conchas) and there are no albergues.

That, I am afraid, is all I was able to pick up.

Buen camino.

 

[klimmo]

Thank you so much for your updates. I'm even more looking forward to my trip there.

Best wishes!! Buen camino

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Thank you so much for your updates. I'm even more looking forward to my trip there.

Best wishes!! Buen camino

Enjoy the walk. I am sure you will. Keep us posted.

 

[Kevin Considine]

One of my favorite Caminos. It’s a spectacular beautiful coastal walk and perfect if you like a more rugged walk than the typical Camino. Also there is a Camino de Santiago starting in Lluc at the Monastery. I think your best off sticking to the GR221 though it stops at the Monastery. There are really nice refuges to stay in along the way. Though depending upon when you go you need to make reservations as it is a popular walk.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Esporles - Deia (23kms)

23kms but a full day's walking, particularly if you want to spend a couple of hours in Valldemossa, and I would suggest you probably do. It's a little busy and cosmopolitan (hotels, boutiques, tourist shops, coach loads of daytrippers up from the coast, ....) but very picturesque nonetheless. If you have deep pockets it could be an idea to overnight here (different feeling to the place once the daytrippers have returned to their resorts?). There is no refugi or value hotel here. The Royal Charterhouse looked interesting but it was a hive of activity that I really couldn't face. I did take a quick look at the Chopin Museum, which also allows you a tantalizing preview of the monastery 'intra muros'. Chopin, lover George Sand (aka Amandine Dupin de Franceuil) and her two children spent part of the winter of 1838-9 in the Royal Charterhouse. Chopin had tuberculosis and he was prescribed warmer, dryer climes for the winter. A 'cell' in a damp monastery up in the mountains in the middle of winter would seem an odd choice of destination. The 'cell', it turns out, is more like a suite of rooms and a terraced garden with view down to the sea. Chopin's piano, which he had sent from Paris, is still there, as is one of Sand's pipes - looking remarkably like a sebsi! Mostly it is just replicas on display; music sheets, paintings, letters, Chopin's death mask and a plaster cast of one of his hands. Apparently he completed various Preludes, one Polonaise his Second Ballade and The Third Scherzo here. Sand completed her novel Spiridion. I know very little about George Sand and what little I do is through the writings of Julian Barnes. As I understand it, in her day she was one of the most read writers not just in France but in Europe. Chopin's popularity remains, as evidenced by the number of Poles visiting. Not one single French person! I picked up a copy of A Winter In Mallorca as a Sand sampler.

Have just finished reading George Sand's A Winter In Majorca (sic), which I picked up in Valldemossa. Not exactly a flattering picture of the Mallorquin and their culture.

Sand never once mentions Chopin by name (his request?), only referring to an invalid travel companion.

Written a couple of years after their stay there with her two children. Nonetheless, it should be of interest to anyone stopping off in Valldemossa or visiting the Charterhouse and the Chopin Museum.

The Charterhouse was more or less abandoned and partially in ruins by the time of their stay. The monks had been expelled two years earlier under the Desamortizacion Eclesiastica de Mendizabal (Mendizabal's Privation of Monastic Properties).

From Wikipedia I gleaned the following, which will also be of interest to anyone who has walked La Ruta De La Lana: 'Some of the expropriations were reversed in subsequent decades, as happened in Santo Domingo de Silos, but re-establishments were relatively few. Some of the secularised monasteries are in a reasonably good state of preservation, for example the Valldemossa Charterhouse; others are ruined, such as San Pedro de Arlanza.'