Aurora Ribot: “with this popular walk we celebrate the first expropriation that we have carried out through the Law of public paths and hiking routes in Mallorca”.

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Dry-stone Route

The Councillor for Sustainability and the Environment, Aurora Ribot, and the island’s Director of the Environment, Inmaculada Férriz, inaugurate a section of the Piedra en Seco route with a popular walk of around sixty hikers. It was an outing of great scenic interest, with exceptional views of the coast and, especially, of the Sa Dragonera Natural Park.

The Consell de Mallorca provided a free bus service that departed from Palma, and more than thirty people signed up for it. The departure point for the excursion was the car park near the Sa Gremola pass. As places were limited, prior registration was necessary to take part in this activity. The route, which began on a steep slope towards the sa Gremola pass (359 m), ended at the old Trappist monastery better known as la Trapa (375 m). The route’s signposted itinerary runs through an area burnt by several fires, which is gradually recovering, and where reeds are omnipresent, although palmettos, pines and wild olive trees also grow.

The section between ses Basses and la Trapa, which is a new addition to the Ruta de Piedra (Sec GR-221), is 3.5 kilometres long and forms part of stage 1 Port d’Andratx – Coma d’en Vidal. With this, this trail now has 183.3 km open, of which 102.3 km are the main route and 81 km are variants. With the signposting of this path, La Trapa will be connected to the pass of sa Gremola via the main route and to the village of s’Arracó via the variant of the same name.

The vice-president of the Consell de Mallorca and councillor for Sustainability and the Environment, Aurora Ribot, was very pleased with the success of this initiative and explained that “With this popular walk we are celebrating the opening of a new section of the Dry-stone Route. It is important because it is the first section in which expropriation has been incorporated as a tool, by means of the Law on public paths and hiking routes in Mallorca, a historic regulation promoted by the Department during the last legislature”.

“For our department the important thing is to fight against the climate emergency, and that is why we are convinced that we need people to be as aware as possible. That is why it is crucial to have public infrastructures in nature so that people can get to know it and be willing to protect it, which is what we need in the end: people who are aware and willing to face the challenge of the climate emergency”, added Ribot.

Inmaculada Férriz, the island’s director of the Environment, stressed that “hiking in Mallorca is in luck. We will continue to open new stretches and celebrate with popular walks to bring hiking to all citizens. With these excursions we want to stage the first walk with Mallorcans along the newly opened stretch. As we move forward with the expropriation processes we have underway, we will be adding other additions to the Dry-stone Route”.

During the route, a couple of stops were made to talk about the origins of the Dry-stone Route, the landscape of the mountain range in this particular stage and, on reaching Cape Flabioler, the legend of the flabioler de ses Basses was told. Finally, the 2013 fire and the history of La Trapa and its monastery were discussed.

More information about the Dry-stone Route (GR-221): https://caminsdepedra.conselldemallorca.cat/ruta-pedra-en-sec-gr-221