As we are already in Mao, today we needed to get back to Punta Prima then walk back into Mao - that was until Elvis came up with a brilliant and cunning plan! Instead of messing about getting a bus to Punta Prima and wasting part of the nice cool morning waiting for, then travelling on a bus - why don't we do today's walk in reverse!! Walk from Mao to Punta Prima and then get the bus back - Excellent - so that's exactly what we did!! Today's supposed to be three stages and 21km long - but as we did an extra stage yesterday, then today we get a treat! Only two stages and 14km in total - we could be in a cake shop by lunch time :) Today is also a special day because we are officially over half way through. 5 days done - 5 days to go. But what's really special about today is.... a very lightweight back pack (in fact no back pack for Elvis) because we're using Mao as a base for 3 days, we don't need to carry all of our sh*t! On the trail for 6:55am
Leaving Mao isn't as easy as the other stages - Mao is the capital city and has the usual urban sprawl, so after a few km's we're still on the city streets. This is a round-a-bout with a windmill on and in the distance there's another one! The windmills have been recently restored and are in working order. We are just passing a beautiful spot on the coast named Es Castell
This maybe is just an 'Hodganism' but, if we did something daft or looked a bit stupid when we were kids, my (Keith) Mother would always say - 'You look a little Fond'. So I couldn't resist!
Today the weather is very cool and breezy and quite overcast. Makes a lovely view towards sea with the sun streaming through the clouds. Great temperature for walking.
Shortly after passing Es Castell, we turned right off the main road onto a country lane and soon ended up here at the start of stage 20/end of stage 19 (remember we're doing this day backwards!). This is the small but pretty village of Cala Sant Esteve. There's an old quarry here that might be worth a revisit - but sticking to our rules - no detours while we're doing the Cami!! We also pass by the impressive Forte De Marlborough - passing by being the operative word!
Here is Keith using the cami guide post as some kind of gymnastic horse! Please boys, do not try this one at home unless you have a sure grip, otherwise you could end up in the nearest accident and emergency clinic, sat next to the guy who 'accidentally' fell on to the hoover extension pipe whilst naked!!.
After Cala Sant Esteve, we leave the coast and follow country lanes. The scenery was good, but, as you can see in the next picture, for some reason the height of the walls increased and for a couple of km's it was like walking in a tunnel.
The 'tunnel effect!! We did eventually pass an entrance to a large private estate and figured that must be why the walls were so high!
For the first time on the walk, we missed one of the Cami guide posts - probably too busy talking! We ended up walking a lane through a farm - that's where we saw these little piggies and a little further down...
..we saw this beauty! This is a typical black Menorcan stallion - we were to see a few more of these later in the trip - but that's a different story!. After realising that we hadn't seen a cami guide post for a while we decided to back track - we happened to bump into two English ladies out for a stroll and they pointed us in the right direction. Only a ten minute diversion in the end, but worth it to see the horse (and the pigs).
Eventually we get back to the coast and cross this little beauty of a beach at Alcalfar
Along the coast with the Torre d'Alcalfar (Tower of Alcalfar) in the distance. We are actually quite close to Punat Prima already and we can almost taste the ice cream.
This picture and the next are next to the Torre d' Alcalfar looking Northwards up the coast.
The last shot of the day - the familiar sight of the light house at Punt Prima, the last time we saw this (yesterday) we were practically sprinting towards the lighthouse trying to catch the bus, today though, we have plenty of time. We know which bus to get and where to get it from, so we can stroll into town like we own the place - eat their ice cream and get the hell out of there!. We were in the ice cream parlour at 10am, that's only 3 hours. We got the bus back to Mao, had a little nap and had a great night out - including a lovely meal at 'Opera' as recommended by JSSS. Tomorrow is a special day for another reason.....
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| 14th June 2016, 7:20am - Day 6 - End of Stage 20 |
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| 14th June 2016, 7:25am - Day 6 - Stage 20 |
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| 14th June 2016, 7:38am - Day 6 - Stage 20 |
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| 14th June 2016, 7:41am - Day 6 - Stage 20 |
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| 14th June 2016, 7:46am - Day 6 - End of Stage 19 |
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| 14th June 2016, 7:53am - Day 6 - Stage 19 |
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| 14th June 2016, 7:53am - Day 6 - Stage 19 |
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| 14th June 2016, 8:21am - Day 6 - Stage 19 |
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| 14th June 2016, 8:28am - Day 6 - Stage 19 |
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| 14th June 2016, 9:13am - Day 6 - Stage 19 |
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| 14th June 2016, 9:18am - Day 6 - Stage 19 |
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| 14th June 2016, 9:25am - Day 6 - Stage 19 |
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| 14th June 2016, 9:27am - Day 6 - Stage 19 |
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| 14th June 2016, 9:28am - Day 6 - Start of Stage 19 |
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