Participants: Tony and Gillian
Adams, Mike and Bridie Macklin, Christina Petzold, Steve (Hot Air) Rainbow,
Daphne (Dee Em Cubed) Martin, Verena (Muesli) and Mike (Mad) Petzold, Sally and
Rupert (West Face) Roschnik.
People who
had read their emails pitched up at the Hotel Marina without trouble. One couple tried to book into the wrong
hostelry and another deviated through an incorrect tunnel - which all goes to
prove that some METHS members are illiterate.
A tough walk
and an easy option were available every day, with hybrid combinations possible.
Each evening photos of terrain warned of
what to expect on the morrow. The easy
walks were mostly ignored so, in 6 days, we achieved 5 A+ walks, 2 B+ walks and
a C walk, each route radiating in a different direction from Puerto Soller. The group thus acquired a grasp of the
beautiful region: screes, caves,
stalactites, wild goats, olive groves, ancient charcoal burning sites, lime
ovens...
Before and
after the Meet Mallorca basked in wall-to-wall blue skies but METHS week
enjoyed only one sparkling day. Otherwise views were slightly impaired by mist
on the peaks. Attendance on all walks
was gratifying with everyone amazingly keen to risk cliffs and cables. A happy (if sometimes scary) time was
experienced. Intrepid swimmers cooled
off in the sea on our doorstep.
The hotel
was good and the staff pleasant. If
suppers were not invariably inspiring, many restaurants round the picturesque
bay offered splendid alternatives with attentive and jovial service. Outside, beside the sea, we relished gorgeous
views of the bay while enjoying breakfasts and sundowners. Here we also celebrated 2 different wedding
anniversaries with Cava.
Summits
reached day by day: Bálitx 580m; Sa Galera
908m; Alquería (609m); Alfabia Ridge 970m – we didn’t push on up to 1025m
because of cloud; Caragoli 945m; Portel de Sa Costa 929m. On day 6 we threaded the notorious gorge of
the Torrente de Pareis climbing 657m in the process. Most walks started and/or ended at sea level.
Abandoned:
Petzold’s hat, no doubt left as an offering, at the Spring of Sa Senyora.
Temporarily
mislaid: One walker (of the same name)
who found a new “route” up the side of an un-climbable ravine.
Daphne
thanks all participants for their positive cheerfulness throughout.