Walking in springtime in Mallorca

My guest post today from Nick of Villa Parade highlights that spring is one of the best times to visit the island of Mallorca, especially if you enjoy walking as a way to explore the beautiful scenery of this island and get away from the crowded tourist spots.

I find that spring can be the ideal time to visit the Med, as the weather is slightly cooler and there aren’t as many tourists as the high season, so it’s an excellent opportunity to explore. There are great range of activities in The Balearics to choose from. I’ve been on many of Mallorca’s walking trails, and with the Almond blossom in bloom throughout March, it’s a really beautiful time to see the island.

I also hear from many people who go to Mallorca in the spring because of its cycling routes, often used in Triathlon training, as well as from those who love wildlife and travel to spot the island’s famous Eleonora’s falcon.

One of my favourite walking routes is trekking up from Alaro to Castell d’Alaró. It takes about two hours and you need to follow signs from the PM210 to the peaceful valley of Orient. The walk takes you through olive groves climbing up to the plateau, with views of the Puig D’Alaro, a rocky outcrop with an old Moorish castle at the top. It’s worth the effort to see the beautiful views over the sea from the summit and to work up an appetite for the famous lamb dish in the Es Verger restaurant, renowned for its red wines, on the way back down.

There’s also a beautiful Mallorquin sunset walk from Roca Blanca, starting from PM-221 Formentor Road, to the peak of Fumat which shows the Formentor Peninsula, the North Eastern tip of Mallorca. at its best. A friend recommended this route to me it’s perfect if you’re looking for a bit of an adventure and you can picnic at the peak and visit the old lighthouse on the way down and have a dip in Cala Figuera. The walk is about 8km and finishes with a sunset view of Formentor’s most famous beach, Cala Formentor from Albercuitx Watchtower.

I’d love to from anyone who’s got any other tips on exploring Mallorca, especially walks that you’ve enjoyed on this beautiful island.

Many thanks for this guest post to Nick at Villa Parade who offer exclusive villas and holiday apartments throughout the Mediterranean, including Mallorca.

Photo credits: Almond Blossom by lightbrigade,  Castell d’Alaro by benjami,  Cala Figuera by Cayetano on flickr.

Other posts to enjoy

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Living on holiday all year round in Brittany - France

Imagine if every day you woke up and this was the view from your bedroom window. Imagine if you came downstairs and sat eating your breakfast looking out at the boats bobbing on the water. And on sunny days, you walked through the garden gate in the hedge in your swimsuit and dived off the jetty in front of your house. Well, this is the view that my French friend, Isabelle has from her front terrace and this is her life.

On dull days in the city like today, my mind wanders to places like Conleau near Vannes where my friend lives. She told me once that living in this house was like being on holiday every day. I love being beside the sea and the feeling of space and calm that it brings and I have to admit I’m not a little envious.

This is the view back towards the house from the early morning ferry we took when we went Fishing for Crabs on Isle de Houat, when I went to visit last summer. Sigh….. I wish it would be summer again, and that I lived on holiday all year round - don’t you?

This is posted as part of Photo Friday hosted at Delicious Baby - head over and see all the other photo Fridays too.

More stories from Brittany

Gone fishing for crabs on the Ile de Houat in Brittany, France
How to prepare a crab à la Française
A postcard from Conleau near Vannes in Brittany

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A shop full of sardines at Conserveira de Lisboa - in Lisbon

We came upon the Conserveira de Lisboa purely by chance, on a rainy day in Lisbon when we were making our way up the hill to the Castelo de Sao Jorge. Seeing a brightly coloured window we took shelter under it’s blind for a while and then got drawn in to the shop out of curiosity to see what it was selling.

It seemed a little unlikely to find a shop that only sold cans of sardines, but if it was to be found anywhere in the world, it had to be in Lisbon where the smell of grilled sardines invites you in to many a cafe in summer, especially by the seaside. In fact we found that it wasn’t just sardines, but also anchovies, tuna and other kinds of tinned fish.

Now, I can’t say I’m a great sardine lover, but I must say that I was seduced by the slightly kitch, retro paper packaging around each tin and the way that they were stacked up invitingly on the shelves. In the corner was a lady, deftly wrapping all the tins up in their decorative paper. These people had certainly made sardines into an art form!

They’d obviously sussed out what random passers by like us might purchase and we soon had a couple of little taster packs of four different kinds of tinned fish in our bags - ready perhaps to make some fishy apperitifs. You can guess what some of our nearest and dearest got for their Christmas presents.

So if you’re passing that way, or if sardines on toast are your favourite meal, or if you’re looking for an unusual souvenir of Lisbon, then pop into this quirky little place and check out a shop full of sardines at the Conserveira de Lisboa.

Conserveira de Lisboa, Rua dos Bacalhoeiros 34, 1100 Lisboa, Portugal

This is posted as part of Wanderfood Wednesday - head over for chilli and buritos and other foodie delights

Other Lisbon food to enjoy

Having my Pastéis and eating it in Lisbon
Seafood and beer at Cervejaria Trinidade in Lisbon
An authentic Portuguese meal at Casa do Alentejo in Lisbon

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