Area: Lluc, Mallorca
Massanella is probably the most interesting mountain in Mallorca. Puig Major attracts the eye, but is simpler in structure (and banned anyway - it is a military site). This was the best day of the trip, a superb traverse of the mountain that really showed off its best features. I started after breakfast at the monastery, glad again of the shade from the woodland that cloaks this side of the massif. The first objective is Puig Galileu, a distinctive satellite peak that is a popular outing in its own right. The dry stone route again helped gain height easily - I was back again on the GR221 - and skirted the northern slopes of Galileu before emerging from the treeline onto a superb contouring path through nice limestone scenery with tremendous views opening out to the sea. After some zigzags, a plateau is gained by some icehouses (this was an industry in the past, where the winter snows were kept and taken down to Palma - I saw similar things on Etna last year). The route then bends round and a side path leads up a broad limestone ridge to the summit of Puig Galileu. Great views to Puig Roig and Puig Tomir, yesterday's mountain. Ahead the route to Massanella was obvious. I dropped down to skirt the head of another valley (Comafreda), passing acres of the endemic jerusalem sage, and then climbed up steeply to the Col des Prat, an obvious crossroads. A delightful breeze took the edge of the temperatures again. From the col, a short descent on the GR221 leads to the unmarked contouring path taken by the eastern route up Massanella. This is not the normal route, and involves some scrambling. It gave a great ascent, contouring the shadows below the crags that drop down from the SW ridge. Some slabs and shelves gain another col in direct sunlight, and then some really enjoyable easy scrambling up the SW ridge. This was rather like the Gribin, although rough limestone, and the ridge became well defined, narrow even, higher up. The summit is a classic limestone plateau, with three distinct little summits. The top is rocky, with superb views in all directions: particularly beautiful towards Cuber and the Soller peaks of two days ago. The combination of forests, sea and mountains is stunning: crystal clarity too, with the breeze keeping it that way. The descent was complex, as I wasn't entirely sure where the normal route went. Initially, a sea of limestone is confusing, but I followed by nose along the ridge to the east and eventually picked up the trail. This heads away from the Lluc direction initially, and is steep and scrambly for a while. Soon, holm oak woodland is gained but it was surprisingly involved and lengthy to gain the obvious wooded Col de sa Linea: this is visible for a long time but took ages to reach, traversing above Font Avenc to a crossroads, after which the route finally heads in the Lluc direction and eventually joins a farm track. I kept a decent pace up for this, and joined the GR222 much lower down. From here, a jog led to the road at the Col de Batalla, a cyclist's crossing point. I toyed with the idea of lunch at the cafe, but decided to run straight back to Lluc to complete a superbly satisfying 16k/1100m circuit, a full traverse of the massif in three hours. Luckily, the bakery was still open for lunch, as was the swimming pool. A cold beer by the pool, looking back up to the summit of Galileu: it was very pleasant indeed.
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