Mallorca 2009
Day: 2nd October
Weather: Sunshine with some cloudy patches
Route:Cuber to l’Ofre and back again
Map: Mallorca
Tramuntana Central 1:25000
From the Cuber reservoir up
the GR221 to Puig de l’Ofre and back via Coll des Cards to
the GR221: 7 miles by Satmap gps in 4 ½ hrs – but
who’s counting?
After yesterdays disappointment of the cloud cover over Puig
l’Ofre I managed to persuade Mrs RP to join me for a walk
back up to the top. We stopped at the local store in Deia
and bought a few things for a picnic – pasties and the like
– and to be honest they didn’t last long. As we arrived the
small parking area was already full so we nipped around the
corner to another car park that served the Tossals Verd
walks. It was looking good for our walk and the golf ball on
top of Puig Major was shining brightly in the sun, but there
were still clouds scudding around the surrounding hills.
Puig Major with the radar station – some lovely hills
surround the area
Puig l’Ofre peaking up behind Sa Rateta on the left
But generally the sky was clear and it looked set fair for a
good day out as we set out on the GR221 once again. We
passed by the donkey – he wasn’t so pleased to see me today
– and a little further on was a very persistent dung beetle
shoving for all his worth a body sized piece of dung.
Amazing to watch for a little while, it shoved with its back
legs up and over rocks the equivalent size of a house. Up
towards the head of the valley things were looking up and
the ridge I walked yesterday was clear of cloud. But as we
walked up through the woods I could see the hint of mist
forming up around l’Ofre, and as we got to the Coll de
l’Ofre and looked back down the valley the ridge was now
looking a bit fuzzy – doh.
Looking back to the refugi from the GR221
At the Coll de l’Ofre
Some great skyscapes – but no view down to Soller - again
So we sat amongst the Germans and had a delicious little
picnic of a slice of cold pizza, a vegetable pasty, and a
can of coke – lovely. After 30 mins of relaxation we made
our way around the base of Puig l’Ofre and started up the
steep slope to the top. It only took about 35mins from the
Coll de l’Ofre and the steep pull was 20 mins of that. Up on
the summit again there was more frustration as the clouds
billowed in from Soller – mind you they did look quite
spectacular, so once again we sat and waited to see if they
would clear away. But although they broke now and again, it
looked like they were there to stay. There was a young
German couple and a single gent up on the summit, so I asked
if the couple would like their photo taken – ‘Ja please, but
make sure that man isn’t in the picture’ – in the loudest
voice they had.
The GR221 snakes along the valley back to Cuber
The plains of Mallorca beyond the pork pie hills to the east
That made us laugh, so after chasing the butterfly around
again, and nailing a photo of it, we walked back down the
path we had come up, and took the route down the ridge of
Puig l’Ofre to the Coll des Cards followed by the young
German couple. They overtook us as we were looking out for a
clear path back down to the valley. I checked the map and
made for the far end of a grassy patch and followed the
couple downhill until the next clearance. At this stage the
mist had come right down and the rain started to fall
lightly – fortunately it didn’t last long and we didn’t
bother with waterproofs.
Looking down on the Col de l’Ofre
The Yellow Swallowtail
At another pylon the couple continued to the north while we
turned the corner to follow a track to the south. About 5
mins later we had both turned around and met in the middle,
but the Germans strode past us heading along the forest
track. I wasn’t convinced, so it was out with the Satmap
GPS, checked position on the map and sniffed out the correct
path down to the GR221. Here we found the spring bursting
forth from a patch of grass and running down hill on what
looked like a path. So knowing water flows downhill along
the easiest route, we set off to follow the stream, and lo
and behold there was the path.
The faint path down to the valley – the Germans missed this
one
Refugi de Caca ahead – with the rude donkey
The view from Soller – now you see me - harumph
Some 5 mins later we were down on the wide farm track, way
ahead on the track in front of the Germans – we knew this
one wouldn’t go to penalties. Even the donkey was pleased to
see me again at the refuge – bad boy. As we walked around
the reservoir a glance back up the valley showed the hills
to be clear as a bell – rats – if we’d only waited another
30mins, but then again who knows. As we drove through Soller
we had the clearest view of the mountains all week – ‘I
don’t bloody believe it’ going home tomorrow. But I think
I’ll be back in spring maybe, Mallorca is a brilliant place
for a walk.