Cavall Bernat ridge

Imagine a beach surrounded by mountains and lapped by the warm mediterranean sea. The only foot approach to this beach is a walk of 3km through a dry valley strewn with boulders the size of houses. Goats meander through the tough macqui, and rare birds rest on the rocks as they migrate between Europe and Africa. This is the Boquer valley. Out of season it is one of those special places that you want to visit time and time again. In season unfortunately it can be the target of many holiday makers looking for something a bit more adventurous than the usual day out lying on the beach. Whether in or out of season, the Cavall Bernat ridge is a way to take that little adventure just a bit further and make sure you lose any crowds. Guarding the north side of the valley it drops vertically 300 metres into the sea for a couple of kilometres.

Region
Spain - Majorca
Difficulty
II - steeper sections may need a rope
Quality
***
Length
350m of climbing from sea level to the highest point
Time required
Allow 4 to 5 hours for the shorter route. 5 to 6 for the longer
Accommodation

Hotels, guest houses, villas are available all over Mallorca

Cavall bernat ridge from Cala Saint Vincent
Directions to start

The ridge is accessed from Porto Pollensa. Compared to the beaches and night clubs of Palma this is a quiet picturesque village on the north side of Majorca. It is possible to walk from the village, but also easy to park just off the by pass. If coming from Pollensa you reach a large roundabout with an aeroplane in the middle of it. Take the signs to Formentor, turn left at the 2nd roundabout and park almost immediately in a large car park. Follow the road on foot past a large house on the right, go through a gate and follow the track towards Cala Boquer through some house sized boulders. (The rock climbing here is very good, but forbidden).

Route Description

The shorter variation of the ridge can be done in both directions. Here the anti clockwise route is described. From the Parking off the Porto Pollensa bypass, follow the main track past the house sized boulders for a kilometre until just before the descent to Cala Boquer. A walled enclosure is visible in the valley on the left, descend to the far right corner of this and follow some cairns and red paint (not very distinct) to the col on the ridge, where there are breathtaking views and a 300m vertical drop to the sea. From here turn left, and trying to keep to the vague cairns and red paint traverse the ridge to the last summit, at 300m slightly higher than the first col. Turn left and descend back to Porto Pollensa. The ridge has a lot of easy scrambling, some of which is very exposed. A rope is recommended, plus the knowledge of how to use it!

The longer route starts as for the short route, but instead of turning left to the walled enclosure continue on the main path and descend to the beautiful Cala Boquer. It is possible to have a swim here, eat your sandwiches, and then before you get totally sun burnt set off steeply to the highest point on the ridge. Turn left and follow this to join the short route.

Map of scrambles and alpine climbs