Exploring the home of mayonnaise

Menorca on a road bike

The island of Menorca in the Mediterranean sea is known to be the greener, quieter little sister of Mallorca. It is about a fifths in size and inhabites only an eighth of the population. Driving from one site to the other of the island takes less than 45min. So all in all perfect for a two day trip around the island on a road bike to get a first impression.

After arriving via ferry the route took me from the old port town of Ciutadella on the west coast of the island over to the east coast to the capital Mahon (namesake of the mayonnaise which was invented here). This first day stayed close to the north coast and went up the Toro (Bull in spanish and the highest mountain of the island). I stayed in Mahon overnight and road back to Ciutadella the next day - this time staying closer to the south coast.

The roads are well kept but there are parts of the island you can only reach by taking the main road between Ciutadella and Mahon which is fairly busy. The terrain is rolling most of the time and the Toro is the only bigger hill (342m above sea level). The Toro does have some serious gradients but offers a great view over almost all of the island.

Both Ciutadella and Mahon are nice towns to visit and also stay. I did like the flair of Mahon with its harbour surrounding the old town build on a rock some 25m above the sea. Finding a place to stay and eat is easy especially if you are going in the off season (in my case November).

One last thing to mention that maybe the best way to really get to know Menorca is by travelling along the Cami de Cavalls - an old watchmen way following all 190km of the coast and open to foot, MTB and horse travel. I will definitely come back on nobby tires and I am not the only one as the picture below shows.

Adventurer: Bengt