Camí de Cavalls
The Camí de Cavalls is an ancient path of 186 km (116 miles)[1] that encircles the island of Minorca, Spain. This long-distance walking route is the GR 223 of the Senderos de Gran Recorrido network in Spain and it is also used to reach some of the most inaccessible beaches of Minorca.
History
It is widely accepted that the Camí de Cavalls was built in order to connect the watchtowers, fortresses and cannons distributed along the coast of the island and to make the transport of troops and artillery easier. However, the date of its origin is not so clear. The most accepted theory attributes it is the French invaders during the different periods they lived in the island, but according to some studies, it could have been created in the 14th century.[2]
Since its original function was the defence and the control of the island, it was patrolled by soldiers mounted on Menorquin horses, hence the word cavalls (meaning "horses" in Catalan) in the name of the path.
Restoration
During decades part of the path belonged to private properties and could not be used by everybody. However, after an agreement between the island's government and the landords, the path became public. Then, the Government started the restoration of the whole path, spending €934,977.37 in a first stage and €800,159 in a second stage completed in May 2011.[3]
Stages
The path is divided in 20 different stages, each of them between 5 and 14 km. All the start and arrival points can be gained access to by road traffic, making possible to cover only one or some stages of the path at a time.
| Stage | Start | Finish | Duration | Distance | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maó | Es Grau | 3 h 30 min | 10.0 km (6.2 miles) | Medium |
| 2 | Es Grau | Favàritx | 3 h 30 min | 8.6 km (5.3 miles) | Medium |
| 3 | Favàritx | Arenal d'en Castell | 5 h | 13.6 km (8.5 miles) | Medium |
| 4 | Arenal d'en Castell | Cala Tirant | 4 h | 10.8 km (6.7 miles) | Easy |
| 5 | Cala Tirant | Binimel·là | 4 h | 9.6 km (6.0 miles) | Medium |
| 6 | Binimel·là | Els Alocs | 5 h | 8.9 km (5.5 miles) | Difficult |
| 7 | Els Alocs | Algaiarens | 4 h 30 min | 9.7 km (6.0 miles) | Middle |
| 8 | Algaiarens | Cala Morell | 2 h 10 min | 5.4 km (3.4 miles) | Middle |
| 9 | Cala Morell | Punta Nati | 3 h | 7.0 km (4.3 miles) | Easy |
| 10 | Punta Nati | Ciutadella | 4 h | 10.5 km (6.5 miles) | Easy |
| 11 | Ciutadella | Cap d’Artrutx | 5 h | 13.2 km (8.2 miles) | Difficult |
| 12 | Cap d'Artrutx | Cala en Turqueta | 5 h | 13.3 km (8.3 miles) | Medium |
| 13 | Cala en Turqueta | Cala Galdana | 2 h 30 min | 6.4 km (4.0 miles) | Easy |
| 14 | Cala Galdana | Sant Tomàs | 4 h 30 min | 10.8 km (6.7 miles) | Medium |
| 15 | Sant Tomàs | Son Bou | 2 h 30 min | 6.4 km (4.0 miles) | Easy |
| 16 | Son Bou | Cala en Porter | 3 h 30 min | 8.0 km (5.0 miles) | Medium |
| 17 | Cala en Porter | Binisafúller | 4 h 30 min | 11.8 km (7.3 miles) | Easy |
| 18 | Binisafúller | Punta Prima | 3 h 30 min | 8.1 km (5.0 miles) | Easy |
| 19 | Punta Prima | Cala de Sant Esteve | 2 h 40 min | 7.3 km (4.5 miles) | Easy |
| 20 | Cala de Sant Esteve | Maó | 2 h 20 min | 6.0 km (3.7 miles) | Easy |
Events
Once the whole path is restored, activities and events around it are arousing. Between April 28, 2012 and May 1, 2012, the world champion in adventure racing Arnau Julià went in 82 h 30 min three times around the path, one running, one in mountain-bike and the last one in kayak, covering in total more than 500 km (310 miles).[4]
The Trail Menorca Camí de Cavalls was held for the first time between the 18th and the 20th of May 2012 and 140 participants took part in the five different races of this event: Trail Cami de Cavalls 185.3 km, Trail Costa Nord - 94.2 km (North coast only), Trail Costa Sud - 91 km (south coast only), Trekking Costa Nord - 46.6 km and Trekking Costa Sud - 43.5 km.[5]
References
- ↑ "Tres cuartas partes del Camí de Cavalls ya están señalizadas" (in Spanish). Menorca.info. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
- ↑ "Camí de Cavalls". VisitMenorca.com. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
- ↑ "El Gobierno central concluye la segunda fase de las obras del Camí de Cavalls" (in Spanish). Menorca.info. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
- ↑ "El reto 360ºx3, la triple vuelta a Menorca de Arnau Julià" (in Spanish). Camí de Cavalles 360. Retrieved 2012-05-19.
- ↑ "Trail Menorca Camí de Cavalls Website". Retrieved 2012-05-19.
External links
- The Camí de Cavalls stage by stage. Hiking in Menorca. Discovering Menorca
- Information about Camí de Cavalls GR223 Includes high detail maps in PDF available to download.
- Menorca the Guide Information, maps and directions for sections of the Cami de Cavalls and other walks in Menorca.
- Maps of the Came de Cavalls Menorca Official maps in an easy to use 'Google' like format. Please note I have found some of these maps are not very accurate.
- Durations, lengths and difficulty of all 20 sections
Coordinates: 39°55′35″N 3°54′33″E / 39.92639°N 3.90917°E