amazing archaeology and fascinating historical sites. Routes pass through dense woodlands and cross steep-sided valleys, but never venture too far from useful facilities. The island has abundant accommodation, a good bus network and plenty of places offering food and drink along the trails.
This guidebook explores Menorca by means of 16 one-day walks, spread all over the island, and one four-stage walk across the island, together totalling almost 260km (160 miles). The long-distance GR223, or Camí de Cavalls, is also included, and measures an additional 185km (115 miles). It completely encircles the island, and takes about ten days to complete. In short, there is enough to keep a keen walker occupied for a whole month!
Location
Menorca is one of the three Balearic Islands, basking in the Mediterranean Sea between southern Spain and northern Algeria. It is located from 3º 44’ W to 4º 17’ W and 39º 47’ N to 40º 06’ N. Its name is derived from the fact that its size is ‘minor’ (menor), when compared to Mallorca, measuring only one-fifth the size of its larger neighbour. At 695km² (268 square miles), Menorca is only slightly larger than the Isle of Man. The highest point on the island rises only to 362m (1188ft) on Monte Toro. While some maps suggest that Menorca is almost flat, in reality most of the island is covered in small hills, dissected by a network of steep-sided valleys, or barrancs.
Geology
The spiral-striped lighthouse on the rugged Cap de Favàritx lies just off the GR223 route
Menorca has many rock types, but the most important distinction is between the north and south of the island. Northern Menorca (Tramuntana) features the oldest and most convoluted rocks: approximately 400 million-year-old Devonian strata. These beds are chiefly exposed between the central and northernmost point of Menorca, and also along the east coast.
Rocks from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods – 300 to 65 million years ago – flank the older beds throughout the north. The rock types are complex, but red sandstone and grey slate are common. These break down to form golden sandy beaches and grey pebbly beaches respectively. The northern hills are remote, rugged and densely forested, although many valleys and plains have now been cleared for agriculture.
The southern half of Menorca (Migjorn) is a gently sloping limestone plateau, riven by a succession of steep barrancs. The rock was formed in a shallow sea in the Miocene period, approximately 25 million years ago. Where the limestone reaches the coast, it generally forms sheer cliffs and rock-walled coves, often with blindingly white sandy beaches at their head. This limestone provided the building material for the vast bulk of the island’s archaeological sites.
Areas of dense woodland are separated by rugged fields criss-crossed with drystone walls. The southern half of Menorca is more accessible than the north, and and is where most of the resorts are to be found.
History
One of the two Navetes de Rafal Rubi, which can be reached by a short detour from the first stage of the Coast to Coast walk
There are over a thousand ancient monuments dotted around Menorca, to say nothing of more recent historical structures. The island has been settled for thousands of years, as well as being attacked and colonised by almost every neighbouring Mediterranean power. The most absorbing ancient sites are talaiotic settlements, dominated by stone towers, or talaiots, and T-shaped taulas. Later periods are notable for the construction of fortifications, especially around the coast. The table below lists the key events.
| 4000BC | Neolithic hunters also herd goats on Menorca. |
| 2300BC | Bronze Age people build navetas to bury their dead. |
| 1400BC | Stone talaiot towers are built, along with T-shaped taulas. |
| 900BC | Phoenician traders establish links with Menorca. |
| 800BC | Greeks supplant Phoenicians and dominate trade. |
| 650BC | Carthaginians supplant Greeks and settle in Menorca. |
| 123BC | Romans, led by Metellus, completely conquer Menorca. |
| 404AD | The islands become the Roman province of Balearica. |
| 425AD | Vandals exert their influence over the islands. |
| 534AD | Menorca comes under Byzantine control. |
| 707AD | The first of many Moorish raids on the islands. |
| 859AD | Vikings raid the islands, but the Moors remain dominant. |
| 903AD | The islands become part of Moorish Al-Andalus. |
| 1085 | The islands become a Moorish Emirate. |
| 1114 | First of a series of Christian raids on the islands. |
| 1232 | Jaume I assumes control of Menorca without conquering it. |
| 1276 | Jaume II inherits the Balearic Islands from his father. |
| 1287 | Alfonso invades Menorca and remaining Moors are evicted. |
| 1311 | Sancho rules Mallorca and Menorca, which both flourish. |
| 1349 | The plague reaches Menorca from mainland Europe. |
| 1350 | Under Aragonese control, the islands’ fortunes suffer. |
| 1479 | The kingdoms of Aragon and Castile are united. |
| 1492 | America is discovered; the islands decline further. |
| 1535 | Barbarossa lays siege to Maó and enslaves many inhabitants. |
| 1558 | Pirali raids Ciutadella and enslaves most of the inhabitants. |
| 1571 | Turkish ships are destroyed, bringing an end to Turkish raids. |
| 1652 | The plague once again ravages Menorca. |
| 1708 | The British invade Menorca and meet little resistance. |
| 1722 | Island governance is transferred from Ciutadella to Port Mahon (Maó). |
| 1756 | The British are expelled by French forces. |
| 1763 | The British regain Menorca in exchange for other islands. |
| 1782 | The British are expelled by the Spanish. |
| 1798 | The British again invade and recapture Menorca. |
| 1802 |
