Route: El Fumat and Cala en Gossalba
Area: Spain, Mallorca
Date of walk: 28th April 2019
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 4.8 miles
Ascent: 1,300 feet
Weather: Sunshine and blue skies
Today’s walk should have taken place yesterday, but didn’t as we were unable to find a parking space near the start. Having learned our lesson we set off bright and early from our hotel in Alcúdia and made the exciting and spectacular car journey along the Cap de Formentor peninsula. After driving through the tunnel, it was a relief to find that the nearby parking area (room for about 4 cars) was empty
We walked back along the road for a short distance, and as we did so El Fumat came into view, a jagged lump of rock under which the road tunnel was built. With huge vertical drops to the side, the view was an intimidating one. We left the road at a wooden post and traversed the hillside to Coll de la Creu. We paused for breath here and after admiring the view started the ascent of El Fumat. It was rocky and quite steep, and there were a few sections near the top when we had to use hands, but the climb was not as scary as we’d feared, and there was no sense of exposure despite the vertical cliffs nearby
The views from the summit were superlative, and I’ll let the photos describe the scene. We retraced our steps by descending back to the col, and from here we followed an old donkey trail which zigzagged down the valley. This brought us to the dry Torrent de les Agulles. Route finding along the torrent was easy, but progress was slow as we hopped from boulder to boulder along a seemingly never ending descent
We eventually arrived at the small stony beach of Cala en Gossalba, although we had an awkward scramble to get down to it, which no doubt explains why the beach was deserted. It’s a heavenly spot, with a beautiful view across the azure sea, and we lingered here for a while. After another scramble back up the rocks, we followed a path above a neighbouring beach and then started on the ascent back to the start
The path back, which followed the course of the dry Canal de Cala en Gossalba, was waymarked by a series of small stone cairns, and was straightforward. It took us back up to the road, and lead directly back to the parking area. It had been a fantastic walk, quite hard going in places, but well worth the effort
Click on the icon below for the route map
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The lighthouse on Cap de Formentor from the mirador above the small car park
We walk back along the road for a short distance
El Fumat ahead
Our objective, El Fumat again, with Cala Figuera below
Cap de Catalunya jutting out into the sea
We leave the road at a wooden post and join a narrow path
The path will take us to Coll de la Creu and from there we'll start the ascent of El Fumat
Looking back down to the road as we reach the col
We walk along the col to the base of El Fumat
The view on our left, looking over the Bay of Pollensa to Talaia d'Alcúdia, which we'd climbed on our first day here...
...and on our right is Cap de Catalunya again
We'll return to this spot after the there and back ascent of El Fumat, and our route will then take us down the valley below
Gilly sets off up the rocky slopes of El Fumat
Looking back along the road, with the lighthouse on Cap de Formentor just visible in the distance
Route finding is assisted by stone cairns along the way
Cala en Gossalba is in the cove below, and we'll be there later
Cap de Catalunya from the summit of El Fumat
Looking inland along Cap de Formentor
The Bay of Pollensa, with a distant view of Alcúdia on the right
Looking back to the start - we'd followed the road below and then taken a slanting path below the cliffs on the right
Panorama from the summit (click to view)
We start the long descent to the sea, retracing our steps back to the col
We arrive back at Coll de la Creu...
The initial part of the descent is down an ancient zigzagging donkey trail...
Looking back up to El Fumat
We arrive at the head of the dry Torrent de les Agulles, and from here the descent gradually becomes rockier
We continue down the valley...
Lower down, we have to hop from boulder to boulder
We pass by a small cave
The cove of Cala en Gossalba comes into view, but it's not easy to access, and requires a short scramble
We arrive at the small and deserted Cala en Gossalba, a heavenly place...
Another short scramble takes us above the beach and towards a neighbouring beach...
We begin the ascent back to the start here, and pass above the neighbouring beach...
The way back is a straightforward climb up through an old pine forest...
We emerge from the forest and the end of a fabulous walk is beyond the crest of the hill above
