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WALK 3

Maó and Trebalúger

Start/Finish	Plaça d’Espanya, Maó
Distance	15km (9½ miles)
Total Ascent/Descent	100m (330ft)
Time	5hrs
Terrain	Mostly gentle roads, tracks and paths, with one short stony stretch.
Refreshment	Plenty of choice in Maó.
Public transport	Plenty of bus services to and from Maó.

The city of Maó quickly gives way to gentle countryside, where drystone-walled roads and tracks runs through fields and link quiet little villages. This route visits interesting talaiots at Trebalúger and Trepucó in a circuit from the centre of Maó. By studying maps, quiet lanes can be identified to link this walk with Walks 4 and 5. This allows longer walks to be created, taking in more villages and ancient sites, with no need to return to Maó.

There are many ways to leave the Plaça d’Espanya in Maó, and a street map (such as the one at the front of this guide) will prove useful. Walk into the adjoining Plaça del Carme and keep right of the large building, Claustre del Carme. Turn left at the Plaça del Princep to walk through Plaça de la Miranda. A fine viewpoint overlooks the inlet of Port de Maó.

Turn right to follow a road along the top of a cliff and/or wall. This is the Costa de la Miranda, becoming the Passeig Marítim. At times there is a path running parallel that can be used. The road turns right and passes the Casino Marítim, overlooking the small inlet of Cala Figuera. Turn left along a road to reach a roundabout. Turn left again, not down the road called Costa de Corea, but along a paved path that continues above the inlet. This leads to the busy Me-2 road. Turn left along it, then quickly right along the Camí Verd.

Watch for a narrow path on the left, which leads to steps climbing quickly to another road, the Camí de Biniatap. Turn left up the road, levelling out among fields. Continue straight along a track signposted as a cycle route. The track is flanked by walls and bushes, then continues as a road, passing a square tower and houses at Son Vilar. Keep straight ahead as signposted at a junction, passing fields to reach a crossroads. Go straight ahead, with an industrial site to the left, staying on the Camí de Biniatap.

Turn left along a track signposted for Trebalúger, following it gently down past overgrown fields and bushes. A junction is reached where our route, the Camí de Biniatap, heads right. The Camí de Rafal heads left. When a road is reached at Toraixer, cross over and follow a track past houses, keeping left and quickly joining another road. Turn right along this bendy road, which later makes a pronounced bend to the right. Turn right along a track called the Camí Fosc.

The track rises and falls, worn to lumpy bedrock, and then it narrows. Later it broadens to become a gentle track again; follow it straight ahead, ignoring other tracks to right and left. Keep straight ahead as signposted along a tarmac road, reaching a junction with the Camí de Rafalet in the village of Trebalúger.

Turn right to reach another junction, then turn left along Carrer de sa Torre. Pass the torre, which is a square white building. Keep straight ahead at junctions until Sant Lluís is signposted to the left. However, don’t turn left, but turn right instead, then turn left up the Camí d’es Talaiot. A gate on the left leads to the Talaiot de Trebalúger.

The Talaiot de Trebalúger is one of the oldest talaiots on Menorca

The bouldery structure sitting on a rocky outcrop is Talaiot de Trebalúger, one of the oldest talaiots on Menorca, dating from around 1500–100BC. It occupies the site of an earlier structure. The view from the top, barely rising above 50m (165ft), takes in much of south-east Menorca, including parts of Maó, the headland of La Mola, the villages of Trebalúger and Sant Lluís and the airport.

Retrace your steps back into Trebalúger via Carrer de sa Torre and turn left along the Camí de Rafalet, passing a supermarket. Cross the busy Me-6 road to continue along a track, the Camí de Trepucó a Trebalúger. This passes the ‘Menorca Clearance Centre’ and later narrows dramatically. Now little more than a path, the surface is covered with loose lumps of rock for a while. A firmer stretch meanders through fields, eventually reaching a junction with another track. Keep left and join a road on a corner.

Turn right as signposted for Maó and follow the road straight ahead past other roads and tracks around Son Amar. A series of roads is signposted for ‘Poblat de Trepucó’, so follow these one after another, always turning left. However, after passing a ceramics studio, it is also possible to take a short cut up a path on the left, called Camí des Moro, then turn right along a road to reach Trepucó.

The Poblat de Trepucó is one of the largest talaiotic settlements in Menorca

A massive, boulder-walled talaiot, Poblat de Trepucó, dominates Trepucó; at least four of these structures were built on this site, which is one of the largest settlements of its type on Menorca. Alongside is a tall T-shaped taula, standing in an enclosure flanked by stone pillars. Also visible are house foundations, and there are other foundations in nearby fields. The whole site was excavated in the 1930s by British archaeologist Margaret Murray.

Walk down the road, the Camí de Trepucó, then decide whether to turn right or left. By turning right along the Camí Verd, the Me-2 road can be reached at the head of Cala Figuera. From there, the earlier steps of the day can be retraced back into the city. Turning left, however, leads down to another junction, where a right turn leads down to a large cemetery at Nostra Senyora de Gràcia. Cross the Me-2 at a roundabout and follow the Carrer de Gràcia straight into Maó. Turning left at the end of this road leads to Plaça Reial, where a right turn leads to Plaça del Carme and Plaça d’Espanya in Maó.