Viewing 16 posts - 1 through 16 (of 16 total)
  • Going for a pedal on Menorca .
  • oldfart
    Full Member

    Off there for a week on Friday. I understand there’s a network of ” paths and lanes around the coast ” ? Wife is not that confident off road so is the best thing just hire a couple of bikes through our hotel and just go for a mooch around ?

    Kryton57
    Full Member

    You talking about the Cami de Cavalls. https://www.alongdustyroads.com/posts/cami-de-cavalls-menorca.

    The general trails are mostly gravel and light MTB with not very steep hills shared with walkers, but there are a few place where you need to hike a bike over a low cliff top. I did find the hire bikes were an absolute pile of shite, but if they work and you don’t mind that it’s a great way to view the island.

    Go in the morning though and take plenty of water, it’ll be cooler now but it gets very hot 2-5pm. If you like, you can read about my experience with some links to pics in the middle of page 2, ignore the rest of the moaning 🙂 https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/comeback-oaps-inspire-me/page/2/

    oldfart
    Full Member

    Krytron thanks for that , that’s well and truly put my wife off 😞 I’ll have a look for stuff nearer where we are staying see if that’s any more promising , might see if a seafront jaunt is worth it . Those hire bikes sound as good as ones we hired in Jersey ! 🙄🙄🙄

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    jbproductions
    Free Member

    Where are you staying? If you’re in the Cuitadella area, there’s a few easy routes for a nice pootle.

    Kryton57
    Full Member

    TBH is depends how nervous you are – it was not issue walking and about 10ft from the edge, but I was nervous of my boy being pulled along by the bike and also I wouldnt let him ride it – I have a fear of “falling”.

    This was one spot about 1/2 mile south of Santa Tomas, There’s loads more much safer, some is 6ft wide boardwalk and gravel trails as in some of my pics.

    anono
    Full Member

    There are better hire places on menorca.

    I used this bunch

    https://www.totvelo.com/

    who have a fairly decent selection and will deliver the bike for a fee. I had a trek Fuel EX, 12x nx, dropper post – was in fairly good condition but would have benefitted from a better fork than the recon it had.

    If you are in son bou, you can ride south/east towards cal en porter. First bit is pretty rocky and technical (around cala lucalari)  then eases off a bit.

    If you head north/West you have to go past St Thomas before the real biking starts.  Most of the St Thomas bit is fine, but the last bit is on the beach so unless you have a fat bike you’ll be pushing.

    The cami is generally really well signposted.

    Once you get on the trails the riding is great – despite all the reviews saying its tougher than you expect, I assumed it would be pretty tame, but it’s not. Lots of short sharp rooty and rocky ups and downs. Hard work but great fun.

    oldfart
    Full Member

    jb staying in Cala Galdana

    anono
    Full Member

    Thats a great place to start from – head south east to St Thomas and you’re straight on to the trails.

    jbproductions
    Free Member

    Hmmm.. I thinking if your mrs is not confident off road, Cami De Cavalls might not be ideal.

    oldfart
    Full Member

    jb so do you know what the section from Cala Galdana to Santo Thomas is like ?

    anono
    Full Member

    There’s not much in that stretch that’s very technical, but it’s hard work. Mainly up and down, and most of the trails are rocky and rooty.

    Kryton57
    Full Member

    Thats a coincidence, we looked at the Hotel there – the Cala Saldana – but stuck with what we knew this time. The Cami looks amazing going south in retrospect, but we have this location in mind for the next time in Menorca.

    Enjoy, the bay looks great!

    uniqueusername
    Full Member

    We stay in cala galdana. We take our own bikes now, but hired from hotel audax, where we stay, the first few times. Our favourite/most ridden stretch is galdana to sant Tomas.
    We have a book on the cami/gr233 by triangle postals. We picked it up in one of the shops in galdana. It has info, photos, maps all split into sections with cycle notes too. We’ve done most of the south coast and a selection of other bits. We’ve avoided anything near the cities so far.
    I’m trying to work out which bits are easiest to recommend, but it’s been a while and I’m struggling to remember what is what.
    Maybe es grau to favaritx or something near,either side of fornells.
    Don’t try from galdana to xoriguer. A stretch of that is volcanic rock, it’s like cycling on razor sharp cobbles or rather the absence of cobbles.
    We are should be there next week too.
    Sorry that’s not very coherent.

    oldfart
    Full Member

    All useful info thanks everyone.

    NorthCountryBoy
    Free Member

    Hi I rented a bike when we were in Menorca a few years ago. There was a local shop had a deal with the hotel, they took the bike over along wit ha spare tube pump etc, it was inexpensive and a decent hardtail. I rode fro mthe hotel along the coastal path Cami de Cavalls first day south second day north. Id have to agree that some of it was like really sharp rock, I was amazed I didnt get a puncture. It was good fun but certainly kept me on m y toes. I wouldnt think that someone not that confident off road would enjoy it. I did find some really nice back roads and had a good spin through the countryside on those too.

    A few pics

    uniqueusername
    Full Member

    Too late with the info now, sorry. Have done a couple of rides this week and refreshed the memory. The most easy going sections would be between fornells and es grau. Fornells to port addaia is a far as I recall all non technical double track. Between addaia and es grau is pretty chill at either end going around wetlands with bird watching possibilities and is mildly tech hike a bike around faveritx.
    Most of the riding between cala galdana and binisfuller is good too, a bit more big ups and downs, any tech sections would be a pretty short push.

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