Calvari de Pollença

From the centre of Pollença, 365 stone steps climb between rows of cypress trees to a chapel on the hilltop. The steps are shallow and the trees throw some shade, yet by the top your legs know about it.

The reward opens up at once: the roofs of Pollença below, and the mountains closing round the town. Walk along the side of the chapel for a second viewpoint, this one facing the sea. The chapel itself is small, and the stairway belongs to the town as much as to the view: each Easter it carries Pollença's procession.

• There are no toilets at the chapel; the nearest public ones are about 660 m away in a straight line.
• A café at the top sells coffee, fresh orange juice and ice cream.
• The cypresses give some shade on the way up, but in summer heat carry water for the climb.
• The approach is 365 steps and the chapel entrance has no wheelchair access.

The stairway starts in the town centre, diagonally left from the main square with its parish church, so the approach begins wherever you leave the car or the bus in Pollença. Parking lies about 270 m and 320 m from the chapel in a straight line, and the Pont Romà bus stops are about 315 m away.

From the foot of the stairway it is 365 stone steps to the chapel, all on foot, with cypress trees along the way and some shade from them.

Best: early morning or early evening in summer, and Easter if you want to see the procession on the steps. Avoid: the middle of a summer day. The climb is 365 steps with only partial shade, and the heat of a Mallorcan summer afternoon turns it into hard work.