Castell d'Alaró

Supplies for the hostelry at the top come up the mountain on donkeys, and you can meet them on the path. Two donkeys wait at the summit too.

The climb itself is half the pleasure. It starts among olive groves, then enters forest where the trees are full of birds. At the top the view opens across a wide sweep of Mallorca, and there are benches and tables to sit at while the hostelry serves drinks, beer included, along with cakes and snacks.

The peak is one of the twin summits, with Alcadena, that stand over Alaró, and the castle played a central part in the 13th-century conquest of the island. Back down in the village, stop for coffee and cake.

• The road up is narrow, with single-lane stretches and cars coming down; the surface is good and there are passing places.
• Past the restaurant car park the track turns rough. Drive on only in a vehicle built for rough terrain.
• If the drive gets too much, pull into a layby: the view is already wide from halfway up.
• There is no drinking water near the castle. Carry your own; the hostelry at the top sells drinks.

There are two ways up, and both finish on foot.

The full walk starts at Orient. The route is well marked, climbing first through olive groves and then through forest; it takes nearly two hours up and just over an hour back down. Starting near Hotel L'Hermitage, among fields of sheep, the round trip takes about three hours.

The shorter option is to drive. A narrow road climbs from the Alaró side to a restaurant with free parking, and beyond it the track turns rough. From the parking area the walk to the top takes 30 to 40 minutes.

Best: a clear day in spring or autumn, setting off in the morning.

Avoid: hazy days and the midday heat of high summer.

The view is the reason to climb, haze flattens it, and a walk of up to two hours uphill is hard going in the Mallorcan summer sun.