Pedrera de Santa Ponça

Look closely at the walls and the quarry tells its own history. In parts of it the stone carries the uneven marks of old hand tools; towards the back, where electric saws took over, the cut lines change and run regular and even.

The rock itself is layered. Some bands are soft and riddled with holes worn by rain and wind, pocked like a sponge, while the harder ones between them are still smooth from the blade. Work stopped in the 1970s, and since then greenery has grown over the floor and birds have moved in.

The walls also throw a lot of shade, which makes the quarry one of the few places inland where a summer walk stays comfortable.

• There are no toilets and no drinking water at the quarry, and none nearby. Bring water.
• Many photos online tagged with this name show other quarries. This one is not large: a look round takes 10–15 minutes.
• The path in is rocky, so wear shoes that grip. Neither the parking nor the entrance is wheelchair accessible.
• There is no car park at the quarry itself. You leave the car at the roadside and walk the last stretch.

The quarry sits a short turn-off from the Me-1, the main road across the island, near Alaior. Most people arrive by car.

There is no car park at the quarry. Leave the car at the side of the road where the rocky path begins, and walk in: it takes 5–10 minutes. The nearest mapped car park, free and asphalted, lies about 830 m away in a straight line.

The nearest bus stop is Alaior - Centre, about 1.3 km away in a straight line.

Best: a hot summer day. The cut walls shade much of the quarry floor, so it stays pleasant when open ground around it does not.

Avoid: the last hour before sunset if you came for pictures. The floor of a pit drops into shadow early, and the tool marks lose their relief once the side light goes.