Poblat talaiòtic de Son Mercer de Baix

In Cova des Moro, the stone roof still rests on the columns raised to carry it. Few prehistoric buildings on Menorca keep their ceiling, and this one gives you the room as its builders closed it in.

Around it stand the other naviform houses, their walls laid out like the hull of an upturned boat, with a striking one at the entrance. The buildings are well preserved and the ground is kept tidy.

Walk on to the far end. The settlement stops at the edge of a gorge, and the view down it is the reason many make the drive. Egyptian vultures can be seen over the gorge. There are no crowds here, and the quiet is part of the visit.

• Opening hours are narrow: check them before you drive out, or you may find the site shut.
• The track in scrapes low cars and has few places to pass. A high car is the safer choice.
• There is no mobile signal on the approach, so tell someone where you are going.
• No toilets and no drinking water nearby: bring water, food and good shoes.
• The path through the farm is fouled by livestock and draws mosquitoes. A cooler day is easier going.

You arrive by car, and the last stretch is the hard part. The way in runs along a farm track through a working farm: rough, narrow, with few places for two vehicles to pass, and tractors and lorries use it. Low cars scrape the bottom. In a low car, leaving it early and walking on is the safer plan.

There is no car park at the settlement itself. The nearest mapped parking lies about 1.5 km away in a straight line, and it is for customers only. The nearest bus stop, Càmping Cala Galdana, is about 1.7 km away in a straight line.

On the farm, leave gates as you found them.

Best: a cool, dry morning within the opening hours.

Avoid: summer middays and warm, still days.

The settlement and the track are open ground with no water nearby, and the heat builds fast; warm weather also brings out the mosquitoes around the farm. The site is quiet at any time, so crowds are no reason to pick a slot.

Son Mercer de Baix lies on a private working farm, and the way in crosses farmland with livestock. Close any gate you find shut and leave open ones as they are.

The houses are prehistoric drystone buildings. Do not climb on the walls or roofs, and do not move or take stones: loose stones are part of the structure, and every disturbed block is lost from the record.