Puig de Galatzó

On the way up the path thins out, and on some stretches the only guide is a line of stacked stones. Finding the next cairn becomes part of the climb, and so does the scrambling, where the trail turns to bare rock and you use your hands.

The reward is a summit of 1,027 metres with the west of Mallorca laid out below it: the ridges of the Serra de Tramuntana running along the coast, the open sea on one side and the farmland and valleys inland on the other. The round trip fills most of a day, long enough to stop for lunch at the top, and raptors often circle over the slopes.

• Download an offline map or route app before you set off: the path is hard to find in places and cairns are sparse on some stretches.
• Carry 2 litres of water per person and a snack. There is no drinking water and no toilets near the summit.
• The climb and descent take four and a half to five hours, including a stop at the top.
• If you lose the trail, walk back to the last cairn and pick up the line again from there.
• Some sections are scrambles over rock; a fair level of fitness and a steady head matter more than experience.

The climb starts from the car. The road up to the parking is in good condition, and the Font des Pi car park lies about 1 km from the summit in a straight line; a second car park sits about 2 km away. From there it is on foot the whole way, with guideposts on the approach, the highest of them about 470 m from the summit in a straight line. Above that, follow the cairns and check your map often, because wrong turns are easy to take.

The nearest bus stops are in Estellencs, about 2.1 km from the summit in a straight line and far below it.

Best: spring and autumn, starting early in the day. Avoid: summer middays, and days of rain or low cloud.

The route is long and open to the sun, there is no water near the top, wet limestone on the scrambles loses its grip, and cloud on the summit takes the view away.