Puig de Massanella

At the very top the ground opens into a deep pit, dissolved out of the limestone by water. Tradition has it that the pit was used to store snow, and on a col just below the summit stand the ruins of the snow houses that went with it.

Puig de Massanella is the second-highest peak on Mallorca and the highest whose summit anyone can stand on: Puig Major next door is taken up by a military antenna complex. That makes it the island's big climb, and plenty of walkers come for it. The route earns the top. Shaded woods cover the lower slopes, then the trees give out and the path crosses bare, broken grey rock. From the summit the ridges of the Serra de Tramuntana fall away on every side, and the view holds up even on a cloudy evening.

• Bring cash: the fee for crossing private land is taken at a booth on the lower track, and cards are not accepted.
• Wear hiking boots and long trousers. Loose, sharp rock runs from start to finish, and thorny scrub lines the path.
• Download an offline map before you set out. Above the tree line the route is poorly marked and easy to lose.
• There is no drinking water on the mountain and no toilets. Carry plenty of water; the café at the petrol station by the trail start sells food.

The trail starts by the Repsol petrol station on the road to Lluc, 4 km short of the monastery. Drivers use the roadside parallel spaces near Restaurant Ca'n Galleta, just past the station.

By bus, get off at the petrol station, before Lluc. Stay on to the monastery and you add 4 km of walking each way, which on a day trip can mean turning round short of the summit to catch the last bus back towards Alcúdia. Check that time before you start.

From the road a broad track makes easy going for the first stretch. Then comes a stile with the pay booth beside it, and the path climbs through shaded forest before it breaks out onto open rock above the trees.

Best: spring and autumn, on a clear day, with an early start.

Above the tree line there is no shade, and the long climb over bare rock goes better in cool air; the summit is already chilly by early October, so carry a warm layer.

Avoid: summer middays, rain, and winter days when ice may lie on the upper slopes.

Wet or icy limestone turns the loose, sharp rock of the upper route into a real hazard, and midday heat on bare rock drains you fast.

The route up Puig de Massanella crosses private land, and the owners charge each walker for using the trail. The fee is collected at a booth beside a stile on the lower track, before the path enters the forest. It is paid in cash only; anyone who arrives without it has to walk back down to the petrol station on the road.