Cliffs, Coves & Seafood

Menorca - honey-coloured stone, deep blue sea

Holiday information

Nights: 6
Grade: 2
Terrain: quiet country lanes and dirt tracks; very short sections to dismount
Hotels: one country hotel, one agroturismo
Meals: 6 breakfasts, 3 dinners

How our holidays work

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About Menorca >Despite boasting more beaches than the other three Balearic Islands combined, Menorca remains wonderfully unspoiled, characterised by small coves, green rolling hills, and extensive wetlands which are home to king quails, egrets, storks and night herons, among others. In fact, some 220 birds have been recorded, along with 1000 plants (including 60 endemic species), and nowadays large parts of the island have been designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Menorca’s history is equally rich, including a period of British occupation, but perhaps the most interesting chapter is the Bronze Age – there are frequent reminders of the Talaiotic culture in the form of cone-shaped stone towers, ‘taulas’ and Europe’s largest Bronze Age necropolis. Naturally, the excellent cuisine features plenty of fish and seafood – try seabass baked in rock salt, or caldereta de llagosta (lobster stew) – along with sobresada (spicy sausage) and pork (llom amb col is pork and pine nuts wrapped in cabbage leaves).

self-guided hotel-to-hotel cycling, luggage transported
sleepy whitewashed villages and pristine coves
excellent seafood in two charming hotels
fascinating Talayotic monuments

The least developed of the Balearic Islands, Menorca's rural interior of red sandstone mountains, green rolling hills and wooded gorges gradually give way to rocky coves, idyllic sandy beaches and fishing villages that line the coastline between the grand ports of Mahón and Ciutadella. The landscapes are awash with prehistoric sites, medieval palaces and historic churches, making Menorca a fascinating island to explore by bike or on which to relax by the sea.

When we reached the idyllic palm fringed fishing village of Fornells, we dined on freshly caught seafood, washed down with a crisp white wine, while the gentle waves rolled in.

Your two-centre holiday begins at the very heart of the island at the foot of Monte Toro, from where you discover both the rugged northern and softer southern coasts. Country lanes wind past fascinating archaeological remains, alongside ancient dry stone walls through pristine white villages to end at stunning cliffs and coves. You then cycle to the east coast where whitewashed houses and windmills give way to ancient forts and crumbling castles. You have time to take in Ciutadella, the gracious Spanish port of the west and the dramatic fortifications that once commanded the entrance of the eastern British capital of Mahón. The landscape is dotted with vast numbers of megalithic Talayotic structures, medieval palaces and historic churches, making Menorca a fascinating and easy place to explore by bike, or on which to relax by the sea.