Solo Section Hiking the GR221- a Mallorcan adventure
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 มิ.ย. 2023
- After an intense week of conferencing in early June 2023, I got the chance to stay on Mallorca for a little bit longer in order to do about two thirds of the GR221, also known as the Ruta de Pedra en sec (The Drystone Route).
I was originally planning to walk the trail from the southwest tip of the island to however far I got (which is the conventional direction of the official route), but upon discovering that there is a historic wooden train that leaves from Palma de Mallorca to Sóller, I decided to try and hike the route in the other direction with the aim of making it all the way to Port d'Andratx.
As you may notice, I did wild camp all of the three nights that I was out on the trail, a practice that is not exactly condoned by the Spanish authorities on the island. During my hike, I made sure to practice the principles of leave no trace at all times and respected private property signage as well when selecting a spot to set up camp for the night.
As a woman, I find solo multi-day hiking incredibly empowering as it pushes me to test my boundaries and to discover strengths that I didn't even know I had. That being said, solo hiking heightens risk, and solo hiking as a woman adds an extra layer of complexity to the whole issue around personal safety on the trail. Personally, I never felt unsafe on the GR221, not least because there weren't a lot of people hiking it and everyone was hiking in the opposite direction to me (so it while passing some folk every day was reassuring, it also made it easier to make sure that no one would be deliberately following me), but I still ensured that I had implemented measures to keep me as safe as possible on the hike. I would like to note that everyone has a different comfort level surrounding their own personal safety on the trails and while I felt comfortable wild camping alone in this context, some may feel that it is risky to do so.
Some useful tips that I wish that I had when planning for this hike (especially doing it solo):
- Most of the trail is signposted really well (at least on the leg that I did), but there are some sections where you either have to rely on a downloaded map, or try to follow the cairns that nice people have left to mark the almost non-existent path. I highly recommend downloading the map if you can. I used AllTrails and it was fine overall. I had also purchased a physical map of the route that I didn't really end up using, but its always good to be prepared, especially solo.
-The half of the trail that I did had very good cell coverage, there was 3G at least in most places, except for a few really remote places.
-Carry AT LEAST 4 litres of water with you if you are attempting in the summer! Though there were streams and wells marked on my maps, everything was dried up, which of course is also weather dependent, but it is an extremely dry island overall. That being said, if you're a relatively fast hiker then you can easily make it into one or two villages in one day, where there are usually plenty of cafes and stores that would sell bottles of water to top up. The only section that is quite a long and hard stretch and doesn't go through any villages is between Estellencs and Sant Elm, however the trail does go through a farm/ bed & breakfast called Ses Fontanelles where they sold 1,5 litre bottles of water for a euro, which I gladly took two of myself as I was quite dehydrated at that point.
-On the topic of dehydration, be prepared to sweat like in an authentic Finnish sauna if you're doing this with a big pack and in summer! Precisely because of this, it is important to gain back those electrolytes that you lost so do yourself a favour, don't be like me and bring some electrolyte tablets with you.
-If you're wanting to eat or purchase anything in a village you're passing through, be mindful of the opening (and closing) times of the establishments. I found myself having to power through to the next village or waiting around for things to open on several occasions, mostly because I started hiking quite early in the day and got to a village too early.
-If you're attempting the hike in the summer, I would suggest getting up before the sun and getting in as many kms as possible while the weather isn't too hot. Taking a page out of the Mediterranean lifestyle and doing a siesta midday ensures that you're not sweating on top of a mountain and getting a massive heatstroke.
-Wear, and generously reapply that sunscreen and wear your hat!!!
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All in all, this half of the GR221 was an amazing hike to do in early/mid-June and I am quite honestly very sad that I didn't have time to do all of it. It's definitely not the easiest trail, with some considerable (although overall manageable) elevation, breathtaking views and pitstops at villages that make you want to return as a non-hiking tourist. 12/10 would recommend.
Music: Pixabay
Instagram: @margaretapinter
Wunderschönes Video. Margareta hat Augen für die "Kleinigkeiten" und Feinheiten, hetzt nicht durch´s Land sondern verweilt bei Schönem, toll!
Absolutely gorgeous!
Du hast ein gutes Auge! Sehr schöne, ästhetische Bilder! Hoffe bald mehr von dir zu sehen! Liebe Grüße!
Hi Margareta. Lovely video with chilling music indeed. I've just bought flights and gonna hike all The GR221 route in July 2024. I have already been there several times and love The Serra de Tramuntana mountains, but never hiked throughout all that route before. Already subscribed to your channel and fingers crossed for your next trips. Good luck.
Best of luck, it's an absolutely beautiful hike! Make sure to stay hydrated out there, it gets really hot in July!
I myself hiked the GR221 about two months ago, and your video brought back all the wonderful memories and is undoubtedly the most beautiful one I've ever seen of the GR221. The shots are simply breathtaking and perfectly capture the beauty of the landscape.
I'm very impressed with the quality of your camera. The images are razor-sharp, and the colors are so vibrant. Could you perhaps share which camera you used? I'm sure many people watching the video would love to learn more about it.
Thank you for this inspiring video :)
so nice. So So beautiful. Masterpiece.!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3 bottles of sunscreen 😁 the concerns were real!
Amazing... Gracias
Hi Margareta. That was a really nice video,with lovely music. It is very helpful for people planning to do the GR221 to see and read of your experience. I really enjoyed the video. Thanks for sharing your adventure 👍. Andrew
Thanks Andrew! Great to hear that you learned something from my experience! I highly recommend the trail, it's absolutely gorgeous
Hi Margereta. I completed 8 of the stages of the GR221 in September. Your video and information helped.👍👍
Very happy to hear, I hope that it was a good hike! I'm glad that I could help in some way :) @@Andrew.........
Did you experience any problems from the locals this regarding to the wild camping?
Overall I didn't encounter anyone after I had settled on a spot to camp for each night. I would suggest for you to look up the principles of Leave No Trace, if you're interested in the ethics of wild camping. Here are some things that that I did that ensured I was being as respectful of my surroundings as possible on this trip:
1) I chose spots to camp that were marked on a map as publicly accessible, such as lookout points. This not only made it easier for me to find places that had a nice flat place to camp, but it also increased my chances of setting up my tent in an area where I wasn't actively disturbing any wildlife by setting my tent on local plants, for example, because it was already heavily trodden and void of all vegetation in spots.
2) I respected private property signs and obviously didn't camp in areas that were marked as protected areas, such as the La Trapa area on my fourth day.
3) I made sure to set up my tent just before sunset and pack up as the sun rose, so my chances of bothering- or being noticed by someone were quite slim.
4) I practiced leave no trace principles, primarily that I took all of my trash with me and buried human waste in a cathole far from the trail itself.
Hope this helps!
Thank you! Great vid! Did you see many (or any) other backpackers or hikers?
I crossed paths with maybe 10-15 hikers during the entire three days, so not very many, but enough to know that I wasn't completely alone and hopelessly lost :-)
Wow--cool; thanks! @@margaretapinter
Cool! Thank you!!@@margaretapinter