The Peninsula and Cape of Formentor in Majorca

The peninsula has one of the largest and most attractive natural beaches of the island, the beach of Formentor, located on the east coast.

The coastline of the peninsula is dotted with coves, the most notable are: Cala Figuera, the Cala Murta and Cala Pi de la Posada.

Its end, the Cape of Formentor, marks the northern limit of the Serra de Tramuntana.

This winding road, sometimes dizzying, 19 km is the work of the Italian engineer Antonio Paretti (Antonio Parietti Coll) which can be seen the memorial near the parking lot gazebo to Es Colomer he also built. The engineer knew Paretti, at best, use the relief of the Serra d’Albercutx, drawing turns wherever the slope allowed, and digging the rocks that where the slope was too strong. The construction of the road was very difficult, sometimes the workers to be tied to trees to avoid falling into the sea from cliffs. However masterpiece Paretti remains the serpentine road of Sa Calobra.

The Mirador of the Dove-cot sits on a promontory 200 meters high called the Ship Point (Punta de la Nau) at the end of the hill Mal Pas, it rises above the cove of Cala Boch.

From the Mirador des Colomer, you can walk there in 20 minutes by a path of the Camí de la Talaia d’Albercutx, or by car via a small road that is to the right of the main road.

A fortress (Sa Fortalesa), with a military battery, was built in 1628 on the highest hill of the headland for the forward defense of the bay and the port of Pollença, the Fortalesa is now private property, considered private property the most expensive in Spain.

Since 1898, a lighthouse marks the end of the tip.

My 2210 road ends at the lighthouse attached to the tip of Cap de Formentor, the Cape itself being the northern tip of Mallorca. Standing at the edge of a cliff 208 m high, which drops steeply into the sea, the lighthouse offers a splendid view:

• west on the Cala Fiquera and steep cliffs of Cap de Catalunya;
• south of the city of Alcúdia and bays of Pollença and Alcúdia, separated by a peninsula, Cap des Pinar, and later, on the very tip of Cap de Ferrutx;
• to the east, the coast of Menorca, 40 km apart, are visible to the naked eye on a clear day.

With Faro d’Artrutx which is the southwestern tip of Menorca, the lighthouse of Cape Formentor marks the narrowest point between the two islands of Mallorca and Menorca issue. The lighthouse, the silver dome, was built in 1863 it was then accessible only by sea can not approach the lighthouse, which can not be visited.

The sparse vegetation of the Cape is an ideal habitat for lizards and small birds, especially bluebirds thrush (Monticola solitarius). Since the area around the lighthouse, you can see the steep cliffs facing east, home, from April to October, nesting colonies of Eleonora’s falcons (Falco eleonorae). During migration in the spring and summer, thousands of sea birds fly above the cap, especially Manx shearwaters (Puffinus puffinus) and shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea).

The view from the cliffs is staggering to most intrepid, especially as the winds at the end of the course are furious and unpredictable. The Majorcan also called Cap de Formentor, the "appointment of winds". The winds that come together here are appointed by the Majorcan: Tramuntana (north wind), the Ponent (west wind), the Migjorn (south wind) and Llevant (east wind), nicknamed the "four big brothers" and "cousins": the Gregal (northeast wind), the Mestral (northwest wind), the Llebeig (southwest wind) and Xaloc (south wind East).

"Mon cor estima un arbre! Més vell que l’olivera, més poderós que el roure, més verd que el taronger, conserva de ses fulles l’eterna primavera, i lluita amb les ventades que atupen la ribera, com un gegant guerrer. No guaita per ses fulles la flor enamorada; no va la fontanella ses ombres a besar; mes Déu ungi d’aroma sa testa consagrada i li donà per trone l’esquerpa serralada, per font l’immensa mar. Quan lluny, damunt les ones, renaix la llum divina, no canta per ses branques l’aucell que encativam; el crit sublim escolta de l’àguila marina, o del voltor qui passa sent l’ala gegantina remoure son fullam.

Del llim d’aquesta terra sa vida no sustenta; revincla per les roques sa poderosa rel, té pluges i rosades i vents i llum ardenta, i, com un vell profeta, rep vida i s’alimenta de les amors del cel. Arbre sublim! Del geni n’és ell la viva imatge: domina les muntanyes i aguaita l’infinit; per ell la terra és dura, mes besa son ramatge el cel qui l’enamora, i té el llamp y l’oratge per glòria y per delit. Oh! sí: que quan a lloure bramulen les ventades i sembla entre l’escuma que tombi el seu penyal, llavors ell riu i canta més fort que les onades, i vencedor espolsa damunt les nuvolades sa cabellera real.

Arbre, mon cor t’enveja. Sobre la terra impura, com a penyora santa duré jo el teu record. Lluitar constant i vèncer, reinar sobre l’altura i alimentar-se i viure de cel i de llum pura… oh vida! oh noble sort! Amunt, ànima forta! Traspassa la boirada i arrela dins l’altura com l’arbre dels penyals. Veuràs caure a les plantes la mar del món irada, i les cançons tranquiles ’niran per la ventada com l’au dels temporals."

Miquel Costa i Llobera, 1875