It is a mountain bike route, along the perimeter shoreline of the coast around the island of Menorca. The distance is 204 km, being designed to be carried out between 3 and 6 days, although we believe that the ideal is to make it in 4 days.

This is a route that takes place almost entirely by the old “Horse Riding Track” * path we can not lose if we perceive the true beauty of the island and the stunning appeal of its coastline. (Cami variations are granted by Cavalls experience Menorcasport guides, which can trace the path most suitable for bikers, considering both its safety and enjoyment)

It is a self-guided route, but we recommend ordering the GPS tracks for the organization (which are free), or if they have not, Menorcasport can rent them. It is highly recommended hiring an expert cyclist, who acts as a guide, such as the former champion of Spain, Ruth Moll, who will explain and teach you every corner, unnoticed by any biker is not known how she Menorca.

Cavalls de Ferro, can be defined as an exciting, while great adventure, during which he will pass through a checkpoint and had to be sealed before the books that have been donated by the organization.

To be completed around the island of Menorca, you will be received by any member of the organization, which after checking the seal, is giving away an exclusive jersey “finisher”, designed by the acclaimed artist Marc Jesus Menorca Vives. This jersey, can not be bought, it has to “get.”

The climate is in Menorca, makes this route can be made at any time of year, between September and June is the best time, as well as making less heat, Menorca is beautiful, both for its colorful vegetation, as the peace you find in all of it.

We take care of everything … hotel, meals, or rent bicycles from different ranges, we even have a service to take the suitcases to the hotel for overnight so that all you have to do is pedal and enjoy the magnificent scenery.

It was in 1979 when Charles Angles planted the first vines on the grounds of his home in Sant Lluís. Over time, what began as a hobby (to enjoy the wine made by oneself) has become a way of life. Today there are about five hectares with vineyards merlot, cabernet sauvignon and syrah, as well as the white varieties Chardonnay and Muscat.

In 2004 opened a modern winery designed by the Catalan architect Lluís Vives. The warehouse is divided into two floors, dedicated to developing superior and inferior, carved in sandstone, where lie the European oak casks. Its wines have achieved a position in the letter of prestigious restaurants such as El Bulli’s Ferran Adrià. At present, it is the largest producer of the island.

The vineyards are located in the south of the island, the estate Binifadet Nou, characterized by a limestone subsoil marès, limestone typical of Menorca, covered by a layer of stones and clay. This type of soil, with a high calcium content usually has good aeration and good drainage, ideal for varieties like chardonnay.

Farm plots Binifadet Nou, are closed by dry stone walls that protect plants from northern Tramontana wind so characteristic of the island.

On April 18, 1756, Easter Sunday, landed on the beach Santandria, next to the cove of Sa Caleta, twelve thousand French soldiers under the command of Marshal of France Duc de Richelieu, and brought in a powerful fleet by Admiral Marquis de la Galissonnière. The French were well received by the ciutadellencs and its authorities and, after singing a solemn Te Deum in the church of Santa Maria (now Cathedral of Menorca), the military expedition headed over Mao, to lay siege to the castle of San Felipe and causing Britain’s capitulation, signed on 29 June of that year.

Subsequently destroyed by the Spanish in 1782 the castle of Sant Felip and Sant Antoni, late eighteenth century when the British returned, 11 defensive towers built with the intention of protecting the beaches of the island of a possible enemy landing and gain time for the arrival of reinforcements.

Castellar de la Torre was one of them, the British decided to defend this place and on the northern shore of the entrance to the cove of Sa Caaleta to support the Castle of Sant Nicolau, at the mouth of the port of Ciutadella.

The tower, built of stone anerisca, sandstone, rose between 1799 and 1802, has a very original, its design is quite different from the other towers along the coast Menorca, following the model of Martello towers built in England to face the threat of the French led by Napoleon, and can say that this is the only British era building in Ciutadella. Its geographical coordinates are 39 ° 58 ’49.71 “N 3 º 49′ 53.72″ E.

The tower, circular, has a height of 8 meters and a diameter of 6, is embedded in the ground with a ditch 6 m wide which ends at an embankment or glacis. All the top parapet is like a brocket, open towards the entrance of the cove stands by a gunboat. In front of the guard there is a loophole that beats the entrance of the guardhouse. The defense system of the tower to face an attack from the ground it is a set of 12 loopholes, unprecedented in Menorca, beating around the pit.

The entrance to the tower is through an underground corridor, caponera, linking the ground floor gallery counterscarp beneath the glacis, which is the guard. The ground floor of the tower is 1 ’5 meter pit level.

On the terrace of Castellar de la Torre could install one or two pieces of artillery, and to be buried, as seen from the sea went completely unnoticed by the enemy ships, giving the feel of a small fort, which made her more dangerous and effective.

Caleta d’en Gorries also known as Sa Caleta, is two miles from Ciutadella, near the Blanc Palace, Sa Caleta Playa, its geographical coordinates are 39 ° 58 ’52.79 “N 3 º 50′ 2.45″ E. Baluard for Castellar de la Torre (Tower of eighteenth-century coastal surveillance and where you enjoy a magnificent panoramic view) and Cala Santandria and near the village of Cala Santandria.

In particular, this coastal corner has been formed on the right side of the entrance to Cala Santandria (north-east), which cove toponym refers to its small size.

This sea inlet is characterized by the presence in the vicinity of residential housing, a slope of sand, a rugged coastline, cliffs crowned with low vegetation height, exposure to south-west winds, a light breeze, calm water clear, clean, and a gentle slope.

Road access is easy following the signs and detours. The private car can park for free in the vicinity. Can also be reached using public transport.

If the beach has a lifeguard, you must follow the instructions of the lifeguards and flags signaling. A red flag indicates swimming dangerous and involves the prohibition of bathing. The yellow flag indicates caution, but swimming is permitted. The green flag indicates swimming is permitted. The orange flag is used to indicate that the lifeguard is absent. If the beach does not have supervision or service is not operating, be careful and enjoy the beach without taking unnecessary risks.

This beach has environmental management certification in 14001 and European Blue Flag.

Artrutx Lighthouse is located in the extreme southwest of the island of Menorca, at the end of the same name. Seven kilometers far from Ciutadella de Menorca. Its coordinates are 39 ° 55 ’21.97 “N 3 º 49′ 25.99″ E.

Today, at an altitude of 35 meters, with a fixed white light, varied by groups of flashes every 30 seconds. It stands 45 m. above the sea being visible 32 miles and a range of 19 millas.Este lighthouse marks the line of the channel between Mallorca and Menorca. The lighthouse is characterized by horizontal stripes alternating white and negriazulues, the keeper’s house and a yard enclosed by stone wall.

The Cap d’Artrutx is a very peaceful location, despite being surrounded by a residential community. While the days of storm waves crash violently against the rocks, creating impressive clouds of foam that fell on the highway and the houses nearest the sea, on a clear day you can see from the outline area on the south coast Ciutadella, and even Ferreries and Es Mercadal.

At first, the lighting system used was oil, but later, in 1930, was replaced by the battery system of acetylene. In 1970 the lighthouse at Cap d’Artrutx began to run on electricity and was automated in the late 80′s.

The original optical, 1859 will amount in the Far Cap Blanc in Mallorca in 1970 when it came to the electrification of the lighthouse, reflecting area of ​​4 th order, which remains currently active, the only lighthouse in the Balearic Islands that still uses an optical full Isabel II period.

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Sa Naveta des Tudons, it is certainly one of the most famous and most visited of Menorca, since this type of monument can only be found on this island.

Its exceptional state of preservation, construction wrapped in a magical aurea, which gives it unmatched beauty, making it much more famous than the very taulas, which are well spectacular, but Sa Naveta des Tudons is considered the jewel of the European prehistoric Bronze age.

The construction date has not been spared the controversy but it looks to be back at the end of the pre-Talayotic (half of the Bronze Age) or early era Talayotic (late bronze age) between 1400 and 800 BC Data are available calibrated radiocarbon 976, 965, 957, 935, 914, 911, 893, 882, 848, 827 i 822 BC of human remains taken from the inside, although the type of construction shows signs it was built between 1400 and 1000 BC In any case we can state that was used as a burial place between 900 and 800 BC centuries before the emergence of culture Talayotic.

Sa Naveta des Tudons is the best preserved and most monumental evolved navetas burial. It was the culmination of a process that began in the caves.

It is built with cyclopean technique, this technique differs from the technique megalithic dolmens proper that, in these, the interior is made of large flat slabs placed vertically (megaliths), the cyclopean technique inside is made of stones intermediate size, embedded in dry, without the aid of mortar.

Today it is believed that could be an evolution of dolmens or megalithic tombs, because they have some features in common with them. However, their construction techniques and incorporates important advances, the blocks are very well crafted and are much more regular than those used in other constructions as talayots later.

The features that the first shuttle was inherited from the dolmens perforated slab to provide access to the burial chamber. It consists of a slab cut access from the entrance corridor, but you have had a hole, usually rectangular, large enough to allow entry of people. In some dolmens, and in the oldest navetas, a recess can be seen practicing on the sides of the hole, designed to fit flat slab that serves another end. This perforated slab representing the separation between the world of the living and the dead and possibly only accessible by certain people inside, “started” the funeral rites.

Another feature of the oldest navetas plant was oval or almost circular, so that even more like the dolmens, which were surrounded by a stone circle or ellipse (the peristálito). Navetas later, the des Tudons among them seem to have evolved into the shape of a ship, known by everyone.

Similarly, the inner chamber began as oval apse evolved form, or very elongated horseshoe. Although there navetas old style (called intermediate type for his mediation between the dolmen and the shuttle “pure”) which are kept in a state good enough to know if they had a second floor, most likely not the case and that the upstairs was another feature added in the later navetas.

Sa Naveta des Tudons, clearly shaped apse, U-shaped, elongated with flat front where we found the gateway of small dimensions facing west. The building has two floors, and has lost the perforated slab, which has been replaced by a normal input, built with various components: the upper side jambs and lintel, by way of TNT.

The part of the apse was badly damaged and it was restored during the second excavation taken during the 1950 and 1960 by Maria Luisa Serra. The slabs that separate the upper floor of the lower chamber had collapsed which meant that all the material is mixed in the lower chamber. But the discovery that double-decker shuttle had led the archaeologist to do some tasting at the top of the shuttle Southern Rafal Rubí, which revealed that the top floor could be common in navetas evolved.

The excavations uncovered remains in apparent disorder of some 100 people, which confirmed that it was a mass grave of the Bronze Age. The arrangement of these bones grouped by type in question, this indicates a complex burial ritual. Among the remains recovered are bronze objects (like a bracelet around an arm bone), some weapons, pots, ceramic vases, etc. Talayotic typical of the time. But it also found a bone triangle button, which may be evidence of the existence of the shuttle in earlier times to talaiotic.

But everything suggests that Sa Naveta des Tudons, was a secondary burial, ie, an ossuary. Perhaps individuals were buried somewhere near where once the body had decomposed, the bones would be placed in the shuttle. It has found a cave with two niches, a hypogeous and three “capades de moro”, in the vicinity, which could be associated with this process.

Although it seems navetas were built before the arrival of the culture remained Talayotic probably used in full talaiotic. Thus, archaeological excavations have been made, few remains were found at stages Pretalayotic, and much remains, grave goods, and burial of Talayotic full time.

When we entered Naveta des Tudons Sa, we get first a lobby that gives us access to the lower chamber, where we found a stone prepared as a bank or altar, cracks and holes let in a dim light on the sides, over our heads, large slabs make up the floor upstairs.

Currently, the shuttle has closed the entrance to prevent spoilage, and has allowed up to the roof for safety reasons.

Other navetas burial in good condition are the two Biniac, both of Rafal Rubí, in the municipality of Alaior.

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