The camí de cavalls

Menorca, with an area of 702 square kilometres and 216 kilometres of coastline, has a privileged location in the Mediterranean.

For centuries it has been a strategic enclave for all cultures and this has conditioned many of its constructions, taking advantage of its particular orography.

One of these elements is the Camí de Cavalls, a path that runs along the entire coastline of the island and which has been used to defend the entire coast since 1330, when King James II decreed that armed men on horseback were obliged to guard and defend the island of Menorca. This route was also used later by the English and the French during their periods of domination in the 18th century.

It was not until 2010 that it was inaugurated as a public path and was included in the programme of European Long Distance Routes with the reference GR223.

The 185 km of Camí de Cavalls is divided into 20 sections or stages ranging from 5 km to 14 km and will allow us to enjoy the beauty of the Menorcan coast and discover a historical, ethnological and scenic heritage unique in the Balearic Islands.

The entire route is signposted with wooden markers and maps to prevent us from getting lost.

As this is a nature trail that is totally integrated with the environment and the orography, it is advisable to wear appropriate footwear, to be well dressed with drinks and, above all, to take into account the weather forecast at all times, both rainy and windy. It is also essential to take into account the best time of the day or year to do the routes. On hot days it is important to bear in mind that the route along the north of the island has practically no wooded areas to shelter from the sun, which is the case on the south coast.

The old path is also the scene of major sporting events such as the Trail Menorca Camí de Cavalls, in which participants walk along the entire coastline of the island without stopping, the current record being 18 hours 42 minutes, or the Camí de Cavalls 360º Non-Stop MTB, in which the entire route is covered by mountain bike and the record stands at 10 hours 2 minutes.