The Consell de Mallorca has inaugurated the new East Mallorca Route GR 226 with a walk from its starting point, Cala Agulla (Capdepera).
The new hiking route covers 100.48 km and links five municipalities, Artà, Capdepera, Manacor, Sant Llorenç des Cardassar and Son Servera, to promote the environment and responsible tourism.
The second vice-president of the Consell and councillor for Environment, Rural Environment and Sports, Pedro Bestard, accompanied by the island directors for Sports, Toni Prats, Environment, Lluís Rubí, and Tourism, Pere Mas, took part in the inauguration of the route, which consisted of a walk together with around 100 people.
Also attending the inauguration were the president of the Balearic Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing, Xisco Fanals, and the mayors and councillors of the five municipal councils: Manuel Galán of Artà, Núria Garcia of Capdepera, Miguel Oliver of Manacor, Jaume Servera of Son Servera and Joan Mestre, councillor for Tourism in Sant Llorenç des Cardassar.
Bestard said the island is integrating the new route into sports programmes aimed at families and older people, with great uptake, as they make it possible to discover Mallorca while doing physical activity.
The event was attended by around one hundred older people taking part in the “Mou-te!” (get moving!) programme, which promotes physical exercise in the island’s municipalities. Participants completed a 6km walk to the Hotel Na Taconera.
The East Mallorca Route GR 226 runs for 100.48 km, and has been broken into four stages (89.62km) and two additional access routes (10.86km). The route has a low level of difficulty, which makes it accessible for all types of hikers.
With the approval of the Balearic Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing, the new route is integrated into the network of Long-Distance Routes managed by the Consell de Mallorca, alongside the Dry Stone Route GR 221 (which links Port d’Andratx with Port de Pollença) and the Artà–Lluc Route GR 222. The three hiking route together create an infrastructure of 585 km of long-distance paths on the island.
Summary of the stages:
Stage 1: Cales de Mallorca – Manacor (25 km)
Stage 2: Manacor – Son Carrió (23 km)
Stage 3: Son Carrió – Artà (23.2 km)
Stage 4: Artà – Cala Mesquida (22.6 km)
Access routes:
Son Macià (3.3 km)
Costa dels Pins (7.7 km)
