2018-08-10 Marina Amarres Poniente, Mahon, Menorca, Islas Baleares, Spain

After the storm which we had overnight, this morning the weather was fortunately calm and clear. We collected our rental car and headed off to do a quick tour around the island for the day
As we head out of town we pass the Tangaroa berthed along the pier
Our first stop is to visit the prehistoric village of Torralba d’en Salord which is situated east of Mahon
The large Talaiot of the village was inhabited from approximately 1000 BC until the arrival of the Romans in 123 BC
The Taula enclosure of this site is one of the largest and well preserved in Menorca
Ric doing his photography thing!!
After the heavy rain overnight the floor of the Taula has turned into a pond

We leave the wonderful ancient site to continue our drive around Menorca
Parròquia de Santa Eulàlia stands high above the town of Alaior
As we continue towards Es Mercadal which is in the centre of the island, to the north we see El Toro which we intend visiting on our way back to Mahon
We pass the well photographed Red Indian rock formation
Arriving in Ferriers we stop for a coffee and a cake
……. and we visit a couple of shoe factory outlets in the area

We continue west along the main road that links Mahon on the east to Cuitadella on the west. This road is known to always be busy during the peak tourist months
As we have spent so much time in Cuitadella we decided to visit a couple of other places where we have not been before
We arrive in Cala Morrell with it’s white houses and perfect gardens

We visit a fabulous spot to see the spectacular coastline of the north eastern coast of Menorca
Looking east along the northern coast of Menorca as far as Cap de Cavalleria in the far distance
Stunning views!!
Ric with Punta de S’Escullera in the background
We continue a little further and come to a walking path with amazing views over Cala Morell
Zooming in ……. there is a busy restaurant in the bay
There is not a lot of space for sheltered anchorage in the Cala Morell however these three yachts are lucky and would feel like they are in paradise
The walking track around the cliffs looks amazing …. if only we had more time!!
The gorgeous rustic wooden gates are very popular in the small villages in Menorca
We drive around to the opposite size of the bay
Cala Morell is certainly a beautiful bay with a lovely beach

Ric does his photography thing again!!
Our turn!!
Note the line of dark reddish rock against the limestone in the bay ….. this was due to a geological fault millions of years ago
Apart from the beautiful surroundings of Cala Morell, the area also has an amazing history. There are substantial remains of prehistoric inhabitants living in this area and there is a Necròpolis with 14 burial chambers carved into the rock
We next travel through bushland on a narrow road to go and visit another beach which is very popular in Menorca called Cala Algaiarens
Cala Algaiarens is the next bay east of Cala Morell on the north coast of Menorca

We continue back through the country road to the main road that leads us back to Mahon
A short distance out of Cuitadella we stop to go and visit another ancient site. The first is the Montefi settlement which consists of three talayots

Next we go to see the Naveta des Tudons  which is the most emblematic megalithic monument of Menorca
It is a pre-Talaiotic funeral building in use from 1200 to 750 BC
Another selfie!!

Once we leave the ancient site we continue driving back east towards El Toro which is the tallest hill in Menorca at 342 m
At the foot of El Toro is the town of Es Mercadal
Es Mercadal is another pretty rural village with quaint streets and white washed houses
It was a short distance to drive to the top of El Toro
Standing surrounded by modern radio towers is a high statue of Christ

Near the statue is an old Gothic church which dates back to 1670. There is also a Sanctuary which is dedicated to the Virgin of El Toro
There are amazing views around the island from El Toro

To the north we can clearly see the large bay, Cala Fornells where we have anchored in on a few occasions
The island of Menorca is reasonably flat apart from here at El Toro
Close to the Fornells is Cap Cavalleria in the distance
Looking towards the west we see the lighthouse at the north western tip at Punta Nati and Cala Morell in the foreground
From El Toro we can see one of our favourite bays, Cala Pregonda to the north west
We can also look towards the east coast  from here

Time to head back down to Es Mercadal at the bottom of the hill

Once back on the main road we join the busy traffic and we continue back to Mahon after a wonderful day enjoying some of the other interesting sights of Menorca

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