Market day at Soller, Mallorca

The railway station at Soller

During any visit to Palma I try and treat myself to a little escape to Soller and Porto Soller. The train is the nicest way to travel north and traverse the mountains. As the old train rattles its way north at a sedate speed you pass through fields of olive trees and almond trees tended by small flocks of sheep.

The town of Soller is almost totally surrounded by mountains which rise steeply and tower above the small town. The air is often still in the town and area enclosed by the mountains, and last weekend was no exception. Thermals gradually developed during the day and small fires burning branches and trimmings from the seasonal pruning of the trees wafted their smoke around the hillsides.

Saturday is market day in Soller and there is a distinctive rural air to the small covered market market. Locally produced olive oils, honey and cured meats can be found along the streets and in the covered market the freshly picked wild asparagus caught my eye; water-filled buckets contained bunches of these long thin green spears. The wild asparagus can be picked by anybody and while out for a walk quite often you can see people emerging from woods with bags of asparagus, or simply picking the spears growing in the undergrowth by the pavement or road.

Buckets of wild asparagus in the covered market at Soller

The locally cured meats are very distinctive and known as sobrasada. They come in all shapes and sizes but typically the ground spiced pork is preserved in a pigs stomach, and other intestinal passages. I would not discourage you from using your imagination at this point but merely consider the fact that the full length of the intestinal tract is used. Personally, I enjoy a plate of sobrasada with an old manchego or a cheese from Mahon. Thesae along with some locally baked bread, which is practically salt free, liberally dipped in olive oil the combination of flavours come alive. The tastes while being quite different do complement each other.

A stall selling a variety of sobrasada on the street in Soller

Soller has the distinction of being situated not far from a port, which can be reached by tram. This means that there is a source of locally landed fish, and the covered market had two small stalls selling fresh fish. I drew confidence from the fact that not too many varieties of fish were available; the lack of waxen sides of tuna and swordfish and other less seasonal varieties meant the sellers were not supplementing their stock from other markets. A lively trade was taking place at these stalls and people were busy making their choices and discussing special requests for the specimens they were purchasing.

A typical display from a stall in the fish market at Soller

No trip to Soller is complete without a trip down to Porto Soller. As I have noted above, you can catch the tram or indeed undertake the trip on foot. The walk takes about 45 minutes but at this time of year you can admire the colourful orange and lemon groves as you go, and the colours can be breathtaking.

A rich and verdant orange grove between Soller and Porto Soller

By early afternoon my body was beginning to make a few reasonable demands and a relaxing lunch seemed to be the answer to most of them. Furthermore, the warm sunshine needed to be counteracted and so a little chilled rose wine and some freshly cooked calamars were devoured with great satisfaction.

Calamars a la plancha

Four safe Mediterranean ports; June, July August and Mahon

Fenix reaching at 11 knots boat speed in 22 knots wind towards Menorca

Having caught my flight from Rome to Sardinia, I was collected at Olbia by Jonna, the Swedish chef, and ferried up to Porto Cervo. During the Summer months this glamorous village on the north east corner of Sardinia is full of fashionable and wealthy tourists. However, during early November it is all but deserted. Even the port, and the nearby Cala de Volpe, were practically empty; all the big yachts and motor yachts having moved on to winter elsewhere.

We set out early in morning departing Porto Cervo and making our way up through the islands emerging out into the Straits of Bonafacio. For the remainder of the day, with Corsica not too distant on our starboard side we sailed west towards Isola Asinara, passing this the furthest north western point of Sardinia just after midnight.

After sunrise the wind began to build again and swing around into the north west. This certainly made the passage quicker but the sea was beginning to become lumpy. The forecast was also changing rapidly and the detailed projected forecasts left us with a bit of a dilemma, as we were due to meet a strong south westerly wind around midnight. The wind was forecasted to rise to 35 knots, and this would have made our passage from Menorca to Mallorca very uncomfortable and the added possibility of damage would have been unavoidable.

A view of Mahon approaching Pinto Island

We quickly scanned the charts for a safe haven and decided to make our way to the port of Mahon on the south east corner of Menorca. I had learned about Mahon and the historical significance of this safe natural harbour during the 18th and 19th centuries over the years, but had never actually entered the harbour or landed on Menorca. In the last few years I had been reading the Aubrey Maturin series of novels written by Patrick O'Brian, and had often wondered what the port was like; the Balearic islands and in particular Mahon feature in a number of the novels. It has been difficult to visualise this port and its unique ability to have a large number of line of battle ships and smaller vessels at anchor.

Pinto island and part of the naval dockyard in port Mahon

The house where Admiral Lord Collingwood based himself following the battle of Trafalgar

We arrived at the entrance to Mahon around midnight. The dark menacing shores did not seem as close as they actually were, but the entrance lights were well positioned and we easily worked our way into the narrow port, which is almost three nautical miles long. We passed a number of small bays before passing Quarantine Island on our starboard side, and shortly after we were at anchor. The night and next day proved to be as windy as forecasted and Fenix swung around as the gusts met her after descending the cliff and accelerating along the water. Outside the narrow entrance to the port the agitated sea was crashing against the rocks and we knew we had made the right decision.

A view across the terracing to the old town of Mahon

A day ashore meant that I could explore and wander about the town, which is situated at the top of the port on an escarpment that runs along the full length of the harbour. From the modern ferry terminal, Mahon can still be accessed by the pigtail steps. A narrow network of streets linking small squares are a feature of the town as are the distinctive English sash windows. Some of the largest buildings in the town are of course the churches and they dominate the squares and punctuate the skyline.

A distinctive door knocker in the old town of Mahon

local confectionery

The fish market at the top of the pigtail steps built in 1927

Unfortunately the fish market was not open in the time we were in Mahon and it would have been interesting to get into this purpose built market and view the local catch. Given the weather there was not going to be much of a catch to view so we contented ourselves with peering in through the gates.

The English took possession of Port Mahon in the early 18th century and thereby obtained one of the most sought after harbours in the entire Mediterranean. From this safe haven the Royal Navy could hold up, reprovision, and manage blockades and attacks throughout the Mediterranean. Admiral Lord Collingwood assumed the leadership of the Mediterranean fleet upon the death of Nelson at the battle of Trafalgar and remained in the Mediterranean, was based at Mahon until his departure on the Ville de Paris on the 3rd March 1810. Shortly after leaving Mahon he died at sea.

Under British control an extensive complex of dockyards and wharfs were built which still exist today. Fortifications were strenghtened at the entrance of Port Mahon; the construction of a series of five martello towers protecting the entrance, along with other defences on either shore just inside the entrance, made the port impregnable rendering a naval attack on Mahon virtually impossible.

Martello towers at the entrance of the port of Mahon

We were due in Palma da Mallorca on the 5th for works to be caried out in the modern and busy yard there. On the morning of the 3rd November we slowly worked out way out of Port Mahon passing the Isabella fortress and martello towers as we went. By sunset we were approaching Isla de L'Aire and thunder storms illuminated black clouds on the horizon. Rain was not far off and a number of showers came and went through the night as we approached the east coast of Mallorca.

Lighthouse on Isla de L'Aire just after sunset

Port Mahon was an invaluable port to the English during the Napoleonic period and quickly earned the the popular praise that there were only four safe ports in the Mediterranean; June, July, August and Mahon. Without doubt we were very happy to exploit the sheltered anchorage just below Collingwood's House, where the Ville de Paris was anchored once upon a time.