Arrive Palma Nova after midnight. To local bar for bocadillos and drinks. Back to hotel at 2.00. Up at 8:00 after 5½ hours’ sleep. Some cloud about. Decide to head for Galatzó (1027m), furthest westerly 1000m peak. Mostly out of cloud, but cold and windy. Take in scramble on Moleta Rasa on way back down. A good start.

Wednesday

Day starts clear. Head east with a view to a bash at Tomir. Clouds well and truly down by the time we get there, so drive to Mortitx. Pick our way across tortured landscape over small passes then down to ruined farm at Rafal d’Ariant, close to clifftop 200m above sea. Detour to look at "witch’s cave", then return to Mortitx via gorge scramble up Torrent de Mortitx - Photo: Delicate section of Mortitx Gorge (26k). Good to start with descent and finish with interesting ascent.

Thursday

Starts clear, but we are cautious after yesterday’s deception. Also knackered and stiff. Drive to Valdemossa. Teix (1062m) via Son Moragües and the Cairats path. Come out of trees to intermittent cloud. Then down to Pla de sa Serp and along the Archduke’s bridleway. Meet confused Germans looking for way to Deià. Point it out to them and they decide to aim for Valdemossa instead. On via the ruins of the Archduke’s Refuge to viewpoint at Mirador de Ses Puntes, then down to Valdemossa. Long day. Return tired but well satisfied.

Friday

Clear again. All feeling pretty good, and up for a big day on Massanella (1367m). Reluctantly pay ptas 500 each for access via farm at Coma Freda. Make it to Col des Prat (1200m) in two hours - Photo: Massanella from Col des Prat (33k). After rest and refreshments, start down other side to find a weakness in the mountain’s defences. A vague but feasible path, not in guidebook, leads towards a rock corner. I find I am a camera short, so Wendy and I retrace steps to find same. Camera forgotten at Col des Prat. How appropriate. Meantime Ray and Kepa have found way round the rock corner. Scramble and walk up SE ridge onto Massanella, bloody good and also not in guidebook. Look down at direct route from Col. I say not as bad as it looks; others glad we came the easier way. Meet Spaniards who also take a dim view of the ptas 500. Down to Coll de Sa Linea then out via Coma Freda again. Determine to work out a Massanella circuit from Almallutx, avoiding Coma Freda entrance.

Saturday

Another clear day. Tomir (1103m). We find the gates at Menut shut and have to hoof it up the road to the start of the walk proper. This adds half an hour to each end of the walk, not the 2km in total June Parker would have us believe. Find a new and wholly unnecessary length of cable protecting the last few metres of ascent to the half-way col - Photo: Upper cabled section on Tomir (28k). Great views of Massanella, Puig Major and Wednesday’s walk. - Photo: Masanella (c) and Puig Mayor (r) from Tomir (27k) - At the snow-houses we collect another member to the party. Günther has taken the normal route up from Binifaldó and seen all other groups returning the same way. He wants to go back via the ruined farm at Aucanella but not on his own. During the walk to Aucanella he is surprised how "strenuous" it is. This section is quite taxing, with the path dropping steeply and in many places obscured by carritx (booby-trap) plants and bordered with arritx (barbed-wire) plants.

Sunday

Last full day, with high cloud coming in from the west. We take the Soller road, crossing the pass. With all the other traffic in the new tunnel, this is quite fun. Then along the Pollença road, passing the barracks below Puig Major, to park at Cuber. Down gorge from dam for 200 yards - Photo: Pareis gorge - then up alongside pipeline to join south ridge of Sa Rateta up to summit (1084m). Terrific views back down Tossals gorge. Much cloud now rolling in from north, held back by Puig Major and Alfabia, so we are clear. West over Sa Franquesa to the col, then up ridge to L’Ofre (1091m) - Photo: The elegant pyramid of Ofre from Sa Franquesa (22k). Cloud rolls closer, at one point edge of cloudmass along L’Ofre ridge. Spectacular slip on way down provokes ripe Spanish oath, for which I later apologise to lower party. We have time to drive down to Sa Calobra and find that the bottom of the Torrent de Pareis is almost dry, and easily accessible. The whole torrent would have been feasible and we did not know it. Walked up a few hundred yards anyway and found that in its more usual state the flooded area is neither deep nor extensive. Something for next time.

Monday

Last day. Shopping. Trip to Palma. It was closed for the siesta. Short walk along clifftop and to caves at Portals Vells. All in all a successful week. We did a lot. With so few of us we were rather thrown together much of the time but we are still talking to each other. Suggestions now being taken for a cheap early break next year.