West Menorca is a low, open plateau of limestone, and the plains around Ciutadella are the island at its most pastoral. The land is divided into small fields by dry-stone walls, thousands of kilometres of them, built over centuries by hand without mortar, and the walls give the whole landscape a stitched, patchwork look. Cows graze in the meadows, and farmhouses called llocs, painted white, sit among clusters of pines and wild olive trees. The soil is red in places, grey in others, and the sea shows at the end of almost every lane.
The island's cows are the basis of the local cheese, and Menorcan butter and ice cream are good enough that it is worth stopping for. The western plains also have the fierce wind that shapes everything: the trees along the coast grow bent and flat, tilted away from the Tramuntana, and in winter the gusts can be strong enough to move a loaded motorcycle. This is a place where you check the forecast before you ride, and it pays to keep a firm grip in exposed spots. In summer, the wind is a friend, cooling the afternoon.
The roads are quiet, narrow and well surfaced, and they are best for slow, undemanding riding. A network of small lanes links farms and hamlets, with lots of junctions and few signs, so a map or a navigation app is handy. The Camí de Cavalls, the old horse path that circles the island, is for walkers and horses, not motorbikes, but it crosses the lanes in many places, and you may see hikers. Take care at blind bends in the walls, where tractors may be coming the other way.
Ciutadella is about six kilometres away and has everything you need, while Ferreries and Mercadal lie to the east along the main road. Fuel is available in all three, but stations are sparse between them. In the evening the sun sinks behind the western horizon, the walls throw long shadows, and the smell of grass and sea drifts across the fields. It is a landscape of repetition, in the best possible sense, and one in which time seems to slow without any fuss.