Menorca has more prehistoric monuments per square kilometre than almost anywhere in Europe, and the south-west of the island is a good place to see why. The people who lived here in the Bronze and Iron Ages built talayots, round towers of stacked stones, and taules, T-shaped stone altars, and navetas, burial chambers shaped like upturned boats, in a culture that lasted for over a thousand years. In 2023 UNESCO added the Talayotic Culture of Minorca to its list, and the western Migjorn area, the south-west of the island, is one of the zones included.
The Migjorn, the southern coast, is a landscape of limestone and ravines. The island's flat, dry plateau is cut by deep, narrow gorges, the barrancs, which run down to the sea and end in small coves with white sand and turquoise water. Cala Galdana, with its curved bay, is the most famous of them, and the Algendar ravine behind it is green and shady. Stone walls divide the fields, in a pattern that has changed little for centuries, and wild olive, pine and juniper cover the land. The whole island is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and much of the coast is protected.
Riding in Menorca is a gentle pleasure. The main road, the Me-1, runs along the spine of the island from Maó to Ciutadella, and small roads branch off toward the coast, with gentle curves, stone walls and farmhouses. Speed limits are low and enforced, and in summer the roads fill with tourists in hire cars and scooters, so early morning is best. The tramontana, a strong north wind, can blow hard in winter and spring. The old Camí de Cavalls, a path round the coast, is for walkers and bikes, not motor vehicles.
Ferreries, with about 4,400 people, and Es Mercadal are the closest towns for fuel, shops and food, and Alaior, larger, is 12 km away. Menorca is known for its cheese, Mahón, for the gin that the British introduced in the eighteenth century, and for caldereta de langosta, a lobster stew. Alaior makes ice cream and shoes, and the island has long made footwear and costume jewellery. A swim in a quiet cove, after seeing a talayot in the olive groves, is a fine combination.