Menorca is a gentler island than its neighbours, and the Talaiotic culture left behind a remarkable landscape of stone monuments that UNESCO recognised in 2023. These are the talaiots, round or square towers of dry stone, the taulas, great T-shaped stone altars, and the navetas, boat-shaped tombs, all dating from the second and first millennia BC. Nobody knows exactly what the people who built them believed, but the sheer number is astonishing for an island that you can cross by car in an hour. C5 is one of the numbered zones of that heritage landscape, in the area between the ravines of Torrevella, south of Alaior.
The land here is low, open and windswept, a patchwork of small fields divided by dry stone walls, and the walls themselves are an old craft, still repaired by hand. Holm oaks and wild olives stand in clumps, and the soil is red and stony. The famous north wind, the tramontana, can blow for days and bend the trees into permanent leaning shapes. The smell in summer is of hot stone and thyme, and in the evening the light on the walls is gold. Menorca is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and its quieter roads and bridleways make it a place for slow travel.
The riding is simple and pleasant. The island's main road runs along the spine from Maó to Ciutadella, and smaller roads branch off to farms and coves with a mix of gentle curves and straights, tight stone walls on either side. Speeds are low and traffic can be thick in July and August, with hire cars and cyclists. The surface is generally good, though minor roads can be narrow and rough, and tourist coaches need patience.
Alaior, about five kilometres away, is a sizeable town of eight and a half thousand with fuel, supermarkets and a good market. It is also known for its cheese, a mild, slightly salty cow's milk cheese that has its own protected name, and for its ice cream. Spring is the best season, with wildflowers and warm days, and September is calm and warm after the crowds have left. Winter can be wet and windy, and some places close.