The Serra de Tramuntana is a wall of limestone running along the north-west of Mallorca, and it is the island's backbone, its rain catcher and its best motorcycling country. UNESCO listed it as a cultural landscape in 2011, and the label fits, because every slope has been shaped by people. Terraces of dry-stone walls climb the hills in pale steps, planted with olives and almonds, and old mule paths, water channels and stone huts show how a mountain was farmed for centuries by hand. Puig Major, at about 1,445 metres, is the highest summit, with a military radar station on top, and the whole range holds a surprising amount of rain and mist for a Mediterranean island.
Sóller sits in a bowl of orange and lemon groves, and a vintage wooden train from Palma climbs through the hills to reach it, a service that has run since 1912. The poet and novelist Robert Graves made his home in Deià, and the village's narrow streets and stone houses spill down a hillside toward a small rocky cove. Everything about the place is made of stone, from terraces to the little churches.
The road is the real prize. The Ma-10 runs along the coast of the range through a series of tight, rhythmic bends, often above the sea with a clear drop beside you, and it is one of the best-known roads in the Balearics. It is also busy, with cyclists, coaches and rental cars, so the quieter hours of early morning and evening are better. The road surface is mostly good, though it can be slippery in damp weather, and the corners come quickly. Coming from Palma, the older road over the Coll de Sóller is more fun than the toll tunnel, which saves time but misses the views.
Fuel is available in Sóller and Bunyola, both of which have petrol stations, but not in the high hills, so top up before you head along the coast. Spring brings almond blossom and wild flowers, and autumn has clear air and light traffic. Summer is crowded and hot. Stop in Sóller for an orange juice squeezed on the spot, and let the engine cool.