The latest car run took place on 24 February 2024, and was organised by Blanca Ramos González and was entitled ‘The Winding Road Rally’, with good reason, as it was predominantly set in the Northeast of the island around the old winding roads leading to Soller and Lluc.  Again, we ran this rally on a Saturday rather than a Sunday, which was appreciated by a lot of the Members who took part. 

​

We all met at Festival Park, near Marratxi at 10am, slightly earlier than normal due to a need for us to get to the restaurant on time. The twisty and hilly nature of the planned route meant we would be driving slower than normal.  There was forecast for rain but despite an early shower at the beginning of the rally, the weather stayed dry and even the sun came out on stretches of the run.

​

This was a well-attended rally with 44 people signed up, and there were more than twenty cars, possibly the most interesting of the cars being a Peerless GT 2 litre.  The car was made in Slough, England and was in production for just 3 years from 1957 to 1960, and only 325 were made.

​

Blanca distributed instructions of the route to everyone and by 10.30am we were on our way.  We left the car park and headed for Bunyola on the Ma-2040 and Ma-2020 and once in Bunyola we headed for the Ma-2010, which took us to the Ma-11.  This was the old road to Soller, which was very windy and took us up some steep inclines, requiring careful driving, but the route gave us some spectacular views of the countryside below. At times cars were in convoy, which made for some great photographs.

​

We all stopped just short of Soller at a ‘Monument’ café and bar for a coffee break.  Once we had been refreshed, we were back on the road, heading North on the Ma-10 signposted for Lluc.  This was probably the most spectacular and challenging of roads that ran across the Sera de Tramuntana mountains. It was a long and winding road that was constantly rising, reaching an elevation above 1,000 metres.  This stretch of road took us through short tunnels, the Tunel Munnabar being the most notable and we also drove past 2 reservoirs that were clearly in need of more water! The views and scenery along this stretch of road were breathtaking and was the highlight of this car rally.

​

We finally reached our destination, which was the wonderful Restaurant Es Guix, nestled deep in the natural surroundings of the countryside that sits between Caimari and the Monastery of Lluc.  The restaurant setting was beautiful, as you walk down a series of steps to the entrance you pass a natural spring water pool, that is used by swimmers in the summer, despite the temperature never rising above 19 degrees! Once inside the restaurant, the old, rustic feel added to its charm.  The three-course meal and drinks were extremely good, and the service was exceptional. All in all, a fabulous meal, which many people made favourable comments on.

​

Blanca asked several questions on the route instructions, which picked out features and landmarks of interest at various points along the route.  This enabled Blanca to find a winner from those who had answered the most questions correctly.  Five of the Members had tied as winners, so Blanca had a draw to separate them.  The ultimate winners were Madelieine Mettegang and Manuel Gistau, in second place were Francisco Jimenez and Almudena Fernandez and in third place were Alan and Linda Walker.  Congratulations to all the winners.

​

A big thank you to Blanca for organising such a wonderful and memorable rally, and a special thanks to Helen Pitt for taking care of the administration of the rally.  Thank you also to everyone who took part.