Mallorca
The main city of Palma, with its majestic Gothic Cathedral, has an interesting history to be investigated, as well as the more modern delights of the shops and restaurants. To the north of the island is the restored walled city of Alcudia, where there was once Greek, Phoenician and Roman settlements. Today the remains of Roman houses and an amphitheatre can still be viewed. The western coast is dominated by the Tramuntara mountains. This spectacular mountain range is an amazing place to go walking, hiking, mountain-biking. Mallorca is an excellent place to go for an activity holiday. There are many marinas from which to go sailing, water-skiing or windsurfing and many of the resorts hire out pedal boats. The surrounding clear waters also make Mallorca a great place for scuba diving, particularly around the shallow coves of the east and south coasts.
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The northwest coast, dominated by the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range, is a beautiful region of olive groves, pine forests and ochre villages, with a spectacularly rugged coastline. Most of Mallorca’s best beaches are on the north and east coasts. There is also a scattering of fine beaches along parts of the south coast. The east coast is an almost continuous string of sandy bays and open beaches, which explains the densely packed tourist developments. Most of the south coast is lined with rocky cliffs interrupted by beaches and coves, and the interior is largely made up of the fertile plain known as Es Pla. Away from the coast, particularly in the beautiful Tramuntana hills, the island has always been unspoilt making it the perfect place to go horse riding. The Tramuntana mountains give way to a coastline of tiny villages, sand, pebble and rock beaches. Each in turn surrounded by the imposing mountain range. The mountains are the source of the island's fresh water which courses down to the island's growing regions where orange, clementine, olive, almond and lemon trees grow. There are also long hillside terraces side by side with the olives and sweet wine producing grapes of the island making horse riding here very special particularly if you are used to the erratic weather in the UK.
Majorcan horses have very particular characteristics that make them unique. The pure breed is always black and over the last rib bone there is a unique stripe of hair. The Majorcan breed was not officially recognised until 1989 and it was not until then that a genealogical record of the Majorcan Horse was established. In 1981, a census totalled only twenty seven pure examples, but after broad recognition of the breed, and some other initiatives designed to preserve it, the numbers have improved significantly in two decades. Horseracing has a long tradition and has great affection in Majorca. Every week, harness racing competitions are organised in the hipodrome of Son Pardo. The Hipodromo Son Pardo was Europe's first floodlit racecourse. The racecourse is located in Palma and was opened in 1965. In Majorca the popular form of horse racing is Trotting racing. It's a form of racing where the jockey sits in a cart pulled by the horse and the jockey must prevent the horse from galloping. It's been popular in Majorca for over 200 years.