Minorca sweet and savoury

It is almost, almost a secret. The secret kept by the inhabitants of the island of Minorca and which they reveal only when they are insistently asked about their favourite place on the island. The Albufera de Es Grau is this place, natural surroundings where salt water and fresh water blend together and share their stage with dunes, thick forests and wetlands. Now a Nature Park and located in the north-west of Minorca, hardly two kilometres from Mahón, Albufera de Es Grau stretches far.

There are three routes around the Minorcan albufera, all one hour-long; the first starts from the village of Es Grau whereas the other two leave the Rodríguez Femenías Reception Centre. If it is hot, it is best to choose the first of the routes which goes through woody areas near the beach. A stroll along any of the paths will be loaded with pleasant encounters. We look up and maybe our sights will fall on an eagle or a kite, and if we look down we will see the Es Grau lagoon inhabited by herons, cormorants or nesting birds.

The freshwater lagoon is separated from the sea by dunes and forests. We cross them to reach Es Grau beach where a dip can bring our route around the albufera to an end. Though very popular in the summer months, Es Grau beach also holds a secret, which is its shallowness. The small change in the depth of the first 50 metres of the beach helps the water warm up quickly and makes swimming season longer, giving us a warm swim in autumn and spring.

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