A quiet, rugged loop through Calvià, tracing the boundary with Andratx and uncovering a forgotten archaeological site

Though it barely crosses into the Andratx municipality, the Castellot de na Marió technically lies within it. That said, if we consult the Nomenclàtor Toponímic de les Illes Balears (notib.iec.cat), we find the toponym is of Calvià origin. Locals from Andratx call the hill puig de na Bruta. Regardless, this route follows the Calvià side almost entirely—a lesser-known but rewarding trail that starts and ends in Peguera, ascending through puig Gros and along the rugged Serra de Talaia, skirting the dividing line between municipalities.

In 1999, philologist and writer Josep Noguerol Mulet published an article titled Some Historical Toponyms of Calvià’s Coast, where he explored the origin of the name puig de na Marió (291 m). He notes that while "na Marió" seems like a personal name (perhaps an augmentative of Maria), linguist Joan Coromines proposed an alternative origin: a relic from Arabic, possibly meaning watchtower—as suggested by the similar puig de Maria in Pollença. Fittingly, at the summit of na Marió lies a ruined prehistoric structure known as the Castellot.

Access

The route starts in Peguera, at the upper end of the old Andratx road. The area is accessible by public transport (TIB bus lines 101, 102, and 122—check schedules at tib.org).

The Route

[00 min] From the TIB bus stop, we set out along Peguera Boulevard (Ma-1A) heading toward Camp de Mar. After a short walk, we reach a roundabout where we turn left (south/southwest) onto Carrer Ana Gayá Mayol, named after a pioneering hotelier of Calvià. Just a few minutes in, we pass a public parking lot on the right and immediately take the dirt track behind it, marked with a wooden sign pointing to Camp de Mar.

We head northward, ignoring a left-hand fork, and pass a scrapyard on the right. From here, the trail begins a steep climb. Near the top, we ignore a trail that veers right and continue up to reach the summit of Puig Gros (145 m).

[25 min] There’s no marker at the summit, just a wide open space with fantastic views. We continue on the same path, descending quickly (south/southwest) to the coll de l’Escolana, walking along the boundary between Calvià and Andratx. The watchtower at cap Andritxol appears in the distance.
[35 min] At the bottom of the descent, we reach a major fork. We turn right, then immediately right again. To our left are paths leading to coll de l’Escolana and Camp de Mar.

We arrive at a junction near an old lime kiln and turn left. Shortly after, at another signposted crossing [45 min], we take the path signposted toward Peguera.

Though we appear to be heading back to where we started, our path soon touches the old Andratx road (Ma-1A). [50 min] We carefully cross the road and pick up the trail on the other side, which begins a brief ascent.

Along the Serra de Talaia

We veer left onto a narrow path that climbs quickly onto the serrated ridge of the Serra de Talaia, heading north. From here, the trail becomes straightforward: we follow the winding ridge trail, which snakes along the narrow, sloped spine of the mountain.

[1 h 30 min] We reach a small plateau, where the Castellot comes into view on the left. A white arrow painted on a rock marks a side path, which leads beneath the rocky face of the summit. A short, exposed but easy scramble brings us to the summit of na Marió (291 m). [1 h 40 min]

Descent via the Old Bridle Path

We descend the same way until we return to the point where we first saw the white trail markings. [1 h 50 min] Here, we turn left and begin a steep descent southward along an old bridle path, now part of the Trail Park Peguera Mallorca—a network of mountain biking trails. The track is deeply rutted in places due to bike traffic, but with careful footing, we stay on course toward Peguera.

La Talaia Urbanisation

The trail leads us onto Carrer Baladre [2 h 15 min], the highest street in the Talaia urbanisation—a hilltop neighborhood dating back to the years before the Spanish Civil War, named after an old estate once part of Peguera. From here, we walk down Carrer Bellavista, turn right into Carrer Tamarinde, and follow it to Carrer de la Talaia, which descends directly to Peguera Boulevard, right across from the historic Hotel Bella Colina (1953).

We finish our route at the TIB bus stop.

[2 h 30 min]