The Soller Railway

Soller Station

Thursday 5 April 2012

We take the train to Bunyola after juice at the station bar. The station is beautifully kept. The train is made of wood outside and in and has old fashioned fixtures and fittings. It rattles along slowly, threading its way through terraces and tunnels on the half hour ride to Bunyola. We walk to sa Gubia climbing area on one of my favourite paths, the first part of which is a vehicle track and today is completely flooded, we cling to the fence to try to bypass the floods, but behind the wire is a ferocious and noisy dog, intent on snapping at any part that comes within reach, making our task doubly difficult. In the end I don flip flops and wade through with the mud sucking at them and breaking them.
We walk up to the crags via the Alqueria Blanca – the imposing hotel which we have admired every time we come here, – an isolated castle in extensive gardens and with land sloping up to the crags themselves. We are going to stay here for the second part of the holiday. At about half a mile from the castle itself is the imposing gate, where you must press a button to enter, and from here on we feel nervous of dogs or people with guns, (irrationally). Arriving at the great door within a door, the hotel seems deserted, until we find the bell when someone comes instantly. We explained that we are getting there early on Saturday, which was no problem for them and then and we were shown the private way to the crags. Fantastic, our own special path to Sa Gubia. Its great to be back at the tall spires and overhanging cliffs of Sa Gubia and the special wild atmosphere. We spent a while negotiating the steep terrain round to the overhaing part of the cliff, also the tallest, got kitted up and began to climb.
During the first climb, it began to rain very heavily and with hailstones and thunder, making us wonder if anything was about to roll off the steep cliff above us, so we had to retreat soaking back to the station where luckily a train was just due.

The Railway sheds at Soller Station

Carriage Interior, Soller Train

e are going to stay here for the second part of the holiday. At about half a mile from the castle itself is the imposing gate, where you must press to enter, and from here on we feel nervous of dogs or people with guns, (irrationally). Arriving at the great door within a door, the hotel seems deserted, until we found the bell when someone came instantly. We explained that we are getting there early on Saturday, which was no problem for them and then and we were shown the private way to the crags. Fantastic, our own special path to Sa Gubia. Its great to be back at the tall spires and overhanging cliffs of Sa Gubia and the special wild atmosphere. We spent a while negotiating the steep terrain round to the overhaing part of the cliff, also the tallest, got kitted up and began to climb.
During the first climb, it began to rain very heavily and with hailstones and thunder, making us wonder if anything was about to roll off the steep cliff above us, so we had to retreat soaking back to the station where luckily a train was just due.