The Consell de Mallorca together with the Balearic Federation of Hiking and Climbing, have initiated the procedures to homologate the Pedra en Sec Route (GR-221), a hiking route that for twenty years, the Insular Directorate of Environment of the Consell de Mallorca has been ensuring that it is in the best conditions of safety and signaling for transit.

The acronym GR® designates an approved long-distance trail, that is, a marked trail of more than 50 kilometers, used mainly by hikers, which passes through places considered of scenic, cultural, tourist, historical and social interest. The long-distance trails form a network of paths for sustainable leisure, crossing Europe in all directions and linking nations and peoples.

The homologation of the route proves the commitment to the quality standards that the Pedra en Sec Route offers today, with respect to maintenance and signage. Specifically, the homologation of the section from Deià to Puerto de Pollença has begun. More specifically, from stage 4: Can Boi – Muleta to stage 8: Puente Romano – Puerto de Pollença and also the Pas Llis variant.

A section of the Pedra en Sec Route GR 221 passing through the Barranco de Biniaraix. Photo: Consell de Mallorca.

Homologation before the end of 2022

The vice-president of the Consell de Mallorca and councilor of Sustainability and Environment, Aurora Ribot, pointed out that “it is great news for Mallorcan hiking to be able to start the homologation process. It has been twenty years since the Ruta de Pedra en Sec was created and it was only fair to initiate its homologation. We hope to have the pre homologation in October and the homologation of this first section completed by the end of 2022.”

“The Ruta de Pedra Sec (GR-221) is the backbone of the Serra de Tramuntana and of the Consell de Mallorca’s network of refuges. At the same time, we will continue to carry out expropriations in order to continue opening nine sections of the Ruta de Pedra en sec,” added the councilor.

Meanwhile, the island’s Director of the Environment, Inmaculada Férriz, explained that “the recovery of trails and their signposting allows the people of Mallorca to get closer to the landscapes and the rural and natural world of the Serra de Tramuntana. The Consell de Mallorca ensures the maintenance, protection and conservation of the Ruta de Pedra en sec wherever it passes through.”

The GR®, PR® and SL® trademarks are registered in accordance with the Law on Trademarks and Patents. The Spanish Federation of Mountain Sports and Climbing (FEDME) makes them available to trail promoters who wish to use them through the regional federations.

The president of the Balearic Federation of Hiking and Climbing, Xisco Fanals, explained that “from the Federation we value very positively to begin to homologate this Great Route that is a jewel for hiking in Mallorca and in which a work of the highest quality has been done. We are delighted to be able to move forward with this project and we want to thank all the parties involved for this effort”.

“We hope that in the future we can open more sections that are still in the hands of owners and that they can be signposted and approved to complete the entire Pedra en Sec Route (GR-221),” added the president Fanals.

Pedra en Sec Route

The Pedra en Sec Route is a hiking itinerary, defined and signposted to facilitate hiker traffic and contact with the natural, cultural and scenic environment of the Serra de Tramuntana.

It is designed to present a low degree of difficulty and is aimed at the widest possible public. According to the Special Plan for the Management and Protection of the Pedra Sec Route (PERPS), in 2015, the route runs through the Serra de Tramuntana and consists of a main route of 170.74 km distributed in 8 stages, eight variants totaling 128.82 km. The whole route has a length of 299.56 km.

The Pedra Sec GR 221 route proposes to discover the landscapes built with dry stone of the Serra de Tramuntana, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the category of cultural landscape. It also allows visiting interesting historical remains, encountering myths and legends, learning about the traditions, architecture, customs, gastronomy and handicrafts of this privileged place in the island’s geography.