Tag Archives: Lighthouses

Biodiversity and Conservation

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The Institut Mediterrani d’Estudis Avançats (IMEDEA, Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies) is a research centre, jointly run by the Consell Superior d’Investigacions Científiques (CSIC) and the Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB). The objective of IMEDEA is to develop high-quality scientific and technical research in the area of Natural Resources, with special emphasis on interdisciplinary research in the Mediterranean area.

One of the many projects of IMEDEA is the Estació d’Investigació Costanera, a Coastal Investigation Centre, based at the Cap Salines lighthouse, near Ses Salines (see photo). The Investigation Centre busies itself with observation and research of the marine environment, especially that of the Reserva Marina del Migjorn de Mallorca, a marine protection area covering the southern part of Mallorca’s coast and stretching from Cap Blanc in the West to Cala Figuera in the East. There are three other Reservas Marinas in Mallorca, the Reserva Marina de la Bahía de Palma, the Reserva Marina del Levante de Mallorca, and the Reserva Marina de las Islas Malgrats. They all come under the supervision of the Coastal Investigation Centre and are all overseen by the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies, together with the Conselleria d’Agricultura, Medi Ambient i Territori of the Govern de les Illes Balears.

For further information you can get inspired by concerns such as Biodiversity and Conservation, Ecology and Marine Resources, Global Change Research, and Marine Technologies, Operational Oceanography and Sustainability, courtesy of the IMEDEA website, if you so wish.

The photo was taken near Ses Salines, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: May 9th, 2012. The time was 16:28:01.

The Cap Salines Lighthouse

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There are 14 lighthouses in Mallorca, plus three on the island of Sa Dragonera and two on the archipelago of Cabrera. The Far del Cap Salines lighthouse is Mallorca’s most southerly situated lighthouse. It was first put into operation in 1863. An acetylene hydrocarbon lighting system was introduced in 1917 and converted to electricity in 1957. In that year, the height of the tower was also raised by 6.5 metres to increase the range of its signal.

In the 1980s, this lighthouse was equipped with photovoltaic panels and became the first in Spain to be solar-powered.

The photo (top) was taken near Ses Salines, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: May 9th, 2012. The time was 16:26:30. The photos (centre and bottom) were borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of farsdebalears.org.

Muchas gracias.

The Caleta des Portals Vells

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Sometimes blogging is an endless accumulation of irritation and annoyance. To me anyway.

For a couple of months now I have been meaning to take a photo of the lighthouse of Cala Figuera in Calvià. I went there in December but somehow missed the turning on the new motorway to suddenly find myself in Andratx. No lighthouse there. Nothing unpleasant about Andratx, though. I took some photos of the Castell de Son Mas instead and had a coffee. That was rewarding enough.

Yesterday I had another go at finding the lighthouse of Cala Figuera. Try as I did and ask as I would, I simply could not find it. I was told that I was near, it was just around the corner so to speak, but I simply could not locate the access to the Faro or find the coastal stretch opposite the bay. I must have driven up and down the area of El Toro and Can Ferrer, Sol de Mallorca and Magaluf for at least three hours to no avail. I was told that the lighthouse is situated on land that is designated for military purposes and thus, not accessible to the public. I was prepared to have a sneak anyway, if only I could have found the access. Eventually I ended up in a wooded area with heavy shooting going on. First I thought it was hunters; it is the hunting season now and only until the end of this month. But no. I seem to have ended up near or actually on a Finca assigned to Clay Pigeon shooting. I hastily made my retreat.

The reward for my odyssey was a secluded playa, the Caleta des Portals Vells, a beach that I had never been to before. It was perfect. The weather was blissful, I was in good company, the sea was quiet, the air was fresh and clean, the island was completely quiet and peaceful, and there was no shooting anywhere near. There were perhaps 20 people dotted about. The beach bar was closed. It may be hell here during the summer but in January, this fortuitous outing was a real delight.

The lighthouse will have to wait. Third time lucky, I hope.

This is what the lighthouse in question looks like from the bird’s-eye view. Not that I have ever seen it myself.

The photo (top) was taken near Magaluf, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: January 21st, 2012. The time was 13:13:27. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of farsdebalears.org.

Moltes gràcies.

The Cap de Formentor Lighthouse

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The Far des Cap de Formentor (Cape Formentor Lighthouse) is quite striking, the way lighthouses always seem to be, but two things make this lighthouse better than most that you will have seen. For one, the approach by road from Port de Pollença has to be one of the most scenic routes anywhere in Mallorca. The landscape is just breathtaking as seen from the car, but in particular, once you’ve parked the car and approached one of the viewpoints. And then, once you are at the lighthouse, the panoramic views across the cliffs and rocks of the tail end of the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range are just mind-blowing. The views across the Mediterranean sea are simply overwhelming and magnificent.

The lighthouse was built in 1860 and reconditioned as recently as 1993. The signals originally used lamps run on Aceite de Oliva (olive oil), which were later adapted for use of petrol. From 1911 onward, incandescent gas lamps were used and, eventually, replaced with electric lights in 1962. Access to the lighthouse used to be slow and complicated, either by mule or by boat until Les Moles. Eventually, in 1951, access between the civilized world and the lighthouse was created by the construction of the road known as El Pi de la Posada. The road was built by the Italian engineer, Antonio Parietti Coll, who also constructed the legendary serpentine road to Sa Calobra.

The lighthouse comes under the auspices of the Autoritat Portuària de Baleares (Balearic Port Authority) and as such, is property of the Spanish state.

The photo (top) was chosen from my archive. It was taken near Pollença, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: February 14th, 2009. The time was 15:58:24. The photo (bottom) was taken from the Internet. Thanks are due to flickr.com and SBA73.

Moltes gràcies.

The Tramuntana Lighthouse

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On my last trip to the island of Sa Dragonera I went to one of the lighthouses, the Far de Tramuntana. After setting over from Sant Elm by boat, the hike from Cala Lladó to the Cap de Tramuntana took about 40 minutes, each way. There are two more lighthouses on the island, the Far Vell (now abandoned) on top of the Na Pòpia mountain at a height of some 350 metres, and the Far de Lebeig, where I have not yet been.

I went back to Sant Elm yesterday for another walk on Sa Dragonera island, but it was not to be. The Crucero Margarita‘s daily boat service does not start operating until February 7th, when there will be crossings every 60 minutes from 10h15 onwards, Mondays to Saturdays. The last outward crossing is at 14h45. Until March 31st, there will be no Sunday crossings. A new Summer timetable will come into effect from July 1st. Silly me, for not checking. To spare you the disappointment, here are the telephone numbers in case you want to confirm the times before you set off: 639.617.545 and 696.423.933. The fare is 10 € both ways for adults; children under the age of 8 sail free of charge.

The photo (top) was taken in Sant Elm, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: February 5th, 2010. The time was 13:21:48. The photo (bottom) was taken from a postcard. Muchas gracias.

The Portocolom Lighthouse

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faro_porto_colom

The lighthouse in Portocolom is called Far de Sa Punta de Ses Crestes. Its tower has a height of 82 m with the light signal being 137 m above sea level. The lighthouse was built in 1863, rebuilt in 1965 and modernized in 1993. Supposedly the grounds are open to the public (but not the buildings), however, I have never found the gates open on any of my numerous visits. Perhaps you will be luckier than I was. The building is inhabited by a young couple who live there rent free in exchange for rendering the duties of lighthouse keepers.

The signal emits two white flashes every 10 seconds; the signal range extends to 10 nautical miles.

faro de sa punta

The photo (top) was taken in Portocolom, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: June 18th, 2009. The time was 17:58:15. The photo (bottom) was taken from the Internet. Muchas gracias to ziga-zaga and ShoZu.