We were aware that during our first ever trip to Ibiza, we had the chance to tick off another of the Balearics at the same time; that being the small island of Formentera. Luckily, we only needed to cycle as far as Es Cana (less than 3 miles) to catch the ferry. We spoke to the person at the jetty, and she advised us to arrive 50 minutes early in case of a rush.
The ferry did also stop at Santa Eularia, where we are staying, but I thought it a good idea to get on at the start of the route in case the ferry was full by the time it got to us. So we set off nice and early on a warm and sunny, but pretty windy morning.
We arrived at the ferry jetty with 45 minutes to go and it was deserted. Then we decided that we both misheard the woman, and she meant 15 minutes. Ah well, it was a nice day to stand around waiting in the sun and gazing out to sea.
The crowds did arrive just before the ferry appeared and we got on board. The crew stored our bikes near the front of the ferry and tied them down securely with rope. We went up to the open top deck and got ready to get a great view of the coastline of the island pass by on our way to the next few stops before heading out to Formentera.
However, soon after we got going, the wind got up and made it uncomfortable, so we went to the level below and shut the window to keep the wind and spray out. After picking more passengers at Santa Eularia harbour, we then stopped at Cala Llonga.
At that stop, the strong crosswind made it difficult to berth the ferry at the small gangway, so after a few failed attempts, one of the crew valiantly jumped off to help the person on shore with the ropes. Thankfully that worked, so we could get on our way again.
The ferry passed Ibiza town, where other ferries were also setting off for Formentera. We had thought about that option, as it was cheaper, but didn’t fancy the extra round trip on top of our cycling on Formentera.
As we left the shelter of Ibiza island behind, we marvelled at the impressive sea stacks of Es Vedra, but also became more exposed to the strong westerly that was blowing. The sea became lumpier and the boat started thudding down so the skipper had to slow our speed. Sea spray was being send up, giving our bikes an unwanted salt water bath.
Finally, we reached the calm waters of La Savina harbour and set feet and tyres on Formenteran soil just after midday. First off, we headed for the cycle path round s’Estany Pudent lagoon, which was a delight. Tiny lizards kept darting across the earthen track as we approached, the sun was warm, and the reeds were keeping that strong wind at bay. We also saw a couple of flamingos waist deep in the water sifting for morsels. It was a place we could easily have spent several relaxing hours watching the wildlife, but as we only had one day on the island, we had a few more places to tick off.
First among those was the village of Es Pujols where we found a supposedly non-existent bar (that’s what it was called!) for a very real lunch. The club sandwiches were tasty but Colette docked a few marks for using the kind of pre-sliced chicken that we only buy for the cats!
Next, we headed for Sant Ferran and onto the spinal road that heads east along the neck of the island. With the wind behind and the gradient very slightly downhill, our progress was rapid, but the return trip was worryingly in the back of our minds.
After about 5 miles or so, we reached the bottom of a climb up to what you might call the head of the island. This turned out to be the highlight of the day, if not the whole holiday. It was a mini-mountain climb, just shy of 500 ft in elevation, with perfect road surface, gradient never getting too steep, and with the best scenery. To top it off, I just had to stop and take a photo of the view back along the neck (or isthmus if you prefer). Simply perfect.
When Colette joined me at the top of the climb, she was buzzing with excitement about it, so it wasn’t just me. I was a little worried about the climbing before we arrived, as Colette has become accustomed to her e-bike recently, but as I put a super low gear on her normal bike, she can just grind it out without having to get off and push. And she is loving it!
The lighthouse at the end of the road
Next, we descended to the village of el Pilar de la Mola, then continued along the straight road till we reached the end of the island and the customary lighthouse upon a cliff edge. We took photos and visited the gift shop till we couldn’t put it off any longer. It was time for the dreaded return trip.
We were facing the dreaded triple whammy of going uphill into a strong headwind, along a road so straight and long that you never seem to be making any headway. However, we slogged it out, with the brief respite of the descent of our beautiful climb, and made it all the way to Sant Francesc, the main town of the area.
We stopped for a refreshment, and looked at the watch. There was time to explore another part of the island yet before heading back to the ferry. So I decided to follow some roads marked as cycle paths to the coast at Platja cala Saona.
Pretty soon, it became clear that these were going to be sandy gravel tracks all the way. I’m usually quite happy with gravel, but add sand in to the mix, and it can get a bit tricky. When we got there, it was not particularly exciting, apart from the wind-blown waves crashing onto the rocks.
We then returned to the harbour, coming back onto tarmac and finding a nice fast descent to La Savina in the process. Once at the harbour, we found a place for a relaxing beer before making the trip back, which did take a long time, but at least the wind had dropped and we had a more comfortable ride.
The light was fading as we made the short trip across the harbour to our hotel, arriving exhausted in our room after a long day out, but very well worth the effort.