Javier, our expert guide in Menorca, has been escorting walking groups for nearly a quarter of a century. His passion and enthusiasm for exploring Menorca and its surrounding areas make him the ideal guide for your holiday.
Q: Where is your favourite place to walk and why?
My favourite walking place is Menorca, especially the north coast, but there are lots of lovely places in the world where I have been walking (Patagonia, Amazon Rainforest, Morocco, Pyrenes, north Spain…) or I would like to walk (Himalaya, Africa, Scotland…). I love to walk in nature. I think there lots of possibilities everywhere to enjoy walks and nature. The most important thing is the predisposition of each person to enjoy different places and let yourself be surprised by the beauty of nature. Menorca is my favourite place because, although I have been walking around the island for many years, all my life, its beauty, its harmony and tranquility, its Mediterranean landscapes never cease to amaze me.
Q: How long have you been a walking guide?
I’ve been guiding walking groups for 24 years, I’m 48 years old. I started when I was 24 years old guiding walking, biking and kayaking groups in Menorca. Twelve years ago, I decided to guide only walking groups, birdwatchers and nature lovers’ groups because wildlife and walks are my passion. Actually, I also guide groups in other places of Spain and Europe.
Q: What food would you recommend to take on a walk?
During a walk it is advisable to bring food that provides us with good energy reserves that are quick to use and that do not require slow digestion. Also, those that will gradually give us energy as we need it without an excess of sugars. I usually bring pasta, fruit, vegetables, nuts and/or chocolate, as well as enough water for the entire route.
Q: How far do you normally walk in a week?
Because of my work: ornithologist, naturalist and hiking guide, I usually walk around 80-100km a week, some weeks more, some weeks less. I love to walk and whenever I can I go for a walk. On the days that my work doesn’t require it, I take the opportunity to go out on excursions with my daughters and my wife or to relax and stretch my legs a bit alone.
Q: Do you use any specialist equipment?
I always walk with appropriate clothing, although it depends a bit on the type of route I am going to do, the terrain and the time of year. I always try to be prepared for any eventuality. In nature, the weather can change many times and suddenly, especially at certain times of the year or places.
Q: How fit do you need to be to go on our walking holiday?
You don’t need to be in great physical shape to go on a hiking vacation. Yes, you have to be fairly well and not had any major ailments, but you can adapt your route to your own circumstances. Obviously, the difficulty of the route will require a better or lesser physical shape. The mountains or the desert are not the same as walking through valleys, flat lands or the coastline. But everyone can enjoy a hiking holiday according to their possibilities.
Q: Do you walk in all weathers?
I walk in all weathers when I go alone, but I try to avoid or counteract days of heavy rain and/or wind, and very hot days by selecting the routes well, avoiding the areas of greatest risk, the central hours of the day in summer or those that are most affected by the wind on windy days.
With groups, things are different. I try to mould the program to the weather forecast. It is a circumstance that a small island like Menorca allows me to walk to the south if the wind is from the north or vice versa, or to look for more shady routes if the temperatures that day are going to be very high.
Q: What to wear on a walking holiday?
It is very important to wear good footwear to walk on all types of terrain and comfortable and breathable clothing. Depending on the time of year we will have to wear clothes prepared for the rain (waterproof) and the cold, boots or sports shoes, a hat and sunglasses for the sun, breathable clothes that cover well in summer…
A good backpack is also important, comfortable and that adapts well to the body. But just as important is learning to fill it only with what is necessary so that it does not weigh too much and knowing how to tie it to the body with the appropriate straps.
Q: What one item should you always pack for a walking holiday? (Not walking boots)
There are some things that we must never forget when preparing a hiking vacation: a raincoat, towel and swimsuit, spare socks, a cap and sunglasses, sunscreen, a small first aid kit or the medicines that we need, a canteen for at least two litres of water, some utensils such as a glass, knife or multipurpose, a map of the area we are going to visit, a mobile phone for emergencies and a camera.
This material is essential, but it will always depend on taking some more things depending on where we are going and the weather. It is very important to know the weather forecast of the area that we are going to visit.
Q: Where was the last place you went on holiday?
I have spent my last vacations with my family. At the end of last November I was with them climbing some mountains in the Sierra de Tramuntana (Mallorca); at Christmas we spent a few days doing ecotourism in Soria, in the centre of Spain, enjoying the cold, nature and gastronomy of this beautiful and forgotten place. At the end of February, I visited Extremadura with my family and my parents, to enjoy this beautiful territory between Spain and Portugal, birds, it is one of the most spectacular places in Europe for bird watching, monuments and gastronomy.
Javier will be on hand as our expert walking guide this season, escorting our groups across both dates this year.
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