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Chapter - 2 Minorca Discovered
12
THE ISLAND'S FACE
The southern half of the island consists
of a low, undulating plateau varying in height from 45m (150ft) to 105m
(350ft), broken by deep gorges or barrancas, which run north to south towards
the sea.
In the absence of rivers, these
canyons are a special feature of the island. They usually contain a sizeable
stream, which may be seasonal, and is often dammed by farmers for irrigation.
Relief Map of Minorca
They contain orchards and richly
productive farmlands, and their vegetation is often sub-tropical: palm
trees, lemon and orange trees, peaches and pomegranates and vines. They
include some of the most beautiful and secluded parts of the island. The
protecting sides of the barrancas are steep-in places precipitous-a tangle
of mastic tree and juniper.
The hills
The central backbone of the island
is pleasingly hilly. Monte Toro, 360m (1,207ft), Minorca's highest point,
rises in comparative isolation near the centre of the island, with the
white village of Mercadal at its foot. Seen from all directions, it crouches
like a benign mother-figure over its domain. An excellent road leads to
its summit, from which there is a panoramic view of the whole island. It
is crowned by the seventeenth-century Renaissance church of the Virgin
of Monte Toro, recently restored, and its beauty and peace make it worthy
of a visit. A tall monument depicting Christ with outstretched arms is
in curious juxtaposition to a giant radio and television aerials, for this
is the highest point on the island. There is also a medieval defence tower.
The road connecting the town of
Alayor with Ferrerias via San Cristobal passes through delightful ravines
and valleys, and to the west and north of Mercadal there are scores of
small discontinuous summits, rising in a wholly disordered manner, with
rather the appearance of a choppy sea. The lower slopes and valleys alternate
between farmlands and pine forest. The chief of these lesser hills are
S'Enclusa (274m) and Santa Agueda (264m). S'Enclusa rises just west of
the town of Ferrerias, and is easily identified by installations of the
American base on its summit: a relay station in the worldwide American
military communications network. Santa Agueda has a long history. It also
rises to the north of Ferrerias, and is reached by a secondary road a few
miles to the west of that town. The climb is made by a Roman road, which
is in a good state of preservation, and its precipitous summit is surrounded
by the remains of a Roman fort with crumbling battlements. It was later
converted by the Moors into a castle, now ruinous. The Moors put up a last
defence here in 1287 against Alphonso III of Aragon.
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