2026 Menorca – Day 6 Cala de Biniparratx to Illa d en Colin 10 04 2026

LCC Menorca 2026 – Day 6 – 10 April 2026

Cala de Biniparratx to Illa d en Colin by Ally

Friday dawned on the small beach at Biniparratx, which was hemmed in by cliffs on each side and very well protected from the elements. Again, it was another beautiful morning with the promise of good weather and also, possibly the warmest day of the trip so far. The beach here is covered in knee-deep rotting seaweed around the tide line, so everyone had pitched their tents well up the beach and out of sight of the few houses on the distant headland. The tides here are very small compared to the Mersey, and last night the waning moon was less than half, so we had low tides, even by Mediterranean standards, to contend with.

On leaving, we knew that today would probably be our last day for camping, as the weather was forecast to worsen considerably by Sunday. Consequently, we set off with two main objectives in mind. First to get as near as possible to the kayak shop in Es Grau and just as importantly, to find a shop or restaurant on what was supposed to be the most densely populated part of the island. So, no problem there, you would think?

We set off checking out the best of the caves as we went. There are so many interesting caves on the island that it’s sensible to limit the number visited to make any decent headway. An unusual sight this morning occurred when we were approaching a tall navigational marker, some way before the Illa de L’Aire, when out of the early morning mist we saw two kayakers emerging, roughly from the direction of Africa! However, I doubt they were refugees, and they were probably just out to make use of the flat calm sea conditions we were experiencing.

The useful map, supplied by En kayak, showed the sea to be noticeably wobbly in this area, but not today. Anyway, having passed the navigational marker, it was decided that a circumnavigation of Illa de L’Aire would be necessary in order to claim a complete circumnavigation of Menorca, however I’m sure we missed a bit on the northern side of the island. Having completed the paddle around the island, we managed a pitstop in a very small harbour used to serve the lighthouse, and we could have joined a group of people on a guided tour, exploring the island’s nature.

Illa de l’Aire, a small islet off Menorca, is famous for its endemic black lizards (Podarcis lilfordi lilfordi), often called sargantana negra, not geckos. These unique, dark-colored reptiles can grow up to 22 cm, have bright blue bellies, and are often seen near the lighthouse. They are harmless and curious, living in high density on the island.

The business of finding a suitable place to ride out the expected bad weather was well underway by now, and on leaving the island, it seemed likely that we had secured a place in a Villa somewhere between Mahon and the airport with the assistance of Airbnb. The next stage of our journey took us north towards Mahon, and as no restaurant had yet been sighted, we were lucky enough to encounter some English guys, in a fishing boat, who told us that the only place we would find a place to eat would be in Es Castell. Es Castell is a good way towards the main harbour of Mahon and out of our way, really, so instead we opted to stop in another village. Unfortunately, our luck was out, as there was nothing there to replenish our dwindling food supplies.

Finding somewhere to dine was proving difficult, but there was bound to be somewhere we could find refreshment further up the coast. So we pushed on across the harbour entrance leading to Mahon, keeping a lookout for any passing ships, up to the Punta de Espero lighthouse and then Cap Negre. Here we decided to try our luck at another pretty little village on the coast, only to have the same disappointment of there being nowhere to find sustenance, although the village did have the luxury of public bins. One or two of us at least made use of the bins as we had been carrying our rubbish for days.

That was the last pitstop of the day, and we now just had to get as far as the little island at the entrance to Es Grau. This we did without too much trouble, but were glad to find a sandy beach on the island, which is also a bird sanctuary and within spitting distance of the town of Es Grau with its shops and restaurants tantalisingly close. Another lady kayaker joined us for a short while, but she had the good sense to return to Es Grau for the night, leaving us to our last evening meal of tuna/pasta. It was worth stopping off here as it meant we had one less day to pay for accommodation, and that evening the stars were memorable, with numerous satellites visible in the night sky. That was my last memory of that day, in which, according to Captain Chris, we had paddled 36 Kms. With only a short distance to cover the next I for one, went to sleep very content that the adventure had gone so well.