40 Nord Outdoor has funded and carried out the restoration work on a damaged section of the Camí de Cavalls around Macarella, through the recovery of an old cobbled path using traditional techniques.
At the end of September 2026, we completed the restoration of a damaged section of the Camí de Cavalls (GR-223) in the Macarella area. 40 Nord Outdoor funded the project and carried it out from start to finish, in coordination with the Consell Insular de Menorca, which provided advice and technical support in drafting the project and processing permits.
The section in question consists of two stretches totaling around fifteen meters of the Camí de Cavalls on the climb from Macarella towards Cala Galdana. In the past, an intervention had been carried out using logs placed crosswise to prevent erosion, which had a counterproductive effect and left it in a degraded state.
During the technical analysis of the section, remains of an ancient dry-stone pavement were identified. Thus, the most coherent decision was to recover that historic stone paving.
Traditional techniques
The project was carried out using traditional techniques and counted on the collaboration of expert dry-stone waller Carlos Bagur, who describes the work as “building a dry-stone wall, but laid flat; and then we fill it with soil and compact it as we go.” Local stone was used throughout the entire process, with no machinery involved; everything was done by hand.
The intervention is part of the Camí de Cavalls 360º conservation project, which funded the work thanks to “funds raised, on the one hand, from voluntary donations by participants who come to do the tour around Menorca with us –explains Joan Febrer, director of 40 Nord Outdoor S.L.– and, on the other hand, direct donations from the company, as we deposit an amount for each participant into a fund that helps finance actions like this and others we have been carrying out since 2017. One of our motivations has always been not only to use the Camí de Cavalls, but also to carry out actions to care for this public resource that we enjoy.”
Under this same umbrella of the Camí de Cavalls 360º conservation project, another section of the Camí de Cavalls has been restored in the El Pilar area; the restoration of seasonal streams has been carried out, as well as a comprehensive study on the presence of plastics along the Camí de Cavalls and a plastic cleanup campaign along the trail.
A solid future
The use of traditional techniques ensures a result that is seamlessly integrated into a route like the Camí de Cavalls, which is a historical and ethnographic treasure of Menorca, as well as one of the island’s premier sports and tourism highlights. In addition, the work done also ensures its durability: “The more time passes, barring any mishap, the stronger it will get,” concludes Carlos Bagur.
For Joan Febrer, the intervention breathes new life into this stretch: “With actions like this, we help maintain a Camí de Cavalls that can be enjoyed by hikers, runners, cyclists, and all other users, and that, with a bit of luck, will withstand the flow of water and trail traffic for many years to come.”
Video of the restoration
▶