50th "Marcha des Güell a Lluc a peu" (Güell to Lluch on foot), a march that takes place on the first Saturday of August in Mallorca. It is one of the most popular events in the Balearic Islands, the number of participants has increased year after year to 50,000 people.
The march starts at 11 pm on the first Saturday night of August in Plaza Güell in Palma. The climb up to Lluch is about 48 kilometres long and usually takes between 8 and 13 hours (depending on the speed of the pace). The entire walk is on tarmac roads.
Also on the 6th of August there will be a departure from Inca at 5.30am. As the march progresses through the island's municipalities, more participants will be able to join in. Likewise, following the advice of the Guardia Civil, the march will have a small modification in its route: in the section from Lloseta to Selva, instead of going up the Binimar road, the marxaires will advance along the Camí Vell de Selva.
The monastery of Lluch is located in the centre of the Tramuntana mountain range, at an altitude of about 800 metres. Approximately half of the route is flat, the other half ascending.
Along the route, participants can recover their strength at various medical and refreshment points set up along the route. Not all participants who start from kilometre zero are able to reach Lluch.
For further information check their Facebook page: Grup Güell - Marxa des Güell a Lluc a peu
The origin of the March
On a hot summer afternoon in 1974, seven-year-old Marita Barceló was running around the tables on the terrace of the old Bar Güell. Suddenly, there was a crash: the girl had fallen to the ground with a siphon in her hands. Fortunately, she managed to escape unharmed from the accident, and Ramón Martínez, a regular customer, exclaimed: "It's a miracle! It's enough to climb up to Lluc on foot! Thus, as a way of thanking the Mare de Déu, one of the most deeply-rooted modern traditions among the islanders, the Marxa des Güell a Lluc a Peu (March from Güell to Lluc on foot) was born.
Bar Güell was founded in 1936 by Salvador Barceló. "The nickname 'Güell' was given to him because he imitated the hand games of Professor Güell, a Catalan magician who came to perform on the island and who fascinated him", says his daughter, Paquita Barceló, the first woman to complete the Marxa in 1978, and who highlights the attributes that made her brother a unique person: "Tolo had a great way with people and did not understand classes, he paid the same attention to everyone". The Marxa grew gradually. In its early years it was an informal event, among friends; the sanctuary was only reached by a few dozen people. It was in 1979 that more than a thousand Marxaires gathered in the square.
How to register
The registration desk for the March on Saturday 5th August has been set up at Palma's Intermodal Station from 5pm to 8.30pm (on August 5 from 6.30pm). Volunteers inform, help and register those interested. At the same time, when paying the registration fee of only 8 euros, they already receive this year's gifts: T-shirts, aluminium bottle, reflector bracelet, position light and a bag. The registration fee includes the pasagüell, with which you have access to the refreshment areas, with fruit, biscuits, soft drinks and coffee. It also includes transport by coach and train from Lluc to Palma, and accident insurance.