An eighth stage has been added to the Tramuntana dry-stone hiking route. Miquel Ensenyat, the president of the Council of Majorca, officially inaugurated the stage on Tuesday. As it extends from the refuge near the Roman bridge in Pollensa to Puerto Pollensa, he was accompanied by Pollensa's mayor, Miquel Àngel March, the environment councillor, Tomeu Cifre Bennàsar, as well as by Sandra Espeja of the Council of Majorca's environment department.
This department has been responsible for arranging the seven kilometres of this new stage and for installing the signage. Known also as GR-221 (GR for "gran recorrido" or "gran recorregut"), the current administration at the Council has been committed to giving the whole route added momentum. Ensenyat observed: "The opening of this stage is an achievement, but we now have to work on a further extension to the cape of Formentor."
Espeja stressed the importance of giving the route an arrival point at the sea and added that her department is working on each stretch of GR-221 in order to ensure that all ways are open to the public.
There are now 156.2 kilometres which are open, just over half of what is envisaged under the special plan for the route. The Council is also reviving the route across the island from Arta to Lluc and on routes in the south in order to link Andratx, Ses Salines to Arta.