Lithica, Pedreres de s’Hostal, Menorca

1km from the center of Ciutadella on the Island of Menorca, we found the unusual attraction, Líthica, Pedreres de s’Hostal. The attraction is an old quarry where stone was once extracted mechanically and by hand. The quarry fell into disuse in 1994 and was rented out by the organisation Líthica, who aim to rescue quarries by giving them new life, in order to stop them from being filled up with rubble and waste.
Instead of being filled in, Líthica, Pedreres de s’Hostal was turned into an attraction. Today it is one of the most unusual gardens in the world and well worth a visit.

The sight that met me as I entered Líthica, Pedreres de s’Hostal reminded me of the film “The Maze runner”. I felt as though I was above the maze looking far down the looming and impenetrable walls. What I was looking at was the labyrinth part of Lithaca, the impressive place you come to last, as you follow the trail around.

The trail took approximately an hour and led us through many interesting gardens. A mixture of looming walls of rock, caves, plants and water features met us at every turn, each different to the last and equally peaceful and impressive. The blaring sun was shaded occasionally by walls of rock and fig trees, giving welcome relief as we wandered along following the path.

We were given a map as we entered but the path was easy to navigate without it. There were blue arrows to show us the way, blue eyes to mark places to look at and red hands to mark areas we weren’t allowed to go in. If we felt like being adventurous we could follow the markers with green arrows on side paths.

We discovered lots of different gardens. The path led us through rocks into many areas, each different to the last. Round one turn there was a medieval garden with aromatic herbs and a water feature in the middle, round another was a cave. We found a garden maze and a pond of waterlilies.

Eventually we came to the slope down into a vast area made completely of stone. There was an impressive space which is used as a venue for concerts and the stone labyrinth, with little surprises round some of the turns. This stone area was like nothing I have ever seen before. The walls were incredibly high and surprisingly straight. It was interestingly eerie and a little bleak, however, even in the stone labyrinth there were hidden water features to be stumbled upon.

Líthica, Pedreres de s’Hostal is definitely worth a visit if holidaying on the island of Menorca. During the daytime in Summer, I would recommend taking a bottle of water round with you. Bear in mind that the way out is via many steps.

Taking an autistic child to Líthica, Pedreres de s’Hostal?
The attraction is peaceful and wasn’t busy at all when we visited.
There are many paths to explore and it could be easy to lose a child who is prone to running off.
There are low walls with huge drops on the other side, these aren’t always obvious so climbing on walls would be extremely unsafe and is warned against at the entrance.
The stone labyrinth is big and has water features within it.
There are lots of steps to climb.
There are toilets near the stone labyrinth.
I would say that if you are not able to take your child out without risk of them running off, climbing, or if they are unlikely to stay near you and follow instructions about where not to go, then it may not be safe to visit Líthica, Pedreres de s’Hostal, due to the sheer drops. If your child is able to stick to paths, and stay with you then it is worth seeing.
There is a small animal rescue center on site which is open 6pm to sunset, Monday to Saturday.

During the Summer, Lithica is open daily from 9.30am – 14.30pm and 16.30pm – Sunset. Sunday opening hours are 9.30am – 14.30pm. The price in Summer is €5 per adult (children under 10 are free). From 1st April to 23rd March entry is free and opening hours are 9.30am until 2.30pm.
Lithica is closed from 20th dec to 19th jan and on the 23rd June, 24th June and 1st November.

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