Plans, promises, and patience in the Soller Valley

In the current saturation situation those who think they know best say ‘the Town Hall should close the tunnel and make people pay to come through’. Nice try but the Town Hall does not have that power. The Government in Madrid would have something to say, in a free society, if they did that. Autonomous regions have some local powers but anything big still comes from the top.

In the meantime projects talked about and planned are beginning to come through. Like them or loathe them new car parks have sprung up. Municipal buildings are heading towards being new build flats for local housing needs. The buildings, halfway completed to becoming art and culture spaces, are being worked on each day.

The ongoing work on to make the centre of Soller a low emission zone is going through discussion and changes. Once said to be rolled out in June this year, we wait and see. In political terms this is all to be expected as the current team have another two years before the next elections. The halfway point has to see some progress, and that seems to be what is happening.

All action in 2025 feeds into the rhetoric that everything is a knee jerk reaction to the current disquiet about the big issues. Facts mean nothing at this point, people will believe whatever feeds their thinking. ‘Never let facts get in the way of a good story’ is a phrase from the past, so relevant today.
We are interested in the day trip stories in Soller and have experienced some of them. Friends from the UK taking an early flight, in Soller for lunch and then head back to the airport for the last flight of the day to Gatwick. This happens all the time here with local people, but their destinations tend to be Barcelona and Madrid. Quite common for people to fly across to attend a meeting, trade fair or a friends meet up. The sports teams spend their weekends hoping on planes to Minorca, Ibiza and other places to play league matches on a day trip ticket. In my family this week, one granddaughter really must get to the O2 Centre to see a favoured band with her London based sister. A very quick trip to facilitate that has been arranged. There and back - 24 hours - all very 2025…

The Spring Bank Holiday happens in the UK on Monday, May 26th 2025. This is also the half term holiday for many schools there. The Soller Valley will be full of children this coming week. They will be bringing existing tans to top up, as the weather has been so good for them. Fortunately, it’s turned nice again here, so they can have an extra dose of Vitamin D. I am a big fan of the bucket and spade brigade. I love to see children on the beach and parents relaxing with their children. It brings back happy memories from when I did just that on the Repic Beach with my own family and then my grandchildren. Many of my great holiday memories are centred there. I completely understand what brings the families to the Port of Soller. All very low key, gentle stuff of sandcastles and card games over dinner in the evening. I still see that here today and I am glad.