The weather charts said the average January temperature in Menorca was 12-14°C. Wrong! I had never felt so cold in my life. What I hadn’t bargained for was this icy weather front from Siberia, which would break snowfall records in eastern and southern Spain and have the Sky team in Mallorca training in a blizzard.

Did it spoil my week? Well, any self-respecting stalwart of Cycling UK will relish the opportunity to regale friends with the challenges and hardships they had to endure, but the reality was I did enjoy my week. I’m ticking off all the major islands around the UK, in the Mediterranean, and in the near-north Atlantic. Riding Menorca took me one step further.

Any self-respecting stalwart of Cycling UK will relish the opportunity to regale friends with the challenges and hardships they had to endure, but the reality was I did enjoy my week.

Frank Burns

Besides, I’m always eager to discover bits of hidden history. In Menorca, I looked for evidence of the British occupation of the island in the 18th Century. I found plenty: a road named after the first British governor; locals drinking gin as their aperitif; the Cami de Cavalls (the bridleway established by the British around the island to patrol it); and more.

And how did I get my bike to Menorca? Instead of boxing up my own bike, I hired a very nice carbon road bike locally and it cost no more than a budget airline charges to transport sports equipment.

Above: The local cricket club - evidence the British were here?