Sources, method and attribution
Updated on 23 October 2026
Cove and port data
The 26 coves and 6 ports in the guide come from OpenStreetMap: name, coordinates and, where recorded, beach type. Each page links to its OpenStreetMap object and, when there is one, to Wikidata. Data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL).
How we work out sea distances
- We download the OpenStreetMap coastline (natural=coastline) around Menorca.
- We draw it on a 25 metre grid and mark as sea everything connected to the edge. The rest is land.
- We snap each port and each cove to the nearest sea cell.
- We find the shortest sea route in eight directions from every port to every cove, and between coves.
Expected error is up to 8%, from the grid and from snapping the starting point. That is why distances are rounded to half a mile and shown as approximate. Times are a rough guide: a steady 15 knots, rounded to 5 minutes.
How we work out which way a cove faces
We take the sea points within one kilometre of the cove and average their directions. A wind blows straight in when it arrives less than 67.5° off that direction, and the cove is sheltered when it arrives more than 112.5° off. There is more in the winds guide.
Last calculation: 23 October 2026. It reruns automatically every month.
Regulations
- Royal Decree 1188/2025 and Royal Decree 875/2014 (boating qualifications), in Spain’s official gazette (in Spanish).
- Decree 25/2018 on the conservation of Posidonia oceanica, Balearic Government.
Maps, fonts and software
- Interactive maps with MapLibre GL JS (BSD licence) and OpenFreeMap tiles. © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.
- Cove thumbnails drawn by us from the OpenStreetMap coastline.
- Fraunces and Inter typefaces, under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, served from our own domain.
- Weather: we link to the AEMET marine forecast.
Photos
We do not use photos for now. When we do, they will be our own or openly licensed, with attribution.