Flying into Ibiza at midnight means the plane is rather lively – a cacophony of excitable clubbers, prosecco-fuelled hen parties, drunk stags and Helen’s 50th birthday crew. I feel quite wistful. Not so long ago, me and my pals would have been on the late flight, a vodka and Coke and a tin of Pringles in, planning our night in Pacha.
Instead, I’ve swapped my disco flip-flops for trail shoes and my hot pants for sensible shorts. After decades of coming to Ibiza for the dancing, I’m here to see the White Isle from a different, more sober angle on a walking holiday. According to Macs Adventure, the company I’m travelling with, walking holidays are getting increasingly popular with the 50-plus market.
And, as someone who has two Munros and a Camino under her belt, I concur, we fiftysomethings love a good hike. I’m walking with my friend Rhonda, a fellow Ibiza veteran, who still visits once a year to hit the clubs. And she’s not the only one.
Zoe Harris, chief customer officer at the online travel agency On the Beach, says bookings to Ibiza by the 50-plus age group have grown 20 per cent faster than in the 19 to 50s bracket. Driving past the billboards advertising the island’s best club nights, all featuring mega DJs such as David Guetta, Calvin Harris and CamelPhat, I get a pang of longing and I’m tempted to detour into Eivissa Old Town. But I pull myself together and instead head north to Sant Carles de Peralta and Can Curreu, a beautiful agroturismo in the hil.