A flexible approach to hexahydronaphthalene-1-carboxylates based on the Favorskii rearrangement of 1, 1-dichloro bicyclo [5.4. 0] undec-5-en-2-ones has been devised. 1, 1- Dichloro bicyclo [5.4. 0] undec-5-en-2-ones can be prepared from readily available cyclohexanones by a short sequence.