Our Spanish Hibernation 3:0

I know I’m not great with heights, but it would be a shame to be living in Malaga for a few months and not visit El Caminito del Rey. It promises stunning vistas as you walk through two gorges, much of it on wooden walkways clinging to the side of the rock face. Not for the feint hearted or those prone to vertigo.

It was an early pick up outside the station, with our charming guides introducing themselves and then zipping through the first of many roll calls. Reassuring that they were doing their best not to leave any of us behind at any stage of the day!

Following a scheduled wee break (Christian told us there were no banos in the Caminito, so urged us all to relieve ourselves whilst we had a chance), the coach continued the narrow ascent to our drop off point.

Daphne took charge of our group. She was very perky and kept up a running commentary throughout the day. We learned that the walkway was constructed in the early nineteenth century for workers to cross, it was closed in 2000 following a number of accidents (some fatal) and reopened ten years ago after a complete restoration.

The walk took around three hours. It started with a low dark tunnel, before moving on to the first gorge and its walkways. These were a little hairy for me, but nothing to what was to come!

Between the two gorges, we had an enjoyable stroll on solid ground. We saw baby goats on the way down and a number of birds circling in the blue sky. Daphne explained there were a lot of vultures nesting high and we were likely to spot them.

We eventually entered the second gorge. The walkways were much narrower here, steeper and with bends and switchbacks. To be honest, I was not so keen on traversing this or the suspension bridge which was the wobbling, swaying treat that followed. Apparently the view is amazing – we were 105 metres above the river below apparently – but I didn’t look! On the other side a narrow set of steps led us to safety!

I would recommend anyone to visit El Caminito del Rey, if they are ok with heights. It really is quite spectacular. It has been tagged the most dangerous walk in the world, but it got that name before it reopened. It’s a hard hat area now, with a safety briefing before you start and limits on numbers on the walkways at a time. All the walkways have barriers and handrails. It feels safe. But it certainly got my pulse racing.