Friday 7 April 2017

Spanish Adventures. Day 1, The Caminito del Rey.

Whilst on our way to see our daughter in Seville we had arranged to meet up with my bother and his wife for three nights in Antequera, about an hour inland from Malaga in the mountains, in order to be able to walk El Caminito del Rey or the king's little pathway.  It is a wakway pinned to the steep walls of the El Chorrow gorge in the nearby mountains. Completed in 1905, it was built to provide workers at the local hydroelectric power plants with a means to travel between them.  The walkway had fallen into disrepair and was partially closed for over a decade.  After four years of extensive repair and renovations it re-opened in 2015.  It became to be known in the past as 'the world's most dangerous walkway' following five deaths in 1999 and 2000.  Today, however, it provides a spectacular adrenalin rush, but is perfectly safe; the hardest part being to secure a booking which we managed to do back in December.  The railway line from Malaga to Seville passes through tunnels as it negotiates the gorge and so tantalising glimpses of the walkway over recent years had whetted our appetite.

We had an early breakfast and were at the Station at El Curro ready for the bus to take us up to the start ready to be at the entrance for our 11.30 ticket.  On leaving the bus, our route meandered through quiet forest paths for two and a half miles before we joined the crowds at the entrance to the Caminito and received the helmets everyone has to wear in case of rockfall.  These are not for the fashion conscious.  Once embarked on the trail, despite the crowds we were able to walk at our own pace and find our own space.





The walkway negotiates two deep and vertiginous gorges separated by a wider valley.






Although perfectly safe the route is spectacular and not for anyone who suffers with vertigo.

Once through the first gorge the Caminito flattened out and we were able to wander along quiet valley paths where we were able to find a sunny spot for lunch.  Part of the reason for our visit was also to hunt for orchids and they soon began to appear: sawfly orchid and yellow bee orchid along with other plants such as pink cistus with its tissue paper like flowers and toadflax.







Annoyingly, part of the route through the second gorge was closed for repair work and the route was diverted through a maintenance tunnel, exciting in it's own right, though.  We soon emerged back onto the walkway where, perhaps the most exciting part of the king's little path awaited: the crossing of the gorge on a narrow swaying suspension bridge; shades of Indiana Jones adventures.  Following this it clung to the soaring vertical walls of the gorge before crossing the railway line allowing us to wander along a wide path back to the car with fabulous views back to the gorge and the Caminito.  What a fantastic walk!!!
















We had been enjoying great bird sightings during the day as well.  We had seen our first swallows of the year, well before they had arrived on our shores, a roadside hoopoe, a woodchat shrike on the outskirts of Antequera and chough and rock doves in the gorge as well as large numbers of griffon vultures.

After our trip along the Caminito we drove back up to the lakes at the head of the gorge, first for coffee and cake in the local hotel and then for a wander in the woods surrounding the lakes.  I spotted my first butterfly of the year here and was delighted that it was a spanish festoon, unknown at home. Orchids were plentiful: the stunning mirror orchid, champagne orchid, sombre bee, naked man and man orchids and conical toothed.












Eventually it was time to return to the Parador Hotel in Antequera where we were staying, stopping on the way in to photograph the Alcazaba.
An excellent first day.




No comments:

Post a Comment