El Caminito Del Ray (King’s Pathways) The authorities in the province of Malaga have begun work on restoring Andalucias infamous El Caminito del Rey (King’s Pathway), which is a well-known but nerve-wracking trail through the El Chorro Gorge of the Guadalhorce River near the town of El Chorro in the province of Malaga. El Caminito del Rey (King’s Pathway), dubbed as the worlds most dangerous walk, has been in disrepair for the past 20 years being fairly easy for those who are fit and healthy or are experienced climbers, but next to impossible for those having any kind of fear of heights. Many say that the path is not that difficult, being more of a mental challenge than a physical one. Despite having to wear a harness and helmet, walking along a narrow concrete path riddled with holes, with some sections even missing, so that it has been necessary to climb or scramble over rocks even though there is a massive drop at the side. Walking the path though is currently illegal with hefty fines for any caught trespassing. But this has not stopped many locals and visitors alike, carefully dodging past lurking police officers to complete the cliff-hanging feat, despite several fatal accidents over the past few years. Now the authorities in the province of Malaga have announced that a safer, refurbished pathway will open to all in January 2015, with the hope that Spain’s newly proclaimed King Felipe VI will be able to attend the inauguration. This is thanks to a large budget being put into place, so that a 4 kilometre segment of the pathway, including the notoriously hairy cliff-side section of the walkway through the so-called Desfiladero de los Gaitanes, can be renovated. This is being done with 500 tonnes of new metal parts replacing those that have fallen down the ravine or have rusted away. To date some 70% of the restoration work has already been completed and the pathway is scheduled to open on time. Despite the hands-on support the project is receiving from walkers and climbers, some conservationists fear the improvements will result in excessive visitor numbers, leading to a negative impact on the area surrounding El Chorro Gorge. Let us hope this does not happen.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 10:17:21 +0000
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