Vultures, Goats and a King
It was up early today to catch a 9am bus (and 9am is early when on holiday, and certainly in Spanish time!) for a trip to the Caminito del Ray – Pathway of the King – a hike through the mountains to the north of Malaga along what was once a pathway through a gorge, used by workers to access and service a hydro-electric plant built at the start of the 1900s.
The King of the day – Alfonso XIII – opened a reservoir built to hold water for the plant, and the route, a treacherous walkway along the cliff-side, was named in his honour. By the 1990s, an underwater pipe had replaced the canal through which the water flowed, negating the need for maintenance of the canal and the pathway fell into disuse, except by local climbers and adventurers. Sadly, in the early 2000’s three young locals used a wire as a zip-line to traverse the gorge (as many had done before them, but not three at the same time) The wire failed, the three perished. The locals demanded that the walkways be made safe and, following a lot of work, and a lot of money, the Caminito del Ray was reopened to the public in circa 2014, and is now a major tourist destination.
We (paid for and) joined an organised trip that picked us up in Nerja, and took us – via several other pick up spots, and the pretty white Andalusian village of Ardales – to the Caminito.
I think you can do the Caminito independently, but getting there without a hire car isn’t easy, and when there I think you have to have pre-booked a slot – going as part of an organised tour did prove to be a good option – everything was organised and easy.
Having de-bussed at the northern end of the route, we had to walk through rock tunnel and woodland for about 15 minutes before the official start of the walk begins. Here, you are issued your mandatory helmet, and receive a safety briefing, before hitting the path. We had two guides, so our coach load split into two groups – one German speaking group, the other English speaking. But we could choose to head off on our own – no chance to get lost, you “just” follow the path. Becky and I chose to do this, allowing us to go at our own pace and find some space between us and our other hikers, but the guides were excellent and interesting, and staying with them would have been no bad thing.
The walk was fantastic – suitably adventurous, but never feeling unsafe. At times you proceeded along a wooden walkway suspended from the side of the cliff, overhanging the river rushing a hundred feet below your feet, other times it was a wide stony path through woodland, still high above the water. At all times the views were spectacular.
We saw mountain goats:
And to my delight, I looked up, and against the azure blue sky, I saw, soaring majestically, vultures, a whole flock of vultures – 20, 30 or more of them silhouetted against a perfect sky.
As a boy growing up in the ’70s and early ’80s, vultures often featured in comics and cartoons, typically circling a poor soul about to meet their imminent doom in a parched desert landscape. If you saw a vulture, your days were numbered, these birds biding their time until your ultimate demise, when they would then feast on your lifeless body – so not a sight you’d want to see! But as I grew older, I realised they had become a comedic short hand to mean you were in dire straits, and in reality they were harmless, magnificent majestic birds to be seen soaring the heights were the weather was good. I really was delighted to see them.
As the pathway reached its conclusion, there was one last challenge to face – crossing a wire bridge strung across the gorge, high above the water below. The weather had been beautiful – warm, but not too hot, but at this point, funnelled by the cliff walls, a strong wind was blowing, to make the crossing just that little bit more “adventurous!”
Having crossed the bridge, and with the risk of falling stone or bashing your head against a rock diminishing, we were soon able to take of our helmets, although their was still a further 1.5km walk to the end of the route, and a rest area with toilets, seats, and food kiosks. We caught our breath, enjoyed a late lunch and relaxed as we waited for the rest of our party to finish their journey.
The walk itself was about 2 and a half hours (although we didn’t time it, and you can go at your own pace) and the journey time to and from Nerja was about an hour and half. A long day, but a fantastic day – if you get the chance I recommend your follow in the footsteps of Kings and walk the Caminito del Ray (and don’t forget to look up, to see those vultures!)