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Looking at my guests over the years I’ve decided that we all have a little bit of the “Indiana Jones” in us. I even have the hat, and am regularly called “Indiana” by passing Spanish schoolchildren, as well as probably less complementary things once they are outside my reaction distance! I am sure we can all remember Indiana’s first movie “Raider’s of the lost ark” when he ran along broken walkways pursued by all manner of dangers including an enormous granite ball. 2 good things are true about that chase, one, it was exciting to watch and two, it was only fiction.
However, here in Southern Spain we do have an actual walk with a similar level of extreme challenge. It was built in the 1920’s as an access way to the Guadalhorce Reservoir complex and its water supply for the El Chorro hydro-electric power station. The then King of Spain, Alfonso XIII, was invited to walk along it to officially declare the project complete in 1921. The walkway was named after his visit as “Camino Del Rey or The King’s Way”. It appears to have received very little maintenance since then! Now large sections of the concrete pathway are missing with only the reinforcing steel rods for a foothold above the river gorge far below. The path is set at right angles to the sheer rock walls of the “Desfiladero de los Gaitanes” better known as the El Chorro Gorge.
This incredible natural marvel is about 2.5 miles/4km in length and uo to 1300ft/400m tall. However, it is the narrow width of only 33ft/10m in places, which is perhaps the most spectacular aspect. Before the arrival of the AVE (Spanish high speed train which cruises at 220mph), the main train line from Cordoba to Malaga ran through El Chorro Gorge, and you could catch tantalizing glimpses of the walkway from the comfort of your train seat. The dangerously degraded state of the walkway has resulted in it being closed off with steel doors but people still use it, legally or otherwise, to access some well known climbing areas.
Fortunately one of them used a video camera to and so you can safely enjoy the experience at http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1438490562
If you want to see the real thing, with the view in the photo, from a completely legal and safe viewpoint, then come and see me!
Yours Davy
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