Todays walk could be dangerous…you even have to wear a hard hat! According to reviews if the Caminito del Rey is sold out online you can still go early in the morning in the hope of getting one of the 50 spare day tickets. I’d asked the guide the day before and he suggested arriving at 9am, but I’d read reviews that said there were already long queues by 8:30am.
Its a 2.7km walk to the start of the Caminito so we left in the dark and arrived at 8:20 to find 8 people already queuing. I knew it was popular but by 9am there were over 100 there, and although I was freezing from standing in the wind I was glad I’d come early. It was 9:30 when they finally let us in and I secured my place. Top tips: go early, wear layers and take a flask of coffee.
Following several deaths on the original trail the path has been fully modernised with safety rails along all the gorge passes. You can still see the crumbling original path which offers no protection and indeed falls away completely in sections.
The walk itself is a gentle 5k, the only real challenge comes if you suffer from vertigo. Even with the barrier Mark would not have wanted to look down.
The scenery is stunning and you are let through in sets of 30 but I walk quite quickly so was on my own the majority of the way.
The highlight is the gorge bridge which when its windy feels a bit hairy. You can see the original bridge and be thankful you aren’t crossing that…it would take nerves of steel! Also their are vultures or eagles nesting above and riding the thermals which encourages you to look up rather than down lol.
Overall it’s well worth the €10 and long wait. The scenery is beautiful but to my mind the hike is not as thrilling as the Slovakian one I did.
Once completed you can get a shuttle bus back to the start for €1.50 and happily share your adventure. Turns out Ernest hadn’t wanted to leave me and walked slowly back with Mark rather than his usual steam ahead self…aw Mr Independent does love me.
Having completed it earlier than expected we decided to drive on to Campillos which has a free camper service park and tasty bakery.
Then onwards for a stunning drive through the Baetic System. Basically lots of ‘up’ and hairpins to the small town of Setinal which is built into the rock side. It’s got lots of nice looking restaurants so with hindsight we should have maybe stopped here for lunch. Still it was nice to wander and the camper that parked behind us was funky to.
Our final camp spot for the evening was the famous Ronda with its iconic Puente Nuevo gorge bridge. This is definitely best viewed from afar but the pathway to the bottom is currently closed, so I angled my phone over the edge as best I could to capture the immense scale.
226 – Hanging around Ronda
Having done so much yesterday we fancied an easy day today and so ventured out late for coffee and vagan pancakes at Coffee Time – they were huge and delicious.
We then walked around the Mirador de los viajeros románticos observation deck with its overhanging balconies and xmas fair before heading back to the pups.
This afternoon we stocked up at Aldi and found a lovely walking spot Pilar De Coca with picnic benches where we relaxed reading. We have since discovered the shepherd has moved the sheep into the picnic meadow opposite so we can hear their bells jingleing as the potter around. We are proving useless at staying in one place more than a couple of days but while we ponder whether to go east or west we may stay a while.
SofaWolves 