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Published: September 28th 2022
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We are in El Chorro. People generally only come here to do one of three insane things…to rock climb, to ride horses or to go hiking. All three are scarey propositions in our book but for some strange reason we are here to do the latter.
So, this morning we (I!) have tickets booked to walk the ‘El Caminito del Rey’ (The King's Little Path). Once labelled ‘the most dangerous walk in the world’, and a magnet for thrill seekers, this path has now been revamped and deemed semi-safe to walk. Numbers are restricted, hence the need to reserve tickets months in advance.
The walkway, which is 1m wide and set along the face of a steep sided mountain with a gorge 100m below, was built for construction workers at the nearby hydro electric plants at Chorro Falls and Gaitaneo Falls. The path allowed ease of access and transport of materials between the two locations. King Alfonso XIII walked it for the inauguration of the Conde del Guadalhorce Dam in 1921, hence its name.
Built between 1901-1905, the pathway was made of concrete laid on steel girders set 45 degrees into the mountainside. Over time the concrete crumbled
leaving huge gaps underfoot and the side was completely open with no guard rails.
Several people fell to their deaths on the walkway and post 2000, the government closed both entrances and declared it illegal to walk the path. This only served to attract more interest and a further five people lost their lives in the years following. If you want a flavour of the experience, there are several YouTube videos you can watch that will send your legs to jelly!