If you're not familiar with all of the attractions of Southern Spain, you may have never heard about El Caminito Del Rey. To put it simply, it's a walkway, but not the kind most of today's society is used to traveling upon. This path was built over a century ago to assist workers who were caring for the dam they were in the process of building. The path is very narrow and is located about one hundred meters up the side of the mountain.
This narrow ledge was built to span the entire length of the pass below. Before its completion, those whose job it was to work on the dam, had to climb up and down the mountains and cross the river in order to get to where they needed to be. By using the path, they were able to save themselves time and quite a bit of energy.
When work on the dam was done, the King traversed the walkway in celebration of everything that had been accomplished. This walk is what led to the pathway being given its name.
Even for the King, there was little assurance of safety. There were rails attached to the side of the mountain, but one wrong move could send anyone right off the edge. It's easy to see the path from the ground below, even now, but stepping foot on it (in its present state) today is considerably more dangerous than it was long ago.
Despite the dangers, locals, and many tourists- continued to use the walkway. Several years ago, a tourist fell and was killed there. This led to the official closing of the path. However, many people disregard the warnings and continue to take their chances, even now.
The lure of the pathway is something many adrenaline junkies have a hard time ignoring. Because it's obvious people are not going to stop taking the challenge upon themselves, it has been decided that the walkway will be restored. Once it's completed, it will not only be safer, there will also be a museum and an area for parking.
This narrow ledge was built to span the entire length of the pass below. Before its completion, those whose job it was to work on the dam, had to climb up and down the mountains and cross the river in order to get to where they needed to be. By using the path, they were able to save themselves time and quite a bit of energy.
When work on the dam was done, the King traversed the walkway in celebration of everything that had been accomplished. This walk is what led to the pathway being given its name.
Even for the King, there was little assurance of safety. There were rails attached to the side of the mountain, but one wrong move could send anyone right off the edge. It's easy to see the path from the ground below, even now, but stepping foot on it (in its present state) today is considerably more dangerous than it was long ago.
Despite the dangers, locals, and many tourists- continued to use the walkway. Several years ago, a tourist fell and was killed there. This led to the official closing of the path. However, many people disregard the warnings and continue to take their chances, even now.
The lure of the pathway is something many adrenaline junkies have a hard time ignoring. Because it's obvious people are not going to stop taking the challenge upon themselves, it has been decided that the walkway will be restored. Once it's completed, it will not only be safer, there will also be a museum and an area for parking.
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Want to find out more about El Caminito Del Rey, then visit Jon Hathaway's travel blog for a full guide with photos and videos.
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