The Traveller's Magazine
Spain’s Camino del Rey has been at the top of adrenaline junkies’ lists for years. But new plans to restore the route means that thrill-seekers only have until May to tackle this challenging route.If you’re an adrenaline junky that loves heights, then you’d better start thinking about a holiday in Spain this spring before the Camino del Rey (King’s Walkway) is closed for restoration. The route has become a popular attraction for its one-metre wide catwalks hanging off sheer cliff faces, 100m up along the walls of the Gaitanes Gorge.
The concrete path has no guardrails and has fallen into a pretty bad state over the last ten years, leading to the death of two walkers in the year 2000. Access to either end of the 4 km trail has been restricted since then, but that hasn’t stopped daredevils and climbers flocking to the El Chorro area since then, just north west of Malaga.
Camino del Rey restoration
In some places the concrete has entirely crumbled away, leaving only the supporting metal rails. Only confident footwork is there to stop walkers from falling into the Guadalhorce River down below. That’s all about to change though. £2.6 million has been put forward to restore the entire walkway and create what the region hopes, a major tourist attraction. The concrete will be replaced with wooden slats, glass panels and a “skywalk” area just like the new one in Canada’s Rocky Mountains.
Are you brave enough to tackle the route?
