31 August 2009

El Chorro - Competa - El caminito del rey

Just north of the coast of Andalucia where I spend the summer, lies the picturesque town of Competa. It's in an area known as the 'Spanish Lakes', and features the famous el Chorro gorge. Even more famous is the fact that the tiny bridge spanning the gorge can be accessed by the suicidally narrow pathway known as the 'footpath of the King'. The monarch in question (Alfonso XIII) had more sense than to step anywhere near this now-dilapidated invitation to death which rises to 2,000 feet plus above the rocks below. That's part of it, clutching to the side of the rocks in the picture above.

Have a look at this video clip of somebody mad enough to embark on this little pleasure trip. Notice the yawning gaps in the pathway, the absence of any handrails, the general state of crumbling disrepair, and if you are in any way phobic about heights, don't feel bad if you close your eyes or switch off.

4 comments:

skipper said...

Scary stuff Roy! Yet you saw people walking along the pathetic path with no worries. Not for likes of wimpish me dear boy!

LostinManc said...

Oh my God! Not for me either. Love the blog, by the way.

MANTEX said...

D'you know - even watching this from the comfort of my own home, I find myself clutching the desk for support!

Thanks for kind comment CMS.

Jorge Ramiro said...

OMG. This is really scary. Anyway it is great. Have you tried to reach the bottom? I have been in Argentina and there is one place which is called Garganta del Diablo in the Norh, and it was like this. Also you hace some places which are very nice and not dengerous. I have stayed in one apartment for rent buenos aires, and it was great. I liked the city and also the places to visit like Patagonia.