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[clovehitched]

Just this evening got back from a few days in Spain, on a climbing holiday with Sylvia.

Anyway, we happened to find ourselves on a certain pathway, made rather famous by YouTube videos of late.

I'm going to be writing up a full report for the outdoor activities site I am on, but in the meantime I want to share a couple of photos with you lovely people.

Here is one of me, looking a little nervous:


And here is what you see if you look down - my mind was going interesting places while I fiddled with the camera to take this pic:



Will share my trip report when I write it up. Did you spot the continuity error between the two pics, by the way? I'm wearing different trousers in each. They were taken on two separate days; that's right, we went up there twice.

Also posted at http://auntysarah.dreamwidth.org/249292.html - you can comment here or there.

Comments

[actually-not.livejournal.com]

Wow!

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Impressive scenery!

Whereabouts in Espana was that?

[the-local-echo.livejournal.com]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caminito_del_Rey

El Chorro, inland from Malaga.

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

wow!

you went there twice!

[auntysarah.livejournal.com]

The second day it rained while we were up there.

We had to get out crossing those girders again, while they were wet and slippery.

Fun times!

[cabbagemedley.livejournal.com]

Mad. She's mad. (This is my just deserts for clicking on the cut!)

[auntysarah.livejournal.com]

:-D

[dave holland (from livejournal.com)]

This is fun?

[auntysarah.livejournal.com]

It was stunningly awesome!

The Andalusian govt keep talking about repairing it. This may sound elitist, but it's a unique treasure in the climbing world the way it is, and I think if they did repair and restore it to original condition it would be a travesty.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Similar in some ways to some of the Italian military structures up in I Dolomiti (which you are also familiar with, of course :o)

[auntysarah.livejournal.com]

El Camino Del Rey is currently actually classed as a via ferrata. I think it would be appropriate to maintain it as one, as the Italians do with theirs, but if it was restored to original condition, it would no longer be a VF - it would be a path. As a via Ferrara it's utterly iconic. As a path it would be impressive, but I fear, sanitised. I'm aware it would give more people the chance to experience it though.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

On the other hand the impressive 'Montague Steps' on Lundy island which were built to attempt to salvage a Dreadnought named HMS Montague which went aground there were never maintained and eventually went into the sea. If you've not been to Lundy, I suspect you'd enjoy it! :o)

There's probably a need for some kind of compromise solution although given Spain's financial state at present I suspect nothing much will get done in the near future.

[angelofsith.livejournal.com]

Would that water be safe to dive into?

[auntysarah.livejournal.com]

Answer:

1) Not from that height - from 100 metres, hitting water is a lot like hitting concrete.

2) No, it's part of the reservoir for a couple of pumped storage power stations. If you're in the water and they start pumping or generating, you'll probably drown.

[emperor]

Cor. Is it actually safe? I thought it was sufficiently not-so that access was ... legally interesting.

[auntysarah.livejournal.com]

The question of access is complicated, because lots of people get to it via the railway tunnels, where they occasionally get mown down by a train.

If you want to access it without the tunnels, you need to be able to climb because you have to scale the cliff. It's only a scramble, but it's exposed as all hell and arguably several shades of terror worse than the actual path itself. No biggie if you have equipment and know how to use it, but if you're just a hiker with no climbing experience, you may regard it as sufficient disincentive to avoid trying it.

There are security guards, although we didn't encounter them. They are there to stop you trespassing on the railway. If you're heading for the via ferrata, as I understand it they a) have no power to stop you, and b) just wave you by.

Whether or not it's safe ... well I have seen thicker via ferrata cables. It'd probably hold...

[pplfichi.livejournal.com]

That looks awesome! Also, I wanna go!

[auntysarah.livejournal.com]

It is so very, very awesome indeed!

[celesteh.livejournal.com]

Wow, I never knew I could get vertigo from a picture

[auntysarah.livejournal.com]

My work here is done :-D

[blazingrowan.livejournal.com]

DEAR GOD YOU'RE JOKING WHOAH THAT'S AMAZING

Squee! Glad you had fun :D

[auntysarah.livejournal.com]

*grin* It's kinda pretty, isn't it? The sort of thing that one doesn't quite believe is real!

[aumentou.livejournal.com]

Eek!

Is it bad that my second thought was "Holy crap, I didn't know they modelled that bit of half-life on a real place!"?

[auntysarah.livejournal.com]

Possibly slightly geeky, but not at all bad :-)