NO WAY, JOSE
I tried the Spanish experience that’s one of the ‘world’s most dangerous hikes’ – but even kids can do it
Immerse yourself in local culture at Casa los Lima
“IT’S completely safe now,” our guide says to us with a smile.
Wearing our strictly enforced hard hats, teetering along a board- walk nicknamed the Walkway Of Death, I’m not entirely convinced.
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My dad, brother, and I are hiking the scenic Caminito del Rey, an hour inland from Spain’s southern city of Malaga on an €18 guided tour experience.
For the majority of the next three hours, we will be walking five miles on a wooden trail bolted into the cliff face of a hydroelectric gorge.
And the craziest thing is that schoolchildren once walked this, too — I can see the remains of the original walkway through the gaps in these dizzying planks.
The Caminito was originally a solution for workers of the El Chorro power station, facilitating easy access throughout the gorge.
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Work began in 1901, and by 1905, the aerial trail was ready.
But as workers and farmers settled among the beautiful flora in the valley between Gaitanes and Gaitanejo, it soon became a necessity for the growing community.
The Caminito was a lifeline connection to the neighbouring town of El Chorro.
It allowed residents to shop for supplies, socialise, and walk to school at the local chapel.
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Sandwiched between two limestone gorges plunging 700 metres deep in sections, this was an otherwise landlocked area.
For the youngest of residents, the trail enabled their education.
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It is incredible how laid-back the attitude to health and safety was in the original Caminito’s heyday.
Originally built from concrete slabs and resting on steel supports, this would have been an adrenaline-spiking walk even when it was first constructed.
I could not help but wonder how on earth primary school kids, accompanied only by their packed lunches, could tackle it so breezily.
Unfortunately, with the eventual closure of the power station, the trail fell into disrepair, with some sections left with only inches of walkway and the river lurking some 100 metres below.
Between the 1970s and early 2000s, the Caminito del Rey became a total magnet for daredevils, leading to several tragic deaths.
Abandoned by residents and closed to visitors, it would not see footsteps again until 2015, when a renovation project transformed it into a tourist attraction.
At the start of the trail in Ardales there’s a visitor centre plus a restaurant.
Entrance is €10, but for the best experience, join the guided tour to hear the incredible history of the trail.
Secret hideout
Not many signs remain of the children and their families, apart from one of the houses where the workers lived: Casa los Lima.
The crumbling stone walls and half-exposed roof beams once housed a large family, thought to have ten kids.
Now it’s a secret hideout for the odd overnight visitor and a marker for a helicopter landing spot — “Just in case we need to organise an evacuation,” our guide adds.
With a peaceful creek, shady carob trees (a nutty-tasting chocolate replacement) and the odd passing deer, you can almost envision the old lifestyle.
Who would want to grow up playing on a cul-de-sac when you can have a backyard like this?
I can see why some of the tourists visiting have brought their kids, too.
This is a novelty that spans across all ages, and the guided trail tours welcome anyone above eight years old.
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When I’m sitting racking my brains for new bedtime stories for my children one day, I won’t be telling them about my 20-minute pavement walk to school.
Instead, I’ll be explaining how kids with satchels and packed lunches once tackled what became one of the most dangerous hikes in the world.
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GO: CAMINITO DEL REY
GETTING THERE: Ryanair has return flights from Stansted this October from £76.
See ryanair.com.
STAYING THERE: Rooms at the Hotel La Posada del Conde in El Chorro start from £75 per night.
MORE INFO: To book a tour, see caminitodelrey.info/en.