El Chorro
El Chorro ("The Spurt") is a small village located in Málaga (Andalusia) in southern Spain, near the town of Álora. It is one of the most popular rock climbing attractions in Spain as it is located next to Desfiladero de los Gaitanes ("Gorge of the Gaitanes"),[1] This village is also frequented by mountain bikers, hikers, and campers.
Gorge of the Gaitanes
The gorge was famous for a dangerous bridge called Caminito del Rey (King's little pathway). The path provided access to a hydro-electric plant and took its name after an official visit by Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1921. Official access to the path was removed in 2000 on grounds of safety. The local government agreed to share costs of restoration of the "Caminito",[2] which it was completed in March 2015 at a cost of 2.8 million euros.[3]
The gorge runs from the end of the "Embalse del Gaitanejo" to "El Chorro". There are two extremely narrow sections at each end of the gorge with a wider bowl in between. In addition to the currently defunct walkway, the old Málaga-Cordoba railway line runs through the gorge in a set of several tunnels, bridges and dams cutting through the gorge.
The railway and sections of the Caminito were used in the final location shots of the 1965 adventure film Von Ryan's Express.
References
- ↑ Alan James (January 2009). "El Chorro and other crags around Málaga". ukclimbing.com. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
- ↑ "La Junta pagará la mitad de la rehabilitación del Caminito del Rey" (in Spanish). Diario Sur. June 17, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
- ↑ "Spain to reopen perilous gorge walkway 328ft above gushing river". Daily Mail. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
External links
- Tourist Information for the El Chorro, Camino del Rey and Gudalhorce reservoirs in English
- Video of walking the decrepit pathway in the pass a test for acrophobia
- El Makinodromo and El Chorro on planetmountain.com
Coordinates: 36°54′55″N 4°46′18″W / 36.91528°N 4.77167°W