In the footsteps of the Spanish king or El Camino del Rey
The coastal waters of Marbella are heavily influenced by the Atlantic currents.
It often happens like this: August, the heat is +30, and the temperature of the seawater is about +17. This means that cold water flows into the sea water area. And then you can observe the following images: endless strips of beaches, bathed potom, sunbathing, playing rowing tennis, or strolling along the beach and out of water for the entire kilometer of their head stick or torso five or six "walrus". Or, on the other hand, you can swim on a boring day in November and, out of the ocean, give the task motto: "Wow, today the water is just fresh milk!" Because from the sea comes the warm flow. This inconsistency in the seawater temperature regime makes many people, who own apartments or homes do not have a pool, to look for water with fresh water. To cool your heat in the heat of your body and soothe the sickly "mamaikahuchukuchatsya" children.
Our neighbors - Estonian Thomas and Mary with Christopher's son - it is a "without a basin" family. Therefore, they travel all the nearby rivers, quarries, dams until they find a lake formed after the construction of a dam in the El Chorro ravine.
Thomas at each meeting told us what cool lakes they found. He called us to go to the lake and swim in the warm water. I am always uncomfortable telling her that we have her own pool, besides filtering with sea salt instead of chlorine. So by "swimming in the warm water" we have no problem. But once he uses a weighty argument, says that he will show us the overgrown forest groves in the mountains and the path of the pilgrims in the canyon. On this road, when Thomas told us, pilgrims from Cadiz went to Granada. And even one of the Spanish kings walked on it on foot, to experience all the difficulties that the people feared, make pilgrimages to the holy places. Therefore, this street is called El Camino del Rey - Royal Trail.
I was attracted by the opportunity to see the glacier bed and part of the pilgrimage route. In general, my daughter and I - my mother is not very easy to rise - decided to join Thomas and her family on the way to the lake.
The former glacier bed scene, which is en route from Coin to El Chorro, was impressed.
What impressed me was to see the remains of a cantilevered wooden fence in the canyon near the power station.
I asked Thomas why the pilgrims chose a difficult path to the holy places. Besides, there is no need to climb the slope of the canyon, open to the danger of falling into the abyss. He also asked what kind of holy places in Granada, so people will climb to them on the mountain. Instead of glaciers they block the road - at the time of the emergence of sacred places, it must melt hundreds of times. This neighbor told me that there are many robbers in the forest, and in Granada there are many places, each of which can claim a sacred title. I did not ask anymore, but decided that I was reading on the Internet about El Camino del Rey on the Internet.
We had a lot to pay, lunch at the cafe, and on the way back we stopped at the fig tree, where we collected wild fruits and ate them until they were thrown away. If someone goes with my "military places", then you know - this forest must be left to the left after the congress of the bridge over the power plant.
What surprised me when I received the information on Wikipedia on my request at the "Royal Trail" search engine:
The royal path was created in the early 20th century (1905) as an additional route for workers engaged in the construction of the Conde del Guadaloche hydraulic structure, from one canyon wall to another. After the completion of construction, King Alfonso XIII of Spain to attend the dam opening ceremony took place along this road, overseeing the construction, and to honor this street is called "El Caminito del Rey".
I told this to our "guide" and then for a long time attached to the question of whether he had been there long where the king walked on foot. Thomas responded with a laugh and waved his hand with the words "Oh go, go! I just lohanulsya me - listen as he is," the connoisseur. "
Five years passed and I remember my old trick of talking to Thomas. To her surprise, she did not laugh, but tapped her forehead and exclaimed:
That's him, shit! I forgot to tell you! You will definitely go there again - there are fully recovered trails and even extended along the three kilometer gorge. Simply super - you just love it!
Indeed, the "upgraded" El Camino del Rey has become a tourist destination and one of the attractions that should be on the «must see» list of every visitor from Malaga and surrounding resorts
At the beginning of "the noble path"))
The species, of course, is amazing.
Really very tall and with a gust of wind no-no, but unconsciously hand to stretch the fence))
Along the road on the console there is no single recreation area. Just go ahead and go forward.
If you take a closer look, in a niche below and to the right, just above the center of the photo, you can see climbers with white helmets, who are bored stomping and they decide to choose shorter streets))
And now a little explanation for those who will ever go to El Camino del Rey.
This is the toll route. It costs a small - about 10 euros. Purchase tickets first on the Internet. This site specifies a half hour "window" and you can choose the right time for you.
The route itself is divided into 2 parts. The first is free. This is actually an ordinary climb path that is more than 5 km away. The second - paid. Before that, you should show the tickets, listen to the brief instructions and get the helmet. This route has a range of about 3.5 km.
Stock up with water and sandwich / fruit. Appetite and thirst work just like this.
Come with the navigator at least to the end, at least to the start of the route. Because the bus between them runs at short intervals.
When booking tickets, it is advisable to see the weather forecast. Rain and wind will blur the impression entirely.
Well, now still hope everyone goes well, the weather is cool and the sky is bright. Good luck!