10/17/2023 Bikepacking Spain Day 70 p2 : Exploring Caminito del Rey en El Chorro

by Brian · Published October 17, 2023 · Updated March 3, 2024

Photos:

We did not know if we could do the caminito del Rey. It requires reservations weeks in advance because it is so popular. Luckily, Janet is always on board for an adventure. We like to say to each other, “everything always works out..” .. and it does, if you keep the right attitude! —

With no tickets, we stashed our bikes at the exit where the guys who collect helmets after the hike is over were stationed. One guy thought we might have luck getting tickets on the spot, though the other guys not so much. We bought a bus ticket and rode around the mountain for 30 minutes, hoping for an entry. If they denied us, we figured today would just be a 2 way scenic bus ride. —

After the bus ride, you have to walk one mile to a checkpoint where they take your ticket. Even that was scenic, so again, no big loss if denied. We waited in a short line for extra slots, and in less than 40 minutes, we were buying tickets! 🎟️

They only accept cash, so the guy in front of us was screwed with just a credit card. We offered to buy his ticket and he could get us cash at the end. He agreed, but it was a little weird because he didn’t say thank you or smile. 🧐 —

This walk way was famous as “the most dangerous hike in the world”. You can look up YouTube videos searching that and “kings walk”. Anyway, when I first heard about this, it must have been 2019, and I said, “I want to do that!” It was more of a rock climbing adventure where you would have to jump from broken plank to broken plank! —

You can see the old walkway below. What I didn’t know in 2019, is that by 2014, this had already been “sanitized”. This means that it is now safe for almost any member of the public to walk. As such, they now need to limit the number of people who visit to 1,100 per day. We were required to get a guide with the on-the-spot tickets. That was only 8€ extra, so we easily went for it. —

Of course, Janet was awesome. She was totally up for a guided tour in Spanish. “Sin problema!” This was great because now we were getting Spanish practice for €8 and we had a MUCH smaller group than the English group. Plus, we got to get away from the guy incessantly hacking some sort of COVID cough who went with the English group! 😷

The walkway was originally built to maintain the hydroelectric system. People needed to be able to clean debris out of the water so it wouldn’t get into the generators. Again, see the original walkway below. It’s cool they left it there. The workers lived up here with their families. Sometimes with 8 or even 13 children! —

Janet is always flexible and ready to brave whatever without plans or reservations! She’s up for Spanish or English or even a little Portuguese. It’s great how she always challenges herself! —

Remember the guy we bought a ticket for? I think he thought we gifted it to him (though he didn’t say thanks, so even that is questionable). Janet briefly suggested that we let him have it, and if he had said thanks, I too would have felt charitable. I kind of chased him down at the end of the hike, and reminded him. I asked a lady at a little booth where we could find an ATM. There isn’t one in this town! But then another lady offered to use her credit card machine and give us cash. Wow, super kind of her. I said, “but with no fees? That doesn’t seem fair to you”. Another woman came over and counseled her to take some fees. In the end, this too worked out! —

Strava Comments:

Jonathan ∑.

Super cool. I’m not sure my fear of heights would allow me to go explore this.

Janet W.

Jonathan ∑piros, our guide said people rode bikes on the old walkway, and even rode horses. Maybe riding a bike on it wouldn’t give you vertigo!

Janet W.

Brian Lucido, another adventure day together, even on a guided tour! Thanks for making our last minute plan happen. There is never a dull moment traveling with you - or being at home together!

Stephen Mark R.

What did you think of the old crumbling concrete path with rusted out rails below the new wooden walkway. When we were there in the late 90's you had to jump over gaps where the concrete had completely fallen away. It was 'prohibido del passo' then. The Spanish is from memory as I don't speak it.

Brian L.

Stephen Mark Richards - oh!! When you were there, it was the real deal! That was like the videos I saw that made me want to go there (and your comment of course). But now it has been sanitized, and it is for the masses. You would have to be quite brave to do what you did in the 90s; I could see that because they left the old walkway in place, and there were a lot of missing pieces. Also, it used to be narrower, and I think the handrail was missing in most places when you went!

Stephen Mark R.

No handrail and people coming in the opposite direction simply put themselves against the cliff and forced us to walk on the outside edge. I am a bit fearful of heights so I had to walk past them without looking where my feet were otherwise I would have fallen. It was pretty scary.

Stephen Mark R.

The access was also through train tunnels and over trellised train bridges. Very frequent trains and pinning yourself to the side was also quite an experience. Oh, the good old days 🤣

Dan L.

So glad you had the time to hike this! I remember looking at the walkway from across the river and thinking that’s slightly bonkers!

Janet W.

Dan L, you were brave to ride your bike on the road with a view of the walkway! The big shuttle buses used that road, and it is so narrow that one had to backup when they met. We enjoyed the Altravesur and your detours, which we often used. If Dan took the road here, then we can too!

Dan L.

Janet Wagner I got lucky on that stretch! I remember it being largely downhill, and seeing the tour buses and being able to keep up with them. Fortunately none of them had to pass each other!

Sօʀƈɛʀɛʀ 🅅.

High wire act! Very excited to see the pics!