Head to the Costa del Sol for sand, sunshine... and high adrenaline thrills
Conjure up an image of the Costa del Sol and sunshine, sand and sangria no doubt leap to mind. Yet behind the idyllic beaches, bustling towns and tantalising local cuisine lies an altogether more dangerous feature: the Caminito del Rey.
The Caminito del Rey has served to highlight the year-round appeal of the region, which has so much more to it than one might imagine based on the postcards. In fact, a plethora of out-of-season attractions mean that the Costa del Sol is enduringly popular with second home owners looking to use their properties at intervals throughout the year.
Once known as the world’s most dangerous walkway, the Caminito del Rey snakes along the cliff-face of the stunning El Chorro Canyon, hundreds of feet above the deep green Guadalhorce River. The trail attracts adrenaline junkies from across the globe; rock climbers at once fear and revere the walkway’s tenuous grip on the cliff-face and its fabled state of disrepair.
Such was the poor condition of the walkway that partial closures were in place for over a decade. At certain points, climbers had to balance on a single iron beam, as the entire floor of the walkway had crumbled into the ravine below. Repairs were costly and difficult due to the elevation of the path, including the need for helicopters and specialist alpinists.
Yet in June 2011, despite (at that time) Spain’s faltering economic circumstances, the governments of Andalusia and Malaga agreed that preserving this part of history was worth the €9 million price tag. The extensive project took several years to complete, but the Caminito del Rey was successfully reopened earlier this year and has already been showcased by Lonely Planet as one of the best new attractions for 2015.
The dizzying path, which is just one metre wide, was originally built to enable workers at the hydroelectric power plants at Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls to cross between the two. When King Alfonso XIII walked the pathway in 1921, it gained its current name, which means ‘the King’s little pathway.’
Marc Pritchard, Sales and Marketing Director of leading Spanish homebuilder Taylor Wimpey Espana, was one of those eagerly awaiting the Caminito del Rey’s reopening. He comments,
“There’s so much more to the Costa del Sol than one at first realises. It’s not just about sunshine and beaches – though of course it has both of those in abundance! There are also plenty of fascinating cultural and historical attractions here. So many in fact that visitors are often taken aback by how much there is to do. Several of our second home owners have seen exploring more of the area’s attractions as one of their key reasons for buying in the Costa del Sol.”
La Floresta Sur, in Elviria, close to Marbella, is an ideal base for getting to know the Costa del Sol. The spacious, open plan apartments are available from just €192,000 for two bedrooms, with owners able to enjoy the two large communal swimming pools and pretty, landscaped grounds. Large terraces with sweeping views are perfect for appreciating the area’s gorgeous scenery, from the scented forest of oaks and pines to the dazzling shimmer of the sea.
For more information, visit taylorwimpeyspain.com.
