Welcome to the Rudloe and environs website.
Here you will find news, articles and photos of an area that straddles the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in north-west Wiltshire.
Contributions in the form of articles or photos are welcome. Even those with completely contrary views to mine!
Thanks to the website builder 1&1 and Rob Brown for the original idea.
Rudloescene now, in January 2014, has a sister, academic rather than anarchic, website about Box history here: http://www.boxpeopleandplaces.co.uk/
It contains thoroughly professional, well-researched articles about Box and its people.
Contact rudloescene through the 'Contact' page.
Caminito del Rey (Caminito del Rey) - February 2020. El Caminito del Rey (The King's Little Path) is a walkway along the walls of a narrow gorge in El Chorro near Ardales, north of Malaga. It has been known in the past as the 'world's most dangerous walkway' following five deaths in 1999 and 2000. The walkway was built to provide workers at the hydroelectric plants plants at Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls with a means to cross between them, to provide for transport of materials and to help facilitate inspection and maintenance of the channel. Construction began in 1901 and was finished in 1905. King Alfonso XIII crossed the walkway in 1921 for the inauguration of the dam Conde del Guadalhorce, and it became known by its present name. The walkway is 1 metre wide and rises over 100 metres above the river below.
One of the peaks of the Baetic Cordillera close to El Chorro to the east of the Caminito del Rey (see maps/legends below)
A wider view of the peaks of the Baetic Cordillera close to El Chorro
Vultures take advantage of the thermals surrounding the mountains and gorges
The more commonly-known Sierra Nevada range forms part of the Baetic Cordillera
The Caminito del Rey traverses a gorge of the Guadalhorce river which can be seen here. The tunnel entrance in the mountainside is for the Malaga-Seville railway line.
The Guadalhorce river has, over time, cut a deep gorge in the mountain
The walkway doesn't appear to be quite so precipitous in this view but it is still quite some way to the river below
Probably a RENFE class 120/121 heading towards Malaga. Incredibly these trains can switch gauges (Spain has 3 principal gauges) whilst running.
The old obreros' (workmen's) walkway may still be seen running below the new one
The old walkway is seen here running beneath the new one
A zoomed view of the walkways and the walkers
The walkways, a railway viaduct built into the mountain, the river below and (more than) an indication of the mountain structure (sedimentary limestone uplifted and skewed through 90 degrees)
The extended family stops for a 'gorgeous' (ho ho) group shot
The old walkway branches across the gorge and another, smaller railway viaduct is seen cutting through the uplifted, sedimentary layers
Now we cross to the other side of the gorge. The sedimentary layering can clearly be seen here.
The walkway emerges from the gorges to overlook the Embalse (reservoir) Tajo de la Encantada close to El Chorro
The gorge can barely be seen here - the walkway emerges from it then follows the southern face of the mountain and crosses the railway tunnel entrance to a track which leads to El Chorro and its railway station
Embalse Tajo de la Encantada (reservoir) with its electricity generating 'station' - the dam (with turbines presumably) is situated a few hundred metres to the south (behind the tree)
El Chorro II (there was a 'I' apparently) railway station. I waited in vain for a train to complete the picture. This is the Malaga-Seville line.
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