As Lee Marvin said in the film 'The Dirty Dozen', up until now it's all been a game.
This is the real start of the scary bit. There are a lot of photos in this entry, but just wiz through them, stopping if you feel interested. These photos are mostly for my benefit.
It's a long way down.
Into the narrow gorge.
The old path still exists but is under the new path which has wooden slats. The railing is quite high and it all feels sturdy.
You can see down between the slats but I didn't get any sense of vertigo.
There is approximately five km of scary walk.
Pitons hammered into the wall. You can hang onto the wire if you want to but I felt no need.
Birds soaring at the top of the gorge.
Some of the old path.
Looking back up the gorge. I found that it was relatively easy to stay clear of the groups of people.
It is absolutely magnificent.
You can see the old walk way under the new.
Occasionally you climb some stairs but mostly you descend.
If you stayed on the train you would travel at the top of the embankment. The view must be spectacular from the train.
A bridge crosses the gorge but we don't.
The bridge crosses over to the railway line.
Looking back.
I couldn't lean over because I found it too disturbing. I just stuck my camera out, pointed down and pushed the button. The wind didn't help either.
So finally you are off the walkway and it is back to a pleasant stroll along a path.
And then you turn a corner and you see what awaits you and it's even more scary.
Another rail bridge.
Roughly the half way point.
Occasionally next to the path is a channel that must have carried water at one time. Here the channel becomes the path.
Soon it is back onto the walkway.
Again you can see the old path underneath.
It's even higher up the cliff wall now. It really is a long way down.
But you keep plodding along.
Another rail bridge.
It actually is quite exhilarating to walk on the side of this enormously deep gorge.
This would have been a very good condition section of the old walkway.
A couple of the holes in the old path.
Looking back.
There is a little section made of glass where you look down but it's not clear enough to give a decent effect.
The rail bridge. I suppose if you are on the train you get a two second view.
If you watched the video, you saw him cross this bridge.
Fortunately I did not have groups stopping my progress. The path is only wide enough for two people and there are signs warning you not to get too close behind other people.
A really tiny rail bridge.
The path used to go this way but even the bloke with the head cam did not do this section.
He crossed over this slab.
Looking back.
Approaching the bridge.
This is what the head-cam bloke walked over. It appears to be a water pipe.
However now you cross over the steel bridge to the right. It takes a while to cross this bridge since so many couple stop to take selfies. Meanwhile it is very windy and the bridge bounces and sways a little.
Yes, you can see all the way down. There is no danger of falling off, but I felt uncomfortable hanging around for the selfie brigade.
I mentioned to my sister Clare that I did the walk today and she sent back a photo sent to her by a Norwegian friend who did the walk before it was fixed.
It was part of an Outward Bound trip and she was so scared, she cried a few times. I would have frozen with fear.
The railway line she was attempting to cross.
Looking back at the new bridge.
On I walked.
Looking back again.
This railway bridge was used a lot at the the end of the Von Ryan's Express film.
It's getting close to the end of the walk, you have come a long way, and now you have to climb these steps.
But now the end is in sight.
And there it is, the end. You have conquered Caminito del Rey. I was really pleased with myself.
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