Port & Destinations Issue 7

12 BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE GIBRALTAR MINISTRY FOR BUSINESS, TOURISM AND THE PORT
BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE GIBRALTAR MINISTRY FOR BUSINESS, TOURISM AND THE PORT
13
The Skywalk is the newest
attraction on the Rock.
All pictures this page: gibraltar.gov
WHAT TO SEE ON THE ROCK
In the Upper Rock Nature Reserve
(admission: £18 adults, £12 children aged three to 11)
Mediterranean Steps
Strap on the walking shoes because this
is a testing hike that follows a rocky path
along the face of the Rock and then climbs
steeply upwards, but rewards all the puffing
and panting with great views over the
Mediterranean and North Africa. The path
starts 180 metres above sea level and climbs
to 246 metres.
Great Siege and World War
Two Tunnels
In 1779, as the British were busy fighting the
American War of Independence, the Spanish
decided to take Gibraltar and so the Great
Siege began – and so did the digging. The
tunnels – 370 feet into the Rock by the time
the Siege ended in 1783 - gave the British
a prime position from which to fire on the
Spanish (and the French, who joined the fight
in 1782). During the Second World War, the
British dug another 34 miles of tunnels in
the Rock where the 16,000-strong garrison
stationed in Gibraltar could be housed with
enough food to last 16 months (civilians were
evacuated at the outbreak of the war).
Did
you know?
Be honest. What are the first things you think
about when someone mentions Gibraltar?
Cheap drink and cigarettes? Marks & Spencer?
Neither answer is wrong – alcohol and
cigarettes are much cheaper than in the UK
and there is a branch of M&S on the high
street – but there is a lot more to this British
enclave in the sun.
For one thing, you might have noticed its
massive rock. It rises almost 1,400 feet in the
air – the height of nine Nelson’s Columns –
and takes up most of the tiny peninsula on
which the territory sits and which will forever
be the symbol of Gibraltar.
If it could but talk, what stories that Rock
would tell. Of the Moors who landed in 711 on
their way to conquer Spain, of the British who
took control in 1704 to guard the entrance to
the Mediterranean, of the tunnels excavated
over the centuries to keep out invaders, of
the Barbary monkeys that live on the rock.
No one knows how they got there (we can
probably dismiss the idea that it was a tunnel
from North Africa, which is just 24 km over
the Straits of Gibraltar) but according
to legend, if they ever leave, the
Rock will cease to be British.
Spain would love that –
Gibraltar is joined to the
Iberian Peninsula and
the Spanish have tried
several times to take
it, including during the
Great Siege of 1779-
1783 - but with a thriving
population of 200 or so
macaques, that doesn’t look
likely to happen.
Gibraltar is barely the size of a
small town (and that’s after considerable land
reclamation), which is both a blessing and a
curse for cruisers.
Did
you know?
English is the official language
of Gibraltar but locals also
speak Llanito, which is a mix
of Spanish and English
words, often in the same
sentence.
On the one hand, as it doesn’t take long to
get anywhere, they can pack a lot into a day
ashore. On the other, having 3,000 or more
extra people in such a small area
(that assumes one large ship in
any one day but there will
be two in at once several
times this year) is a
challenge, especially
as the rock is the
main attraction and
the road up is narrow
and winding so large
coaches are out of the
question.
Visitors can get there by
taxi or cable car from the town
centre (or they can walk up if feeling
really energetic), but there are just two cable
cars, each with capacity for 40-50 people.
Gibraltar’s tourism minister, Vijay Daryanani,
who also looks
after business
and the port,
says a private
sector project to
increase capacity
has been approved and
bigger cars should be in place
in two to three years.
It’s easy to spend a whole day exploring
the Upper Rock Nature Reserve (see right)
but as Daryanani points out, Gibraltar has
much more, including dolphin-watching
tours, museums, lovely beaches, a botanic
garden, even a small zoo. Cruisers can
explore the historic old town, go gin tasting,
refuel in any number of restaurants and
bars both in town and on the harbour front
(cuisine has a decidedly Spanish flavour and
is great value), and of course shop for those
tax-free bargains.
Cruise ships docked in
Gibraltar are allowed
to open their casinos
after 6pm.
St Michael’s Cave
This is the top attraction in the nature reserve
for good reason. The cavern is spectacular -
vast and filled with centuries-old stalagmites
and stalactites. Look out for ‘the angel’ and
the huge part of a stalactite that lies where it
fell thousands of years ago. Walk deeper into
the cavern and you come to the Cathedral
Cave, a massive auditorium with a stage and
seating for up to 600 people that is used
for classical concerts (Azamara has hosted
AzAmazing Evenings here) and shows.
Comedian Dara O’Briain is due to perform
there in October. A sound-and-light show, The
Awakening, runs every 20 minutes.
Windsor Suspension Bridge
Opened in 2016, the bridge is 75 metres long
(the length of 7.5 London buses), spans a
50-metre deep gorge and sways as you walk
over it. For those who dare to look, the views
from the middle are fabulous. It forms part of
an extensive network of footpaths hikers can
enjoy on the Rock. Luckily for those who don’t
have a head for heights, there is a solid path
around the side.
Skywalk
Star Wars’ Luke Skywalker, aka the actor Mark
Hamill, opened the Skywalk at the top of the
Rock in March 2018. It doesn’t sway but it does
have a glass floor with views all the way down
to sea level.
MAY 2023 | STOWAWAY MEDIA
PORTS & DESTINATIONS