Most visitors to the Rock's many attractions, take the cable car from the Almeda Gardens (previously the Royal Navy Parade Ground) up to the Top Station. After a stroll along the Skywalk and a visit to the spectacular St Michael's Cave, many will walk back to town via the steep descent or use the cable car again. For reasons which are less obvious now than they were at the time, I decided to walk up via the Moorish Castle on the northern end and then continue on foot to the southern end. After over 20,000 steps, I'd covered the ground I wanted to, and in doing so had treated myself to a seriously impressive cardio-workout! There is much of interest - with extensive military fortifications and installations peppered on every peak, not to mention the extensive network of tunnels below.
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The Rock of Gibraltar - From the South |
To access the Gibraltar Nature Reserve, (which covers most of The Rock) it is necessary to buy a day-ticket. I bought mine at the entrance to the Moorish Castle. Parts of the castle date back to 1160 and over the ensuing six centuries the fortifications were extended and strengthened. The army of Queen Isabella of Spain kicked the Moors off the Rock in 1501. In 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, an Anglo-Dutch force captured Gibraltar and despite Spanish attempts to regain the territory, it has remained British ever since. There is not much of the Moorish Castle left now, a lot of what did remain, was destroyed during the 'Great Siege' (1779-1783) when the British successfully defended the territory against a series of ferocious attacks. Of the structures, hardware and fortifications still extant on The Rock most relates to the Great Siege or another, later, time of great jeopardy - the Second World War.
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Replica Spitfire Mk.11a P8394, 'Gibraltar' |
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Princess Caroline's Battery, Gibraltar |
I had hoped to visit what the tourist brochures describe as 'World War II Tunnels', however I only got as far as the first cavern before being told that the attraction was closed for major refurbishment work. It seems that a substantial revamp is underway and judging by the full-size replica Spitfire that has already been installed, the finished article should be impressive. No matter - there was plenty more to see and to be honest, I sort of prefer raw uninterpreted historic military installations!
Continuing up the the track which leads from Willis's Road, one comes across the Princess Caroline's Battery and Military Heritage Centre. The battery saw action during the Great Siege of Gibraltar but the current layout dates from 1905 when a 6-inch Mk VII gun was installed. In the armoury and accommodation blocks below there is a small museum containing various relics dating from the eighteenth century to the present day.
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Koehler Depressing Carriage in Casement Square |
The so-called 'Great Siege Tunnel' are astonishing. Part of this extensive network is open to the public and as one walks through the passageways a series of information panels tells of the drama of those four years. There are dozens of 19th Century era RML (Rifled Muzzle Loading) guns placed in the original gun positions, all pointing through apertures overlooking what is now Gibraltar Airport and the Spanish border beyond. Because of the angle of attack, a way had to be found of depressing the elevation of the guns on The Rock. The answer was 'the Koehler Depressing Carriage' - the example pictured above is surrounded by revellers at the 2024 Christmas Lights 'switch-on'.
Beyond the main gallery of the main 19th Century gallery, there is a long tunnel leading to a gun position in the cliff on the eastern side of the Rock. This is the Holyland Tunnel which was built by 34 Pioneer co. Royal Engineers in 1940. The video below gives a sense of the length. The position at the end of the tunnel was home to 4x3 Inch Mortars, 1x 2 Inch Mortar and 2 Bren Guns until 1944.
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Watch out for the Apes! |
Having explored the tunnels, a one and half hour walk (mostly uphill) leads to the Cable Car Top Station the skywalk and then on to the Rock's highest peak - O'Hara's battery at 426m. The battery was built on the site of an old watchtower in 1890 and is named after the (then) Governor of Gibraltar Charles O'Hara. The battery and the one nearby (Lord Airey's Battery) saw action during the Second World War and the massive 9.2 Inch Mark X BL (Breech Loading) Gun which is still there, was last fired during a training exercise in 1976. Part of the area is still in use by the military but it is possible to explore the chamber underneath, which houses an ammunition store and the mechanism for traversing the gun.
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9.2 Inch Mark X Gun - Lord Airey's Battery |
When exploring the Rock be careful of the famous apes though. They lurk around the spots where tourists tend to congregate and will scavenge at every opportunity. Get too close and they will pinch food from your rucksack or even take your mobile phone - to be returned in exchange for half a sandwich. I kept my distance! Don't be put-off a visit though, stay clear of them and they won't bother you.
This is the third and final Gibraltar battlefield walk. For 'Europa Point (1895-1945)' click
here and for 'HMS Victory in Rosia Bay (28 September 1805)' click
here.
For my full portfolio of Gibraltar photographs on Flickr, click
here.