Like Patti in my latest novel, The Old Gals’ Bucket List, I have a big fear of heights. I can manage a small step ladder and am okay looking over a balcony providing there are high barriers and I look ahead not down, but sheer drops terrify me. The roads over here in Spain are notorious for going from a wide, flat road to suddenly changing into a narrow mountain track without any warning. Luckily, I’m not the driver so usually cover my eyes and repeatedly ask ‘are we on the level yet’.  So when a group of friends suggested that we all do the famous Caminita del Rey walk my first reaction was ‘No Way!’ The photos alone were enough to put me off. El Caminito del Rey – The King’s Little Path– is a walkway high up on the steep cliff face of a gorge in El Chorro as you can see in the photo below. It’s become a major thing on people’s bucket lists to tick off .

Built in the early twentieth century as a crude access route for the workers at the hydroelectric power plants either side of the gorge, it was known as the ‘world’s most dangerous walkway’ and there have been many deaths crossing it.

After doing some research and learning that it had now been renovated and was considered very safe, and even children over eight can do the walk, my husband Dave said he fancied going so I plucked up the courage to join them all.  We all had to wear hard hats – I tried not to let my imagination work overtime fearing that big boulders would drop on us any minute – and we set off. As you can see by the photo below I started off clinging to the handrail along the cliff face for the first half an hour or so, way behind everyone else, who all kept stopping to check on me.

It’s a long walk, about 2-3 hours and finally, I got more confident and let go of the rail and picked up my pace.

The views were spectacular. Not that I was brave enough to get too close to the edge, but I did have a few peeps and it really did take your breath away. I have to confess that I didn’t take these photos, Dave did. There was no way I was getting that close to the edge!

When you do something you’re scared of in the company of others, it gives you more confidence, and the banter between you can be a distraction so I found myself relaxing and even eventually enjoying it.

When Dave stood on the glass platform and didn’t fall through I very bravely did it too, only for long enough to have a photo taken! You can see by my face that I’m terrified. And goodness knows why my hat is so askew.

                                                                                 

The last – and worst hurdle – was the dreaded suspension bridge, which we had to cross to go to the other side, where we caught the train to take us back. I was the last one to cross it and as I stood on the edge peering down I seriously wondered if I could manage it. But everyone else had done it, and there was no way I was going to walk back alone. So I gingerly stepped on it, clutching tightly onto the sides. I can’t tell you how relieved I was to get to the other side!

I’m proud of myself for conquering my fear and doing the Caminito del Rey, and would actually do it again. I don’t know it it’s helped me conquer my fear of heights though, I’ve still got my hands over my eyes whenever we turn up into a mountain road!