Conquering the Mediterranean Steps Gibraltar🇬🇮

This has been on my bucket list so to speak for a long time and I finally hiked up the Mediterranean Steps from the bottom to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar. It was a very hot day and not the ideal conditions to be undertaking such a challenging walk, but I managed to complete in about and hour and a half taking many rest stops along the way. This is a moderately difficult route and I would definitely advise taking lots of water, especially in hot weather, and wear comfortable shoes or like me running trainers , it can get a bit loose under foot and some of the paths are very close to sheer drops and cliff edges. To be honest I underestimated the challenge ahead of me, but I took some lunch and had regular breaks to take in the beautiful scenery, it really is a great walk and I had a great day , when I reached the top I was really happy to have finally achieved it. Some Information And History- The Mediterranean Steps is a path and nature trail in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. One of the footpaths in Gibraltar, it’s located entirely within the Upper Rock Nature Reserve and was built by the British military but is now used by civilians as a pedestrian route linking Martins Path to Lord Airey’s Battery (1300ft) up, near the summit of the Rock of Gibraltar. The path offers views of the Strait of Gibraltar, Morocco, Gibraltar’s east side beaches ,the Mediterranean Sea and the Spanish Costa Del Sol. The steps zig-zag up the Rock from the end of St Martin’s Path to near the summit. Martin’s Path starts on the south western slopes of the Rock gently above the derelict Levant Battery near Jews Gate Cemetery and proceeds to its first bend as the path turns to the east side of the Rock and joins the Mediterranean Steps. Martin’s Path actually continues onwards to Martin’s Cave but the way is prohibited and a locked gate protects the cave. Goats Hair Twin Caves can be seen along the way. These caves show evidence of when they were sea caves and the level of the sea was dramatically higher. These are amongst a number of caves in Gibraltar which have given evidence of prehistoric human habitation. The path then leads up to a derelict pre-war tunnel and pumping station, once an operational old fresh water pumping station which collected rain water via the geologically modified slopes above. The trail then continues onwards up a short path to a viewing platform and continues up the Rock to the twin batteries on the Rock’s upper ridge. The path emerges at what was the location of O’Hara’s Tower which was a watchtower built in an attempt to observe shipping in the port of Cádiz. It proved to be useless and lightning eventually created a ruin that was later destroyed in target practice. Opening times- May-September 9.30am-7.00pm October-April 9.00am-6.00pm Admission prices- Included in Nature Reserve Fee