Quick Trip to Gibraltar

The Rock of Gibraltar

We had planned to drive from Grazalema down the coast to see some beautiful cliffs and beaches. As we approached Marbella, it became clear that we would mainly see highway and it was very congested. So, a beach stop was unlikely. 

We could see the Rock of Gibraltar barely through the sea mist

Since the day was going so well and we were feeling adventurous, we decided on a whim to go to Gibraltar. Why not? About a two-hour loop that would add a new country to our "have visited" list (makes 32 countries for me plus four I have transited through but not visited).

On our way

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory populated by almost 30,000 people in just 2.6 sq. miles. It is also a popular tourist site, so the traffic is crazy, especially at the border.

Not a pretty border crossing

Separated from Spain in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession, Gibraltar was ceded to Britain "in perpetuity" in 1713. Spain still asserts a claim to the territory (probably why there even is a border), but Gibraltarians overwhelmingly rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in 1967 and again in 2002. 

Located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, Gibraltar surrounded by the Mediterranean with no contact with the Atlantic Ocean. It is known for the Rock of Gibraltar, a monolithic limestone promontory 1,398 ft. above the ocean. The Rock was one of the Pillars of Hercules, the other being Mons Abyla on the African side of the strait it guards. Yes, you can see Africa from there.

Africa in the distance

Evidence of Neanderthal habitation in Gibraltar between 28,000 and 24,000 BC has been discovered at Gorham's Cave, making Gibraltar the last known holdout of the Neanderthals. Within recorded history, it has been inhabited by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Visigoths, Muslims, Spaniards, British and Gibraltarians.

A key base for the British Royal Navy, Gibraltar played an important role prior to the Battle of Trafalgar, during the Crimean War and on the sea route between the UK and the British Empire east of Suez. During World War II, Gibraltar's civilian population was evacuated and the Rock of Gibraltar was strengthened as a fortress. In the 1950s, Franco renewed Spain's claim to sovereignty over Gibraltar and restricted movement between Gibraltar and Spain. When Gibraltarians rejected Spanish rule in 1967, Spain closed the border and severed all communication. The border was reopened partially in 1982 and fully in 1985.

Steep rock wall

There is a Moorish Castle, built in 711 A.D., is a relic of Moorish occupation, which lasted for 710 years. The principal remaining building is the Tower of Homage, a massive building of brick and a very hard concrete called tapia. The upper part of the tower housed the former occupants' living apartments and a Moorish bath.

Moorish castle

The Rock has a system of underground passages, known as the Great Siege Tunnels. The first was dug towards the end of the Great Siege of Gibraltar, which lasted from 1779 to 1783. There was no intention at first of making embrasures (small openings in a parapet of a fortified building, splayed on the inside) in this tunnel, but they were necessary for ventilation and made a good place to mount guns. By the end of the siege, the British had constructed six embrasures and mounted four guns. 

You can see them above you

We drove through the snarl of border traffic and, without a plan, somehow found some less traveled roads and circumvented the Rock, traveling past a waterfall and some views of Africa ...

Two sides of the same parking lot; Left photo: Scott Stevens

Then, we drove through a tunnel ...

Dark and creepy

We opted not to drive to the top because we really wanted to make it to Granada before dark.

After the drive, we passed back through the border and stopped for a few pictures from Mala Bahia, a beach on the Spanish side.

Beach view

The whole area is a bit rundown and filled with warehouses, communications towers, fences and some rather unattractive buildings. I guess the only really good photos of the Rock are taken from the water or use a lot of Photoshop.

Waste of nice scenery; Photo: Scott Stevens

I am not sure it was really worth it for a "drive-by," but at least we can say we've been there.

Trip date: April 25-May 15, 2015