Caminito del Rey

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telboy
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Caminito del Rey

Postby telboy » Wed Oct 26, 2016 11:50 am

Anybody done the Caminito del Rey walk more recently :?:

Their own website is not very clear :!:

It is stated that the total walk is 7.7km of which 4.8 are access paths and 2.9 are footbridges and 1.4 of forest track. It can be walked either from the North access (4 hours) or Soth access (5 hours).

My question is where do you park (and how much) for either route accesses :?: - and from the parking areas how far is it to the point where you either show your or obtain your pre-booked ticket :?:

Is there anything to do or see in the nearby town of Ardales :?:

terry

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costakid
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Re: Caminito del Rey

Postby costakid » Wed Oct 26, 2016 3:47 pm

Ardales and Alora are ok towns. We want to do the walk but I am told if you start at A and go to B there is no bus back to A to collect your car.
Can someone confirm this also.

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gerryh
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Re: Caminito del Rey

Postby gerryh » Wed Oct 26, 2016 5:32 pm

Unless it has changed recently all access is from the Northern end.
There is a shuttle bus in both directions so you can park either end.
Bus costs €1.55 if paid for at the time of booking, €1.95, I think, if bought on the bus.
Parking at the Northern end is €2 but there are free places, particularly at the Southern end, if you know where to look.
About a 30 mins walk from bus drop off or car park at the northern end to the access point.
You print out your access tickets after you have booked and before you arrive.
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Gerry
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Re: Caminito del Rey

Postby telboy » Wed Oct 26, 2016 7:37 pm

We've booked for mid November - I think they allow 50 persons per hour (400 per day) to use the pathway. We booked on-line and selected our date & time, but there was no info about which end we should start from, yes, the bus which runs back and forth every half hour is 1.55€.
gerryh wrote:You print out your access tickets after you have booked and before you arrive.
Gerry - On arrival I think we key our bank card number (with which we booked) into a ticket dispensing machine on site and the ticket is issued from there, I think they use a similar system for entrance to the Alhambra. When we booked last week via the official website, a booking/payment confirmation emailed to us but there was no bar code just a reference number - don't see the point in printing this out.

terry

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gerryh
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Re: Caminito del Rey

Postby gerryh » Wed Oct 26, 2016 7:59 pm

telboy wrote: Gerry - On arrival I think we key our bank card number (with which we booked) into a ticket dispensing machine on site and the ticket is issued from there,

terry
Not disbelieving you, so they have changed the system? Where did you find the information that they now have these machines?
Personally I would print out the "ticket" and take it with me. My ticket had a QR code, black and white squares in the top right corner.
This was scanned at the entry point.
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Gerry
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Re: Caminito del Rey

Postby Miro » Thu Oct 27, 2016 1:44 pm

Unless they've changed it again (I've heard nothing to suggest they have) you can only walk from North to South (Ardales to El Chorro). There's loads of free parking at El Chorro and you can take the bus up to the starting point by El Kiosko restaurant, or you can usually park for free near El Kiosko easily enough. Alternatively (and not advertised) if you drive up the track to El Mirador restaurant (on top of the short road tunnel) and keep going as far as you can, there's a free parking area, and then you can walk down the track beyond the barrier, to the ticket/access point. This is a shorter and less strenuous walk, although not as scenic as walking from El Kiosko, through the woods alongside the river. The bus back from El Chorro will drop you at the bottom of the track up to El Mirador if you ask the driver (request stop only).
Not a great deal to see in Ardales village, but had some excellent tapas at a cafe in the main square last time we were there.
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Re: Caminito del Rey

Postby bbobandannie » Thu Oct 27, 2016 4:13 pm

Agreed Miro, The tapas in the bar Milan is excellent. The guy wins all the local competitions and takes great pain to describe the days creations. I can confirm that all access is from the North and the good info re parking. There is usually plenty free spaces if you are willing to walk along the roadside to the start. A little secret is the spaces right behind the restaurant. you pass under a small tunnel and there are no restrictions. Usually plenty of places.

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Re: Caminito del Rey

Postby telboy » Sat Oct 29, 2016 3:20 pm

Gerry - Can't remember where I saw the information. As I said - I only assumed that it was similar to entrance to the Alhambra for those who had booked your tickets online, at the time we were given confimation plus a ref number which we used in conjunction with our bankers card and this was about 8 years ago.

We booked via the main website and had an confirmation email headed Información De Compra with the letterheaded logo for mientrada.net with the venue, the date and the zone, with also the entrance fee plus the return by bus fee and notification that I purchased 2 tickets. Other than this there is a reference number. There is no QR anywhere on this confirmation email.

We recently saw I concert in Seville (Jackson Browne & Raul Gonzalez) when we booked this online through a booking agency we received tickets immediately these had a QR code on two separate pages which we were requested to print out and show on entrance.

I think I better give the ticket agency a call next week to find out what's what :!:

Thanks all for your info :thumbup:

terry

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gerryh
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Re: Caminito del Rey

Postby gerryh » Sat Oct 29, 2016 3:58 pm

Unless they have changed the system isn't there attachments to the email?
One of the attachments is, or was when I booked, a PDF of the entrance tickets, for you to print out, which has the QR code on which they scanned at the entrance.
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Gerry
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Re: Caminito del Rey

Postby Miro » Sat Oct 29, 2016 4:55 pm

Telboy appears to have booked through an online booking agency rather than directly using the official website - so who knows how that works? Yes, Telboy, I would suggest you contact the agency for advice, and for anyone else wishing to book, I recommend you do so here: https://reservas.caminitodelrey.info/ja ... php?PAR=S& :wink:
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Re: Caminito del Rey

Postby gerryh » Sat Oct 29, 2016 5:17 pm

not sure how he booked.
First he says "We booked via the main website and had an confirmation email headed Información De Compra with the letterheaded logo for mientrada.net with the venue" which is the official website and then he says " I think I better give the ticket agency a call next week" which does suggest he booked through a booking agency.
Totally agree with you about booking direct through the official website.
I booked that way for a date in February and got an email the day before my booked visit to say it would be shut because of adverse weather conditions.So saved what would have been a wasted journey.
Not sure a booking agency would have emailed me.
Cheers
Gerry
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Re: Caminito del Rey

Postby Miro » Sat Oct 29, 2016 5:24 pm

Oh, I see. I looked at "mientrada" which appears to be a booking agency for various events & attractions, but I now see it does actually re-direct you to the same link I posted - so no idea. Sorry.
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

telboy
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Re: Caminito del Rey

Postby telboy » Thu Nov 03, 2016 11:16 am

Ticket problem sorted :!: :D

When I booked my tickets through official website for the Caminito del Rey I was redirected to a ticket agency Mientrada, the confirmation was automated and should have included PDFs for the tickets and regulations, in my case I got the email but no attachments.

Panic over :!: Just need to find out whether I can do it on my monocycle :!:

terry

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Re: Caminito del Rey

Postby quebin » Thu Nov 03, 2016 3:38 pm

Been done on a mountain bike!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48_eXcgpdeE


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