Mediterranean Steps is a path and
nature trail
An educational trail (or sometimes educational path), nature trail or nature walk is a specially developed hiking trail or footpath that runs through the countryside, along which there are marked stations or stops next to points of natural, techn ...
in the
British Overseas Territory of
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
. One of the
footpaths of Gibraltar
The footpaths of Gibraltar provide access to key areas of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, a refuge for hundreds of species of flora and fauna which in some cases are found nowhere else in Europe. The reserve occupies the upper part of the Rock o ...
, the path is 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
Martin's Path to
Lord Airey's Battery near the summit of
Rock of Gibraltar. The path offers views over the
Strait of Gibraltar,
Windmill Hill,
Europa Point
Europa Point (Spanish and Llanito: Punta de Europa or Punta Europa), is the southernmost point of Gibraltar (the southernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula being Punta de Tarifa 25 km southwest of Gibraltar). At the end of the Rock of Gibral ...
, the
Great Sand Dune, Gibraltar's east side beaches, the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
and the Spanish
Costa del Sol.
History
The Mediterranean Steps were built as part of the military communications system built by the British to allow access to their various defence posts
[ at the southern end of the Rock. At the highest point of the steps are the two 9.2 inch guns of Lord Airey's Battery and O'Hara's Battery. Other gun emplacements and ancillary buildings dating back to ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
are evident along the route.[ by the Bonita Trust, the Government of Gibraltar and the ]Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society
The Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society (''GONHS''), founded in 1976, is a non-governmental, membership-based organisation committed to research into and conservation of nature in Gibraltar and the Campo de Gibraltar, region of the ...
.
Route
The steps zig-zag up the Rock from the end of 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
Levant Battery is an artillery battery in the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is located on Windmill Hill, Gibraltar, Windmill Hill, at the southern end of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, below observation ...
near Jews' Gate Cemetery and proceeds to its first bend as the path turns to the east side of the Rock where it joins Mediterranean Steps. Martin's Path actually continues onwards to Martin's Cave but the way is prohibited and a locked gate protects the cave.[
The route is entirely within the Upper Rock Nature Reserve and the Goat's Hair Twin Caves can be seen on the way. These caves show evidence of when they were ]sea cave
A sea cave, also known as a littoral cave, is a type of cave formed primarily by the wave action of the sea. The primary process involved is erosion. Sea caves are found throughout the world, actively forming along present coastlines and as relic ...
s 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 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. These slopes extend towards the top of the Rock (O'Hara's battery).[ The path emerges at what was the location of O'Hara's Tower ( O'Hara's Folly)]watchtower
A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...
built in an attempt to observe shipping in the port of Cádiz
Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia.
Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...
. It proved to be useless and lightning eventually created a ruin that was later destroyed in target practice.
References
:This article contains text fro
Discover-Gibraltar.com
External links
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{{Streets in Gibraltar
Paths of Gibraltar