Ronda still holds out hope for walkway at base of its famous 'El Tajo' gorge

2016-08-15 09:00:00

Perhaps with an eye on the amount of tourists visiting the successful ‘El Caminito del Rey’ walkway in the nearby Guadalhorce valley, councillors in Ronda continue to keep plans alive for their own scenic path at the base of the famous ‘El Tajo’ gorge, which runs through the middle of their town.
In a meeting with Ronda’s mayor, Teresa Valdenebro, this week, the President of the Diputación (Malaga provincial council), Elias Bendodo, restated his commitment to funding the project once delays, caused by the Junta regional government’s request for extra reports, were overcome.
Ronda’s own plan for a specially-constructed path over 300 metres long along the river in the gorge was approved by the council before the last municipal elections. Half a million visitors a year are expected to use the path, which would give stiking alternative views upwards to the town’s landmark ‘Puente Nuevo’ bridge over the gorge.
The Diputación had given 300,000 euros to start the works and the regional rivers authority had also given approval. However the town hall was forced to return the money when the set period to spend it ran out, as the Junta asked for an extra study on the environmental impact of the walkway and changes to the plan. These included using wood instead of metal to build the support for the path. The missing report is due to be ready in October, the mayor told reporters.source surinenglish