Caminito del Rey: walkways, a suspension bridge and lunch in El Chorro.

The Caminito del Rey is walked in one direction and ends far from where it begins. This plan solves that: the car in the north, the route downhill in the morning, lunch in El Chorro, where it ends, and a shuttle back to the car. Buy your ticket beforehand at caminitodelrey.info, the only official website, and choose the 10:00 slot.

The day, hour by hour

8:00 · Set off. From Málaga, an hour on the A-357 towards Ardales, following the Caminito signs. From Córdoba or Granada, a little under two hours on the A-45 or the A-92 and Antequera. Park at the Visitor Reception Centre, at the Atalayas pass: €2 a day.

9:00 · Approach. From the car park to the access control there are two paths: the Senda de Gaitanejo, 2.7 km and about 50 minutes, or the tunnel and track, 1.5 km and 20 to 25 minutes. You must be at the entrance 30 minutes before your time.

10:00 · The Caminito del Rey. They give you a helmet at the checkpoint and you start to descend: the Gaitanejo gorge, the Hoyo valley and the third canyon, with the suspension bridge of about 35 m more than a hundred metres above the river. It is 8 km and three to four hours. There are no toilets or bins along the way.

13:30 · Lunch at La Garganta. On the way out, in the El Chorro hamlet, you hand back the helmet and cross to La Garganta restaurant: suckling kid, gazpachuelo or Iberian secreto, with a terrace over the gorge. The kitchen does not close at midday, so it does not matter what time you finish.

15:30 · Shuttle. The bus takes you up in 15 to 20 minutes to the El Kiosko stop, next to the north car park. €2.50; the driver does not accept cards.

16:00 · Reservoirs. Before heading back, a walk to the Conde de Guadalhorce dam and the Sillón del Rey, with the green water among the pines.

17:00 · Head home.

Where and what to eat

La Garganta, in El Chorro, has a kitchen from 12:00 to 22:30 and a terrace over the gorge: Málaga suckling kid and grandmother's tart. If you prefer to eat in the north, when you collect the car, El Kiosko serves tapas, raciones and home-cooked stews beside the reservoir.

With children and with a dog

From age 8, with the ID card or the original family record book. Below that, one of the adults stays at the reservoir with the little ones: the two-hour kayak leaves from the Parque Ardales campsite. Dogs are not allowed on the Caminito; on the dam walk they can go on a lead.