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What is the Coastal Path

What is the Coastal Path

The Málaga Coastal Path (Senda Litoral de Málaga) in the Province of Málaga is a Project run by the County Council, and it involves fourteen coastal municipalities, the administrative unions of coastal towns, the Andalusian Government’s Department of the Environment and Territory Planning, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment for the Coast and Sea. This project is meant to connect Manilva and Nerja by means of a long path (between 160 and 180 km long) that goes along the entire coast.

This trail, which has already been used at some of its 167 stretches, is going to link some already existing infrastructures, such as walkways, bridges, lines and paths, and it will provide some new connecting structures made in cooperation with corresponding administrative bodies.

This is only estimated information based on studies and projects, as the Coastal Path is still being developed by different bodies. Therefore, the data could change after the works have been completed.

 

Senda Litoral de Málaga

 

Around 80% of the Coastal Path opened for hikers…

Around 80% of the trails that belong to the Coastal Path have already been opened for hikers since the beginning of November. Some old structures have been used for this purpose. Therefore, the following actions of the projects include works on 20% of the path. This is a long-term project, as it is planned to be carried out in five-year period of time. It is bound to come to some obstacles, considering that connecting some parts of this coastal land can be a rather difficult task. For instance, it is much more difficult to link Nerja with Torrox, due to many cliffs that can be found on the way, than to make the beaches of Mijas and Marbella longer, as this land is flat. This is why it is essential to establish a good cooperation between different public bodies.

The Coastal Path is an important tourist supply because it will actually be possible to go from Nerja to Manilva along the coast, and this brings many marketing and business opportunities for local entrepreneurs, hotels and restaurants sector, as well as for sports and active tourism industry.

This project goes hand in hand with the Great Málaga Path (GMP or GSM), a circular route which stretches along paths and ways throughout the entire province and has already become a symbol of active tourism. These two trails share some of their stages, like Stage 1 of the great Málaga Path, from Málaga to Rincón de la Victoria, and Stage 30, which goes from Estepona to Marbella.

Moreover, the Coastal Path will help offering the Costa del Sol as a unique tourism supply which includes the entire province, from the east to the west. Truly, very often people divide it into the south and west coast, but this separation is only geographical, as the brand refers to both of them as a part of the province.

 

Different grade of difficulties in connecting the stretches

There are three different grades of a so-called continuous path, or different grades of difficulty to connect the stretches. Therefore the grade of the continuous path is high if the stretches are easy to connect, such as seafronts, cycle lanes, paths, footpaths, pavements, crossings or bridges over the rivers which flow into the sea. This kind of the way makes 73% of the entire trail.

The grade is medium in the case of 15% of the trail. These parts cannot be walked along but can be adapted after some minor investments. These are beaches, areas which have not been built-up, narrow paths and parts of seafronts which are disconnected.

Finally, the low grade of continuous path involves 12% of the trail. These stretches are not passable because they need to be adapted and require high administrative and financial support. They also imply high level of technical difficulty. This group of stretches consists of roads on cliffs, narrow hard shoulders, rivers mouths without bridges, and areas with buildings, hotels, bars and restaurants.

 

Great environmental and heritage importance

As for the ground, a survey done on the stretch which is to be covered by the Coastal Path revels that more than a half of it (56%) is going to be wider than four metres; 21% is planned to be between 2.5 and 4 metres wide; 22% of the path is to be narrower than 2.5 metres and 1% is still not passable. Moreover, only 6% of the path includes cycle lanes at the moment.

This way the path along the coast will allow visitors to approach landscapes of great environmental value, which are scattered around our towns and make the coast more attractive. The following ones are some of these places: Cantales de La Araña, Peñón del Cuervo Rock, Punta Chullera Headland and its beach in Manilva, Artola Dunes, the Vélez Delta, the mouth of the Guadalhorce, and the rocky land between the beach of Calahonda and Calaburras in Mijas. Moreover, people will be able to admire forty-two watchtowers along the coast of Málaga and the Phoenician ruins in Vélez Málaga.

Lastly, there is to mention another basic feature of the Coastal Path Project, which is its contribution to the environment, something that goes hand in hand with its importance for tourism and gives it some added value. This is planned to be a sport infrastructure and it will be certified as a long-distance path, once the works have been completed.