I had a wild time monkeying around on my first trip to Gibraltar – it was stunning

THERE are more miles of pathways through Gibraltar’s rock than there are roads in the territory.

But one thing’s for sure, all routes should lead to this stunning corner of the world that’s now just a stone’s throw from Scotland.

10

10

10

10

Sean Connery loved this place so much he got married here — twice. The St Andrew’s Church dating back to 1853 where he wed both times has now, sadly, closed down.

But Gibraltar is opening up even more thanks to an easyJet flight that takes just over three hours from Edinburgh.

Pretty much every plod you take around this small strip of land has you following in the footsteps of history and combat.

It has been in British hands since 1704 and the people are very proud of that.

But its position next to Spain and just a few miles across the water from Morocco has made it an attractive asset to many an outsider.

It’s part of the reason there are now over 200 tunnels within The Rock. At times it feels like there’s a whole other city hidden under that craggy top.

Spain made an unsuccessful attack during the Great Siege in 1779.
During that time primitive tools like pick axes were used to excavate a tunnel which served as part of the defence system overseen by British Governor General Augustus Elliot.

His successful leadership is marked all around Gibraltar, including the hotel where we stayed which bears his name.

Vast airy rooms decorated in a charming and classy style with a giant walk-in shower are befitting of its notable moniker.

Incredibly 34 more miles of networks were later drilled through the rock in preparation to counter Hitler’s Operation Felix plans to invade Gibraltar during World War Two.

It costs just £16 to get access to both of these areas, as well as the glass-floored Skywalk looking out across the Alboran Sea. That ticket also gives entry into St Michael’s Cave.

In the 1700s over 500 Spanish soldiers hid in the vast natural opening as they prepared to strike.

But today it boasts a 600-seater auditorium which has hosted the likes of Jimmy Carr and Sarah Millican. A brilliant light show helps highlight it in all its glory.

10

10

10

10

Earlier that day we’d scaled the mountain in one of the gondolas then after taking in the breathtaking views a brilliant creamy beetroot risotto was on the menu at the Mons Calpe Suite.

On our way we’d had our first encounters with the monkeys — the Barbary Macaques — that really bring the place to life.

They’re inquisitive so and sos and will make a grab for your bag if you’re not careful so hold on tight.

They don’t ever seem fazed by their visitors — but they aren’t the only animals that wow you in the territory.

The previous day we’d gone to Ocean Village for an unforgettable dolphin watching experience.

Just a short distance out of the bay it felt like these fun loving creatures were everywhere you looked.

It was as if they knew the drill as they came up to the boat and leapt through the waters in unison. We were back on dry land inside an hour but we’d been treated to a real show.

The irony is the area we stepped back onto as we got off the boat used to be the sea.

You wouldn’t know it but it was reclaimed and developed into the hustling and bustling modern areas we see today.

Gibraltar was an altogether different place as it headed into the 1970s.

In his fury, Spain’s dictator Franco closed the area between the two places known as the frontier in 1969 after another doomed bid to prise the territory away.

It was an attempt to strangle them into bowing down but as has so often been the case with the people here it galvanised them into finding other ways to survive.

Morocco had once ruled here, with original underground baths still visible in the Gibraltar museum today.

A link with the country saw food and workers transported in by sea until things began to ease in 1982.

Happily you can now cross back into Spain today, although passports must be shown as both sides try to come up with a better defined post-Brexit solution.

Heading back inland we took a walk around the vast Alameda Botanical Gardens and came across the dragon trees, so-called because their sap bleeds red.

Then we visited the Alameda Wildlife Park, which started out as a place to house confiscated animals discovered on arriving ships.

There were lemurs and parrots and all sorts of other creatures.
If you’re looking for all-round sun Gibraltar is also a destination to rival the Canaries.

10

10

There’s the gorgeous Catalan Bay flanked by the brightly coloured fishing village started by settlers from Genoa in Italy, Sunny Bay’s artificial beach made from imported Saharan sands or Eastern Beach next to the airport.

The runway was actually made using all the stones leftover from making those tunnels. The advantage of Gibraltar being so small is you can reach most places by foot but we jumped on ebikes from ebike Gibraltar and zipped along the west side.

We passed a stunning waterfall which looks impressive yet is actually salt water returning to the sea from a water desalination plant.

The cliff above is where the jeep came careering off at the start of Timothy Dalton’s opening James Bond scenes in The Living Daylights.

Food and drink options are well and truly alive in Gibraltar too.
There’s Monique’s and Rendezvous in the Queensway Quay marina, brilliant tapas at Chatham Counterguard duo Vault 13 and Chimney and fresh and fragrant Indian dishes at Little Bay.

The Queen Picturehouse and Eatery mixes culinary delights with short movies on the territory’s past and has plans to add walking tours too.

Spending is in pounds with no VAT so you can return home with some bargains too.

Something like a bottle of Spirit of the Rock gin. This is the only brewed alcohol in Gibraltar and is produced by enthusiastic Bristol native Peter.

He also runs informative tasting sessions on how the drink’s past has shaped the botanical flavours he now concocts.

Gibraltar is definitely a place worth giving a monkeys about.

We pay for your stories and videos! Do you have a story or video for The Scottish Sun? Email us at [email protected] or call 0141 420 5200