It is illegal to stay in your motorhome overnight in Gibraltar. The closest place to stay is the marina at La Linea which is about a 10 minute walk into Gibraltar.
A lot of people park in La Linea and then walk over the border. Once you are over the border you can get a bus to take you across the runway and into Gibraltar. We couldn’t find our English money in the motorhome, we have obviously put it away in a safe place so we had no money to get the bus we had read that only a few places will accept euros. We found that in fact most places you can use euros including the buses.
It was a very strange feeling walking across the runway. Colin even managed to take a sunset picture one evening as we were returning on the bus!
The first day we just wanted to get our bearings so we had a wander along Main Street which is where all the shops are. All the shops are duty free so there was an abundance of sunglasses shops, camera shops and fags & booze shops. It was very strange to see a Marks and Spencers, Debenhams and several other brands that we associate with home. It all seemed very bizarre and felt like being back in England.
The next day we decided to tour the island and see what the island had to offer. Whenever, you speak to anyone about Gibraltar the topic is usually the rock and the monkey’s. We got a day ticket for the buses and headed off to the furthest point south, Europa Point.
The lighthouse is the only one outside the UK regulated by Trinity House. It dates back to 1841 and stands 49 metres above sea level with a range of 37 km’s.
There’s quite a bit to see in this area. Close by is a memorial dedicated to General Wladyslaw Sikorski, the commander in Chief of the Polish Army and Prime Minister of Poland in exile who was killed in an air crash on 4 July 1943.
In 1997 a mosque was built here to cater for the Muslim population of Gibraltar, most of them originating from Morocco.
The main attraction is The Rock, which is also the home of Barbary Macaque. The monkeys were originally from the Atlas mountains in Morocco and these monkeys are the only wild monkey population on the European continent. The monkeys are tailless, so a lot of people think they are actually apes which is incorrect. There is approx. 300 monkeys in five troops that live on the upper rock area.
We decided to take the cable car up the rock which only takes 6 minutes. The views were stunning from the top.
It was a glorious day and it only took a few minutes for us to be greeted by the famous Barbary Macaque monkeys.
These monkeys are known for being a little bit naughty and it took one about 5 seconds to jump on Colin’s back, undo the rucksack and run off with Colin’s camera lens. It sat on the edge and we were both praying it would let it go gently so it didn’t break. After what seemed a lifetime it realised there was no food and to Colin’s relief let go of it.
We watched the Six Nations England vs Wales in one of the bars in Marina Village and then went to have a Wagamama’s.
We drove the motorhome across on the final day to fill up with diesel. Unfortuantely we only needed half a tank because at 92 pence per gallon it is cheap! We also wanted to get some shopping from Morrisons too. On our way back the barriers came down and we saw a British Airways plane making its way down the runway. What a strange sight to see! As soon as it took off the barriers lifted and we were free to cross the runway.
So there is plenty to see and do in Gibraltar and we have left somethings to do in the future. The caves are definitely on the list!
