I recently went on a day trip to Gibraltar whilst on holiday in Marbella (see my Costa del Sol opinion for information about Marbella itself!) I had heard a lot about Gibraltar and was intrigued to find out what it was like. For those who don’t know, Gibraltar is a tiny settlement which is actually part of Britain, however, it is tacked on to the South of Spain on the Mediterranean Coast, (which could explain what it is doing listed under “Spain” on Ciao)! It was originally a very important military installation and Naval base, as it is at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. It still has a strong Naval presence: the airport and much of Gibraltar itself are still owned by the military, however the Naval influence is no longer as important as it once was. Gibraltar itself still causes squabbles between Spain and Britain. Many Spanish people feel that it should be made part of Spain, but the British, and more importantly the people of Gibraltar, do not feel that this should be the case.

As a tourist, there are two main ways to access Gibraltar (excluding boat trips): firstly, by air. Between 1969 and 1985, this was the only way you could get into Gibraltar. The Spanish border was closed, and you could only gain access by flying from Britain, or by crossing from Spain to Africa and then back to Gibraltar. In 1985 these laws were relaxed and you can now cross the border from Spain once again, either by car or on foot. We ended up doing so by car. We had been told that there was a car park on the Spanish side where you could leave your car and walk across, but if there was it was not well-signposted as we didn’t manage to find it! Before we knew it we found ourselves in the traffic queue so decided to keep going! The Spanish town that you come to before the border is called “La Linia”. This is not somewhere I would recommend visiting. Although it has a beach, and when we visited there was also a circus and fairly permanent looking theme park, it seemed extremely bleak and very run down in places. We later learned that it has a severe Class A drug problem. We got a good look at La Linia, mainly due to the fact that the queue of cars waiting to cross the border took around three quarters of an hour to progress! Going back was a similar wait – although we were later told that this was moderate, and on some days, for example when the British have beaten Spain at football(!), the queue to get back into Spain can be anything up to 5 hours. This led us to believe that it is sheer awkwardness and pedantic searching of vehicles on the part of the Spanish officials which causes the long queues! Do be prepared to have your vehicle searched as they carry out random checks on around one in five of the cars crossing from Gibraltar into Spain.

Once in Gibraltar, we decided to park the car and go off and explore. The majority of people seemed to park in the car park belonging to the main shopping centre, but we found one (by chance!) just on the outskirts, called Queensway, which although shabby and uninviting, was extremely cheap, costing 40p an hour for the first two hours and 15p an hour thereafter. Worth remembering when driving in Gibraltar is that although it is part of Britain, most cars are still left hand drive and all drive on the right hand side of the road! Also, currency: again quite complicated! The main currency is Sterling, but be prepared to receive some coins and notes specific to Gibraltar in your change. In theory these should be accepted in mainland Britain when you get home, but I doubt that many retailers would be prepared to take them, so it is best to dispose of your loose change before you leave. Spanish Pesetas are also accepted by many establishments, but you may receive your change in Sterling.

Fortunately, Gibraltar redeemed itself in my eyes with the Rock. I am sure no one can fail to be aware that the main feature of the area is the Rock of Gibraltar (namesake of many British pubs!), which towers imposingly above you and is visible for some time on the approach through Spain. There are two ways of visiting the Rock, as private cars are not allowed on there. Firstly, the cable car. We didn’t choose this option, so I don’t have information on prices etc. but the only advantage I could see of this was that it takes you right to the top of the Rock, which I am sure would give a stunning view. Other than this, you probably miss out as it takes you on foot to a single destination, and you don’t have a guide with you. It was much too hot on the day that we visited to do any extensive walking so we didn’t take this option!

Sites we visited on the tour included:-

• Moorish Castle – an interesting building with a fascinating collection of artefacts displayed inside. There are lots of steep stairs in here so it’s not ideal for young children or people with mobility problems. If you climb to the top you can take a walk around the ramparts, for another lovely view.

• Great Siege Tunnels – Gibraltar has around 46km of inter-linked underground tunnels used in previous conflicts. On the tour you visit just one of them, which has been turned into a museum. You can walk through it to see displays which show what it would have been like when it was used for cannons and ammunition. The tunnel was dug by hand, and took just under a year to dig – difficult to believe when you see its length, especially when you consider the time taken to construct the Channel Tunnel using machinery! Bear in mind that what goes down must come up – a leisurely stroll downhill through the tunnel means that you will have a trek uphill on the way back! I power walked up, but then I am a bit mad when it comes to exercise!