Please be mindful when putting back the cache so it is easy for others to remove.
*BYOP
*Tweezers might be usefull
*No climbing required
*Easy access
*Beware of apes!
Welcome to the Top Of The Rock
Enjoy this unique spot and its views! On a clear day you are able to see 3 countries and 2 continents.
Please be respectful of the apes that live here. Though they are used to us humans being around they may bite if they feel in danger.
What are commonly called Barbary apes live on the upper Rock. However, they are not apes but macaques (Macaca sylvanus), or tailless monkeys. Where the original Gibraltar macaques came from has been a longtime mystery. Some scientists think they were brought from Algeria and Morocco as pets by the Moors, who occupied Spain between 711 and 1492. Others believe they were a remnant of macaques that lived throughout Southern Europe 5.5 million years ago and as recently as the 1800s in Spain.2 Some believe that the colony, also called “rock monkeys,” goes back to the animals introduced by the British in 1740 for shooting practice.
After Britain took control of the Rock, a belief emerged that Gibraltar would remain under British rule for as long as the Barbary apes were still there: when the apes leave the Rock, so too will the British. In the 20th Century, concern about the legend was witnessed in 1913 when the apes had dwindled to only ten. The governor of Gibraltar, Sir Alexander Godley, quickly brought eight young female apes from North Africa.3
(source: winstonchurchill.org)
Enjoy Gibraltar!