Backpacking in Gibraltar: Top 6 Sights at Europa Point, the South Tip

The thing about the tiny country of Gibraltar is that places and areas don’t seem to have obvious names so I’m splitting my posts on Gibraltar into the parts of the country I deem as separate places. The south tip is a bit of a walk away from the main street and the rock and is well worth a walk out to so I thought I’d put them together into one post here. You can also take the local bus to get out here. I stayed in the family run Cannon Hotel while touring Gibraltar. These are the top 6 sights on the south tip of Gibraltar.

1. Europa Point
I feel a tingle down my spine as I walked along to Europa Point. I was remembering back to my time at Eluanbi in Taiwan on a dreamlike day back in 2009. That day, Natalja, Millwall Neil and I had walked in the heat to the Lightouse at Eluanbi. Quite simply we reached the tip of Taiwan and we were standing on the “Beacon of South East Asia”. You might have seen a photo of me there that I use frequently as it always reminds me of the good times.

Here in 2015, I headed to Europa Point, the southern most tip of British Europe, the south tip of Gibraltar and one of the southern most points of mainland Europe. From here you can view two continents simultaneously.

Again it’s dreamlike. I did feel a bit sad however that I was travelling alone and could not enjoy the moment with anyone.

2. Harding’s Battery
No this is not a place to charge your camera but a gun, Harding’s Battery. Here a gun sits and it was originally the site for two 32 pounders and a later 12.5″ RML gun.

Harding’s battery was built on the remains of the 7th Europa Battery in 1859. The battery was named after Sir George Harding, who was Chief Engineer in 1844 and had been involved with Sir Charles Holloway in the 1810 destruction of the Spanish fortifications including Fort St. Felipe and Fort St. Barbara. At that time Europa Point was known as Harding’s Point. For a few years the battery had two 18 pounder guns but these were replaced in 1863 with two 32 pounders.

3. Sikorski Memorial
The Sikorski Memorial in Gibraltar’s Europa Point commemorates the 1943 Gibraltar B-24 crash of 4 July 1943 which caused the death of General Władysław Sikorski, the commander-in-chief of the Polish Army and Prime Minister of the Polish government in exile.

Fifteen other people also died in the crash, with only the pilot Eduard Purchal somehow surviving. The present version of the memorial, unveiled on 4 July 2013, is the third, replacing two earlier memorials erected in 1945 and 2003 near the scene of the crash.

4. Mosque of Two Holy Custodians
I wondered is this is the southernmost Mosque in mainland Europe, but could not find out for sure. though it probably is. Anyway, inspiringly Gibraltar’s only Mosque sits here with an awesome backdrop into the cliff faces.

I also love the way it demonstrates Gibraltar’s diversity. Gibraltarians can be of Moroccan, Spanish or British descent and they can be Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Protestant or Hindu. This Mosque is magnificent and is the religious place of worship for the 4% of Muslims living in the country.

5. Keightley Way Tunnel
The British soldiers powerfully dug their way through the rock at various points to form these caves. I walked all the way through the Keightley Way Tunnel which is mightily impressive.

6. Trinity Lighthouse
Just like at Eluanbi there is a lighthouse here, and an important and noticeable one too. It’s the southernmost one in Gibraltar and the second most south in mainland Europe.

While you are at the south tip of Gibraltar there is also a tourist information office, a cafe/bar and a church which is a shrine to Our Lady of Europe. I was really inspired by my trip to Europa Point.

Here are some videos I made while touring Europa Point and the south tip of Gibraltar: