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Accessibility

Find out which stage is for you!
Find out which stage is for you!

Come to the Great Path!

With a Sea View
With a Sea View

Walk along the Stages of the Coastal Path

A Route throughout the Province
A Route throughout the Province

More than 850 km-long Route and the First of its Kind in Andalusia

White Villages and Mountains
White Villages and Mountains

Varied Landscape along the Route

Walk and Get Better
Walk and Get Better

Every Stage means a Personal Challenge

Accessibility

In the following paragraphs there is some basic information, from the very origins of hiking to the knowledge of the signs or the ‘MIDE’ method that all hikers must keep in mind.

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Hiking and its History
Types of Signposted Paths
Signs
Recommendations
Ten Basic Rules for Hikers
The "MIDE" Method
‘SIDIF’ Method
Accessibility

What is accessibility?

Accessibility or universal accessibility is the degree to which all people can use an object, visit a place or access a service, regardless of their technical, cognitive or physical abilities.

How did the idea occure? (Purpose and Scope)

The "Diagnosis of Universal Accessibility" is a necessary procedure which is previous to the implementation of an Improvement Plan associated to Universal Accessibility. The department responsible for the path’s management needs to be aware of the current situation in order to define the strategy and develop an Action Plan within the framework of the Improvement Plan.

Therefore, this report shall allow the Environmental Department of the County Council of Málaga to see the current situation and to establish quantifiable management objectives regarding universal accessibility in the future.

The aim of this project is to carry out the Diagnosis of the Universal Accessibility on the Great Málaga Path for the sake of detecting and analysing the level of accessibility along the stages that form the Great Path. This way we will have at our disposal all the information we need to determine areas that need to be improved, and to elaborate an action plan for improving the accessibility of different stages. Our goal is to create universally accessible path and guarantee access to all tourists, something which will assure the path’s uniqueness and increase its value.

Trail difficulty criteria

The chain of universal accessibility which was taken into account was the following:

1. Entrance and exit points for the path: how to approach it and leave in vehicles.
2. Itinerary of the path: analysis of the ground, slopes, protection elements, changes in level, crossing free, bridges and footbridges, ramps, etc ...
3. Signs and instructions: blazes that show the correct way, wrong direction signs, signposts for the path (Hiking Trail), location and direction signs, information boards and signs for the start and the end of stages. 

Given this chain of accessibility, difficulty levels and criteria used for diagnosing universal accessibility were the following ones:

ACCESS:

  • Access by Vehicles during the Tour
  • Access to Entrance and Exit by Vehicles
  • No Access for Vehicles.

SLOPES:

  • <10%, low difficulty
  • Between 10% and 20%, medium difficulty
  • > 20%, high difficulty.

ELEVATIONS / OBSTACLES:

  • No elevation / steps
  • With slopes / steps on some parts of the trail
  • Numerous slopes / steps along the path.

TYPE OF SURFACE:

  • Asphalt or cement road
  •  Track, forest track, compacted soil
  • Stony path.

LENGTH:

  • <1.5 km
  • 1.5-5 km
  • > 5 km.

HAZARD (due to traffic, etc ...):

  • Presents no danger to users
  • Proceed with caution at some points
  • Very dangerous section.

SIGNS AND SYMBOLS:

  • Blazes that show the correct way, wrong direction signs, signposts for the path (Hiking Trail), location and direction signs, information boards and signs for the start and the end of stages, signs for accessibility.
  • Blazes that show the correct way, wrong direction signs, signposts for the path (Hiking Trail), location and direction signs, information boards and signs for the start and the end of stages.
  • Not Signposted.

Using the above difficulty criteria, each stage was assigned a difficulty level (low, medium-low, medium-high and high), and then the level of accessibility.

CLASSIFICATION (of levels of accessibility):

The various stages that form part of the Great Málaga Path has been defined into the following degrees of accessibility:

- Not Accessible

A path is not accessible when, due to its features or state, people with certain disability or handicap, whether it is temporary or permanent, physical, psychological, sensory or mental, cannot cross it without help.

- Convertible

It is a trail that can be at least transformed into practicable after some minor and not expensive adjustments have been done without changing its basic structure.

- Practicable

A trail is practicable if, without any adjustments, it allows visitors with certain handicap to use it with no-one's help permanently or temporarily.

- Accessible

A trail is considered to be accessible if its dimension and funcional qualities allow visitors with certain handicap to use it without difficulty or anyone's help.  

- Universally Accessible

A trail is considered to be universally accessible if its dimension and funcional qualities allow all visitors, no matter the handicap they have, to use it without difficulty or anyone's help.