Northern Defences Full Guide with History

If you’re thinking of heading up to the Northern Defences in Gibraltar then this guide is the most comprehensive on the internet!

In it you will receive:

• Full history of the defences
• Details of all the different routes you can take
• GPS locations to keep you on track
• Photos of what’s at the top of steep climbs, so you can decide if it’s worth it!

All information was compiled by myself, climbing the actual routes multiple times. I also spent many hours at Gib library finding out the history, bringing it to you here.

Feel free to keep browsing below for an idea of what you’ll get.

Getting to the Northern Defences from Main Street

First you’ll need to get to the start of the Northern defences – do NOT take a taxi! That will only help you avoid one single set of stairs (by taking a long route through upper town and charging you a fortune for it).

Simply follow one of my 2 guides below for which route you should pick:

Longer, less steep route to Northern Defences or;
Short but steep route to Northern Defences.

Unfortunately, there are no routes that avoid steps. If you’re pushing a wheelchair or child buggy then you should take the less steep option, which has gentler steps. There’s also an optional lift to help you get up 2 floors.

Northern Defences in Detail

Once you’ve reached the starting point of the Northern Defences (below image) you have multiple routes available. The route to the left takes you down the Kings and Queens lines, which were the lower defence line.

Walk down this route if you prefer to not climb any more stairs! However, the views are not great and mostly obscured by trees.

Kings and Queens Lines – Northern Defences

These defensive lines were dug out between 1787 and 1790 after the Great Siege of Gibraltar. Unfortunately there are no views to behold here but there’s plenty of dark cave to explore!

The tunnels and chambers are completely unlit so bring a torch! Your phone will do in a pinch but a bright torch is preferable – especially if the dark scares you.

Note that children may not like the darkness, however you can turn left at multiple points down the line, which will take you to an outdoor, open space. There are even a few benches and picnic tables to enjoy lunch on.

There are signs on each chamber telling you where you are so you won’t get lost. However it’s all a straight line so impossible to get lost anyway!

Star Chamber and St Patricks Chamber

Both of these chambers were natural caves discovered after the lines construction began. They served as a natural connection between lines and a great storage area.

The chambers are both very, very dark so a torch is essential. However, you can exit them through narrow zigzag entrances that take you to the aforementioned outdoor area.

The Star Chamber in particular played a role in World War 2, housing the King’s Regiment Battalion HQ. The brick buildings built in the cave are still there!

The Star Chamber also has a HUGE internal walkway (to right if walking from South to North) that leads to the Princes Lines at an upper level. Unfortunately the gate at the top is locked so you cannot access the lines this way, but you can still huff and puff to the top (it’s a pretty impressive internal walkway!).

Proceeding deeper into the lines from Star Chamber you’ll go through St Patricks Chamber which also gives you an opportunity to view the Kings lines lookout post.

Queens Gallery and Spiral Staircase

If you keep walking past St Patricks you’ll enter the Queens Line and Gallery. You can exit to the left to see the Lower Orillion Battery (after St Patricks Chamber and Smarts Well Reserve).

If you keep walking you’ll reach the end of the lines. Here you’ll find a spiral staircase that leads upwards to the Princes Lines and Upper Union Gallery.

Based on the fact that the other spiral staircase in this complex collapsed years ago I don’t trust this particular stair case so haven’t gone up it (yet).

In theory you can access the Upper Union Gallery later in the tour but it’s inaccessible due to the door having been welded shut years ago – so I presume it’s unsafe. Another reason I declined the kind offer of the spiral staircase!

That concludes the tour of the Kings and Queens lines. Proceed back to the entrance to continue your tour at the fork in the road.

Now take the right hand fork.

Princes Lines (Low/Mid Level of Northern Defences)

Proceed up the steps to the right of the fork in the image above. You’re now climbing up to the Princes Line and Galleries, (also accessible from the Star Chamber, if it weren’t locked for no reason)!

You’ll hit another fork, take the left path. We’ll come back to the right fork later on.

There are multiple stops on the left of this route where you can capture scenic views over Gibraltar and La Linea / Spain. Feel free to take each left turning to indulge. However the best view is at the end!

You can proceed through this gallery, noticing the locked gate leading down to the Star Chamber below.

At the end of the line is the old generator room used in later years to provide power, now defunct.

Turn left at the generator room to exit the tunnel and proceed to the right, travelling North once again. Keep walking up this path which has several stairs on the right that lead nowhere, except to overgrown sections.

At the top of this path is a fantastic view of the North, over the runway. But then again, what view in Gib doesn’t include the airport!

Before you turn back there’s an optional climb to a the “Alls Well” Lookout. Just before you got to the end of this route there was a set of stairs to the right, leading up. They follow a natural cleavage in the rock. Proceed up these to further destroy your leg muscles!

Welcome to the Alls Well lookout cave!

Once you get to the top there’s a nice Instagram moment waiting for you.

Now that you’ve completed this walk it’s time to turn back and head back down to where this started, at the fork in the road below.

Now you’ll proceed up to the right to the Lower Union Gallery and the best views on this particular walk.

Lower Union Gallery – Northern Defences

Having taken the right hand fork, keep walking up (are you surprised there’s more up?)…

Partway up there’s a new staircase with rope handholds. You can take this all the way up the foot of Moorish Castle, with great views of town. However there is an extremely dodgy part with an old rotting set of stairs – so be careful! This is typical government work – most of route safe and newly refurbished, except for one metre of path which could break your neck if it fails!

Once you’ve done Moorish then keep walking up. There are several snap worthy points on the left too.

Keep walking up to see the Lower Union Gallery. There are no fancy views however.

Once you proceed through these chambers, with some ancient curtain rods that look 200 years old, you’ll encounter an overgrown path. At the top of this path is the entrance to the Upper Union Gallery which is welded shut.

And with that steel door of denial comes the end of the Northern Defences tour! If you have any feedback then please let me know via the contact form.

Technically the Cornwallis Chamber is part of the Northern defences, but it is inaccessible on this route. Instead, it is included in the Great Siege Tour.