I returned to Gibraltar in 2010, a place I had visited many times over the years but still enjoyed exploring with a camera. The familiar streets, the harbour and the Rock offered plenty to photograph, as well as a chance to see what had changed since my previous visits.
My cousin Linda joined me for part of the trip. It was a pleasure to share some of Gibraltar with her while also having time to wander and take photographs at my own pace. This collection records the places and small details that caught my eye during that visit.
A young Barbary macaque clings to the trunk of a tree on Gibraltar in 2010. Despite often being called “Barbary apes,” these famous inhabitants of the Rock are tailless monkeys.
A young Barbary macaque pauses in the fork of a tree and looks towards the camera, Gibraltar, in 2010. Its pale golden-brown coat and small size distinguish it as a juvenile.
My cousin Linda enjoys the view from the Upper Rock across the Strait of Gibraltar towards the mountainous coast of Morocco, with a cargo ship passing through the busy shipping lane below, Gibraltar, in 2010.
Djebel Musa rises above Belyounech on the Moroccan shore, viewed across the Strait of Gibraltar in 2010. Traditionally regarded as the African Pillar of Hercules, the mountain forms the counterpart to the Rock of Gibraltar on the European side.
The white radome and communications towers of the Rock Gun radar station crown the northern summit of the Rock of Gibraltar in 2010. Operated in support of RAF Gibraltar, the radar monitored aircraft movements around the airfield and the Strait. The mountains of southern Spain are visible through the haze beyond.
A Barbary macaque relaxes in the sunshine on the Upper Rock, with the blue waters of the Strait of Gibraltar and the hazy North African coast forming a dramatic backdrop. Photographed in Gibraltar in 2010.
Cousin Linda poses at one of the Upper Rock viewpoints, looking south across the Strait of Gibraltar towards Djebel Musa and the mountainous coast of Morocco. A fast-moving boat leaves a long white wake across the deep-blue water below. Gibraltar, 2010.
O’Hara’s Battery, viewed looking south from near the Gibraltar Cable Car Top Station. Its preserved 9.2-inch coastal-defence gun projects from the rocky summit, with the battery’s observation and control buildings behind and yellow-legged gulls circling overhead. Gibraltar, 2010.
Djebel Musa rises prominently above the North African coast, viewed southwards across the busy Strait of Gibraltar. A merchant vessel passes beneath the mountain while the wake of another craft cuts across the foreground. Photographed from the Upper Rock, Gibraltar, in 2010.
Cousin Linda pauses with a smile while enjoying a generously sized dessert crêpe with ice cream during our stay in Gibraltar. Photographed over lunch in 2010.