179 Highline

This afternoon we left (gorge name here) after a wonderful short hike to head to the Highline 179 bridge, Ehrenberg Castle, and Fort Claudia. The drive was easy and there were no issues. The 179 part of Highline 179 is derived from the highway the bridge crosses over. The “highline” portion will quickly become apparent.

There are a few parking lot options but we are not picky and don’t mind the walk so the first one we arrived at we decided to park at. Note – these parking meters take contactless payment options as well as Euros. This was a first for us as all of the others thus far have only accepted coins or payment with a fancy card we don’t have.

First things first, you’ll have to decide how to ascend to the castle, fort, and bridge. Queue nostalgic memories of the scene “have fun storming the castle”. Two different cable cars provide transport to the castle and the upper ruins or you can hike up and save some money. We decided we’d take the car up to the first level to do the bridge and primary structure then we’d decide what to do after that. 

The bridge spans two hills (406 meters across) and crosses 114 meters above the lower castle. Even though the four cables supporting the bridge are massive you can’t help but think about the possibility of catastrophic failure. Devin appeared elated as she practiced her drunk walk across the swaying bridge.

After making it across the bridge there is a short hike to Fort Claudia ruins.  The fort was built in the 17th century to prevent invaders from bypassing the castle unscathed. 

Then it’s back across the bridge to get to the castle. Your ticket for the bridge will provide entry for both bridge trips. The second crossing was the same as the first with more time to analyze the fear in the first-timers as they completed their first pass across. 

The castle is neat but the surrounding landscape is the thing that catches the eye in my opinion. We decided to skip the last ruin. We did not want to hike up or fork over the money for the cable car. We made our way down, got in the car, and made our way to our next hotel for showers and beers with a view.