CR Adventures 19420: Green’s Lodge Battery/ Greens Lodge Nature Trail, Middle Hill vía Middle Hill Nature Trail

This is a fabulous hike and not to be missed however if you suffer from vertigo this is definitely not for you as the Green’s Lodge Nature Trail traverses the North Rock Face.
Beware of the wild Barbary macaques at Middle Hill which can be accessed by the Middle Hill Nature Trail which links with the Green’s Lodge Nature Trail.

A little history explained below:

Green's Lodge Battery
An artillery battery located on the North Face of the Rock of Gibraltar at the northern end of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, above Farringdon's Battery. Also known as the Superior Battery, it was named after General Sir William Green, who served in Gibraltar for twenty-two years, most of them as the chief engineer of Gibraltar. In 1776, guns were first mounted on the battery, which also saw action during the Great Siege of Gibraltar. The emplacement also underwent reconstruction in the early and mid twentieth century. Green's Lodge Battery is listed with the Gibraltar Heritage Trust.

Green's Lodge Battery is accessed via the Green's Lodge Nature Trail which goes out through a gap in the fencing surrounding Signal Station Road. The condition of the battery is generally poor, with the battery and the surrounding area derelict. Rubble is strewn throughout.
The view from the battery includes North Front Cemetery, the airport runway, and the town of La Línea de la Concepción in Spain. Below Green's Lodge, Farringdon's Battery perches on the cliff.

Middle Hill is a hill located at the northern end of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. It figured prominently in the early history of the 1704 siege of Gibraltar by the Spanish and French. The artillery battery at Middle Hill had been constructed by 1727 and was active for more than two centuries. In the mid twentieth century, Middle Hill transitioned to use as an aerial farm for the Ministry of Defence. The radio farm was refurbished in 1958. About 1970, the Princess Caroline's Battery Group of Barbary macaques were moved to Middle Hill, where they were provisioned at a group of derelict buildings that were part of the battery complex. In 2005, much of Middle Hill was transferred from the Ministry of Defence to the Government of Gibraltar, and is now managed by the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society.

The roads on Middle Hill include Rock Gun Road, Signal Station Road, Middle Hill Road (also known as Middle Hill Nature Trail), and Green's Lodge Road (alternately referred to as Green's Lodge Nature Trail).

Following the capture of Gibraltar in August 1704, another siege was attempted later that year. Approximately 500 Spanish soldiers, led by a goat herder, scaled the Rock of Gibraltar from the south side and made it to St. Michael's Cave, where they stayed the first night. The next night, they climbed the Charles V Wall and killed a guard at Middle Hill. The Spaniards then assisted several hundred more Spanish soldiers up the Rock with ropes and ladders. However, they were discovered and many were killed or sent over a precipice, the Wolf's Leap, with the rest taken prisoner. By 1727, Middle Hill Battery had been constructed and a gun had been mounted; the emplacement continued to be used and upgraded for more than two centuries.

In October 1779, construction of a road for carriages was begun at Middle Hill. Its purpose initially was to permit the transport of a gun to the planned Rock Gun Battery. However, the battery was completed prior to the road.Later that month, 24-pounder guns were brought to Middle Hill, in preparation for the construction of a new battery below Rock Gun Battery. On the 31 October 1779, the new battery was completed and was named the Royal Battery.