Was it that glary in the third photo or did it overcook?
Looks like a lovely spot. I love that tunnel arch thing.
Who are "they"? XD Though honestly depending on my mood I may have doubled back (if I realised I'd missed it) or may have kept walking because it looks like there were more interesting things further up and seeing more stuff might have been more interesting than doubling back. 4km is not too far, just mildly time consuming XD