Skywalk's vertical views, are not for the faint hearted

Work is nearing completion on the Skywalk glass platform at the top of the Rock that will offer tourists breath-taking, vertiginous views but has proved a challenge to build.
Engineers accompanied government officials on the second round of snagging last Friday, just days after a lift providing disabled access was commissioned at the site.

The government department that manages the Upper Rock Nature Reserve has yet to set a date for the formal opening of the attraction.

The project took longer to complete than foreseen because all the glass panels that were originally installed had to be replaced.
The panels were not faulty from a safety aspect but when it rained water-seeped in-between the glass layers, making them cloudy in appearance.

The manufacturer and supplier took responsibility for this and provided new panels at no extra cost to the Government, the Chronicle understands.
Various matters outside the contractor’s and the Government’s control, including access problems arising from tourists and traffic on the Upper Rock, hampered the installation of the new panels in summer, while winds and Levanter cloud caused issues in winter.
Operations were also delayed in spring to minimise any impact on breeding macaques and birds breeding in the area.

Brightly coloured plastic snakes are placed on the glass platform to scare off the macaques. Although this is only a temporary measure as it will not take the macaques long to figure out the snakes do not move.