Post by Dave on Dec 19, 2010 12:59:30 GMT
Rock Walk I always felt, had a magic of its own, especially at night when it was lit up with many different coloured lights. When you drove along the seafront on your left was the small building near the rugby club all lit up and next to that, lights in the small garden area. Drive on further and even more wonderful colours coming from the lit up gardens and ponds near the junction of Belgrave Road.
Then it was the drive past Rock Walk with the main lower path with all the coloured lights hidden behind all the bushes and shrubs. There were gaps in the bushes where you caught a glimpse now and then of people taking a romantic stroll along the path.
It was amazing what a few coloured bulbs were able to achieve and I’m sure many of you also took a romantic stroll with someone you loved along that semi dark and very intimate pathway.
There were no plans to create a new Rock Walk; I personally don’t remember reading in the Herald Express anything was going to be done to Rock Walk at all other than the normal sort of garden maintenance that has to be done from time to time.
The shock and horror of what was done to the Rock Walk we all loved, was felt by everyone who knew and loved Rock Walk. The whole rock face was cleared of all the wonderful tall trees along with all the shrubs, bushes and vegetation.
We were being told it had to be cleared as discarded drug needles were to be found everywhere on Rock walk, while I feel that may have been the case on the paths up the top of Rock Walk, was that a good enough reason to completely trash the whole of Rock Walk?
After everything was cleared from the face of Rock Walk, a number of rock falls then accrued. I’m certainly not an expert on such matters, but I believed the arguments they happened because all the vegetation was removed. The vegetation bonded the whole rock face together and also sucked up all the rain water that ever fell on Rock Walk.
I went over to take a look myself just after it had been trashed and I was heartbroken to see what had been done to Rock Walk. I know its only a rock face that had trees and shrubs on it lit up with coloured lights and there are far worse and upsetting things going on in life, but to see the once beautiful Rock Walk looking like it did, would have upset anyone who loved it.
It certainly angered me and most of the Torbay people, I felt back then that we would never have our Rock Walk back the way we loved and remembered it. Due to the public outcry the council had to do something and it had to be good or they would never have been forgiven for destroying the old Rock Walk.
The first thing that had to be done was stabilising the rock face to prevent and further rock falls, then ideas and plans were drawn up on what the new Rock Walk could be made into.
For three years Rock Walk was hidden from the view of the public behind large fencing and over three million pounds was spent on it. A very large amount of money indeed when you consider Oldway Mansion needs just two million pounds spent on it to do all the repairs necessary. The council can’t find that money they tell us and are happy to give it away for just one million pounds to a company who want to turn it into a hotel.
During the three years of work on Rock Walk, the road on that side was closed off completely. The seaward lane was turned into a two way road and to be honest the traffic flow improved as a result of the change, No more having to wait why cars tried to park as now there was no parking at all on the seaward side of the road.
Rock Walk was finished and had a grand reopening party, I did not go over myself and I believe it was a very wet day and that nearly put a damp squid on the fireworks display. The road on the Rock Walk side was not reopened for through traffic and the council did not waste the opportunity to make it parking only on that side, complete with parking meters.
On that subject I have just read the plans are to change the lanes over so the Rock Walk side will carry the two lanes of through traffic and the seaward side becoming the parking road with the parking meters being moved over to that side.
With the Torquay United match being called off and at a lose end, I decided to go and see first hand the damage the fire had caused to the Palm Court Hotel and also fully explore the new Rock Walk.
In a perfect world I would have gone with my fellow exploration partner Carol, who has been by my side on so many of the great walks I have been on, sadly at this time that is not possible.
I went with a complete open mind; I told myself to only judge the new Rock Walk on what it was and not try to compare it to the Rock Walk I loved. I started my walk on the lower path from the Palm Court Hotel end.
The first thing to say is without the bushes and shrubs etc; it has lost that romantic intimate feeling, but that is not such a bad thing as now as you walk along the path, you enjoy nice open views looking over to Paignton and also the harbour area.
Halfway along the path I came across what is best described as a very tiny cave. It has a few statue like structures and the largest one looked Chinese to me and looked like Chinese houses all stacked on top of each other. My first thought was they won’t last too long before some vandal comes along and breaks them off. I reached in and felt them and they are made of metal and I would imagine would be hard to break off.
Looking at the rock face it is starting to look better now that it has some vegetation growing on it. I would hope in time the vegetation gets much thicker and will in time cover up the ugly bolts and netting that has been put there to hold Rock Walk together.
I carried on my walk until I came to the bottom of the new walkway that goes up to the new viewing platform. If I’m honest here, looking at this new walkway from across the road, I think it looks rather ugly. I have no head for heights and don’t normally enjoy walking up such structures as I never feel safe on them.
There have been many incidents in the past where I have only gone a part way up such a structure before I had to come back down again. Here I was at the bottom on my own without Carol beside me and the steps were covered in snow and ice (where’s the health and safety people when you need them) but I decided I was going to give it a go.
I was so surprised how safe I felt walking up it, the first big bend then looking at the next section made me stop just for a second, but carried on I did right up to the viewing platform. Fantastic, marvellous, incredible are just some of the words that could be used to describe the new viewing platform.
The views from the platform are superb and when you are up there looking over toward the harbour area, ask yourself if Bye should be allowed to get away with building two very high tower blocks of flats between the Pavilions and the Theatre. They would look ugly and take away so much of the views that can be enjoyed from the viewing platform.
I left the viewing platform coming back down the walkway just below it and turned right along the walkway that climbs in the end to the path at the very top of rock walk. This top path comes out on Sheddon Hill if you turn left when you get on it. The picture I have put up of this pathway is looking the other way and to be honest, I’m not sure where it comes out too.
I walked as far as I was allowed (due to the fire) towards the Sheddon Hill end of the path and after taking the shots I did from that point of the Palm Court Hotel, I retraced my steps back along the new walkway.
So my verdict? The new walkway and viewing platform is wonderful and has created the opportunity to walk high on the rock face, a big well done for coming up with such a great idea. I would hope as the years go on and everything matures, IE vegetation etc, it will look even better and maybe just a bit more like the old rock walk.
I do feel the night time lighting could be greatly improved, nice colourful spotlights shining up onto the rock face, would in my view finish it of. This is now our rock walk, yes it has been renamed, but to most Torbay folk it will always be rock walk. It has turned out much better than I dared to hope and at least something good has come out in the end of what was still in my view, a poor decision to trash rock walk in the first place.
The pictures below are a small selection of the ones I took and are in the order they were taken, starting from the Palm Court end of rock walk
Then it was the drive past Rock Walk with the main lower path with all the coloured lights hidden behind all the bushes and shrubs. There were gaps in the bushes where you caught a glimpse now and then of people taking a romantic stroll along the path.
It was amazing what a few coloured bulbs were able to achieve and I’m sure many of you also took a romantic stroll with someone you loved along that semi dark and very intimate pathway.
There were no plans to create a new Rock Walk; I personally don’t remember reading in the Herald Express anything was going to be done to Rock Walk at all other than the normal sort of garden maintenance that has to be done from time to time.
The shock and horror of what was done to the Rock Walk we all loved, was felt by everyone who knew and loved Rock Walk. The whole rock face was cleared of all the wonderful tall trees along with all the shrubs, bushes and vegetation.
We were being told it had to be cleared as discarded drug needles were to be found everywhere on Rock walk, while I feel that may have been the case on the paths up the top of Rock Walk, was that a good enough reason to completely trash the whole of Rock Walk?
After everything was cleared from the face of Rock Walk, a number of rock falls then accrued. I’m certainly not an expert on such matters, but I believed the arguments they happened because all the vegetation was removed. The vegetation bonded the whole rock face together and also sucked up all the rain water that ever fell on Rock Walk.
I went over to take a look myself just after it had been trashed and I was heartbroken to see what had been done to Rock Walk. I know its only a rock face that had trees and shrubs on it lit up with coloured lights and there are far worse and upsetting things going on in life, but to see the once beautiful Rock Walk looking like it did, would have upset anyone who loved it.
It certainly angered me and most of the Torbay people, I felt back then that we would never have our Rock Walk back the way we loved and remembered it. Due to the public outcry the council had to do something and it had to be good or they would never have been forgiven for destroying the old Rock Walk.
The first thing that had to be done was stabilising the rock face to prevent and further rock falls, then ideas and plans were drawn up on what the new Rock Walk could be made into.
For three years Rock Walk was hidden from the view of the public behind large fencing and over three million pounds was spent on it. A very large amount of money indeed when you consider Oldway Mansion needs just two million pounds spent on it to do all the repairs necessary. The council can’t find that money they tell us and are happy to give it away for just one million pounds to a company who want to turn it into a hotel.
During the three years of work on Rock Walk, the road on that side was closed off completely. The seaward lane was turned into a two way road and to be honest the traffic flow improved as a result of the change, No more having to wait why cars tried to park as now there was no parking at all on the seaward side of the road.
Rock Walk was finished and had a grand reopening party, I did not go over myself and I believe it was a very wet day and that nearly put a damp squid on the fireworks display. The road on the Rock Walk side was not reopened for through traffic and the council did not waste the opportunity to make it parking only on that side, complete with parking meters.
On that subject I have just read the plans are to change the lanes over so the Rock Walk side will carry the two lanes of through traffic and the seaward side becoming the parking road with the parking meters being moved over to that side.
With the Torquay United match being called off and at a lose end, I decided to go and see first hand the damage the fire had caused to the Palm Court Hotel and also fully explore the new Rock Walk.
In a perfect world I would have gone with my fellow exploration partner Carol, who has been by my side on so many of the great walks I have been on, sadly at this time that is not possible.
I went with a complete open mind; I told myself to only judge the new Rock Walk on what it was and not try to compare it to the Rock Walk I loved. I started my walk on the lower path from the Palm Court Hotel end.
The first thing to say is without the bushes and shrubs etc; it has lost that romantic intimate feeling, but that is not such a bad thing as now as you walk along the path, you enjoy nice open views looking over to Paignton and also the harbour area.
Halfway along the path I came across what is best described as a very tiny cave. It has a few statue like structures and the largest one looked Chinese to me and looked like Chinese houses all stacked on top of each other. My first thought was they won’t last too long before some vandal comes along and breaks them off. I reached in and felt them and they are made of metal and I would imagine would be hard to break off.
Looking at the rock face it is starting to look better now that it has some vegetation growing on it. I would hope in time the vegetation gets much thicker and will in time cover up the ugly bolts and netting that has been put there to hold Rock Walk together.
I carried on my walk until I came to the bottom of the new walkway that goes up to the new viewing platform. If I’m honest here, looking at this new walkway from across the road, I think it looks rather ugly. I have no head for heights and don’t normally enjoy walking up such structures as I never feel safe on them.
There have been many incidents in the past where I have only gone a part way up such a structure before I had to come back down again. Here I was at the bottom on my own without Carol beside me and the steps were covered in snow and ice (where’s the health and safety people when you need them) but I decided I was going to give it a go.
I was so surprised how safe I felt walking up it, the first big bend then looking at the next section made me stop just for a second, but carried on I did right up to the viewing platform. Fantastic, marvellous, incredible are just some of the words that could be used to describe the new viewing platform.
The views from the platform are superb and when you are up there looking over toward the harbour area, ask yourself if Bye should be allowed to get away with building two very high tower blocks of flats between the Pavilions and the Theatre. They would look ugly and take away so much of the views that can be enjoyed from the viewing platform.
I left the viewing platform coming back down the walkway just below it and turned right along the walkway that climbs in the end to the path at the very top of rock walk. This top path comes out on Sheddon Hill if you turn left when you get on it. The picture I have put up of this pathway is looking the other way and to be honest, I’m not sure where it comes out too.
I walked as far as I was allowed (due to the fire) towards the Sheddon Hill end of the path and after taking the shots I did from that point of the Palm Court Hotel, I retraced my steps back along the new walkway.
So my verdict? The new walkway and viewing platform is wonderful and has created the opportunity to walk high on the rock face, a big well done for coming up with such a great idea. I would hope as the years go on and everything matures, IE vegetation etc, it will look even better and maybe just a bit more like the old rock walk.
I do feel the night time lighting could be greatly improved, nice colourful spotlights shining up onto the rock face, would in my view finish it of. This is now our rock walk, yes it has been renamed, but to most Torbay folk it will always be rock walk. It has turned out much better than I dared to hope and at least something good has come out in the end of what was still in my view, a poor decision to trash rock walk in the first place.
The pictures below are a small selection of the ones I took and are in the order they were taken, starting from the Palm Court end of rock walk
