towisuk Posted 26 August , 2015 Share Posted 26 August , 2015 Sounds like the Disney(ation) of the battlefields continues.... Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislock Posted 8 September , 2015 Share Posted 8 September , 2015 Today....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seadog Posted 8 September , 2015 Share Posted 8 September , 2015 Looking good, hang on what is to stop the visitor from ignoring the the planks and actually walking on the ground, not that I would ever advocate such a thing! Norman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 8 September , 2015 Share Posted 8 September , 2015 Thanks, Chris. I know, it's a matter of taste (and other things), but I can't say it is horrible. Mutilation ? Don't know ... And it could have been "worse". No real Disneyation (yet). No merry go rounds, no Cinderella castles, no rollercoaster, ... But I haven't been there myself yet, I must say. Aurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislock Posted 8 September , 2015 Share Posted 8 September , 2015 The walkways and enclosure fences are not yet incorporated Tom but they will be no less as will even more themed landscaping which is waiting in the wings according to official works signs going up in the vicinity. As for Prowse point will do in due course. Aurel. I am on the hill often and I now feel something had to be done. I have personally witnessed erosion revealing pieces of human remains, iron harvest in many forms including a leather compass case, barbed wire, pieces of fence picket, spent cases, lead balls, glass etc and hence something had to be done! I was appalled by the early work which saw track laying vehicles rip up the hill side but now.........I have to say perhaps these walk ways were required even if we dont like to see change or be herded and guided around set routes across and over the hill top. Along with my clients I walked the length of the lower hill walk way today and was pleasantly surprised at how positive the experience was. I can perhaps imagine that new visitors may feel the same as me as will some on this site who are familiar with former hill top visit experiences. Without doubt however, some will not! And as for Aurel's could have been worse comment....without doubt!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
towisuk Posted 8 September , 2015 Share Posted 8 September , 2015 Who gets sued if a visitor slips off the walkway and damages a limb etc..." I don't see any handrails....and there appears to be some distance between the walkway and mother earth in some places.... regards Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
303man Posted 8 September , 2015 Share Posted 8 September , 2015 My experience of decking timber, moisture & algae build up more slippery than an ice ring, then they will nail chicken wire to it, hey ho progress. Whilst in Wellington quarry a visitor stepped back and fell off the walkway and they have a small guard rail luckily he was unhurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seadog Posted 9 September , 2015 Share Posted 9 September , 2015 An excellent point about the horrible "decking" (p107) and given this is Flanders it will be a short time before it is covered in growth which will render it lethal to visitors in particular those with mobility issues. Good to see the people walking on the path in the photos from Chris! Quote from Chris I am on the hill often and I now feel something had to be done. I have personally witnessed erosion revealing pieces of human remains, iron harvest in many forms including a leather compass case, barbed wire, pieces of fence picket, spent cases, lead balls, glass etc Sounds OK to me after all this was and still is a battlefield. Norman PS Just wait until the first freezing day in Winter then try the boardwalk PPS What is the next move, fence the site off and restrict visitors to the "decking"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 9 September , 2015 Share Posted 9 September , 2015 Tom, Quote "Who gets sued if a visitor slips off the walkway and damages a limb etc..." Unquote I don't know ... Just wondering : who could be sued when tripping and falling and damaging a limb at the time there was no walkway ? Does the walkway now make someone responsible when there was no one responsible before there was a walkway ? But again : I have no idea if someone was responsible in the pre-walkway period. Is the risk of slipping / falling now higher than before ? Or maybe there is a sign now : Walking on the walkway is at your own risk ? Aurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
towisuk Posted 10 September , 2015 Share Posted 10 September , 2015 Hi Aurel, in these days of litigation, and law firms advertising their ability to sue organisations for injuries that in the past would have been considered an "accident", the world has developed a "suing culture" By someone or an organisation taking it upon themselves to erect the walkway....does it make them responsible for any injuries incurred ?? Let's face it we have all had accidents at some time...most of them our own fault....but today no one seems to think they are at fault.....so the increase in litigation and lawyers salaries. I hope that there is a BIG sign to be erected that tells people that they enter the area of Hill 60 at their own risk, and warn of the dangers in slipping etc in adverse weather conditions. Newfoundland Memorial Park for instance, closes off areas where people are normally allowed to walk when conditions underfoot could lead to accidents. regards Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 10 September , 2015 Share Posted 10 September , 2015 Tom, You can be right of course. If I fell off the walkway and hurt myself, I would not even think of suing someone. Whether falling off was my own fault or not. But true, I am a little (or more ?) naïve. Whether there is or will be a big sign ? I'll keep an eye on it. (But then I wonder : is a sign enough to turn down all responsibility ? I really don't know. Anyway suing is becoming more popular these days. You're right. Who knows, maybe there will be "ambulance chasers" posting near Hill, hoping that .... :-) ) Aurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamRev Posted 10 September , 2015 Share Posted 10 September , 2015 There are non-slip surfaces for wooden decking and walkways available, which are rather more sophisticated than chicken wire! Lochnagar Crater (privately owned and maintained, and hence anyone visits "at their own risk", as I understand it) has that wonderful new wooden walkway around the outside, to prevent the erosion to the lip of the crater, which has such a surface. I imagine that this sort of surface will be on its way for Hill 60. The ones I have seen are like strips of roofing-felt which are glued to the wood - they are very effective. William Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
towisuk Posted 10 September , 2015 Share Posted 10 September , 2015 Just a thought...seeing as they are building a wooden walkway...how about extending that to a 5 metre platform near the entrance gate......so that visitors can see through to Ypres, just as it was before the development across the road was built. Oh!! it might overlook their property.......now wouldn't that be justice..!! regards Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
askar-perisikan Posted 10 September , 2015 Share Posted 10 September , 2015 (edited) I quite like the walkway in a funny sort of 'looks like a trench' kind of way. Edited 10 September , 2015 by askar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shazbaz123 Posted 10 September , 2015 Share Posted 10 September , 2015 The walkway does have non slip surfaces. We were on it yesterday and it was fine. Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripeyman Posted 10 September , 2015 Share Posted 10 September , 2015 Just a thought...seeing as they are building a wooden walkway...how about extending that to a 5 metre platform near the entrance gate......so that visitors can see through to Ypres, just as it was before the development across the road was built. Oh!! it might overlook their property.......now wouldn't that be justice..!! regards Tom That's a very good idea, can it be suggested to the relevant authority? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislock Posted 17 September , 2015 Share Posted 17 September , 2015 Today and pleased to see Big Bob in attendance as always! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelcave Posted 18 September , 2015 Share Posted 18 September , 2015 According to the CWGC, you should not be confined to using the plank pathway, ie you can still wonder around the site 'off piste' as it were. This when I inquired some months ago. It will be interesting to see if things changed. Mind you, the same inquiry re the site being presentable for the anniversary of the major Hill 60 actions in April/May said that it WOULD be completed: hmmmm. Equally, the reply indicated that the CWGC was not totally ecstatic at what was going on at that time and that they had been working on modifications to what the construction company was doing at that time. Delays were due, so they said, quoting the construction company, because of the unexpectedly large amount of ordnance that was discovered: well blow me down with a feather! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 29 September , 2015 Share Posted 29 September , 2015 I was there last Sunday, and in my opinion : an improvement. Also : I saw a number of (aged and not very mobile) people of who I think that without the walkway they probably would not even have considered walking on the bumps and the steep (?) slopes and the tree roots. Has the surface of the hill been changed by these works ? Mutilated ? I didn't really pay much attention to it, and I am not sure I remember how it looked like last year. (That was when my wife was with me, but refused to "climb" the hill. "Too dangerous and risky". I'm sure she'll climb the hill next time.) I don't know if there are more plans to extent more eastwards, but over there are no walkways (yet ?) near the concrete bunker. And the surface certainly is non-slip. Aurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
303man Posted 21 October , 2015 Share Posted 21 October , 2015 Was there Monday all looking quite nice with the new car park at the far end, walked to the caterpillar crater and again now its getting a bit weathered and leaves scattered looked fine to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick D Posted 2 November , 2015 Share Posted 2 November , 2015 I was there last week and thought it looked good, together with the new parking area! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted 10 May , 2017 Share Posted 10 May , 2017 Hi, I enclose two post cards of Hill 60. Australian tunnelling company Memorial and Queen Victoria's Rifles Memorial I was just wondering is the small memorial in the background in the first post card the same one in the second, only enlarged. Many thanks for obs Gerry Hill 60 card.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Lees Posted 12 May , 2017 Share Posted 12 May , 2017 On 5/10/2017 at 14:31, Don said: Hi, I enclose two post cards of Hill 60. Australian tunnelling company Memorial and Queen Victoria's Rifles Memorial I was just wondering is the small memorial in the background in the first post card the same one in the second, only enlarged. Many thanks for obs Gerry Hill 60 card.pdf Yes, the QVR memorial is in the background in the 2nd image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted 13 May , 2017 Share Posted 13 May , 2017 Thank you Ken Gerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyme Posted 25 May , 2017 Share Posted 25 May , 2017 Nope.. Just my opinion, but I feel this is very like the destruction oops I mean improvement of Newfoundland Park at Beaumont Hamel where walkways, tarmac has covered over grass and sympathetic natural walkways. I know anniversaries means increased footfall, but unless these new artificial paths are maintained then these new paths will destroy even more than they already have the way these battlefields look. Sorry I know much money has been invested, but not my cup of tea.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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