Yaya.
There is an abandoned trail from Swiss Cottage that has all sorts of old park litter, an abandoned toilet block, and finally ends up at some strange rocks. Looking back at park maps to 1981 shows no signs of this area. Looking back further, my 1960 park map shows it as possibly being 'Cuckoo Rock / Cuckoo Arbour' ?
On our trip down this path (16th May '11) our group found some old non-bio degradable Henry Hound drinks cups, a 1980's SKOL beer can (use by 1990 on bottom), and a 19th century Cochrane Ginger Beer bottle!
Jim climbed the alternative 'stone henge' rocks and fell off - luckily the gound around was spongy with years of fallen foliage.
Does anyone know anymore about this area - it's only a few minutes walk from the cottage?
The rocks are impressive and so is the view further down the valley. I wonder why it's now an abandoned/unmanaged?
Here's a google maps link for where I think we were:
Click Me for where I think we were
Start off at the stairs by Swiss Cottage at the left as you look at the front of the house.
Then this leads to a seemingly unmanaged path.
First is the abandoned loos. These are really squeezed in and not much room around them. There is a slope immediately in front of them and no room for a path, unless it has badly eroded. Why are they here, when were they last in operation? There are various bits of rock and concrete about and abandoned steps.
We then found the old litter, not cleaned up - you could find plenty of it.
And some 19th century litter!
This is a photo I found on the internet like the bottle found.
Then further down the path we reach the rocks. We could see signs of wood planks at the edges marking the path - now mostly covered by dirt/foliage.
Any more info on this area, and indeed confirmation that it is 'Cuckoo Rocks' would be useful.
There is a passage that runs between the Dark Forest entrance and the Gardens and runs behind the Dark Forest stalls. This is normally barred by locked gates, but for some reason park employees had left BOTH gates unlocked allowing guests to accidentally enter an area not normally accessible.
Click Here for Google streetview of one of the gates
Here were various UG Land relics, rusting ice-cream refrigerator and generally the area looked like the remains of an abandoned theme park - this all viewable on a normal in-season park day. I had no idea how dilapidated the park is only meters from where we normally walk in-park.
Any ideas what and where this was? I've looked at the google streetview photos of AT which were taken when UG Land still existed and I can't find it. Perhaps it's UG Land of quite a few years back?
There is a building (just behind the conservatories) that may have been a cafe at one point? It has a board advertising what I think is Coffee and Confectionary
I then by chance found the same board on altontowersmemories site, but more complete. Since when has any food in an amusement park cost as little 2p? I guess perhaps in the '70s? Before even the corkscrew landed?
Here is the building and a photo inside through the window.
Here's Google streetview of the building
I hope you find this info interesting + can help me understand the history behind this stuff (particularly the rock walk not far from the Cottage) :P
Cheers, verfum.
