Kew Gardens launches treetop walkway

The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew has officially opened a treetop walkway which takes visitors 60 feet above the glasshouses and into the canopy.

Alongside the Xstrata walkway is the Rhizotron, which provides visitors with a look at what takes place beneath the forest floor.

Tony Kirkham, the head of Kews arboretum, comments: "As a trained arborist I have had the privilege of being up in the tree canopy, experiencing trees at height, and birds and other wildlife from a completely different perspective."

He adds that it is "fantastic" that visitors to the facility now have the opportunity to experience the same surroundings.

The two features are expected to be a highlight at Kews summer festival which celebrates trees, the Times notes.

Due to be opened to the public on Saturday, the steel structure cost £3 million and runs for a total of 650 feet through woodland at the gardens site.