Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, has officially opened the Skywalk at the top of the Rock of Gibraltar.

Standing 340 metres directly above sea level, the Skywalk is higher than the tallest point of London’s Shard. Gibraltar’s Skywalk offers breath-taking 360 degree views spanning three countries and two continents.

The Skywalk is set to become Gibraltar’s premier tourist attraction and links to other sites within the Upper Rock Nature Reserve including the thrilling Windsor Suspension Bridge and the famous Apes’ Den via a series of walking trails.

Built on the foundations of an existing Second World War base structure, the Skywalk is designed to withstand wind speeds of more than 150km/hour and can carry the weight of five Asian elephants, or 350 people, standing on it at the same time (visitor numbers will be limited to 50 at any one time).

The floor and balustrade panels are made of four layers of laminated glass (with a total thickness of around 4.2cm).

Laid out side-by-side, the 42 glass panels would cover more than 750msq, roughly the equivalent of four tennis courts.

The walkway is 2.5m wide and projects a maximum of 6.7m from the main structural support point. A total of 70m of rock anchors and 30,000kg of steel secure the Skywalk to the Rock.

For more details visit www.skywalk.gi.