Bridges, Tunnels and Viaducts

A sunset view of the mighty river Seine and the Pont de Normandie. - As I stroll along the riverbank side path, all is silent except for the odd chirp of a bird, buzz of an insect and lap of a wave. In the distance can be seen the port town of Le Havre. This scene, so majestic that so many elements vie for closer attention but here we have it in all its glory. Enjoy in full screen. See PiPs.

A view from the River Swale. Built in 1086 by Duke Conan of Brittany in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest of 1066. It stands in a commanding position over this river with the town surrounding its other three sides. It was originally called Riche Mount, 'the strong hill'..

Another fine bridge across the river Seine in Normandy. Situated between the cities of Le Havre and Rouen. See PiP The bridge built in 1977 is a cable-stayed bridge (specifically of the fan design), whose principal span reaches 320 metres and is made of prestressed concrete. It was considered an engineering feat and was the first bridge of this type in the world. Its height above the water is 50m and its full width is: 1,278 metres

A warm day takes me on now a rare outing to this wonderful Lancashire town and its River Ribble walk. Here we are at the start of our five mile round walk along both sides of this splendid river, seen here in drought conditions with my new Tokina 11-16mm. The bridge is the very old Edisford Bridge. About Edisford Bridge, Clitheroe Edisford Bridge incorporates the structure of a five arched bridge possibly dating from 1339, when a grant of pontage was made. Today the bridge has nine spans and is considerably wider than the original. It is thought that a timber bridge had been constructed on the same spot before that date. Edisford - "the nobleman's ford" or Anglo-Saxon nobleman - was the scene of an 1139 battle, where King David of Scotland's army fought and defeated the less numerous Lancastrians. The 1339 bridge was 2.44m wide, later widened by 3.65m on the downstream side. It had pointed cutwaters. Its arches were Gothic in shape and each had three ribs. These can still be seen under the main arch. The four arches to the east (nearest Clitheroe) span the river, the others are over the meadow. The first is a squared Gothic ribbed arch made of sandstone. It spans 7.5m and rises 2.6m. The second span is the largest. It is a segmental circular arch, measuring 17.95m across and rising 4.2m. The next two arches are Gothic and ribbed, spanning 7.6m and 7.7m, and rising 2.47m and 2.56m. The following five spans are over land. Starting at the river, they measure 7.8m, 4.3m, 3m, 3m and 2.9m. Their rises are 1.85m, 1.7m, 1.4m, 1.2m and one metre. All are segmental circular arches. The bridge is located about a mile west of Clitheroe Castle and is the subject of a noted painting by Turner. www.transporttrust.com/heritage

Here in Manchester we have our equivalent of Amsterdam. A view from one of the many bridges across the old waterways of the old Manchester docks now know as the Salford Quays. For many years a dilapidated eyesore now a desirable place to live and wander. Well done Manchester and its neighbour Salford. See PiP for the whole colour view from this bridge.

This is one of the most majestic viaducts in the UK. I am here just behind the visitors centre on a nearby hill taking this, waiting for the West Coast special steam train. Glennfinnan, about 20 miles north west of Fort William is just as famous for its monument.

After a freezing night at the end of November I awoke to see this thick fog. As we were visiting the beautiful city of Chester I decided that the mist may be interesting on the river. The resulting scene set my hairs on end. Here we see the very old River Dee Bridge looking like a scene from a Charles Dickens novel. The smoking chimney and people on the bridge adds to the charm.

On a dull cold day in January I normally wish for crispy snow and deep blue skies. Not much hope in this year of 17 but still a rather nice snapshot of my walking area.

The Cumbrian town of Kedal has many bridges. Most of which hold some history and character. Here we see one of the main ones carrying the traffic of the A6 and connecting East and West of the town. Of course, I was not really bothered about that fact, but more the late lighting was my main aim here. There are three masonry arch bridges in Kendal, of which Miller Bridge is the most recently constructed. Situated on the River Kent, it was built in 1818 by Francis Webster, a prominent Kendal stonemason (b.1767). Its robust construction protected it from the flooding that had destroyed previous bridges on the same site. There was originally a timber bridge at this point on the river, connecting the town and the castle corn mill. Because the timber structure was repeatedly washed away by floods, it was rebuilt in stone in 1743, and again in 1818, the date of the present bridge. (http://www.engineering-timelines.com)

Here in my home town of Oldham, UK, we have a splendid public park. There are quite a few fences in there but this one recently caught my attention as it has just been completely re-furbished. An old Edwardian style wrought iron fence with a brand new coat of paint makes it a pleasure to view. (All right then, I know some people would describe this as a bridge railing but hey….it does carry on after the bridge…I think!) I wish you all, a great weekend, Herb

The start of the famous 'Ring of Kerry' for us, despite 'doubtful weather' brings us to this very interesting structure. Made even more so when you read the description below: "The Gleensk Viaduct is a fine example of railway engineering and was part of the Great Southern and Western Railway Line which ran from Valentia Island Harbour to Farranfore Junction for nearly one hundred years. This now disused and dismantled railway line was one of the most spectacular train journeys in the world, the western most in Europe and a tourist attraction that Ireland can only dream of now." - www.activeme.ie/guides Enjoy large.

Situated in Ilam Park, near Ashbourne in Derbyshire. This is a very pleasant park and a starting point for the impressive Dove Dale walk. The Victorian Gothic Mansion is now owned by our National Trust and part of it is leased to the Youth Hostels Association. The river here was re-sited and the bridge built anew when the mansion was built, in order to enhance the grounds.

After a splendid walk along the floor of this ravine like dale we arrive at a pair of improbable tors on each side of the River Dove with a suitable footbridge to cross over. ‘The pinnacle blade of rock on our left here is Pickering Tor tilting backwards, secreting a cave at its base, while on our right here is the remarkable Ilam Rock thrusting upwards (out of picture) into the skies. Each of these towers virtually 100ft into the air: quite incredible.’ (Paul Hannon: Southern Peak –Hillside books) I wish you all, a great weekend, Herb

A short walk in sunshine and then I turn behind me and see this. A raging storm of hail and sleet approaching us fast. We are stood near the port of Montrose here on another bridge looking towards the railway bridge over the river South Esk where moments before taking this, the Scot Rail Intercity flew across. A dash to the car, parked nearby before the ground turned white. Some minutes later, the sun was trying again. Enjoy, Herb

The mighty Scottish River Dee is shoehorned into a narrow rocky chasm as it tumbles under this fine road bridge. The Linn O' Dee gives unrivalled access to some fine examples of classic features of the Highland landscape: remnants of the ancient Caledonian pine forest abound here. The beautiful Glenn Lui and its river finishes just a short distance below this spot too and other paths climb higher into the heather moorland and parts of the high Cairngorm plateau. The bridge is the highest crossing point of the Dee and, thanks to its relative proximity to Balmoral, it enjoyed the honour of being opened by Queen Victoria in 1857.

A fine footbridge over the river Muick completes the circular path around the Loch here. Until recently, this crossing had been washed away. I read that a temporary bridge was to be built and I am not sure if this is it or not. Notwithstanding it was a fine sturdy thing and it is my pleasure to present it here as a fenced bridge. I wish you all, a great weekend, Herb Picked as this weeks HFF group Banner. See PiP

A nice T-Junction here for narrow boats and walkers alike. I am actually on the 'Staffordshire & Worcestershire' canal but just under and past the bridge is the 'Trent and Mersey' canal. Yes, a maze of canals for sure. The bridge is a narrow cobbled footbridge where people and horses can follow the boats North and South, whereas this canal goes to the west.