Forth Bridge.
Over the Firth of Forth in the short run at Queensferry there’s three bridges. They are three different designs, from three different centuries. Forth Bridge – 1890. Forth Road Bridge – 1964 and the Queensferry Crossing – 2017. It opened to traffic on August 30th, and officially opened by the Queen on September 4th, exactly 53 years after she opened the Forth Road Bridge.
The rail bridge is the oldest and depending on who you ask also the prettiest. The world agrees with me and in 2015 UNESCO recognised it as “an extraordinary and impressive milestone in bridge design and construction during the period when railways came to dominate long-distance land travel”. It completed in 1890 and is a cantilever design.
6.5 million rivets hold the steel plates together and the final rivet used in construction was gold plated and recorded with a special inscription.
Often known as the Forth Rail Bridge, its name is the Forth Bridge. Rail is often added to prevent confusion with it’s neighbour the Forth Road Bridge.
Last weekend I got to go up to the highest point on the first cantilever on the North Queensferry side, and spent 30 minutes basking in the views.
It takes a couple of minutes in an access lift to rise the 110m to the observation deck. Eventually the lift stops, the driver opens the door then the view floods in and you step out onto the platform. Unbelievable.
Completely unobstructed views of Edinburgh, the Firth and the road bridges. All while stood on top of the bridge 110m above the Firth with surprisingly little wind.
We were on top for about 30 minutes during out time atop, three or four trains passed under us. Our host encouraged us to hold onto the railings when the first train passed. I held the railing and you feel the bridge move with the train, as William Arrol designed it to.
The photo’s don’t do the view, the bridge or the sense of scale justice. I went up on what felt like was the goldilocks trip. The sky was interesting, the weather was kind – calm and warm, and four trains passed under us.
The talk beforehand run by the Briggers was interesting. The guide & driver who took us up were great.
It is an unforgettable experience.
Get your own Your View at Your View at the Forth Bridge | Barnardo’s (barnardos.org.uk)
