Craigellachie Bridge

This cast iron bridge, that was designed by Thomas Telford is an absolute beauty. It crosses the River Spey a stone's throw from Aberlour.

We had passed the bridge a few times when travelling between castles, waterfalls and other great spots in the area and it was time to stop and visit this magnificent bridge.

The bridge was designed by the famous Scottish civil engineer Thomas Telford and built between 1812 and 1814. It has a span of just under 46m, and due to the slenderness of the arch, it couldn't be built using the traditional masonry method, hence the beautiful ironwork.

Telford designed the bridge to be 1.5m higher than he had originally planned, and as a result it was able to survive the 'Muckle Spate' of 1829, whereas other bridges in the region were damaged or even destroyed.

The ironwork was cast by William Hazledine, who had worked on other Telford bridges, at the Plas Kynaston iron foundry in Wales. It was then transported from the foundry by canal and then by sea to Speymouth, where it was loaded onto wagons and taken by horse to the site. It was then erected by Telford's foreman, William Stuttle.

At each end of the bridge are two 15m high masonry towers. They were designed by stonemason John Simpson of Shrewsbury. The towers may be mock medieval with their imitation arrow slits and battlements, but I think their bold strength in appearance is a brilliant contrast to the delicate lattice of the ironwork.

The Craigellachie Bridge was officially opened on 1st November 1814 and went on to provide an essential Spey crossing for almost 160 years.

The bridge underwent strengthened work in 1902, then was closed in 1963 when some of the ironwork was replaced to match the originals. One of the many plaques marks the completion of this work in 1964.

It was closed to vehicular traffic permanently in 1972, when the neighbouring concrete bridge, which was built by Sir William Arrol and Co. in 1970, took over.

In 1994, the bridge hosted a parade when the Gordon Highlanders amalgamated with the Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) to form The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons). One of the plaques on the bridge commemorates the occasion.

The bridge was pictured on a 2015 Royal Mail postage stamp.

The Craigellachie Bridge remains an important part of history and a beautiful footbridge to this day.

There is a parking area next to the concrete road bridge which is the perfect spot to walk the quick loop over the bridge, then down to the beach before making your way back up to the road for your final shot from the road bridge.

Alternatively, there is now a parking area next to the beach that can be used for the same loop.

Craigellachie Bridge is a Category A Listed Building with Historic Environment Scotland.

You are not far from Charlestown of Aberlour, so why not visit Aberlour Old Packhorse Bridge or the Linn of Ruthrie Falls.

It is a lovely little 1km circuit to visit the bridge and the beach below.

Follow the route above, or find it on OS Maps.