Wetheral Viaduct - Corby Bridge

For such a small little village, Wetheral has an abundance of things see including the Priory Gatehouse, St Constantine's Cell, the Parish Church and Corby Castle. On top of that, just outside of the station we have the  Wetheral Viaduct.

We initially spied this from the church grounds and headed to the station to have a look, however we couldn't get any good shots from the top due to the trees.

Fortunately we found a little fingerpost which took us down to the riverside. Unfortunately once we got to the bottom we realised it was 99 steps! Back up to the car!

I think the views were worth it though as it is a magnificent structure.

Originally the plan was to connect Newcastle and Carlisle with a canal, however it was decided that a train line would be better suited and construction began in 1829 finally opening on 12 August 1834.

The Wetheral Viaduct stands 33 metres above the River Eden and spanning 280 metres in length and there is also a footpath over it from the station if you fancy a wander over. Of course we had to head out and see the views from the top.

However if you wanted to do the same back in the day, then would have been charged a half-penny toll. This then rose to a penny by the time the station closed in 1956. Train services then resumed again in 1981.

It's official name is the Corby Bridge and a nearby pub called the Corby Bridge Inn was opened in the same year as the viaduct. However it's always been locally as the Wetheral Viaduct.