RESIDENTS and visitors will step into the past at Strathdon shortly, with plans approved for the £110,000 replacement of a bridge that disappeared 40 years ago.
Cairngorms Outdoor Access Trust will recreate a footbridge across the Don near the Lonach Hall, home of the Lonach Society, allowing for scenic walks along the river.
A timber bridge was built a century ago near the same site by the estate joiner from Candacraig – the mansion house which is now home to entertainer Billy Connolly and his family – but it was wrecked in a flood in 1970.
“The new bridge will provide a lovely walk, linking the Colquhonnie Hotel and Lonach Hall with the local community,” said the trust’s East Cairngorms access officer, Murray Swapp. “It will not only benefit tourism at Strathdon but also have the added benefit of offering a safe route for people attending the annual Lonach Gathering,”
Each summer the annual Lonach Gathering and march of the Men of Lonach brings thousands of additional visitors to the normally quiet glen, and traffic packs the usually quiet A944 Strathdon-Alford road leading to Bellabeg Park.
Two years ago, the Cairngorms National Park Authority unveiled a pathways initiative, and consultation sessions at Strathdon pinpointed public interest in the restoration of the long-lost bridge crossing.
The authority’s planning committee has now approved the scheme.
Along with the single-arch footbridge and paths route, the project will see a small timber bridge built across a ditch beside the road.
Read more: http://www.pressandjournal.co.
Saturday, 16 January 2010
New footbridge to the past at Strathdon
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