The Bridge

The bridge annoys me. The nature reserve is 48 years old and has managed very well for 47 years without a bridge. Last year the council decided that a bridge (or 'countryside furniture' in council speak) was required. It is patently unnecessary and massively over-engineered. In fact a small plank would have been over-engineered because the bridge crosses a 'stream' which only flows in the very wettest of winters and even then is no more than a foot wide and two inches deep. Since the bridge was installed in spring 2010 no water has ever flowed under it. I'm all for increasing access to the countryside but the bridge doesn't help since its at the bottom of a very steep valley and can only be accessed from an overgrown undulating path strewn with rocks and exposed roots. Cost - substantial; benefit - zero.

The dislike of the bridge is such that a new path has emerged. In a little act of definace people avoid walking across the bridge and have started a detour to the north where they can enjoy the rise and fall of the ground and skip across the little dried up stream bed. Still, at least it provides a a focal point for a photograph.