Ribblehead Viaduct (aka the Batty Moss Viaduct)

A few weeks ago when I posted about the viaduct, I read a bit on Wikipedia about the shanty towns of builders and engineers that formed in the area around the site of the viaduct. It said there was still evidence of the occupation, so I thought it might be fun to take Dan and Abi up there and have a look 'round. By happy chance, Hannah was around, so she tagged along with us (and while she demurred from this photo, she is in this one, wearing my Glastonbury poncho).

To be honest, there really didn't seem to be anything of the shanty towns to be seen but there were the ruins of the brick kilns and also a trough, which was the remains of one of the inspection trenches over which the locomotives would be positioned for inspection and repair.

The viaduct was built between 1870 and 1874, and whilst it was being constructed for steam locomotives, there is something about the story of its development that made me think of the Romans. Hundreds of men, coming from all over Britain, to live in makeshift accommodation, building this magnificent viaduct without the use of the kind of engineering technology that we take for granted now. Really, the execution of the project might have been any time in the last two millennia.

The four of us had a good wander around, and thankfully we'd brought warm clothing despite the hot, sunny weather; there was quite a gale blowing along the valley. Once we were back at the car, though, we felt the benefit of the sun. Certainly enough for the kids to have ice creams :-)