2019

TL3759 : Extravagant footbridge over the A428

taken 5 years ago, near to Hardwick, Cambridgeshire, England

Extravagant footbridge over the A428
Extravagant footbridge over the A428
This footbridge takes the rerouted Hardwick to Dry Drayton footpath over the A428 dual carriageway. It was opened in 2007. It is seen from the Hardwick to Dry Drayton road bridge - a distance of about 550 yards. Its complex nature with ramps and stairs is to allow its use by those in wheelchairs or with pushchairs. Of course, beyond the bridge the path passes over rough farmland, muddy in places in winter. Admirable as the intentions for universal accessibility are, the reality is that the main beneficiaries of the ramps are cross-country cyclists who now use the footpath illegally!
The Hardwick to Dry Drayton Footpath

This 1.5 mile footpath forms part of the 273 mile Greenwich Meridian Trail & is more or less at its midway point. It actually lies about a mile to the east of the Meridian. The path starts on St Neot's Road in Hardwick, crosses the adjacent A428 dual-carriage way on an imposing structure opened in 2007 which theoretically allows those in wheelchairs to use the path. It follows the Callow Brook on its east side for about a mile, then crosses over it on a wooden bridge, before following the edge of a field to a gateway at the rear of Dry Drayton churchyard. The path passes through the churchyard to end at the village green.
This is an ancient footpath - it is shown in a map of Dry Drayton dated 900AD although its route now is slightly different from that shown. In particular, over the past 15 years or so it has been diverted twice: the path used to start on St Neots Road about 400 yards to the east. There was no bridge - crossing the A428 required one to take ones life in one's hands & I guess not many risked it. The path followed field edges for most of the way rather than the Brook & made a 90 deg turn downhill to meet the Brook about 400 yards from the wooden bridge. The other diversion was at Dry Drayton: after crossing Callow Brook the path headed directly to the churchyard gateway across the field which required a strip to be mown in the crop. This previous route is described in the Dry Drayton Footpath booklet ( LinkExternal link ) where it is listed as Footpath 17.

Greenwich Meridian Trail

Inaugurated in 2009, the 273 mile long route follows the line of the Prime Meridian as closely as practical, using public rights of way. The route does not slavishly stick to The Meridian, but has been chosen to give an interesting, varied and memorable walk.
From the Meridian Monument in Peacehaven, the route goes over the South Downs, across the Weald, through Ashdown Forest and across the North Downs. In London, too much street walking has been avoided by the judicious use of woods, commons, parks; the excellent Green Chain Walk and the Pool and Ravenbourne Rivers as a way of reaching Greenwich. The Greenwich Foot Tunnel takes the trail north of the river where the Thames Path and Limehouse Cut lead to Stratford and then to Epping Forest, a green way out of London. From Waltham Abbey, the route follows the Lea Valley to Stanstead Abbotts, continues across the hills of Hertfordshire into Cambridgeshire and the halfway point at the village of Hardwick. A loop to Cambridge, through Grantchester, is provided as an option.
The third part of the route crosses The Fens, passes through March to reach Holbeach and then historic Boston. The final part traverses the lovely Lincolnshire Wolds to Louth and then reaches Cleethorpes on the south shore of the Humber Estuary. The trail restarts at the Meridian Marker near Patrington. From there it skirts Withernsea and reaches the end at Sand le Mere where the Meridian crosses the fastest eroding coastline in England.
The route uses GMT as a logo TQ3940 : Greenwich Meridian Trail Logo.


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Martin Tester and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Paths Village, Rural settlement Roads, Road transport Primary Subject: Bridge
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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Grid Square
TL3759, 63 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Martin Tester   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Wednesday, 18 September, 2019   (more nearby)
Submitted
Tuesday, 24 September, 2019
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TL 3726 5975 [10m precision]
WGS84: 52:13.1320N 0:0.4703E
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TL 3677 5991
View Direction
East-southeast (about 112 degrees)
Clickable map
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Image Type (about): cross grid 
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