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The Bridge at Inver

On of the most important tasks in setting up Inver, was in providing a means of crossing the river, to get from the road. This stretch of water is questionably a river at all, rather than a narrow but deep neck between the two parts of Loch Gowan (something that becomes clear in spate conditions). A small suspension bridge had existed at the appropriate point, but by 1989 most of the structure had been washed away.

The Inver Ferry

Early access to the hut was by a variety of boats.

Ruth and Clare haul the first ferry boat, before its owners reclaimed it.

Clare's ferry tub: all the building materials went across on this. This could not last. Brian designed a bridge.

Building the Bridge

Conditions started off well for the bridge building, with a weekend of unusually low river levels, allowing the concrete abutments to be laid. This was followed by a weekend when the river had been so hard frozen that the separate girders had been skimmed across on the ice then lifted onto the new abutments. The pair were then joined as a bridge and left in place for the woodwork to be fitted later. A rapid thaw introduced the club to the flood potential of the Loch Gowan watershed. It washed the bridge off its standing as shown.

The next work party came equiped with scaffolding, blocks and tackle to lift the twice-as-heavy paired girders back onto the abutments. Note the original layby on the old road at full capacity.

Tea break for the bridge restitution party. At least there were no midges to impede progress.

Not only is this a construction to be proud of, it also re-opened a disused public right of way over to Strathconnon. The Scottish Public Rights of Way Society soon after put up one of their signs to emphasise the point.

The lessons of the first flood had been learnt, and the bridge was able to survive subsequent inundations.

Note that in these conditions the alternative access routes follow the railway line from either Achnasheen station or Luib Farm.

Rebuilding the Bridge

The original bridge survived until 2004. Corrosion weakend the attachments between the girders and decking, and half the decking was blown off in a storm. The lost section was found at the far end of the loch, but before it could be recovered (one proposal involved towing it back by canoe), it was broken up by fluctuating water levels.

Fortuitously, the first people to arrive at the hut after this were Lindsay Mackay and Sophie Shaw, who arrived with a load of timber intended for another job. They created a new decking that weekend. The other half of the bridge was also replaced in this manner, later in the year.

This decking served its purpose well for a year, but the club decided to reinstate the bridge to its original standard. A work party went to rebuild it over a weekend, at the start of Janary 2005.

Note the much steeper approach to the bridge, compared to the previous pictures. The whole area on the north side was re-lanscaped when the road was upgraded in 1998.

See more pictures in the full report.

Photos courtesy Alan Walker, Alan Walker, Bill Runciman, Allan Robertson, Guy Wimble and Bruce Kerr. Text Alan Walker and Gordon Crawford

Inver Main Page -- History -- Hut Facilities -- Mountaineering Guide -- Home

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