A unique timber bridge, a combination of stress-laminated arches and screw-laminated deck, crosses the River Ribble in remote moorland near Ribblehead in the Yorkshire Dales. Far Moor Bridge is far from any road; it is designed for horses, cyclists and walkers who take the Pennine Bridleway, a new National Trail in the north of England.
LocationYorkshire
ArchitectCivil Engineering Design Services
ClientYorkshire Dales National Park Authority
Project TypePublic Space
CollectionsMass Timber
Structural EngineerCivil Engineering Design Services
Main ContractorHouseman and Falshaw Ltd
Joinery ContractorCTS Bridges Ltd
Wood SupplierJames Jones
Timber SpeciesScottish larch, Oak
Timber ElementsBridge structure, deck, balustrade posts, rails
A unique timber bridge, a combination of stress-laminated arches and screw-laminated deck, crosses the River Ribble in remote moorland near Ribblehead in the Yorkshire Dales. Far Moor Bridge is far from any road; it is designed for horses, cyclists and walkers who take the Pennine Bridleway, a new National Trail in the north of England. Funded by Natural England and with the support of Sport England, the bridleway enters the Yorkshire Dales National Park at Long Preston and weaves through the Dales to Kirkby Stephen.
A new section of bridleway, together with the new bridge over the Ribble, has been created near Selside, only a few miles from the famous Ribblehead railway viaduct. Here the commissioning authority saw an opportunity to build a comparably iconic structure which would also be environmentally sustainable and low budget.
The brief specified a bridge that would be suitable for horses, cyclists and pedestrians; it should be aesthetically pleasing, complement the surrounding rural upland and be constructed on sustainable principles in terms of environmental impact, energy use, pollution reduction and whole life cycle cost. It should also be of a high quality as befitted an important national trail.
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