Far Moor Bridge

Far Moor Bridge by Civil Engineer Design

Far Moor Bridge

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.

Far Moor Bridge by Civil Engineer Design
Far Moor Bridge by Civil Engineer Design
Far Moor Bridge by Civil Engineer Design
Far Moor Bridge by Civil Engineer Design

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.

More case studies

Two exceptional performance spaces, designed by Ian Ritchie Architects, have been seamlessly integrated into the Royal Academy of Music. Founded in 1822, the academy is Britain’s oldest conservatoire and is housed on the edge of Regents Park in a Grade II listed historic building which has long been extended and adapted.

The Two and a Half Storey House is a masterwork of three-dimensional imagination in timber and an ingenious solution to a common problem: how to create an extra bedroom in a two-storey terrace house.