Scottish Bridges: 19. Polhollick Suspension Bridge

Head east from the Crathie Suspension Bridge, along the River Dee towards Aberdeen, and you will come to the Polhollick Footbridge, near Ballater.

At first sight, this is a much less charming bridge than the one at Crathie. It was built later, in 1892, and is usually credited to James Abernethy and Co, although the Harper Bridges website suggests it may have been designed by Louis Harper, who worked for Abernethy but also built bridges under his own name.

It's neither pretty nor was it particularly well cared for, at the time I took these photos a few years ago. The tower legs and parapets are very basic, and the sawtooth profile at the top of the towers looks awkward. The oddest feature is the set of "ladder rungs" between the two main cables. I'm not entirely sure what benefit they provide.

As of 2012, I read that the bridge is restricted to 4 pedestrians at a time, but that money has now been allocated towards its refurbishment.

Further information:

• Bing maps
• Structurae
• British Listed Buildings
• Scotland's Places
• RCAHMS
• Bridgemeister
• Civil Engineering Heritage: Scotland Highlands and Islands (Paxton and Shipway, 2007)
• Highland Bridges (Nelson, 1990)
• Scottish Suspension Bridges (Hume, in The Archaeology of Industrial Scotland, 1977)