Union Chain Bridge

📌 Horncliffe, Northumberland / Scottish Borders
★★

Most motorists use the M74 or A1, but a quick count shows there are actually about 25 different points at which you can pass between England and Scotland by car. Of all these, which is the most poetic? The A68 at the Carter Bar pass is certainly a contender, as is the unclassified road winding through the vast Kielder Forest, far from civilisation. But we think the prize has to go to the Union Chain Bridge, which celebrates 200 years of linking the Scottish and English banks of the wide River Tweed in July 2020. The architect was Samuel Brown, who designed what was then the world’s longest wrought iron suspension bridge. Isambard Kingdom Brunel was one of a succession of engineers who later visited the site as inspiration for their own projects. It’s testament to the quality of construction that the bridge has generally remained open to traffic despite the ravages of time and severe floods; amazingly, river levels have occasionally been documented to reach as high as the roadway. There have been a few closures, most recently from 2020 to 2023 when the entire roadway was removed for refurbishment. Parking is at either end – vehicles must cross one at a time and aren’t allowed to stop on the bridge, and there’s a 3 tonne weight limit.

🌍 Location

📌 On minor road 1 mi north of Horncliffe

🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NT 934510

🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.752612,-2.106673

🚌 Bus to Horncliffe (1 mi)

🚗 Verge parking at both ends of bridge

📝 Key info

⌚ Always open – 3 tonne weight restriction

🎫 Free