I had no idea what to expect when my friend Les Deering offered to take me for a walk along the footpath attached to the Road Bridge to experience the Tamar Crossing into Cornwall from Devon. It was a splendid session made particularly interesting with Les's input into background history and construction notes as he is an official Tamar Guide. It was a great session and so good to know there is a Visitor Centre on the Devon side and we took steep walks down to the riverside jetties and ramps which used to take traffic up until 1961.

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In 1846 the Cornwall Railway Act received Royal Assent and a  bridge at Saltash should link Cornwall to the rest of the UK by rail. Isambard Kingdom Brunel was appointed chief designer and engineer. The bridge is 170 feet high and over 2,000 feet in length.

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Les told me with great enthusiasm that the railway bridge was needed to connect the London to Plymouth line with the then Cornwall railway line to Falmouth. Falmouth was a packet port and was at risk of losing its status to Southampton unless it had a fast direct connection with London.

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Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge was joined in 1961 by the Tamar Road Bridge, which was a major boost to traffic moving to and from Cornwall as it shortened journey times considerably. The Tamar Bridge was the first major suspension bridge to be built after the war, and for a time the longest suspension bridge in England.

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I just stood in awe looking up at the immense structure towering over the homes of Saltash residents. It was well worth the trip.

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