Читать книгу The Lune Valley and Howgills. 40 scenic fell, river and woodland walks онлайн

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The viaduct, a little further along, was an impressive demonstration of Victorian engineering, its 14 arches spanning 168m and carrying the track 27m above the river. It was built with the foresight to accommodate twin lines as traffic increased, but although much of the route was soon upgraded to two-way operation, the section here remained single track. With the closure of the Barrow steelworks in 1961, the line was shut and the rails removed, along with several viaducts, including that across the River Belah, which lay 9 miles (14.5km) to the east. At 60m high, it was the tallest bridge in Britain. The Smardale Gill Viaduct almost shared the same fate, for by 1980 its condition had deteriorated to the point of becoming dangerous. However, British Rail offered a grant reflecting the cost of demolition for its restoration, and the bridge was re-opened in 1992 as a link to the Smardale Nature Reserve along the valley.

On the far side of the viaduct leave over a stile on the right, from which a path runs back up the valley, giving a superb retrospective view to the viaduct. After passing the limestone quarries over on the other side, watch for a fork and climb to a stile above. Those with their noses to the ground will have noticed the rock underfoot change from limestone to sandstone, which was cut from the hillside a little further along for the construction of the viaduct. Beyond the quarries, cross a stile and follow a bridleway down to Smardale Bridge.