Miners' Bridge Pontrhydygroes |

In 2002, Plynlimon Heritage Trust, on behalf of Pentir Pumlumon, obtained 100% funding to build a footbridge over the River Ystwyth in Pontrhydygroes. The bridge is on the site of a former miners’ footbridge, built in the nineteenth century, when Pontrhydygroes was the centre of a thriving lead-mining industry. The old bridge is thought to have collapsed around 1920. An information board nearby explains the history of the site.

The grant was from Cydcoed, which funded projects in Objective 1 areas of Wales to create woodland or improve existing woodland. Contractors for the bridge itself, built to the Ranger design, were Forestry Civil Engineering. Contractors for the work on the approach paths were Tregaron Tractor Services.

The new bridge provides direct pedestrian access from the village of Pontrhydygroes to the Coed Maenarthur Forest Trail, a circular walk which follows the spectacular Ystwyth gorge, passes Grogwynion waterfalls, and provides beautiful views of the Ystwyth valley.

The photos on this page show the progress of the project from its beginnings in October 2001 to the official opening of the bridge on September 27th 2002. Unless otherwise stated in the captions, photos are © Richard Wilson. Others are by John Luckhurst of Pontrhydygroes, freelance professional photographer Arvid Parry Jones, and Robert Griffiths of Forestry Civil Engineering, who have kindly allowed use of their images on this page.

You can view larger versions of the images one-by-one as a slide show (with caption below). Click the first image to start, then use the arrows to scroll through the story.

: Pen & ink drawing of the original late-nineteenth-century miner’s bridge, based on a postcard view, and reproduced on the Miners’ Bridge interpretation board.

: The project was the brainchild of Anne Wilson, owner of Hillscape Walking Holidays near Pontrhydygroes, and a member of Pentir Pumlumon. Her first step was to enthuse the Community Councillors, who are seen here with Anne on a site visit, on 14th October 2001.

: Ysbyty Ystwyth community councillors make their way down to the Pontrhydygroes end of the bridge

: May 2002. Miners’ Bridge site

: After many months of form-filling and negotiation, the funding was secured, and contracts placed. This photo and the ones that follow were taken two days before work started. This is where the new path leaves the road in Pontrhydygroes.

: View of the final steep slope of the path from the village down to the bridge. It had been hewn out of the rock by the Lisburne miners.

: Looking down the same stretch.

: View up the “path” from the Pontrhydygroes bridge end

: The Christmas tree plantation through which the upper part of the Pontrhydygroes approach path was to be constructed

: The top of the projected path route, with the road just beyond the fence.

: View from the village-side bridge end across to Maenarthur Woods. The approximate position of the other end of the bridge is marked.

: Coed Maenarthur, and the overgrown path down to the bridge site

: Another view of the path

: The last section down to the Maenarthur end of the bridge

: View from the Maenarthur end of the bridge across the gorge to the village end (red spot). The path can be seen sloping diagonally down to it from the left

: 17th July 2002. Work starts at last! The sub-contractors for the bridge are John Roberts Engineering of Ffestiniog. They have installed two bridges of the same “Ranger” design already in Coed y Brenin, but not in quite such spectacular (or inaccessible) locations. They have done some vegetation clearing down the path from Pontrhydygroes, and are now digging a hole for the concrete foundation

: The concrete foundation in place

: 18th July. Digging the foundation on the Maenarthur side

: Pouring concrete from a powered wheelbarrow

: Maenarthur Woods: top end of path from forest road down to the bridge site

: Some clearing and excavation has been done to allow wheelbarrow access

: The Maenarthur concrete foundation pad, from the Pontrhydygroes side of the gorge. Photo © Robert Griffiths

: The Maenarthur concrete foundation pad. Photo © Robert Griffiths

: 22nd August. After a month of quiet, the steelwork for the bridge is delivered early in the morning. The girder sections are seen here being unloaded in Coed Maenarthur. Photo © Robert Griffiths

: Photo © Robert Griffiths

: The clear span between the two foundation pads is 18.5 metres, and each 20-metre steel lattice girder consists of six 3 metre sections, and one of 2 metres. The sections for the first girder are ferried down to the abutment. Photo © Robert Griffiths

: The sections are bolted together under the watchful eye of Robert Griffiths of Forestry Civil Engineering, the main contractors for the bridge.

: Photo © Robert Griffiths

: The completed girder has one end projecting out beyond the foundation, over the gorge.

: Later the same day we are ready for the trickiest part of the project, which is winching the first complete girder across the gorge. The contractor for this task was Clarence Biddulph of Llanddewi Brefi. A tractor-powered skyline across the gorge was used to lift and suspend the girder, whilst delicately winching it across the abyss to land the end on the other side. The tractor stood on the Pontrhydygroes side, high above the bridge site, and was manned by Colin Biddulph. Everyone held their breath as the girder inched across the gap. Photo © Robert Griffiths

: Photo © Robert Griffiths

: Photo © Robert Griffiths

: Photo © Robert Griffiths

: Photo © Robert Griffiths

: One girder done, one to go, and the contractors enjoy a peaceful campsite in Coed Maenarthur. Photo © Robert Griffiths

: 23rd August. The second girder is assembled and “flown” across the gorge. Photo © Robert Griffiths

: Photo © Robert Griffiths

: Photo © Robert Griffiths

: Photo © Robert Griffiths

: As soon as the second girder was in place, Wil Roberts put on his safety harness, clipped himself to the girders, and became the first person to cross the Miners’ Bridge for three-quarters of a century! Over the next two days, Wil and his team bolted the rest of the steelwork on to the girders, ready for the arrival of the timber; they also concreted in the Coed Maenarthur end. Photo © Robert Griffiths

: Photo © Robert Griffiths

: In September, TTS of Tregaron started work digging out the path on the Pontrhydygroes side. The original route was considered unsafe, so a new line with easier gradients was found, with the enthusiastic co-operation of landowner David Lloyd Jones.

: The new path through the Christmas trees on the Pontrhydygroes side

: 17th September. The path from Pontrhydygroes makes a very sharp, steep zig-zag down to the bridge, and safety considerations demanded a strong fence for this section, and for the section near the bridge on the other side. Here we see Jez of TTS using a power tool to dig post holes in the solid rock.

: Photo © John Luckhurst

: Photo © John Luckhurst

: 22nd September. Only 5 days till the opening ceremony, and there still appears to be a lot to do!

: 24th September. All the timber for the fences and the footbridge is locally sourced oak from Forestry Commission forests – more expensive than softwood, but also more durable.

: First the uprights are bolted to the steelwork

: 25th September. Now the decking is added

: Project manager Anne Wilson tries out the decking!

: 26th September. It’s the Grand Opening tomorrow, and everyone is working flat-out

: Evening falls, and the paths and bridge are – just – ready for traffic

: 27th September 2002. The opening ceremony was conducted by writer and broadcaster Trevor Fishlock, presenter of HTV’s Wild Tracks. He recalls spending two weeks in the Ystwyth valley in 1996, filming a Wild Tracks programme, and enjoying the tranquil beauty of the gorge now spanned by the new Miners’ Bridge. Photo © Arvid Parry Jones

: The children of Ysgol Gynradd Ysbyty Ystwyth are the first official users of the new bridge. Photo © Arvid Parry Jones

: And now it’s the turn of the adults, who collectively demonstrate that it’s a very strong bridge

: Forest Ranger John Glant Griffiths leads a party of keen walkers off to discover the sylvan delights of Coed Maenarthur, using many of the footpaths recently created there by Forest Enterprise. Photo © Arvid Parry Jones

: Pontrhydygroes resident Iorwerth Davies remembers the original bridge, and at 84 is the oldest person to cross the new one on its historic first day. Photo © Arvid Parry Jones

: It wasn’t till the following year that two finishing touches were added – this is the sign from the path end in Pontrhydygroes …

: … and this steel sign stands next to the bus shelter in the middle of the village

: Admiring the 21-metre drop to the river below.

: Pontrhydygroes water wheel, installed in 2009 on the site of a 19th-century wheel which was part of the Lisburne mining complex. The wheel is a few yards from the start of the path leading down to the Miners’ Bridge.

The waterwheel interpretation panel (below) contains a goood summary of lead mining activity in the Pontrhydygoes area; click the image for a legible view.