Garden Feature

Always looking for places of interest around the area where we live I came across a guide to walks along the River Frome which includes a nature reserve alongside Winterbourne Viaduct. Not knowing where best to park I chanced a small country lane and found a spot next to a farm and headed off towards the viaduct on foot.

I was taking a couple of shots atthe bounday of a field when a rather large German Shepherd dog bounded up to me followed by a man shouting "what you doin yer then?". Once I'd explained, he was most affable sharing some history of the viaduct and pointing out where best to go to get some photographs. Given the remoteness of his property he and his neighbours occasionally get suspicious characters hanging about and so tend be cautious when people are not just walking by.

Anyway, he let me come onto his property and take some images, while proudly boasting that "not everyone has one of these in their back garden". Difficult to argue with that statement.

Anyway, it's actually called The Huckford Viaduct and was built in 1902 as part of the Wootton Bassett to Patchway railway line. It now forms part of the line from Bristol to Paddington station. It rises 100 feet above the river and is made up of 11 massive brick arches. The Frome Valley Walkway passes through one of these arches.