National Trust - Conwy Suspension Bridge — Attraction in Conwy

I didn't get time to visit the castle, but I got a really good close-up view of it from Thomas Telford's elegant suspension bridge. Approaching from the harbour, I had to cross a very busy main road before entering through a little gate to follow the short path to the bridge. But the bridge itself, pedestrianised and almost deserted, was a surprisingly peaceful stroll to the tollkeeper's house and back. Before it was built, the only way that people and their livestock could get across the estuary was to make a difficult and perilous ferry crossing, so when it opened in 1826, Telford's bridge must have been seen as a godsend! A truly brilliant piece of engineering, its cables were amazingly anchored to a tower of the castle without appearing to cause any damage to the medieval structure at all. It's a pity that the views on both sides are restricted by the other two bridges (the Victorian Tubular Railway Bridge and the more recent road bridge) being so close. And the tollkeeper's house, resembling a mini castle with its turrets and crenellations, is sadly closed to the public. Even so, the bridge itself is well worth a close look, and it's free to...

I don't remember ever walking across the Telford Suspension Bridge until the pandemic started when a temporary one way system was put in place for pedestrians which meant if you were walking across into Conwy you had to cross the road and use the suspension bridge whereas if you were leaving Conwy you used the road bridge as normal. The one way system has now gone but the suspension bridge remains open to pedestrians so I still use it when walking over to Conwy. What I find unusual is the way the cables at one end are secured into the wall of the castle. You could just imagine the conversation these days - "We want to build a new bridge and would you mind if we use your 13th century monument as an anchor?". It's a bit of a shame that the bridge is sandwiched between the featureless road bridge and the awful railway bridge which partly block off what would otherwise be scenic views. You do at least get a close up view of the castle at one end of the bridge by way of...

This is a historic suspension bridge spanning the River Conwy, regarded as one of the iconic civil engineering achievements of the Industrial Revolution. Designed by Thomas Telford, construction began in 1822, and the bridge was opened in 1826. It was designed to harmonize with the medieval aesthetic of Conwy Castle, utilizing the castle’s towers to anchor the suspension cables. As one of the first iron suspension bridges, it is considered a groundbreaking example of the engineering innovations of the time. Originally built for carriages and pedestrians, the bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in 1958 following the construction of a new road bridge. Today, it is maintained by the National Trust and serves as a...