East of Desolation Infrastructure, decay, urban exploration and discovery…

Newport Transporter Bridge (Pont Gludo Casnewydd)

Meeting with The Winch, GoblinMerchant, Marc and Urban Fox in Reading, we powered down the M4, New Order blaring the whole way.  Having reached the Severn Crossing, and paid to enter Wales (surely this should be the other way?) we parked up a short walk from the bridge, and up we climbed!

The main deck of the bridge

Designed by a French engineer (Ferdinand Arnodin), and opened in 1906, it is one of two transporter bridges in the UK, the other being in Middlesbrough.

The bridge spans the river at a height of 54 metres, and the towers reach 74m.  Cars cross the river without ramps, on a gondola suspended just above the water on a plethora of steel cables.

A Grainy shot showing the gondola, 50-odd metres below.

Having climbed to the top of the towers, Goblinmerchant and then myself made the traverse out onto the suspension cables.  I can't begin to describe how this felt.  70 metres up, lying across the cables, looking down at the river below.  It was thrilling, terrifying, beautiful and bonkers.

Cable Frotting on the Newport Transporter Bridge

Back up the cables from about half way, on the Newport Transporter Bridge

Continuing all the way down the cables, back to the deck, I had to re-climb the tower to it's full height to retrieve my bag and tripod.  I took this final snap before joining the others to mooch across to the other side and simply explore the structure...

Newport Transporter Bridge from the top of a tower