Work to transform a flood-affected Deeside glen, which acts as a gateway to the Cairngorms, has led to the reopening of an important structure.
A new footbridge has been installed across the River Quoich, on the Mar Lodge Estate, west of Braemar, following a £25,000 donation from one of Scotland’s oldest mountaineering groups, the Cairngorm Club.
The original crossing at the Quoich Punchbowl was ruined when a tree was sent rushing down the watercourse after Storm Frank hit the region from December 2015 into January 2016.
Another footbridge, further up the River Quoich, and a road crossing near the area’s car park, were also deemed irreparable and remain in need of replacing.
Footpaths were also badly damaged in the area, which offers access to munros Ben a’Bhuird and Ben Avon.
The footbridge at the punchbowl was ruled to be unsafe with access prohibited after the flooding.
It remained closed for almost a year until the donation from the Cairngorm Club, made possible by a bequest from a former member, Willie Robb, who died in 2012.
A plaque was also put in place on the new structure in memory of the Aberdeen man.
Cairngorm Club secretary Ken Thomson said the bridge was a “critical” part of the walking experience in the area.
He added: “We had a bequest a year or two before from Willie Robb. He was a well-liked chap and so we were very pleased to commemorate him on the plaque.
“This latest project is really a continuation of something the club has been doing for over a century.”
David Frew, property manager at the estate, said: “It makes a big difference from the point of view of improving public access and letting people cross from one side to another. It is a very, very popular glen for walking.
“We had lost all the bridges. There were three. All three were gone. This is the first one we have managed to get back in place.
“At least, it does allow people to cross from one side to the other.
“It is great to get one footbridge back in. There is one further footbridge to complete further up the glen.
“There is still a lot of work to do. All the sites around there affected by the floods, are incredibly designated sites. They are SSSIs (site of special scientific interests) and scheduled monuments sites and so on.
“There is a huge amount of complexity in restoring these bridges.”
