Talkiing of bridges, as I do elsewhere today, an interesting new one has recently opened at Iffley Lock. This is a temporary structure giving access to the lock while the usual path is closed for repairs to the weir.
I have in the past admired the ingenuity the Environment Agency shows in these situations. For regular users, a new route offers the pleasure of the unfamiliar — almost a fairground thrill. This could be experienced not long ago at Iffley in the boarded causeway that passed above the drained lock while work went on beneath.
The latest new path takes us from the lock and up into Iffley via a floating pontoon bridge and a wood-lined passage leading to Mill Lane. This is rather narrow (see above) and a little hard to negotiate when a cyclist pushing his machine meets another coming the other way.
Stepping on to the pontoon is exciting in itself, since it moves discernibly beneath one’s feet. Crossing the wide expanse of water a few inches above the surface, with a view of lush gardens beyond, is an experience I can wholly recommend. So far I have done it only in daylight. At night, with overhead lights twinkling along its length, the bridge must look especially fine.
I might have wished for more care, though, in the official notice advising of the change. This says: “The alternative route for pedestrians is . . . accessed via a green open space off of Mill Lane.” ‘Off of’ indeed!
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