The UK has some stunning examples of viaducts across its length and breadth, with their striking design and imposing scale standing out against the landscape.
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Inspired by Roman aqueducts, viaducts were built to allow railways or roads to bridge valleys, rivers and roads. They make a beautiful backdrop to your next walk – and also give the opportunity to learn more about Britain's history.
Best viaducts in the UK
Ribblehead Viaduct, North Yorkshire
The longest structure on the Settle to Carlisle line, construction on this 400m-long viaduct began in 1869 and opened to passengers in May 1876. The build not only cost more than £50 million in today’s money, but also took the lives of more than 100 men from accidents, fighting and outbreaks of smallpox in the shanty town near the viaduct’s base. We named it as one of our favourite walks that you can do from a train station.
Glenfinnan Viaduct, Inverness-Shire, Scotland
One of the most elegant viaducts in the world, the Glenfinnan Viaduct on the West Highland Line is a 30m-high, 380m-long feat of Victorian engineering that attracts around 500,000 visitors per year – many of them keen Harry Potter fans (see our full guide to Harry Potter filming locations).
With views over Loch Shiel and the Glenfinnan Monument, Robert McAlpine’s 21-arch design was known for its innovative use of concrete. Opened in 1901, it’s still the longest concrete rail bridge in Scotland.
Knucklas Viaduct, Powys, Wales
This picturesque Victorian viaduct carries the Heart of Wales line across a tributary of the River Teme. The 23m-high, 174m-long structure has 13 arches and is crowned with two round medieval-style towers, believed to have been commissioned by a local landowner. The structure was built using rough stone, giving the impression the bridge is much older than its 1864 completion date suggests.
Barmouth Bridge, Gwynedd, Wales
Wooden and wonderful, this Grade II-listed bridge (also known as Barmouth Viaduct) crosses the mouth of the Mawddach Estuary at Barmouth on the western Welsh coast. Visually a cross between a pleasure pier and a timber rail bridge, the 820m-long structure carries the Cambrian railway line, as well as motorcycles, bikes and pedestrians (but not cars). Opened in 1867, a marine woodworm attack in the 1980s forced its closure for six months.
Ouse Valley Viaduct, Haywards Heath, Sussex
Designer John Urpeth Rastrick’s 450m-long viaduct, celebrated for its ornate and elegant 37-arch design, carries the Brighton Main Line over the River Ouse in Sussex – why not follow the source-to-sea river walk?
Officially opened in 1841, its intended lifespan was only 120 years but today it’s still a highlight of the Brighton to London railway line; an average of 52,000 people cross it each day. The viaduct gained Grade II-listed status in 1983 and extensive restoration work – largely in the northern arches and involving 2,600 bricks and 40 tonnes of stone – is now underway.
Craigmore Viaduct, Newry, Northern Ireland
This 402m-long, 40m-high railway bridge is the tallest in Northern Ireland, its 18 arches spanning the Camlough River on the Belfast to Dublin line. Designed by John Benjamin Macneill, it’s a commanding feature in the landscape. Using granite from a nearby quarry in its construction, work began in 1849 and was completed in 1852. During the Troubles, an Irish Republican Army bomb was detonated on the bridge just four minutes before a passenger train was scheduled to leave nearby Newry station and cross the viaduct.
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