Ceremony marks Exe Estuary Trail milestone

A special ceremony will be held tomorrow to mark the completion of the eastern side of the Exe Estuary Trail.

The £2.6 million Clyst Bridge and connecting route through Goosemoor RSPB Nature Reserve has filled the missing link of the Trail. Together with the Ebford Link and Fishers Mill Bridge, this new section over the River Clyst completes the route between Exeter and Exmouth and connects with the local cycle network to Ebford and Clyst St George.

The new route forms part of the National Cycle Network. From Bowling Green Road in Topsham, it runs through the nature reserve on 225 metres of boardwalk and elevated ramp, then passes over the new 120 metre span bridge to join the already constructed section of the Exe Estuary Trail to Exton and beyond.

The scheme has been carefully designed by Devon County Council to ensure users of the trail pose no disturbance to birds in the reserve and on the River Clyst. The bridge uses hardwood panels to shield the nature reserve from trail users, while offering spectacular, uninterrupted views looking downstream towards the Exe Estuary.

Several innovative engineering techniques have been employed during construction due to the challenging nature of the site. 

The bridge was fabricated in six sections by Britons Fabricators at Hucknall in Derbyshire. These sections were delivered to the canal basin, spliced together into three spans and lifted onto pontoons before being towed down the canal into the estuary and along the River Clyst to be floated into position.

The spans, weighing some 33 tonnes each excluding the weight of timber, were lifted into position using a specially-designed hydraulic lifter.  The bridge is supported on piers which are designed to resist impacts from barges and boats that use the river, which is navigable at high water.  The pier foundation includes 16 piles taken down to depths up to 24 metres into the underlying sandstone.

The timber boardwalk has four galleries offering views into the RSPB Goosemoor Reserve through specially cut view ports.

Devon County Council Chairman Councillor Bernard Hughes OBE will conduct the opening ceremony. He said: “This bridge and boardwalk through the reserve is a great addition to the Exe Estuary Trail. I welcome the completion of the Trail from Exeter to Exmouth, and hope people enjoy using it responsibly and respect other users of the trail.”

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for cycling, said: “It has taken some time but the vision of the Exe Estuary Trail is now being realised. This final section has had its challenges but it’s more than worthwhile to see the completion of the eastern side of the Trail. The route is already extremely popular, and I’m sure even more people will now explore this spectacular connection between Exeter and Exmouth and enjoy the Estuary. Communities along the Trail, such as Topsham, Ebford and Clyst St George have the option of walking and cycling to work or school, or using the route in their leisure time. This is one of Devon’s flagship trails which, no doubt, will be the envy of many other counties and highlights why we’re a cycling county.”

Councillor Peter Bowden, Local County Councillor for Broadclyst and Whimple, said: “Many people will be delighted with the opening of this significant chapter in the history of our Devonwide cycle network. We know that young and old alike are keenly awaiting this facility and I, for one, hope that such ideas, designs and innovative schemes will arise all over the county.” 

Peter Exley, speaking for the RSPB in the south west, said: "We're delighted to see the opening of the bridge and cycle way adjacent our nature reserve at Goosemoor. This has created a new view over this important reserve and we know it'll be enjoyed by the thousands of people that every year visit this area to enjoy the wildlife. We are also pleased to welcome a further extension to the cycle network as we are keen to encourage as many people as possible to visit our sites in an environmentally friendly way."

The site is within the Exe Estuary which has SSSI and RAMSAR designation, as the Estuary provides an internationally important habitat for wintering and passage wading birds. Due to the environmentally sensitive nature of the area, site activities were strictly controlled. As a result the project was built by contractor Dyer and Butler, working closely with Exeter Maritime Services, over a two year period. Construction noise was minimised at all times and no flood lighting was used in order to reduce disturbance to wildlife.