Devon Coast to Coast
Drake's Trail
Gem Bridge
The construction of Gem Bridge is a major step forward for the 26km cycling and walking route - Drake's Trail. Major sit work began in March 2011 with a scheduled completion date of January 2012. The £2.1 million bridge will span 200 metres (the longest in the National Cycle Network) to link Tavistock with Horrabridge, Yelverton and Plymouth. The innovative structure crosses the steep sided Walkham Valley and helps to provide traffic free access to Dartmoor National Park. Devon County Council is in effect replacing the former Brunel viaduct which was demolished in the 1960s. The new structure, 24 metres high, echoes the original Brunel design and will include graceful steel lattice arches supported on slender ‘wineglass’ shaped columns. The atmospheric and iconic structure has been carefully designed to respect the sensitivity of its surroundings, a local beauty spot.
The County Council secured £600,000 of European funding, as part of the INTERREG IVA transborder cooperation programme, in March to work with Brittany Tourist Board to establish better cycling tourism links between the south west of England, across the Channel into France. This funding from the Cross Channel Cycle Project is crucial for the construction of Gem Bridge at Grenofen.
Devon County Council is leading the English side of the CYCLE partnership which includes Cornwall and Dorset Councils, South West Tourism and Sustrans in working with Brittany Tourist Board, as well as 12 other French partners across Normandy and Brittany in developing a range of cycling routes that extend either side of the Channel.
- Gem Bridge Update March 2012
(1.26MB - pdf help) - Gem Bridge school visits - February 2012 (1.36MB - pdf help)
- Gem Bridge Update January 2012 (1.20MB - pdf help)
- Watch the final steel truss section of the Gem Bridge being put in place - 1st December 2011
- Gem Bridge Update October 2011 (1.64MB - pdf help)
- Gem Bridge Update September 2011 (2.27MB - pdf help)
- Gem Bridge Update August 2011 (2.47MB - pdf help)
- Gem Bridge Update July 2011
- View the artists impression of the bridge (1.71MB - pdf help)
- Background to work and history of the site
