Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/12/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Menai Bridge is a small harbor town boasting a population of about 5000. Its Welsh name is Porthathwy, but few, except the most zealous Welsh nationalists call it that. It has one supermarket, two gas stations, three banks, four churches, and too many pubs to count. Everything, no matter how new, looks at least a century old. We lived abouta half mile from the center of town, a nice stroll in good weather. The road in front of our house also bordered the Menai Strait so the walk was scenic as well. The burbling water of the strait framed the view of the Snowdonia mountains in the distance. The center of attraction in Menai Bridge and the town's raison d' etre is the bridge itself. The steel link suspension bridge across the Menai Strait was built in 1826 and was the first of its kind in the world. It connects the island of Anglesey (where we lived) to the mainland. The bridge made possible a land route from Holyhead, the port where the Irish ferries docked, to England. Thomas Telford, the bridge architect, was a civil engineering genius who left his mark on many British construction projects of the early 1800s. Almost every town has its Telford designed bridge or aqueduct or roadway or even tollhouse. Most are still in use, having outlived more contemporary construction. The best view of Menai Bridge is from the other side of the Menai Strait. You can see the town as returning sailors would once have seen it, a village of cottages and pubs rising from the waterfront, backed by the larger houses of ship owners. In Victorian times Menai Bridge was a major port and the bridge had to be built high enough for the masts of ships to pass under. Paddle steamers from Liverpool moored at the town piers, pausing just long enough to unload passengers and cargo, while the crew nipped up to the Liverpool Arms for a quick refreshment before the return journey. The Menai Bridge waterfront still has its boats but they are usually used for pleasure and fishing. The harbor has a 26 to 30 foot tidal range. At low tide most boats on moorings near the shore sit on the exposed mud bottom. Many of the sailboats have twin keels for a good reason. They don't fall over on their sides when the tide goes out. http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/View+from+our+window.jpg.html http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Telford+Bridge+1.jpg.html http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Telford+Bridge+at+night.jpg.html http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Menai+Strait+at+mid+tide.jpg.html http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Bangor+harbor_+low+tide.jpg.html http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Red+Wharf+Bay+at+low+tide.jpg.html Larry Z