Not strictly a Millennium Bridge, but the new footbridge at Willowford is of great interest for many reasons. In Roman times, Hadrian's Wall spanned the River Irthing between Gilsland and Birdoswald by means of a bridge and the abutments are still visible. However, the river has changed its course over the centuries and the original structure has long since gone. To anyone attempting to walk the line of Hadrian's Wall, the alternative to fording the River Irthing (not easy!) was an unpleasant bit of walking on a narrow, sinuous and fairly busy road. Proposals for creating a National Trail along the line of the Wall brought the matter to a head and in 1999, a new footbridge was built over the river close to the original bridging point. Access down from Birdoswald is by a very steep path which is unfortunately too steep for cyclist and the bridge construction itself had to cope with an interesting challenge, with the bank on the west (right) bank of the river significantly higher than on the east bank necessitating a bridge with an appreciable gradient. For further information, see the Visit Cumbria site whilst the Hiking UK site has not current photos of the bridge and the Roman abutments but also an artist's impression of the original Roman bridge.
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