Wales Coast Path walkers face detour if bridge shuts

Walkers could face a 16-mile (26 km) diversion if a historic rail bridge across a Gwynedd estuary is closed to save £30,000 a year.

The council is considering withdrawing the funding for the Victorian Barmouth bridge, which carries Cambrian Coast trains to neighbouring Fairbourne.

It also provides a footpath over the River Mawddach, and is considered a vital link in the Wales Coast Path.

The council faces £9m cuts - and says this is one option being discussed.

"It is a very important draw for tourists and a key part of the local infrastructure," said Quentin Grimley, who is the Wales Coast Path officer for Natural Resources Wales.

"We are in discussions with Gwynedd Council about the importance of the bridge remaining open to pedestrians and cyclists."

The bridge is owned by Network Rail, and the council pays £30,800 towards the annual maintenance costs for path.

Last year it attracted about 100,000 walkers to the Mawddach Trail section of the coastal path.

Without access to the bridge, the route across the Mawddach involves following the estuary and river virtually all the way back to Dolgellau and then back up the other side of the river - 16-miles in total.

Gwynedd Council said it had "no option" but to consider cutting its funding for the bridge as part of wider savings it must find by 2016.

But the authority said this was just one proposal being discussed as part of a "long list of possible options" which will go out to public consultation in the autumn.

"In parallel to this process, the council is in preliminary discussions with Network Rail regarding a permanent solution to this matter as part of its wider discussions with Network Rail about the upcoming maintenance work on the bridge," said a Gwynedd Council official.

Network Rail said it was planning to refurbish the bridge and was holding talks with the council ahead of the project starting.

"We are looking at whether we can reduce the amount of maintenance required on the bridge, which could reduce Gwynedd's liability in the future," said a spokesman.