The Forth Bridge

The Forth Bridge opened in 1890 and still does the job it was built for, carrying scheduled trains between Edinburgh and Fife. Designed by John Fowler and Benjamin Baker, it was the first major structure in Britain built of steel rather than iron, and its three double cantilevers, balanced on granite piers, cross the firth in two clear runs of 521 metres each. Nothing about it is disguised: tubes, lattice and rivets are all on show, under the red oxide paint that made it a national shorthand for endless work. You cannot walk or drive across it, but you can stand directly beneath it in South Queensferry, where the village street runs under the approach and the trains rumble overhead.

What you actually see

• The cantilever profile - three balanced towers and two clear spans of 521 metres.
• South Queensferry - the old village street beneath the southern approach.
• The three bridges together - the 1890 rail bridge, the 1964 road bridge and the 2017 crossing.
• Boat trips - short sailings under the spans and out towards Inchcolm.

When to go

Year-round. Low winter sun from the south lights the steelwork best in the afternoon; summer evenings hold light past nine. Boat trips run roughly Easter to October and are cancelled in heavy wind. Weekdays carry the busiest train timetable if you want a locomotive on the bridge in your photograph.

Honest expectations

There is no walkway and no observation platform, so this is a bridge you look at rather than experience from on it. Parking in South Queensferry fills fast on summer weekends. Wind off the firth is strong and cold in any month. The 1964 road bridge crowds many of the viewpoints, and finding a clean composition takes some walking.

Nearby

South Queensferry's harbour front, Inchcolm Abbey by boat and North Queensferry across the water.