Humber Bridge

Opened in 1981, the bridge has a main span of 1,410 metres and was the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world until 1998. The towers are 155 metres tall and are 36 millimetres further apart at the top than at the base, because they are vertical and the earth curves between them. The deck is a hollow steel box designed to be aerodynamic, and it moves: it can flex more than three metres in high wind, and walkers on the footway feel it. There was little traffic to justify it when built and the debt was a long-running local grievance until it was restructured and tolls cut in 2012. Footways run along both sides, and the Country Park below, a former chalk quarry, gives the standard view up at the span.

The main sights

• The leaning towers - 155 metres tall and 36 millimetres further apart at the top.
• The 1,410-metre span - the world's longest from 1981 until 1998.
• The moving deck - a box girder that flexes several metres in wind.
• The Country Park - a former chalk quarry beneath the northern approach.

When to go

Year-round; the footway is open at all times and free. Clear days give the best view down the estuary, and the bridge is lit at night. Strong winds make the walk unpleasant and the deck movement noticeable.

Practical notes

The walk across and back is about five kilometres alongside constant traffic and is loud. The footway is exposed with no shelter. The bridge has a long association with suicide and there are Samaritans signs and patrols along it.

Nearby

Hull lies east; Barton-upon-Humber and its Anglo-Saxon church are at the south end.

Key facts