The Cambus O' May bridge spans the River Dee to the east of

Ballater Ballater (, gd, Bealadair) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the River Dee, immediately east of the Cairngorm Mountains. Situated at an elevation of , Ballater is a centre for hikers and known for its spring water, once said to cure ...

, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was paid for by the estate of

Alexander Gordon Alexander Gordon may refer to: * Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly (died 1470), Scottish magnate * Alexander Gordon (bishop of Aberdeen) (died 1518), Precentor of Moray and Bishop-elect of Aberdeen * Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly (died 15 ...

, who had grown up nearby. The bridge was built in 1905 and is a suspension footbridge long and wide. The bridge was rebuilt in 1988 for safety reasons but was badly damaged in the December 2015

Storm Frank A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm), ...

. It was repaired and reopened in April 2021.

Construction

Cambus O' May lies to the east of

, Aberdeenshire and is located on a large bend of the River Dee. Its name derives from the Gaelic ''Cama a' Mhaigh'' ("bend of the plain"). Originally a farm it grew to several households and for a while had a railway station. There was originally a ferry crossing of the river at this location. Gordon later moved to England where he prospered in business and made various donations to the Glen Girnock district, including for the construction of the Polhollick Bridge and buildings in Ballater. Some ten years after Gordon's death his estate gave money for the construction of a bridge at Cambus O' May. The bridge was built in 1905. David McFetrich in ''An Encyclopaedia of British Bridges'' (2019) states it was designed and built by

Louis Harper Louis Harper (23 April 1868 – 26 January 1940) was a civil engineer from the north-east of Scotland who designed a number of suspension footbridges towards the end of the 19th century. Harper was born in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, to John Ha ...

but J.R. Hume in ''Scottish suspension bridges'' (1977) states it was by the ironfounder James Abernethy. Abernethy was a cousin of the civil engineer

James Abernethy James Abernethy FRSE (12 June 1814 – 8 March 1896) was a Scottish civil engineer. Biography Abernethy was born in Aberdeen to George Abernethy, an engineer, and Isabella Johnston. In 1823, the family moved to South Wales, where his father man ...

and his foundry at Aberdeen, James Abernethy & Co, cast the bridge components. It is a suspension bridge with a deck wide and a clear span of . A high lattice truss runs either side of the deck, acting to stiffen the bridge and serve as a parapet. The two steel suspension cables are carried by two tapered lattice towers, which are topped with ball-shaped finials. The

Deeside Way The Deeside Way is a rail trail that follows, in part, the bed of the former Deeside Railway in Aberdeenshire. Forming part of the National Cycle Network (National Route 195) the trail leads from Aberdeen to Ballater. The route The pathway r ...

, a trail following the former

Deeside Railway The Deeside Railway was a passenger and goods railway between Aberdeen and Ballater in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Opening in 1853 to Banchory, an extension reached Aboyne in 1859. A separate company, the Aboyne & Braemar Railway, built an extens ...

, passes the north-eastern end of the bridge. The bridge itself forms part of the

Cairngorms National Park Cairngorms National Park ( gd, Pàirc Nàiseanta a' Mhonaidh Ruaidh) is a national park in northeast Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and The Tro ...

Core Path Network. Footpaths from the bridge lead to Torphantrick Wood and the

Muir of Dinnet Muir of Dinnet is a national nature reserve (Scotland), national nature reserve (NNR) situated close to the village of Dinnet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The reserve extends 1166 hectares from the River Dee to Culbean hill, and encompasses a ...

nature reserve. The bridge is a popular tourist site and a hotel and restaurant is located at the site. In 1982 the Kincardine and Deeside District Council carried out a minor renovation that cost £38,482. The bridge was almost completely rebuilt in 1988 for safety reasons, though the original design was retained. The bridge was formally reopened by

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...

2015 damage and subsequent repairs

Cambus O' May bridge was severely damaged during

in December 2015. The river rose above its usual level and the bridge deck was submerged. The bridge suffered damage from the water and large objects such as trees that were carried in the flow. Rebuilding work was part funded by Aberdeenshire Council and the Scottish Government. Further funding was provided by donations from the Ballater Royal Deeside group and a personal pledge from

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

. The total cost was around £400,000. The rebuilding work started in September 2020. At the end of that month the area was hit by

Storm Alex Storm Alex was a powerful early-season extratropical cyclone that was particularly notable for its extreme flooding around the Mediterranean. Alex caused widespread wind and flooding damage across Europe, and at least 16 fatalities, with one more ...

which again caused the Dee to rise and almost submerged the bridge. Although the bridge was then only partly repaired it survived without further damage, though some temporary scaffolding was buckled. Repair work was affected by the third COVID-19 lockdown in January 2021, as works were nearing completion. The bridge eventually re-opened in April 2021, the last bridge in Aberdeenshire damaged by Storm Frank to re-open. There was criticism from some parties for the council's decision to retain the turnstiles at each end of the bridge. There were complaints that these made access difficult or impossible for the disabled or people with prams. The council stated that replacing the turnstiles was necessary because of "legal, safety and heritage obligations". The bridge is

Category B listed This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland, which are among the listed buildings of the United Kingdom. For a fuller list, see the pages linked on List of listed buildings in Scotland. Key The organization of the lists in th ...

References

{{reflist Bridges in Aberdeenshire Bridges completed in 1905 Suspension bridges in the United Kingdom Category B listed buildings in Aberdeenshire 1905 establishments in Scotland Ballater