// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Nethy Bridge say? "I'm connected.
Nethy Bridge
| |
|---|---|
Location within the Badenoch and Strathspey area | |
| Population | 680 (2020)[1] |
| Council area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Nethy Bridge |
| Postcode district | PH25 |
| Dialling code | 01479 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Nethy Bridge (Scottish Gaelic: Cinn Drochaid or Drochaid Neithich) is a small village in Strathspey in the Highland council area of Scotland. The village lies 5 miles (8 km) south of Grantown-on-Spey within the historical parish of Abernethy and Kincardine, and the Cairngorms National Park.[2]
History
[edit]Often affectionately referred to simply as "Nethy" the village has, since Victorian times been a tourist destination noted for its quiet and secluded location at the edge of the Abernethy Forest.[3] It is in the heart of Strathspey in the Highlands of Scotland, between Aviemore and Grantown, and is within the boundary of the Cairngorms National Park which was established in 2003.[4]
A primary industry of Nethy Bridge was forestry,[5] with at one time several sawmills in the area, but this has long since subsided and now much of the income is derived from tourism.
The name is derived from the River Nethy, a tributary of the nearby Spey, which runs through the village, and the arched bridge which was built in 1810, to a classic Telford design, and is in the heart of the village. It had to be repaired after the Moray flood of August 1829, when part of it was washed away.[6] In total, there are four Telford bridges in Nethy.
Originally called Abernethy (Scottish Gaelic: Obar Neithich), Nethy Bridge was renamed shortly after the railways came this far north in the 1860s.[7] There was already a station called Abernethy on the North British Railway line from Ladybank to Perth further south, so perhaps the Great North of Scotland Railway renamed this one Nethy Bridge to differentiate the two. The placename Abernethy is still frequently used around here: Abernethy Highland Games,[8] Abernethy Forest, Abernethy Primary School etc.
The Aultmore Estate on the northern edge of Nethy Bridge has an Edwardian mansion and estate cottages, let out for tourism. The landed estate is owned by Bob Dylan, who put it on the market in 2023 for £3 million.[9]
Nethy Bridge was evacuated on 24 July 2026 due to the proximity of the 2026 Cairngorms wildfire.[10][11][12] The evacuation order ended on the following day.[13][14][15] That year's Abernethy Highland Games event, planned to be held in August, was subsequently called off due to the fire.[16][17][18]
Community and tourism
[edit]In 2011 the population of Nethy Bridge was 640.[19]
Nethy Bridge was one of the first communities in the area to establish a tourist association website.[20] A major part of the website is to record all properties with their individual history, and several village "elders" have been enlisted to research and record the facts.[20]
In 2019, BBC Winterwatch was broadcast from the village.[21]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Population estimates for settlements and localities in Scotland: mid-2020". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- ↑ AA Book of British Villages. Drive Publications Limited. 1980. p. 291. ISBN 9780340254875.
- ↑ Li, Martin (2005), Adventure Guide to Scotland, Hunter Publishing, Inc, p. 376, ISBN 978-1-58843-406-7
- ↑ "Cairngorms National Park Map". VisitCairngorms. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
- ↑ "Anger as Peer fells ancient pine forest", New Scientist: 6, 8 March 1984
- ↑ House of Commons papers, Volume 4, HMSO, 1831, p. 42
- ↑ Burgess, Rosemary; Kinghorn, Robert (1988). Speyside Railways. Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press. p. 29. ISBN 9780080364117.
- ↑ "Abernethy Highland Games official website". Abernethyhighlandgames.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 March 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- ↑ Reynolds, Emma. "Bob Dylan's Stately Mansion In The Scottish Highlands Hits The Market For $4 Million". Forbes. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ↑ "Police declare 'major incident' as wind change increases Cairngorms wildfire risk". BBC News. 24 July 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- ↑ Hay, Katharine (24 July 2026). "Major incident declared in Cairngorms as hundreds of villagers evacuated". The Scotsman. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- ↑ Glen, Louise (24 July 2026). "Nethy Bridge evacuations underway as Police Scotland declares major incident in Cairngorms". The Press and Journal. Aberdeen. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- ↑ Tian, Yang (25 July 2026). "Residents allowed to return after Cairngorms wildfire evacuation". BBC News. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ Rawlinson, Kevin; Badshah, Nadeem (25 July 2026). "Evacuated villagers in Cairngorms allowed home after wildfire threat lifts". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ McKay, Gabriel (26 July 2026). "Nethy Bridge residents can return home as update given on wildfire". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ Harkiss, Niall (26 July 2026). "Abernethy Highland Games cancelled as wildfire response continues in Nethy Bridge". Strathspey & Badenoch Herald. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ Pollock, Laura (26 July 2026). "Scottish Highland games cancelled as wildfire continues". The National. Glasgow. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ VanReenan, Danyel; Mowat, Ewan (26 July 2026). "Cairngorms wildfire response 'not expecting military support' as Highland Games axed". Aberdeen Live. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "NETHY BRIDGE in Highland (Scotland)". citypopulation.info. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
- 1 2 "Nethy Bridge Tourist Association".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Winterwatch Series 7: Episode 1". BBC iPlayer. 29 January 2019.