Stiffkey Marshes: Makeshift bridge mysteriously appears over creek

A makeshift bridge has mysteriously appeared over a creek after the last one was removed by the National Trust almost 18 months ago.

The charity took down the footbridge at Stiffkey Marshes, Norfolk, in March 2022 due to safety concerns but said it would be rebuilt.

Villager Ian Curtis said the walkway was discovered about a week ago.

The National Trust said it had "been advising people walking in the area to avoid using it for their own safety".

Mr Curtis has been campaigning for its reinstatement and said a wooden bridge had originally been used by sheep to graze on the marshes and people would also cross it to collect cockles and samphire.

He said it was now mostly used by walkers before the last structure - which he believed to be around 30 years old - was taken down without warning by the National Trust.

Mr Curtis said the bridge's removal was dangerous as it was still listed on Ordnance Survey and Google maps and he described how one couple was stranded by the tide earlier this year.

"We're still at the same point as when the bridge was removed," said Mr Curtis.

"[The National Trust] has now said three times they're going to replace it.

"What we need is for them to keep to their word... and just get on with it."

The campaigner said he first spotted the new bridge while out walking and posted it on his Facebook group, but it was still a mystery who had cobbled it together.

"Nobody has come forward except the fairies to say who's done it," mused Mr Curtis.

In March, the National Trust confirmed a £250,000 bridge would be built after the previous one was dismantled due to structural concerns and the widening water channel.

It had made a U-turn to replace it after a campaign by villagers and the local MP, but no construction date has yet been announced.

In a statement, it said safety was its priority and advised visitors to check tide timetables and use alternative paths.

"We continue to move forward with our plans to rebuild Stiffkey bridge, however, we need to ensure that what is built is robust, safe and suitable for this inter-tidal coastal location.

"We do not know who installed the current bridge across the creek and cannot vouch for its construction.

"We have therefore been advising people walking in the area to avoid using it for their own safety and to not rely on it as a means of escape from the saltmarsh at high tide, while we continue to work on a permanent solution."

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