The North Downs Way along Nashenden Down Ridge...

Taking the North Downs Way towards Wouldham up the hill from the top of Nashenden Farm Lane leads to some spectacular views across the Medway Valley, particularly at this time of year just before harvest. It was a rather gloomy day but the views were no less impressive. 

Long may they remain unspoiled...

Looking north towards the M2 from the HS1 bridge at Nashenden...

Looking west towards the M2 bridges from just above Nashenden...

Red Admiral...

This somewhat battered specimen was the only one of several that would stay still long enough to be photographed. It has been a good year for butterflies and an exceptional one for Red Admirals...

M2 bridge seem across the oat fields from the bottom of the North Downs Way...

Cuxton from the Borstal North Downs Way...

Cuxton Church Hill from the Borstal North Downs Way...

Bores Hole chalk pit and North Halling...

Halling, the River Medway and Holly Hill...

Ivy Cottage, with Bores Hole and Church Hill in the background...

The St. Andrews estate from the Wouldham North Downs Way...

Common Poppies...

Panorama from the Wouldham North Downs Way...

Looking back towards Cuxton from the Wouldham North Downs Way...

Corn Chamomile...

Wall Butterfly...

Descending the slope (and down the hundreds of steps) down the Black Robin path brings you out (not surprisingly by the (very) old and former pub which is now Black Robin House. I was interested to see that this is up for sale...

Medway Terrace on the Burham Road Pilgrims Way. The Black Robin is the blue house on the left...

Wheat field view from the Black Robin...

Purple Viper's Bugloss (Echium plantagineum...)

At first I thought this was a common Vipers Bugloss but the flowers are not in the usual columnular form. I think I have the ID right, though. This is not a common UK wildflower and may be a garden escapee as the seeds and plants are often sold online...

After a few refreshers in the Waterman's Arms, I made my way through Wouldham village and back over Peter's Bridge...

View of the Medway north from under Peter's Bridge...

View across the river towards Wouldham from Halling...

View down the river south from Halling...

Nashenden Farm Lane...

Nashenden Farm Lane, junction with Wouldham Road, M2 construction works 1962...

The advent of the M2 in the early 60s rather disturbed the peace of Nashenden Farm and the surrounding houses. As part of the works the farm track was widened and metalled, presumably to improve access to the M2 roadworks. Things are a lot quieter since those days. Given its proximity to the M2, Nashenden Farm Lane is remarkably quiet, being tucked down far below the motorway.

The M2 pedestrian track across the bridge is currently shut but National Highways have laid on a hourly shuttle bus, which took me from the top of Sundridge Hill over to the Borstal side, courtesy of the friendly and chatty mini-bus driver.

Despite the time of year and the rather cool and wet weather of late, Nashenden Lane was still very much in bloom...

Sweet Pea (garden escape?)

Golden Rod (another garden escape?)

Common Ragwort

Hemp Agrimony

Yellow Toadflax...

Wild Rocket...

Great Mullein...

Mallow...

Yarrow...

Wild Carrot...

Pyramidal Orchid...

Broad-leaved Helleborine (an orchid)...

Broad-leaved Helleborine...

Bird's Foot Trefoil...

Clematis....

The Medway M2 Bridges...

The Medway M2 viaducts, March 2021...

Today I set out with the intention of walking into Wouldham via the Medway M2 Bridge. Even though the footpath at the top of Sundridge hill is rather grim, there are still some wild flowers around...

Teasels. Sundridge Hill...

Marjoram, Sundridge Hill...

On 30 July 2003, a special Eurostar test train crossed the new Medway high-speed viaduct at 208 mph (335 km/h), establishing a new speed record on the British railway network. In advance of the tenth anniversary of this record-breaking run, a plaque was placed at a nearby vantage point overlooking the railway viaduct...

Plaque to commemorate the Eurostar rail link speed test...

I cannot understand what pleasure people get out of constantly vandalising this little monument. Sadly, this part of Sundridge Hill appears to be where the local waifs gather, to drink and to take the drugs that they hope will provide temporary oblivion from the pointlessness of their unloved existence. The litter and graffiti is a sad testament to their empty, nihilistic, hopeless and lonely lives.

Curiously, National Highways have recently seen fit to authorise work to raise the height of the pedestrian barriers on the bridge footpath. As a result, it is now closed until December 2023, and a shuttle bus service over to Borstal is in place. It runs from the Cuxton side on the hour at every half hour.

In terms of the litter and graffiti in the area, the local council do their best to clean things up but it is a Sisyphean task. Perhaps cutting down the scrub that has grown up on the bank behind the plinth and which now obscures the original view of the bridge, would open the area up a bit more and make it less amenable to those who hang around there... 

 

The Medway bridges viewed from the A228 overpass...

We take these crossings for granted, but they really are very recent things. The three bridges that cross the Medway between Cuxton and Borstal are properly called the “Medway Viaducts”. On the Cuxton side, they pass over the Medway Valley railway line to Paddock Wood.

View from Church Hill, 1961 - bridge construction underway (photo by Derek Church)...

The first Medway Viaduct was opened on 29th May 1963 by Ernest Marples (then the Minister of Transport) and formed a key element of the new M2 motorway...

Transport Minister Ernest Marples opening the M2 bridge - in happier times for him...

Built at a cost of £2.5 million, invitations to tender for the bridge's construction were sought in 1959. The bridge consisted of three main spans, the largest over the River Medway spanning 150m, with another two of 95m each. There are seventeen smaller spans of 30m to 40m.

Construction views, late 1962 (photos by Derek Church)...

As originally built, the first bridge comprised of six lanes (two London-bound, two coast-bound and two hard shoulders). In addition, a footpath was present along either side of the road lanes, which doubled as a small service road for maintenance personnel and pedestrians alike. These footpaths formed part of the North Downs Way, offering panoramic views of the Medway Valley and beyond.

View south from the M2 bridge footpath, 1972. This view was lost when the footpath on the southern side was removed to make room for the second M2 viaduct...

Prior to its opening, the only options for crossing the Medway were the historic bridges at either Rochester or Aylesford – or, for pedestrians, the Halling ferry. The M2 bridge remained the only crossing of the river on this site until the 2000s, when two further bridges were constructed.

View of the M2 bridge from Cuxton marina, 1972 (by Derek Church)...

View from the same place as above, 1914...

The second Medway Viaduct was built as part of the M2 widening scheme. Completed in 2003, this second span was used for a few months while the original bridge was converted for coastbound traffic. When that was done, the new span was put into its intended use in early 2004 as the London-bound carriageway.

New M2 viaducts under construction, 2002 (picture by Martin Loader)...

Other remedial works to the older first bridge were also carried out around this time, including the replacement of its original concrete central span with a steel-braced equivalent and (unfortunately) the narrowing of the bridge by the removal of the pedestrian path on its south side, leading to the loss of the views south towards Cuxton and Halling.

The third Medway Viaduct was completed in 2002, enabling the High Speed 1 railway line to traverse the river. It opened for regular services on 28th September 2003.

The HS1 viaduct (left) and new M2 bridge (right)...

Its design was somewhat unusual, using "V" shaped reinforced concrete piers to support its cantilevered bridge deck, which was prefabricated in segments and launched into position using hydraulic rams from the abutments.

References:

M2 motorway opening booklet 1963 (link here).

Medway Viaducts (link here)