Cock Bridge

There are three bridges at Cock Bridge, crossing two different streams on the A939 near Corgarff Castle. The name comes perhaps from the Cock Burn which flows under one bridge, or perhaps that name derives from the old inn that once stood here and traded as The Cock. This in turn supposedly took its name from a weather vane in the shape of a Muircock which was placed here by soldiers building the military road, and indeed the Cock Bridge!

Cock Burn Bridge

Bridge over the Cock Burn

The bridge over the Cock Burn, perhaps 'the' Cock Bridge was originally built as part of the military road from Corgarff Castle east to Aberdeen. It survived, with some modifications, until 1989 when it was replaced by the current bridge which carries a two-way road across the small burn. The new bridge is a substantial stone faced structure with the chunky parapets rising to square pillars at either end.

Allargue Bridge

The new Allargue Bridge

A short distance to the north on the A939 lies the bridge across the River Don. Here, two bridges stand side by side. The older structure appears to be a mangled stone arch bridge where the arches have been demolished, the abutments rebuilt and a metal structure placed across the span. Of course, it is entirely possible that the bridge was built this way, but somehow it looks like it has been changed! The bridge is now blocked off and signed as a dangerous structure.

The new bridge sits just a few inches downstream, and carries the modern S2 roadway across the Don. It has a much wider deck, with grassy verges between the road and the metal parapets on either side. The bridge is a concrete structure, with a single square span between blank abutments and it is perhaps just as well that the old bridge has been left alongside to hide the stark uncompromising design of its neighbour.