What it Looks Like Today: Bolham Halt to Tiverton Station
It's quite a surreal sight to see this bridge sitting out in the middle of the field,with no apparent reason for it to be there and it's quite amazing really that the farmer has not demolished it,as it would surely make things like ploughing easier if it wasn't there.The bridge is quite long and unusually for bridges I have seen,the ends are curled.I imagine that as the bridge was built only so that the farmer could move livestock across the line,that these curled ends make it easier to move cows across without damaging the bridge.
The bridge has been totally filled in,but you can still see some of the stones that made up the arch.The bridge is in fairly good condition,although we did spot some damage that was maybe caused by being knocked by a tractor.There are some fine views of the Devon countryside from here,as well as some not so fine views of the ever enlarging sprawl of Tiverton's housing developements.We also found a metal post,that looked rail related,but I don't know that for sure.
The other thing you notice by this bridge,is the noise level.From the quietly chirping birds of the wooded track,you now have the incessant noise of cars from the busy nearby North Devon Link Road.The building of this road that links North Devon with the M5,totally destroyed any sign of the old track and the building of the new houses that stand above it,destroyed some more.Hidden in amongst this new housing estate however,it is possible to once again trace the Exe Valley Railway.