The spume sprayed high up over the bow of the Maid of the Forth as she cut through the giddy swells of an incoming tide. Ahead, the choppy grey water and the blue cloud-flecked sky were delineated by a false horizon: the spans of the great Forth Bridge. There was a high Victorian arrogance to the way it marched across the firth, undaunted by the waters swirling around its piers. Yet as our boat slid into its shadow there was also beauty revealed in its criss-crossing web of steel girders, the matt red-brown of Morocco leather. I expected the clatter and flare of a surging steam train overhead, sparks flying, Richard Hannay in The 39 Steps leaping for his life. Instead the regular blunt-nosed two-carriage Scotrail commuter trains grumbled above me seemed out of place, unlovely caterpillars on the spreading boughs of a mighty Scottish oak.

I think Frederik Dawson’s comments below noting the journey from the 1781 Iron Bridge in Shropshire to the 1805 Pontycyllte Aqueduct in Wales to the 1890 Forth Bridge is very insightful. As I was born-and-bred in Manchester I have tended to see the so-called ‘Industrial Revolution’ as a story of manufacturing – ingenious solutions to make more stuff, quicker. But it was also a story of communication – ingenious solutions to get more stuff from one place to another, quicker. While the mills may still exist – vide Cromford or New Lanark on the UK’s List – the manufacturing solutions, the looms and engines and pumps are moveable and have been scrapped, replaced or relocated to museums and hence are not particularly visible on the List. However, the communication solutions left more of a mark on the map. You can still walk across the Iron Bridge (and it was still used for motor traffic well into the 20th-century). Boats still soar through the sky at Pontycysyllte, albeit for pleasure rather than trade these days. And the Forth Bridge is still a vital lynchpin tying Edinburgh to the Kingdom of Fife across the firth (it seems crazy that until as recently as 1890 anyone wanting to travel north from Scotland’s capital would have either had to divert far to the west or take a ferry). The bridges have left their mark on the country in a way that other communication solutions maybe haven’t (see the UK’s abortive attempts to seek inscription for the S.S. Great Britain and Great Western Railway).  One can therefore understand the desire of the UK – the nation that in its own eyes ‘gifted’ the Industrial Revolution to the world - to get these landmarks of engineering inscribed.

There are several ways to see the Forth Bridge. It still serves its original purpose as a rail bridge. Trains linking Edinburgh with the north-east of Scotland still use it, though a simple journey from Dalmeny to North Queensferry (three minutes each way, an off-peak return costing a princely £3.30) would be the most economical way to ‘experience’ it. It would only be the only way, I believe, to visit the site itself as only the bridge itself is inscribed. The space beneath its spans is outside the site boundaries.

The bridge can be seen from land. We drove beneath the bridge to reach the free carpark located along the waterfront at Hawes Pier (follow brown signs for ‘Inchcolm Island Ferries’). The brickwork towers of the rail approaches soared above our heads. Walking distance down the road is the pleasant historic jumble of South Queensferry and several eateries orient themselves towards the firth – I can confirm from an earlier visit that the night-time views of the spot-lit bridge from the terrace of the Orocco Pier restaurant are stunning.

The bridge can be seen from one of its companions. Three bridges now cross the Firth of Forth at this spot – the 1890 rail bridge, the 1864 Forth Road Bridge and the 2017 Queensferry Crossing. The Road Bridge is now only open for buses, taxis, cyclists and pedestrians – all other vehicle traffic is routed via the M90 over the Queensferry Crossing.

Or, the bridge can be seen from below, from the water. That was what I decided to do. Two competing companies offer boat trips from Hawes Pier – Forth Tours and Maid of the Forth. I booked for the 12:15 Maid of the Forth tour to Inchcolm Island, a route that takes you downstream beneath the Forth Bridge to spot cormorants and grey seals on the rocky islets that dot the waterway before tying up at Inchcolm Island, home to a well-preserved Augustinian abbey whose central octagonal chapter house looks like something from a Georgian monastery. There is an additional fee for those who wish to disembark and explore the remains of the 12th-century abbey (and the 20th century artillery posts located here to protect Edinburgh, the bridge and the naval yard at Rosyth further upstream). Alternatively, remain on board and the boat will take you back beneath the bridge, sweeping around to show you its more modern companions before it docks back at Hawes. In total the cost for the Maid of the Forth was £14 per adult, with an additional £6 charge for alighting at Inchcolm for 90 minutes, something I highly recommend.

One odd thing about the Forth Bridge is that now it has UNESCO status no one seems to know precisely what to do with that status. There is a 'contact and education centre' for all three bridges in South Queensferry but whose website seems geared more towards school trips. The bridge itself, as critical railway infrastructure, is owned by Network Rail. They are apparently exploring how to commercialise the bridge better, with one option being creating a footpath up to allow guided walks on the bridge. But, for now, I whole-heartedly recommend taking to the waters of the Forth, as any travellers heading north from Edinburgh would have had to do until the bridge’s inauguration.

Ratings:

World Heritage-iness: 2.5

My Experience: 3.5

(Visited September 2018)