The Guardian
By James Tapper
Sat 28 Oct 2023 10.25 EDT
Last modified on Sat 28 Oct 2023 16.04 EDT
Once upon a time, there was a bridge. Some say it was built by fairies.
“It lasted about four or five weeks before the National Trust took it down in a dawn raid,” says Ian Curtis. “The police were informed. But, of course, the fairies were watching and they put another one up. A better one this time, which is much harder to take down.”
The tale of Stiffkey bridge began in February 2022, when the Trust removed the original footbridge linking the village of Stiffkey to the magnificent salt marshes and sand dunes of the north Norfolk coast. This move, on grounds that the bridge had become unsafe, sparked a row between the villagers and the guardian of the nation’s heritage that has rumbled on for more than 18 months and has led to the creation of what, according to a scribbled sign, is The Stiffkey Fairy Bridge.