Green Bridge of Wales

{{Short description|Natural arch in Pembrokeshire, Wales}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} [[File:Green Bridge of Wales - geograph.org.uk - 3202628.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The Green Bridge of Wales]] The '''Green Bridge of Wales''' ({{langx|cy|Pont Werdd Cymru}}) is a [[natural arch]] formed from [[Carboniferous Limestone]] within the [[Pembrokeshire Coast National Park]] in [[Pembrokeshire]], Wales. It is located in the [[Castlemartin Training Area]], but access for the public is normally available.<ref name=Castlemartin>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/27471/Castlemartin.pdf |title=Castlemartin Pembrokeshire |work=Access Opportunities on the Defence Estate |publisher=Defence Estates |accessdate=1 May 2016}}</ref>

Like the nearby Elegug Stacks and [[Huntsman's Leap]] further to the east, it is a popular visitor attraction and can be accessed by walkers from the [[Pembrokeshire Coast Path]]. Images of it appear frequently in tourism publications and geography textbooks. With a height of around {{convert|80|ft}}, the Natural Arch and Bridge Society describe it as 'probably the most spectacular arch in the United Kingdom'.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.naturalarches.org/gallery-Wales-GreenBridge.htm |title=Green Bridge of Wales |publisher=The Natural Arch and Bridge Society |accessdate=1 May 2016}}</ref>

==Geology== The geology of the area in which the Green Bridge of Wales is located is composed of a very thick layer of [[Carboniferous Limestone]], including a certain amount of [[chert]]. Erosion has occurred over time as storm winds have battered the coast, pebbles have been dashed against the rocks, sand particles have worn away the surface, and chemical erosion has dissolved the limestone. The weakest parts of the cliff are the first to be worn away, usually the folds and small faults that are present in the rocks. This has resulted over many millennia in the creation of many unusual landforms. In the case of the Green Bridge of Wales, erosion has taken place on both sides of a small headland, caves have been formed which extended further and further until they met, forming the arch that can be seen today. The bridge is about {{convert|24|m|ft|-1|abbr=on}} high with a span of more than {{convert|20|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. Its outer edge rests on a more durable rock pedestal and its upper surface is clad in vegetation.<ref name=Goudie>{{cite book|author1=Goudie, A.S. |author2=Gardner, R.|title=Discovering Landscape in England & Wales|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IaPnCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA76 |year=2013|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-94-011-2298-6|page=76}}</ref> The Green Bridge lost a considerable amount of rock to damage during [[Hurricane Ophelia (2017)|Storm Ophelia]] in October 2017.<ref>{{cite news|title=Storm Ophelia damage to the Green Bridge of Wales spotted by Pembrokeshire photographers|url=http://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news/15619060.Green_Bridge_of_Wales_damaged_by_recent_storms/?ref=mr&lp=19|accessdate=30 October 2017|work=Western Telegraph|publisher=Newsquest Media (Southern) Ltd|date=25 October 2017}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

[[Category:Natural arches of Wales]] [[Category:Landforms of Pembrokeshire]] [[Category:Coastal erosion in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Coast of Pembrokeshire]]