Bridge reopening set to reunite the clan Forbes

SCOTLAND'S premier baron will today breathe a huge sigh of relief as the historic bridge which divides his estate finally reopens.

It was closed eight months ago for emergency repairs, with engineers fearing the A-listed structure could collapse.

Lord Forbes has been forced to make a long detour to the nearest alternative crossing over the River Don since February when the Bridge of Keig, near Alford - built by an ancestor 183 years ago - was closed after cracks appeared in the road over the granite arch.

The 92-year-old Chief of the Clan Forbes, who lives at Balforbes House on one side of the river, found himself cut off from Castle Forbes on the other bank which is home to his son, the Master of Forbes.

A journey which should have taken five minutes resulted in a nine-mile detour via either the Montgarrie Bridge or Bridge of Alford further upriver.

Lord Forbes said: "We are keeping our fingers crossed. It's a big moment. The Forbes estate is divided by the Don and the bridge crosses the river. For the past few months I have had to go a very long way round to get to the other side of the estate.

"An enormous number of people who live locally also depend on the bridge. The closure has really caused a lot of inconvenience but the great thing is that inconvenience will now be at an end today"