History
Often affectionately referred to simply as "Nethy" the village has, since Victorian times been a tourist destination noted for its quiet and secluded location at the edge of the Abernethy Forest. It is situated in the heart of Strathspey in the Highlands of Scotland between Aviemore and Grantown.
A primary industry of Nethy Bridge was forestry, with at one time several sawmills in the area, but this has long since subsided, now much of the income is derived from tourism.
The name is derived from the River Nethy, a tributary of the nearby Spey, which runs through the village, and the arched bridge which was built in 1810, to a classic Telford design, and is in the heart of the village. It had to be repaired after the August 1829 Moray (N.E. Scotland) Flood when part of it was washed away. In total, there are 4 Telford bridges in Nethy.
Originally called Abernethy (Scottish Gaelic: Obar Neithich), Nethy Bridge was renamed when the railways came this far north in the 1860s. The Great North of Scotland Railway already had a village called Abernethy on its line further south, so renamed this one Nethy Bridge to differentiate the two. The place name Abernethy is still frequently used around here - Abernethy Highland Games, Abernethy Forest, Abernethy Primary School etc.
Read more about this topic: Nethy Bridge
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