A RETIRED civil engineer has charted his way down the Tweed - bridge by bridge.

Jim Lyon has celebrated the structural magnificence of the bridges, which carry traffic and pedestrians, along the entire length of the river from Tweedsmuir to the North Sea.

His new book Bridging the Tweed provides everything you ever wanted to know about the 68 bridges which currently span the region's main river.

The colourful 300-page book not only looks at the engineering aspects of each of the bridges but also their context and history.

Jim, who lives in Innerleithen, said: "From Roman times through to the 21st century the Tweed has been a test-bed for bridges by local artisans and internationally recognised engineers.

"Several bridges were European or world firsts, and the Union Bridge which joins Scotland and England, celebrates its bicentenary as one of the oldest bridges in the world still carrying vehicle traffic.

"At the other end of the time-scale the river is crossed by the first plastic vehicle bridge in Europe."

"Every bridge, old and new, large and small has a story to tell."

Taking 12 years to research and write, the illustrated Bridging the Tweed pays homage to the engineers who went before him.

As well as being a civil engineer, Jim was also a bridge designer during his professional career.

And his eye for detail is apparent as he takes readers down the 100-miles of the Tweed to visit some of the remarkable structures which go from bank to bank.