Ballot opens for free guided tours of Forth Road Bridge for Doors Open Day

The landmark bridge will welcome visitors on Saturday, September 28, but places are limited and will be allocated by ballot.

The visits, hosted by Transport Scotland’s operating company BEAR Scotland, will see guided minibus tours will depart every 15 minutes from the bridge office in South Queensferry. Tours will last one hour, stopping at points of interest along the deck before visiting one of the anchorage chambers on the north side of the bridge, where the main cables are anchored into .

The ballot to secure places at www.bearscot.com/doorsopenday closes on August 1, and successful applicants will be notified over the following days. The tours are free of charge, but donations to charity will be welcomed. All money raised will go to BEAR Scotland’s national charity partner, Macmillan Cancer Support.

The Forth Bridges exhibition at Transport Scotland’s Contact and Education Centre will also be open to the public from 9:00am until 5:00pm, featuring special exhibits and educational activities - advance booking is not necessary - and you can also take a walk across the bridge.

Everyone who attends either a bridge tour or the exhibition will have the chance to enter a charity prize draw for a once-in-a-lifetime trip for two to the top of the Queensferry Crossing’s main towers.

The minibus tours are in addition to 60 tower top trips that will take place to celebrate the bridge’s 60th anniversary – details of how to apply for these will be published over the next few weeks.

Andy Thompson, BEAR Scotland’s Operating Company Representative for South East Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to welcome visitors back to the Forth Road Bridge on Doors Open Day for the third year running. Our guided minibus tours give the public a rare chance to visit parts of the bridge normally hidden from view, and to hear from experienced members of staff.”He added: “In response to feedback, we’re allocating places this year via a random ballot to give everyone an equal chance.