Riding High: Eddie Kidd's Big Jump
In 1979 INSPIRATIONAL Eddie Kidd jumped an 80-foot gap over the dissused River Chelmer railway viaduct that connected Maldon East and West stations. The line was shut down in 1959 and the central span of the viaduct was demolished using explosives in the mid 1960s, but the masonry survived until a new bridge was built in 1990 to carry the A414 town bypass. During the spectacle he crossed an 80ft gap over a 50ft sheer drop above the viaduct on a 400cc motorcycle that reached a speed of 100mph for take-off during a 400 yard run up. Experts said a fall would almost certainly have ended in disaster.
Kidd, who was only 20 years old at the time completed the stunt for the film "Riding High" in front of a group of spectators, fans and press. After more than 3,000 stunt jumps Eddie suffered serious head and pelvic injuries when he crashed during a routine stunt in 1996. His distraught family were warned he would be in a coma for ten years, but although he regained consciousness six weeks later, Eddie spent months in hospital and was wheelchair-bound but in 2011 he courageously completed the London Marathon in 51 days, raising money and the profile of Children with Leukaemia, telling the media it was his greatest stunt.
PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ACCESS THE CACHE FROM THE BUSY A414!!
Parking is available in the nearby superstore and the cache is accessible from the public footpath that runs alongside the river from Fullbrige to Beeleigh Weir.
WELL DONE MEL-RAY FOR FTF
![]()