The bascule bridge at the centre of the village is the image of Woudsend: a steep wooden drawbridge over the narrow Ee, with the two windmills standing on the canal banks either side and the stepped-gable houses lining the water beyond. In summer it opens regularly to let yachts through.
The bridge has been replaced and repaired many times — the present structure dates to the mid-20th century in its current form — but a bridge has stood on this spot since at least the 17th century. The best photograph of the village is taken from the southern bank just below the bridge, looking back along the canal towards 't Lam.