Tarr Steps
Tarr Steps is one of the most remarkable prehistoric monuments in Britain, a clapper bridge spanning the River Barle on Exmoor in Somerset. Constructed from large flat slabs of local sandstone laid across low stone piers, it stretches approximately 55 metres across the river and is believed to be one of the oldest and best-preserved examples of a clapper bridge in the world. The structure consists of seventeen spans and is wide enough for a single person or small animal to cross comfortably, sitting just above the normal water level of the Barle. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Site of Special Scientific Interest, recognised both for its extraordinary engineering heritage and for the rare habitat of the surrounding woodland and river valley.
The age of Tarr Steps is a subject of ongoing debate among archaeologists and historians. Early estimates placed its construction in the Bronze Age, perhaps 3,000 to 4,000 years ago, though more recent scholarship suggests it may date from the medieval period, roughly the twelfth or thirteenth century. The absence of mortar or any fixing mechanism, relying entirely on the mass and careful placement of the stones, supports the idea of very ancient construction. Whatever its true age, the bridge has served generations of travellers, farmers, and livestock crossing what was historically an important route through the heart of Exmoor. Local legend, in the vivid tradition of West Country folklore, attributes its construction to the Devil himself, who built it as a sunbathing platform and reputedly still claims the right of way across it, challenging anyone who dares cast a shadow on the stones.
In person, Tarr Steps has a presence that photographs struggle to capture. The stones are large, uneven, and softened by centuries of weathering, clothed in moss and lichen in shades of grey, green, and amber. The River Barle runs over and around boulders both above and below the crossing, producing a constant low murmur that fills the wooded valley. In high summer the surrounding oak woodland closes over the river in a deep canopy, and dappled light filters down to the water in shifting patterns. In winter, when the Barle runs high and brown with peat from the moor, the bridge often disappears entirely beneath the flood; the stones are designed to be displaced by high water and then, traditionally, replaced by local authorities or volunteers once the river drops again.
The landscape surrounding Tarr Steps is among the most unspoiled in southern England. The Barle valley here falls within Exmoor National Park, a rolling upland of heather moorland, ancient oak woodland, and deep river combes. Red deer are a common sight in this part of Exmoor, particularly in autumn during the rut, and the river itself supports otters, dippers, and kingfishers. Upstream and downstream of the bridge, public footpaths follow the river through the Barle Valley, passing through woodland managed partly as a nature reserve. The wider moor is accessible within a short walk, opening onto wide vistas of heather and grass with buzzards circling overhead.
The nearest village is Hawkridge, about a mile to the north, and the small village of Withypool lies a few miles upstream along the Barle. There is a car park a short walk from the bridge, reached by a narrow single-track road descending through woodland from the direction of Dulverton, the nearest market town about five miles to the south. Dulverton serves as a practical base for exploring this part of Exmoor, with accommodation, shops, and the headquarters of the Exmoor National Park Authority. The walk from the car park to Tarr Steps takes only a few minutes along a well-maintained path, making the site accessible to most visitors, though the path can be muddy after rain.
The best times to visit Tarr Steps are spring and early summer, when the woodland is vivid with new growth, or autumn, when the oak and rowan display rich colour along the riverbanks. Midsummer can bring larger crowds, as the site is well-known and popular with families. Early morning visits at any time of year reward the patient visitor with a sense of solitude and the chance of seeing wildlife before the day's traffic begins. There is no admission charge. Visitors should be aware that flooding can temporarily close access to the bridge or render parts of the path impassable, and it is worth checking conditions in advance during winter months.
One of the more curious and endearing aspects of Tarr Steps is its repeated battle with the river itself. The Barle drains a large area of high moorland and can rise with startling speed after heavy rain, and the bridge has been partially or wholly demolished by floods many times throughout recorded history. Each time, the large numbered stones are recovered from the riverbed and painstakingly reassembled in their correct positions by the National Park Authority. This cycle of destruction and renewal has become part of the bridge's identity, and the community of people who participate in its reconstruction give it a living quality that purely preserved monuments sometimes lack. The sheer weight of the larger stones — some exceeding a tonne — makes each reconstruction a considerable feat, a reminder that whoever first placed them here, whether Bronze Age engineers or medieval craftsmen, was working on a genuinely ambitious scale.