Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: river barle

Tarr Steps is a 55m (180ft) long clapper bridge across the River Barle just west of Liscombe village, in the southern region of Exmoor National Park. The bridge is built with 17 large stone slabs laid end to end and supported on stone pilings. The pilings, in turn, are buttressed by 'raking stones' to protect against the force of the water. The bridge ends in a causeway, or raised bank, and those daft enough, can use this part of the river as a ford.

It was certainly in existence by early medieval times, and it seems likely that it has been built and rebuilt for thousands of years before then. The most extreme estimate is that the first bridge was erected around 1000 BC, making it approximately 3000 years old. The 'Tarr' part of the bridge name may come from the ancient Celtic word 'Tochar', meaning a causeway. If true, this would suggest that the bridge indeed has an ancient origin.

The Nature Reserve takes in 33 hectares of woodland surrounding the river and the bridge itself, and provides habitat for woodland creatures such as dormice and the rare barbastelle bat, also otters can be found along its river banks. I was lucky enough to be there in bluebell season which made the woodlands feel extra special.

Tarr Steps

River Barle

Knaplock Wood

River Barle

Knaplock Wood

River Barle

Knaplock Wood

River Barle

We had originally intended to go to Illfracombe and Woolacombe on our last day in Somerset but I thought that, after our days in Lynmouth and Minehead, we needed a quieted day. Sal agreed and so we went for a drive in to the Brendon Hills which gave us the chance to tick off the final two on her wish list.

Every day should start with a good coffee so I took her back to the cider farm I visited the day before. On the cake front, we were spoilt for choice but we plumped to share a slice of cider cake. I think that basically it was the Somerset name for a fruit cake but it it still tasted delicious.

After buying a selection of bottled ciders we continued on our way to a small town called Bampton which lies just over the border in Devon. It had a lovely 12th century church standing at its highest point which doubled up as a visitor centre. We watched a short video of the town's history and I think we were both a bit surprised on how important it had been to the surrounding area. It had a busy railway running through it which served the many quarries in the area. It also has quite a history from the Romans to its early Saxon origins, a Norman Castle and a thriving wool and pony trade.

We then crossed back over the border to Dulverton which has the oldest medieval bridge on Exmoor spanning the River Barle. It was another beautifully laid out Medieval town crammed with shops, cafes and hotels and quite busy. We escaped in to The Bridge Inn (which is surprisingly situated next to the ancient bridge) for refreshments and then went down to the river to sit and eat of lunchtime sandwiches.

The last place on Sal's wish list was another thatched village called Winsford and this may have been the prettiest of the holiday, setting aside Selworthy which was essentially a model village. The only downer with Winsford was that the local inn, The Royal Oak, was closed, which was a shame as it looked so beautiful from the outside.

Winsford was also the home to Labour statesman and politician Ernest Bevin who Sal got mixed up with Aneurin Bevan, the founder of the NHS. Sal being Sal meant that we had to go in search of a blue plaque but we couldn't spot one anywhere. However on the drive out of the village I spotted a plaque on a wall and screeched the car to a halt, narrowly missing a wall. It was only then that Sal realised her mistake but she was still thrilled at the outcome. It reminded me of the hilarious time she got Sir Robert Peel, the founder of the police force, mixed up with John Peel the famous fox hunter whilst we were Caldbeck.

Our journey back to base was uneventful in comparison and, even though this was our last day, we were both still in high spirits as we reflected back on a very enjoyable day.