5 favourite Exmoor walks using the new Great Bradley Bridge
Part-funded by the BMC, the new Great Bradley Bridge in Exmoor opens up access to the famous, 117-mile Two Moors Way long distance walking trail. Here are our five favourite walks that take in this new crossing.
Mend Our Mountains funding from the BMC’s Access & Conservation Trust donated in 2023 has supported the creation of a new 28m span bridge across the River Barle. The new Great Bradley Bridge opens up access to the famous, 117-mile Two Moors Way, a long-distance walking trail that links Devon from coast to coast, and many other, equally beautiful, shorter walks too.
To celebrate, we’ve put together our top five Exmoor routes using the fantastic, new Great Bradley Bridge, including the 10k route walked by BMC Access Rep Iain Peters and the other attendees at the grand opening on Sat 19 October. This date also marks Exmoor Day, in celebration of Exmoor's 70th anniversary of its designation as a National Park.
Dan Barnett, Access and Recreation Manager from Exmoor National Park, who led the Great Bradley Bridge project says, “I think this is a really beautiful bridge, it’s made from oak that we’ve harvested from conservation woodland management that’s been produced in our workshops at Exford, and the steel structure below that gives the bridge its strength was donated to us from Devon County Council from a temporary road structure.”
We currently do not have an Access Rep representing the Exmoor area for the BMC (click here to find out more) so off went our ever-dedicated North Devon and Cornwall Coast Access Rep, Iain Peters (below), who at this point didn’t even know there would be a rather large cake involved. What a hero.
Iain says, “On a glorious Autumn morning I met up with a crowd of Exmoor enthusiasts, National Park Rangers, farmers and some riders on horseback to walk the Withypool to Tarr Steps section of the famous Two Moors Way. The new bridge is central to being able to cross the River Exe at the halfway point of this popular section as the Exe is frequently subject to flooding, rendering various crossings, such as Tarr Steps, impassable.
"The bridge has been constructed to allow access for wheelchairs and will eventually be connected to an upgraded path so that those with mobility issues can also experience this glorious stretch of unspoilt, riverside woodland, with the added bonus of replacing the present, alternative bad-weather route on country roads for the long distance walker.
“The BMC, through money raised by the Mend Our Mountains campaign, has donated £27,000 to this project - money well spent for the benefit of all. In this day and age it is even more important that initiatives such as the Great Bradley Bridge and the many other projects, large and small, funded by the campaign can help to conserve and maintain our unique British countryside for the benefit of all.
“For me the 10km walk in the company of so many kindred spirits was a real eye-opener, as much of my time as Access Rep is spent in stakeholders’ offices or on site negotiating access arrangements. It was also lovely to meet and talk to those representing other organisations. There was lots of informal networking over tea and the 70th birthday cake.
“PS. I felt that it was important for me to have multiple slices to celebrate ‘absent friends and fellow volunteers’!”
Ah the many perks of being an Access Rep. Exmoor-based BMC members, do consider taking on this role for your area.
Five fave Exmoor walks using the new Great Bradley Bridge
Take your own celebratory cake and enjoy one of these five favourite walks that involve a crossing of Great Bradley Bridge, including BMC Access Rep Iain Peter’s 10k walk from the opening celebration. If you take on any of these walks, don’t forget to email your original photos to Summit, the quarterly BMC members’ magazine, for a chance to win a prize every issue.
1 Tarr Steps Great Bradley Bridge loop
4 miles / 115m ascent / 2-2.5hrs
From the car park north-east of Tarr Farm, walk down the road towards Tarr Farm and Tarr Steps. Before the fords, turn right on the Two Moors Way to follow the eastern banks of the River Barle north-westwards to Great Bradley. Here, cross the new bridge, then turn left to follow the bridleway and path along the western banks of the river back to Tarr Steps. Turn left to cross at the Steps and up the hill alongside the road to the car park.
BMC members, use code BMCOSM24 here for 30% off OS Maps Premium.
2 Withypool & Tarr Steps, Great Bradley Bridge celebration route
5.9 miles / 125m ascent / 2.5-3hrs
From Withypool car park (south of the river), walk in a north-westerly direction along the road, over the river, past the church and pub, along the Two Moors and Exe Valley Ways. Shortly after the Exe Valley Way turns off to the left (north), turn right (south) to leave the road and follow the River Barle along the footpaths through Uppington Plantation, with the river on your right. Stay on the eastern banks of the river all the way to Great Bradley, where you leave the Two Moors Way to cross over the new bridge. Continue southwards on the western banks of the river to Tarr Steps, crossing here to turn back on yourself, picking up the Two Moors Way again to Great Bradley Bridge. This time do not cross, simply admire this marvel of engineering one last time before retracing your steps to Withypool.
WARNING: After heavy rain the stepping stones at Tarr Steps may be impassable.
BMC members, use code BMCOSM24 here for 30% off OS Maps Premium.
3 Winsford Hill & Great Bradley Bridge
6.35 miles / 300m ascent / 3-3.5hrs
From the car park north-east of Tarr Farm, walk down the road towards the farm, turn right on footpaths heading north to Knaplock, then north-east uphill to meet the B3223. Cross it and turn immediately left for the path above The Punchbowl and the trig point summit of Winford Hill (428m) and beautiful views of the hillside. Follow the path to the left of the road, following it for almost 1km before taking the left fork down to Great Bradley. Cross the new bridge here to follow the path along the west bank of the River Barle, cross the Tarr stops and head back up the road to the car park.
BMC members don't forget, use code BMCOSM24 here for 30% off OS Maps Premium.
4 Withypool Hill & Great Bradley Bridge
10.2 miles / 375m ascent / 5-5.5hrs
From Withypool car park south of the river, leave town walking south on the road towards Withypool Hill. Just before Newhouse, turn right on the bridleway around the northern and western flanks of Withypool Hill. Take the small path up the west side of Withypool Hill (398m) and continue eastwards down the other side, back to the road. Turn left to walk north down the road, just before Newhouse turn right on the bridleway down to the Stepping Stones across the River Barle. Follow the eastern banks southwards almost 2km to Great Bradley Bridge. Cross to follow the western banks just over 2km to Tarr Steps. Cross here to follow the river back up to Great Bradley Bridge and cross it a second time. After Pit Wood, ford the river and climb westwards to the road at Worth. Turn right (north), then left on the bridleway around the western side of Withypool Hill back to the start. You could shorten this by taking the road from Worth to Withypool if needed.
BMC members don't forget, use code BMCOSM24 here for 30% off OS Maps Premium.
5 Two Moors Way trail
117 miles / 5,000m / several days
For the intrepid long-distance walker, why not walk the whole 117-mile Two Moors Way trail from Devon’s south west coast to Lynmouth in the north? Whether you walk it all in one go or break it up into sections, the Two Moors Way website has everything you need to plan and execute your adventure through Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks, over the Great Bradley Bridge and beyond! Be sure to let the BMC know if this article has inspired you to take on this ultimate challenge and email us some nice photos.
What’s Mend Our Mountains?
Mend Our Mountains is an award-winning campaign from the BMC’s Access & Conservation Trust (ACT) which has raised a total of £1.4 million since its creation in 2016 to repair Britain’s hills and mountains. Since then over 50 miles of fragile footpath has been restored for future generations and 544 miles of upland has been repaired - the equivalent length of over 67,000 double decker buses!
Great Bradley Bridge was funded in the 2023 campaign. This year there are seven projects including:
1 Funding an Access Officer for the Cotswolds AONB
2 Supporting the Fix the Fells rangers in the Lake District
3 Restoring paths on Roseberry Topping, North York Moors
4 Making the footpath to Chanctonbury Ring, South Downs, more accessible
5 Replacing Cressbrook Mill footbridge, Peak District
6 Multiple Get Stuck In volunteer footpath repair events with the National Trust in the Lake District, Snowdonia and Peak District
7 Haytor Rocks almost 2,000m of footpath repairs in Dartmoor
Support Mend Our Mountains
Path repair is a surprisingly costly business. Working in remote locations with complex equipment and adverse weather conditions makes rebuilding trails an enormous and expensive challenge.
£5 buys a pair of work gloves
£50 buys five garden skips for moving soil
£250 fixes approximately one metre of footpath
£1000 flies ten bags of stone to an inaccessible mountain location
Did you know?
Simply becoming a BMC member supports BMC Access & Conservation Trust projects like this, plus you get all the benefits that membership offers, including these and many more:
£15 million Worldwide Combined Liability Insurance
£10,000 Personal Accident Insurance
Quarterly member-only magazine, Summit
15% off Cotswold Outdoor, Snow+Rock and Runners Need
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