Postbridge

In prehistoric times, the area around Postbridge was the ‘metropolis’ of Dartmoor as the wealth of Bronze Age remains bears witness. Today, the village is best known for its Clapper Bridge, which probably dates back to the 13th century and is the best preserved of all the Devon clapper bridges. Spanning the East Dart River, the bridge is a model of medieval minimalist construction with just three huge slabs of granite laid across solid stone piers. Not wide enough for wheeled traffic, the bridge would originally have been used by packhorses following the post road from Exeter into Cornwall.

Two miles along the road to Moretonhampstead, Warren House Inn claims to be the third highest tavern in England. It used to stand on the other side of the road, but in 1845 a fire destroyed that building. According to tradition, when the present inn was built its landlord carried some still-smouldering turves across the road to the hearth of his new hostelry and that fire has been burning ever since. It’s a pleasant enough sight in summer and must have been even more welcome in the winter of 1963. In that year, the Warren House Inn was cut off by heavy snow drifts some 20 feet deep for almost three months and supplies had to be flown in by helicopter. Such a remote inn naturally generates some good tales. Like the one about the traveller who stayed here one winter’s night and opening by chance a large chest in his room discovered the body of a dead man. “Why!” said the landlord when confronted with the deceased, “tis only feyther! ’Twas too cold to take ’un to the buryin’, so mother salted ’un down!”