Older Bridge Crossing the Devonport Leat

Older Bridge spanning the Devonport Leat.

Older Bridge appears on the OS Explorer map 125:000 at around 598705. It's a clapper bridge that carries the designated bridlepath from the South Hessary footpath [Ivybridge Lane] to Burrator reservoir across the Devonport leat.

The bridge is formed from four great granite slabs and is mentioned by Crossing in his indispensible Guide to Dartmoor: "Less than half a mile from the broken cross we reach a ravine, called in the neighbourhood Drivage Bottom, near the head of which our track crosses the Devonport leat at Older Bridge".

Unfortunately Crossing doesn't discuss the bridge's curious name. It is on Track 2 of Crossing's compendium of Dartmoor paths and routes: 'from Buckland to the Eastern side of the Moor'. He believed that it formed part of the ancient Monks' Path between the great abbeys at Buckland in the west and Buckfast in the east, a path that was regularly punctuated by the presence of granite crosses that acted as waymarkers. Crossing claimed that at least a section of this ancient track was reused by post-Reformation tinners and that "at the present day it is seen as an ordinary moor road running from Lowery to Older Bridge, where the miners left it and followed their own track".

The bridge probably dates to the late 18th century and was constructed in conjunction with the Devonport leat itself.

Older Bridge after a late fall of snow on 19 March 2018.

Access: fairly easy, either via parking at Princetown and walking via South Hessary Tor [about 3.5km] or from Burrator Reservoir [3.3km]. The bridge has a beautiful and remote setting with splendid views towards Burrator and there are several granite crosses in the vicinity, including Siward's Cross, Newleycombe Cross, Hutchinson's Cross and the cross next to Crazywell Pool about 1.5km away.