Can you still walk across packhorse bridges?

Yes, many packhorse bridges still carry footpaths or bridleways and are perfectly fine for walkers. They're often the only way to cross a river without wading or making a long detour, though some without parapets can be slippery in wet weather.

Why did packhorse bridges become obsolete?

Turnpike roads in the eighteenth century allowed carts to travel more easily, then canals enabled moving twenty tonnes at once instead of small loads on horses. Railways finished the job by making the entire packhorse network completely redundant.

Why are packhorse bridges still standing if they're not used anymore?

Stone doesn't rot, and it costs a lot to demolish a bridge for no real benefit. Many are now protected as scheduled monuments or listed structures, and they're maintained as heritage features because they're part of Britain's landscape history.

The Landscape We Built

The Packhorse Bridge Problem: When Medieval Infrastructure Is Too Narrow for Anything Useful

Britain is scattered with low stone bridges built for horses carrying wool or slate, now preserved because they're rather lovely but stranded because the routes they served have long since vanished. Some still carry the occasional walker. Most just sit there looking picturesque while the actual traffic rumbles past on the A-road half a mile away.

27 August 20268 min read