'About 3 yards across with little water in summer. No footbrige and a 1:4 climb to the summit!'

Allerford (x2!)

'Chocolate box village ford, alongside two-arch packhorse bridge. About 15ft across and 6" deep. Paved ramps, gravel bottom. Deep Ford sign on NE approach. (Image 1)

The secong is at the end of an ORPA just north of Allerford. Clear-flowing, only 3 or 4 inches deep but very rocky (Image 2)'

'This ford is found on the River Cary at Babcary.'
Peter Wells

'It's around 4in deep in the summer, 10in in the winter. Located on an entrance to a byway, steep Gravel sides that 2wd vehicles may struggle in the winter.'

Bilbrook (x2!)

'As you leave the nearby A39, you are warned of a low bridge ahead, but well before you reach it you are faced with this monster ford, curving away round the bend. In fact, it has a relatively shallow and not too rough stony gravel bottom, although there are some deeper troughs. The measured length is 66m, which makes it perhaps the third longest in Somerset. A good asphalt sidewalk on a retaining wall enables the more timid fordie to explore it in safety.'

'The second ford is on the green lane and the whole way is a ford because water from the fields tries to find its way towards the described fort. This wet way is roughly 100m long and slightly muddy but with firm gravel base. After passing the railroad viaduct, you will find the actual ford. After that the way continues as public footpath but there is enough space for a car to reverse.' (Image 4)

'This ford is just up the road from Bilbrook, down a dead end road East of Old Cleeve, on a track called Black Monkey Lane. The ford starts under the bridge that takes the West Somerset Railway, enters a stream and exits onto a narrowing and tricky byway only traversable by light trail bikes. It is a tranquil setting, approachable from the East by most vehicles, and a bit of a sun trap in the summer well worth stopping off for a quiet picnic and a dip of your toes!'

'Follow the RUPP from Bonson west towards Fiddington. This is a real beauty, which follows a car-width pebbly stream bed for a full 200m before emerging onto a rough stony lane. There's no path alongside the water and you can't see the exit before you commit yourself, so a leap of faith is required on entry. It's about a foot deep in dry weather with no particularly deep spots and just the occasional larger rock to avoid, but you can see the bottom all the way through. Watch out for horses at the riding stables at the far end.'

'I believe this ford is technically on a bridleway, although it does join up with a tarmac road at its western end and there are no posts or boulders in the way. It has a rough stony bottom and was almost a foot deep in places at the time of our visit after a dry spell. There is a footbridge alongside which carries the South West Coast Path, so it's quite a busy spot in good weather.'

'This is the view looking south; concrete base; around 2 inches deep with little packhorse bridge.'

'Just over 6 inches deep and suitable for all with care although the RUPP further east up the hill is off-road only.'

Broomfield (x2!)

'The first is about 5 yards across with small wooden footbridge (Image 1), where as the second is on abridleway to Broomfield close to Raswell Farm.'

'As you head westwards out of Wiveliscombe on the B3227, turn right following the signpost Challick Lane, and ignore the message Unsuitable for Motor Vehicles below the Ford 1 Mile sign. It used to be feared by night rally crews, but Bulland Ford now has a broad concrete base, and is only 30 feet across and three or four inches deep. Signs each side but no visible footbridge.'

'This ford at a pretty little village, alongside a fine three-arched packhorse bridge, is a well known beauty spot. Although long and deep (about 35 yards and 10" respectively), it boasts a good concrete bottom for the less faint-hearted motoring fordies, and the adventurous cyclist.' Mouseover sent in by John Carroll of 4x4 Magazine.

'The ford itself is delightful, hard bottomed with a decent bridge. Beware the midges if on foot when visiting !!'

Chew Stoke (x2!)

'Image 1 shows the first ford. A good tarmac road goes thru the middle of the ford. I guess the water may find it's way onto the road in winter months. There is also a smaller ford about 200 yards up a side street. The road is a single track dead end with access to half a dozen houses near by. The photos show it's a concrete base only a few inches deep in the middle.' Image 1 mouseover sent in by Tom Vooght (26/11/2006)

Pretty ford on just off the main road. 6" deep and about 8' across. Gravel bottomed with a small stone footbridge.'

'Chibbet is a very nice concrete-bottom ford in a pretty setting near Exford used regularly on LE JOG (Land's End to John O'Groats Reliability Trial).'

'Pretty little paved watersplash in attractive wooded Exmoor upland valley, within Exmoor National Park and the National Trust's Holnicote Estate. Nice spot for picnics.'

‘It looks like the council have hadout some work so the Ford doesn’t flood so much. It would take some considerable rain for the Ford to flow over the road.’

'About 15 yards across with footbridge about 100 yards upstream. About 2 feet deep even in summer. Can get VERY deep and fast flowing in winter or after a storm. Not for the faint-hearted; experienced off-roaders only. That said, it is one of my favourite fords with a scenic approach and a great place for picnics.'

Cow Castle Ford (x2!)

'Excellent ford over the River Barle now unfortunately officially closed, as are all RUPPs, to all vehicles due to the NERF act. 6" deep in Summer but can be very deep and very fast flowing in winter. Footbridge 50yds upstream (Image 1).

On the approach to Cow Castle ford from Horsen Farm is a small stream at Great Ferny Ball. Again only 6" deep in summer but as the adjacent footbrdige is 6 feet above river level, I assume it could get very deep. I personally have never seen it deeper than 1 foot! (Image 2)'

'This ford and impressive packhorse bridge are found at Dowlish Wake.'

'Tucked between a curve of the road and the River Beale, close to Marsh Bridge, are this little packhorse bridge and ford across a side stream, preserved as part of a riverside area where the public can pause and picnic. Four-wheeled vehicles are prevented from driving through by a boulder on each ramp, but there's nothing to stop bikers.'

Dunster (x2!)

'On the southern edge of this National Trust village, follow the English Heritage signs for Gallox Bridge to find this nice old gravel ford at the point where the public road ends (Image 1). You mustn't drive through, but you can probably cycle across the 20 yards, to a pleasant grassy public amenity area on the far side; or park in the adjacent car park and walk across the ancient little packhorse bridge that is now a preserved ancient monument. A further small ford is found around 100 yards further South, just before the cottages (Image 2).'

Link to geograph

'There were no depth markers at the ford, just white posts marking the edge of the concrete ford bottom and a 60cm drop into the river. The ford is a little unusual in as much that the river splits into two immediately down steam of the road, I assume that this is a man made feature perhaps to assist drainage or feed a mill further down stream?'

'The stream ford on the byway between Ingelsbatch and Englishcombe - it is shallow and bridged by the path on the right of the rail.'

'There used to be a bridge of the old Somerset & Dorset railway over the road. The trees you can see, hide the quite high bank of the railway. There was a local person parked on the Irish bridge, she said usually the cattle grid is under water, the brook comes from under the road and crosses (under) the farm track at around 90° and turns again at 90 to follow the right side of the track as in the image.'

Exford (x2!)

The two fords at Exford (SS842391) are tucked away down a narrow lane behind some cottages. The lane is tarmaced as is passes the cottages, but becomes a gravel track as it approaches the fords, which are really joined together. The first is over a small stream, but the second crosses the River Exe. They both have firm gravel and rock bottoms, and there's a footbridge alongside. The main ford was only about 6 inches deep when we visited, but that was after a long dry spell. The track on the west side of the fords becomes very steep, narrow and rocky, passable only by a capable 4x4 with good ground clearance and folding wing mirrors. Guess how I found out!'

'A view looking north along Faulkland Lane showing the ford on the stream which forms the county boundary at this point. The ford is quite shallow, despite recent heavy rains.'

Fyfett (x2!)

'2 Irish bridges just north of Fyfett the first with a concrete footbridge'

'This ford is found on Dunsham Lane at Hewish.'

'Irish bridge'

Ilton (x2!)

'I have been through it in a Fiat 127 some years ago but I'm not too sure how deep it is these days. (Images 1-3)

On the same steam there is also an Irish Bridge.'

'It's current condition is still drivable in a 4x4. From the east it now has a steep rutted in ramp but is sloped on exit at west end. From east to west it starts about 3-4 inches and I would say gets to about 18 inches. Fairly smooth all the way through.' John Leatt Image 2 mouseover sent in by John Leatt (20/02/2012)

Kersham (x3!)

'About 3 yards across with stone clapper footbridge. Suitable for experienced off-roaders only (Image 1).

According to OS 1:50000 the route to the ford at Kersham (known as Putham ford) is yellow so thought I'd visit it ! The road had been resurfaced up to the village of Kersham itself where a watersplash is crossed at SS942387 (Image 2) The road soon deteriorates until it joins a stream at SS940385 (Image 3) and heads rapidly downhill in both altitude and condition. Soon after I had to abandon by car and walk as in the battle between stream and road; the stream had won (Image 4) Putham Ford is at the bottom of this hill.'

'On RUPP between Halse and Cotford St Luke. Looked quite a monster and at least 30 yards long before it disappeared round right hand bend.'

'The road between Leighland Chapel and Sticklepath has 'Road narrows to 6 feet' signs at either end. Close your windows during Summer or you'll get a face-full of nettles. Although yellow on the map this road is deteriorating rapidly. Not least because of it shares its course with a stream (dry on my visit) through the old overgrown railway bridge (shown in the picture believe it or not).'

Info from John Blakeley
'The ford is used annually as a timed test on a car club trial catering mainly for cars such as MGBs MG Midgets and many older cars. and it stops very few usually.'

'I drove through this today, it’s been raining and it was ca 9”-1’ deep in the channel. It was ca 4-5 m across mud and there is a 6”-9” drop where the main channel runs (this is maybe 2-3m across) so this is 4x4 only. It is alongside a road bridge which can be seen on the picture.'

'A firm-bedded ford about 30cm deep when visited in summer, on a byway within the village bypassed by a nearby road bridge.'

'This ford is at Cloud Farm, but visitors are made welcome as there is a cafe on site. From the farm car park an unmade track winds its way about 40 metres into the valley bottom and the ford. Two sturdy wooden posts limit vehicle width, but these should not be a problem, and a couple of (carefully placed?) large rocks in the ground mean that very good ground clearance is essential for any vehicle passing through the ford.

The ford passes diagonally across the river for about 15 metres and is bordered on one side by a row of larger rocks. The depth was about 30cm. The unmade track on the other side also has a couple of large rocks sticking out of the ground. The only "traffic" across the ford appears to be riders on horseback returning to the farm stables.'

Oareford (x2!)

'Just a stone's throw from Robber's Bridge is another very similar ford and bridge arrangement, the bridge being practically identical in construction. The ford is quite narrow, has steep entry and exit ramps, and a very rough rocky bottom (Image 1). It took me three goes to cycle through it successfully, but a 4x4 would have no trouble. A normal car might run into ground clearance problems. A secondford can be found further west; take the turning for Oareford Farm then turn left before reaching the farm crossing the ford and rejoining the road to Oare (Image 2).

'The aptly named Watery Lane is probably, at 120 paced yards, the second longest ford in Somerset, and one of the most daunting, especially if the water level is up a bit. Even in summer, the holes and rocks in the gravel surface will deter many car drivers, as will the steep east ramp whose paved surface is breaking up. Ford and Unsuitable for Motor Vehicles signs; a footpath runs through the field alongside, with a small footbridge at the west end. One for the connoisseur.'

'About 3 yards across with stone clapper footbridge. Suitable for experienced off-roaders only.'

Details sent in by Michael Harrington
'I haven't visited the area for nearly twenty years down but remember entering the the ford at one end, turning sharp right and following the rocky stream bed for at least 50 yards before joining the tarmaced lane again at the other end near the hamlet cenntre. I can remember on one occasion a friends car being swept into the side of a small footbridge near one end of the ford, when the stream was in spate.'

'Talking to locals who were cleaning out the ford, this has been closed for a while after lorries going through it smashed up the bottom. Said locals have no interest in it re-opening as it causes many problems with delivery drivers going through, and also off-roaders whose vehicles are covered in mud from driving through the mud tracks in the Mendips and then using it as a car wash by going trough it over and over again, this in turn is silting up a farmer's pond a little further down stream. There have been cases where lorries have got stuck on the bend and having to call out recovery wagons. It seems that some of the drivers are deliberately driving very fast to create a bow wave which is breaking up the banks and the bed of the ford.' Chris Smith

'A very pretty location, with an old stone bridge carrying the road on a z-bend with the ford alongside it. It's clearly a local beauty spot, because there's a car park very near by. The ford itself has a rough rocky bottom, is up to a foot deep, and has rather steep entry and exit ramps which would make it tricky in a normal car but quite passable by 4x4 or bike.'

Shurton (x2!)

'The fords are found are found on the road heading out of Stogursey towards Shurton past the Greyhound pub. The main ford (Image 1) is 1.5m wide and around 7cm deep. It has a solid stone base and is suitable for all traffic. The second ford is seen to the right of the road shortly after the previous ford. It is now only used for access to a house and there is a pathway for pedestrians and cycles only. it is around 1m wide and 12cm deep, with the base made of stone and in a 'gulley' shape. There are pedestrian stone crossing bridges at both.'

Link to geograph

'This ford is found off Back Lane in Stoney Stratton.'

'This ford on the Henshall Brook is found at Eastcombe Farm near Sutton Montis.'

Tarr Steps (x2!)

The first image shows Nick making a successful attempt at the ford in his Dellow which is father failed to navigate 43 years previously in an Austin A55.

Image2 sent in by David Goode (08/01/2003)
'The second image was taken when the water level was very high, almost level with the deck of the clapper bridge, and the current very strong. The tractor in the picture was carrying sheep in a crate across the river - midway across the sheep were standing in a couple of inches of water.'

Image 3 shows a conflict of interests sent in by Will Bowden (08/03/2003) and Image 4 by Geoff McGladdery (26/09/2005)

Finally, Image 5 shows the more modest ford just around the corner (Sent in by John Walton: 18/05/2012)

Wanstrow (x2!)

'We have had little rain recently, so despite 7mm last evening, the brook was not over the roads. Where my Rover 216 stands on the 2nd picture, I have seen it when the wheels would be covered.'

'Forty years ago, this was a feared and famous hazard on motor rallies, and the legend Deep Ford still appears on the old signpost in this pretty Mendip village (Image 1, mouseover sent in by David Cushing: 13/04/2005)

Sadly, its teeth have now been drawn and it is just an Irish bridge, albeit a prettily set one alongside the old stone packhorse arch. its highlighted in blue on the OS Landranger map, as a tourist attraction - the only ford I've seen that's accorded this honour.

Wellow is no longer in the official county of Somerset, but it is in the North Somerset part of Bath and North Somerset Unitary Authority, so logic says it must be in Somerset after all; and anyway who would want to live in a bureaucratic bastardisation when you could be in such a beautifully named English shire, a byword for rural peace and beauty?'

Link to geograph

'About 25 yards long as it follows the stream for a bit - about 1 foot deep. The approach from the NW has extremely slippery rocks downhill and is suitable only for VERY experienced off-roaders. Do not attempt from east to west!'

Winsford (x2!)

'Little ford in pretty Exmoor village setting. Ford signs, concrete base. (Image 1)'

'Separate from the obvious one in Winsford, and tucked away in a back lane is this incredibly cute little ford, which is blocked off to anything wider than about 3 feet. Stone setted bottom with steep entry and exit, but passable by bike, and with a dinky little packhorse bridge alongside just in case.'

'Cobbled and only a couple of inches deep, it crosses Rattle Row at the junction with Mill Street.'

Wookey (x2!)

'This splendid concrete-bottomed ford runs for 40 paced yards along a stream bed. About 4 inches deep, with signs and a footway/footbridge alongside.' (Images 1 and 2)

'Next, possibly one of the longest true fords in Britain (excluding tidal roads and the like)? The local who directed me to it thought so. The sign at Wookey village warns that it is 100 yards long (and unsuitable for motor vehicles), but I paced it at 135. (Images 3 and 4)

The road either side is good asphalt (one wonders why the Council maintains it - but be thankful), and there's a stoned pathway alongside, atop a retaining wall. It is on average about 12" deep, with deeper holes and troughs - especially on the western end, as well as some nasty rocks. Not for the faint hearted!'

'On a green lane and absolutely 4x4 only. Recently cleared but still has overhanging trees. One of which popped out a 3/4 light glass on my Land Rover Truck Cab. The water then was nearly 2 feet deep but could potentially be much deeper.'