The Hairy Hands

Postbridge Clapper Bridge, Dartmoor

The arrival of the motor vehicle to Dartmoor brought with it one of the most recent legends of the area.

Legend tells us it occurs on the B3212, when people travel between Moretonhampstead and Princetown near Postbridge. Several drivers and motorbike riders crossing the moor at night have reported feeling a pair of hairy hands grabbing the steering wheel or the handlebars. These unfortunate victims veer off the road and, in some cases, such as a Doctor in 1921, lose their lives.

There have been several more stories over the years, but the one that is most often quoted is of the young married couple who were sleeping in a caravan nearby in 1924. During the night the young woman awoke with the feeling of terror and danger only to see a pair of hairy hands clawing their way up a partly open window. She made a holy sign and prayed and the hands slipped out of view.

In recent years the Dartmoor National Park Authority have introduced a 40 mph speed limit to protect the livestock that roams free across the moor. Will this protect the drivers from the hairy hands? It is perhaps too early to say.

Legends