It is estimated that there are over 140,000 miles of public footpaths in England and Wales. They go up mountains, cling to coasts, weave through forests, cross farmland, bogs, moors, industrial wasteland, village greens and parkland. They take you just about everywhere and anywhere and are part of our historical heritage, protected by the law.When a footpath arrives at a field boundary, you will sometimes find a gate but more often you will find a stile. Stiles vary greatly in construction. Some are made from stone and others from wood. Some are "squeeze stiles" where you literally squeeze through a gap in a wall. The gap is too narrow for farm animals.
This is how one dictionary defines a stile: An arrangement of steps that allows people but not animals to climb over a fence or wall. (No recognition of squeeze stiles there).
A few weeks ago, a well-travelled American visitor called Mary pointed out that many of her compatriots may never have seen a stile. In fact plenty of Americans wouldn't even know what a stile was as sties are not a feature of the American countryside. The penny dropped for me in that moment. Remembering my various trips to the USA in years gone by, I suddenly realised that I had never seen a stile there. Mary was right.
Sifting through my geograph contributions, here's just a small sample of the stiles I have recorded in photographs. Lord knows how many stiles I have clambered over or squeezed through - thousands of them. Sartorially speaking, I may not be a stylish fellow but when it comes to rambling I believe I have earned the right to coin a new word and call myself "stilish"!
Stilish, and stylish, indeed. Thanks for the chuckle.
ReplyDeleteI love stiles. To me they almost define English (Yorkshire) countryside. Give me a stile and I go all Thomas Hardy. The day I won't be able to negotiate one will be the day I'll declare myself ready for the compost heap.
U
PS What's happened to Hamel(d)? As my teachers would write in the class register: "Noticed by absence". "Conspicuous" only featured for VIPs (very important pupils) like my good and much missed self.
Some visitors tarry for a little while and then move on. Perhaps John is one of those. By the way Ursula, I admire your sense of stile. I understand that you once appeared in a stile magazine... but please do not think for a moment that I am referring to the bovine lady in the last picture!
DeleteLook into a cow's eyes. Close up and personal. You'll swim.
DeleteU
Great photos YP, We have lots of stiles on the Sheepshead Way. Do you like the Style Council with Paul Weller?
ReplyDeleteI prefer the Stilystics. The Stile Council were too wooden.
DeleteI wouldn't liked to have said "excuse me sir" to that bull.
DeleteThe animal might have said to you, "Come 'ere darling! Make my dreams come true!"
DeleteI have seen most of those versions of stiles on my rambles, apart from the squeeze stiles. I have not heard of those before. Are they common in all parts of the UK or just a Yorkshire phenomenon?
ReplyDeleteWhere there is limestone you will usually find a few squeeze stiles but as my third picture shows they are by no means always the choice in limestone country.
DeleteNow you mention it, I don't remember any stiles in the area of France where we lived.
ReplyDeleteThe French have no stile.
DeleteThe German countryside is also completely without stile(s). Most of our fields have no walls, either; they are simply (more or less) flat expanses, often looking rather industrial and boring, as some of you will know from my blog. Where animals are kept, more often than not you will see a wire fence, wooden poles connected by wire, sometimes electrified, sometimes with one row of barbed wire on top.
ReplyDeleteFrom many beautiful walks in Yorkshire, I am familiar with stiles of all sorts. Unfortunately, 2020 is a stile-free year for me.
I have seen some of your blog fashion shoots and I can happily confirm that you are officially a stilish woman! Sad that your regular trip to Yorkshire won't happen this year. Let's hope all will be okay next summer.
DeleteI remember a clapper gate stile somewhere when I was a youngster. It looked like a gate with an upright ⅓ of the way along. Horizontal bars weighted at the end nearest the vertical bar were pivoted at the vertical bar so that when downward pressure is applied to the unsupported, unweighted end it went down affording a way over the lowered part of the gate.
ReplyDeleteI can picture what you are talking about Graham though I have never seen one of those.
DeleteNot only are stiles not a thing in the USA, but public footpaths across private land are a rarity too, at least compared to here. Sometimes stiles are really hard to climb over. I'm pretty nimble but even I have trouble, and I think, "How do people manage this?!"
ReplyDeleteI am always extra careful when crossing stiles. It would be easy to fall.
DeleteStiles always seem welcoming to me, giving you permission to walk the land. My only bone of contention if I was a dog is that they are very difficult to get through....
ReplyDeleteHave you noticed that sometimes there are special dog gates?
DeleteThat last photo made me chuckle. “Damn you, you human who can pass through stiles!” I’ve never thought of this exact subject! Is the land owner responsible for the building and upkeep of the stiles?
ReplyDeleteMaintenance just seems to happen. Landowners do it because it is in their interests to do so but also councils, walking organisations etc.. Some stiles I come across are in a poor state of repair but mostly they are fine.
DeleteI used to like Nobby, despite his choice of clubs.
ReplyDeleteHa-ha! You daft 'apporth!
DeleteA nice post, YP. Like the photos of the various styles of stiles. And the aggrieved cow in the last one made me smile. As Steve Reed noted in an earlier comment, public footpaths over private land are virtually non-existent in the US. If there is a fence around a property, no one is supposed to go over it. In fact, in some parts of the country, it could be very hazardous to one's health if attempted. Lots and lots of No Trespassing signs or signs warning of your demise should you attempt it. Hence, no reason for stiles.
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving me the idea for this blogpost Mary.
DeleteThis is an interesting post. I have never seen a stile such as you show here, but then we rarely have public footpaths. There are hiking trails in parks and even in some cities but nothing like the wonderful selection of public footpaths in your country.
ReplyDeleteWe do have cattle grids here that are meant to keep animals from getting out of an enclosed area while allowing cars and trucks to enter and leave. These however are not used on hiking trails as far as I know.
That's how it seemed to me. Country walks in America are all about state parks - not the general countryside.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct. There is no walking on private property, too many people have guns. Isn't that sad.
DeleteThat is correct you wouldn't dare enter someones private land in America. Those stone walls only exist in the part of the country where I reside during the school year, New England. There were many of them built by your people, when they came and claimed land here as their own. I never have seen stiles. I wish that we had them. It seems very welcoming. Most of our stone walls are in ill repair although some people do keep them up.
ReplyDeleteSomehow I imagined that there might be English-style footpaths, walls and even stiles in parts of New England but I never saw any in New Hampshire, Maine or Massachusetts. Thanks for calling by again Claudia.
DeleteWe have our own stile on the boundary between our home and the paddocks over the hedge. It's a bit rustic like your first photo and is a source of great amusement for visiting children. It allows us access to trim the other side of the hedge but not for walking when cattle are grazing. The paddocks are also home to pukeko, pheasant, quail, an occasional hare and geese shelter there during the hunting season.
ReplyDeleteThis was the city boundary when we moved here in 2005 and semirural until the 2010 earthquakes fast tracked a change of use.4000 new neighbours now occupy the ticky tacky boxes covering what was a dairy farm and we watch the developers machines march steadily towards our little piece of paradise from both sides. It seems only a matter of time before our stile will disappear too to be replaced by a 6ft fence and rooftops.
There are still some stiles remaining on the Port Hills which allow walking access across farmland except at lambing time. A legacy of our English origins giving anyone, not just the wealthy, a chance to enjoy the views across the flat plains to the snow capped Southern Alps.
I will miss our stile and the birds and animal life when progress takes its toll and paradise is paved.
Echoes of Joni Mitchell there Adele. Sorry to hear that your tranquillity is being squeezed like that but pleased to learn that you have your own stile. Perhaps you also have your own style!
DeleteThis is what we love about England - the footpaths through the fields where everyone is free to walk. Nothing like that here in Aus ... in fact nowhere else in the world I think ! Those styles can be very tricky to negotiate though, especially if you are a shortie like me! The first step up can be a very long way up- higher than the distance from the ground to my knee so a bit of climbing and jumping down is required often with assistance! Or difficult to fit through the squeeze ones if your legs are not long so that the widest part of you has to squeeze through the narrow space instead of your legs !!! Given that you may have to negotiate these every 150 metres as you go from field to field it can be a very strenuous outing !
ReplyDeleteLove them all the same.
i don't think I have ever seen a stile but I know what they are, I read a lot of English children's books. Why there weren't more Australian ones, I don't know.
ReplyDeleteWe have livestock grids for driving over but i don't think I could walk over one so I'd have to go around or be as contained as the stock!
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