STILES

They might be the bane of some walkers’ lives, but the humble stile has some great hidden history…

1

The word stile comes from the Old English stigel, meaning ‘to climb’. In medieval times, stiles were a permissible place for couples to take their wedding vows if they could not reach a church. The stile symbolised both a threshold to a new life, and the challenges their marriage would surmount.

2

Also in medieval times, it was considered unlucky to place a stile on any path leading to the sea, as it would bring disaster to sailors (partly because it would slow down rescuers if a ship was wrecked on the coast).

3

In 2015, the Yorkshire Wolds Way became the first National Trail to go stile-free, with all stiles replaced by gates. And if you Google miles without stiles you’ll find selections of stile-free routes for most of the UK national parks.