Near Fordwich, Kent – 6/10

An example of very poor housekeeping; one of the primary functions of a stile is to of course provide access, but it is of course important to be able to access that said stile too! This is yet another example of the landowner not being bothered to do the decent thing and construct an actual proper stile, but instead just provide a way of climbing of the already established fence. Now, this could be very effective if it were a very well-designed fence, but when it is just a wire fence the result is a bit of an eyesore. However, credit should of course be given for the incorporation of cross-step design, even if the second step is a little on the small side, but this does not hamper navigation too much.  Though the wooden bar over the fence is an effectively functional design element, the general lack of maintenance that has resulted in the black tube falling down and the overgrown bush both hindering access and overall navigation has to lead to some serious mark deduction.