Gates or gaps have replaced all the stiles on the Yorkshire Wolds Way

A long-distance route in Yorkshire has become the first in England to be declared stile-free.

The Yorkshire Wolds Way has beaten the Thames Path to gain the title among England and Wales’s national trails.

The final stile was removed this week, and now there are just gates or gaps along all 79 of its miles as it winds its way across the hills and dry valleys of the Yorkshire Wolds.

There has been a drive to remove stiles for a number of years to make the trail as accessible as possible. The first condition survey in 1996 recorded 120 stiles along the Way. Things have changed substantially since then, and only one remained in place in summer and it is no longer in use.

Malcolm Hodgson, national trails officer for the Yorkshire Wolds Way said: “This is fantastic news for many of our users.

“We have always known it is a good trail for access because it has so few steps. Now that the last stile has gone we can encourage people of all abilities to venture on to the trail and discover the stunning beauty of the Yorkshire Wolds.”

The loss of the last stile is the result of dedicated work by North Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire County Councils and follows a route diversion at Muston where, with the support of the local landowner, a potentially dangerous road section of trail has been diverted onto adjoining farmland.

The Yorkshire Wolds Way national trail has beaten the Thames Path national trail to become stile free. The last stile on the Thames Path is due to be removed later this year.

Anne Clark from Walk Unlimited said: “It’s been great to see the trail staff working so hard to make the trails accessible to more people. The Yorkshire Wolds Way is one of the most beautiful trails and now there is nothing to stop people enjoying it.

“It’ll be a double celebration when the Thames Path joins the stile-free club later this year.”

The improvement is linked to other activity to provide better access to information about the trails. The Yorkshire Wolds Way is currently being walked by volunteers carrying a Google Trekker. The device, which will be taken along every national trail, captures 360-degree images, allowing everyone to view the trail from their computers before they visit.

This is especially helpful for people with restricted mobility. A second similar project is also underway designed to capture accessibility information on mobile phones.

The Yorkshire Wolds Way is one of 15 national trails in England and Wales. The 127km route starts at Helmsley in North Yorkshire and ends on Filey Brigg.