h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What would you call the metal barrier in this picture? It is a device for allowing people onto a path and keeping cows and sheep out.

Is it a stile?

http://www.google.ie/maps/@53.7444054,-7.1185731,3a,60.9y,95.26h,70.98t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sdzaMts3HeQu2RcgegHJK0Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I've seen the dry stone wall equivalent called a squeeze gate.

...except that Wikipedia calls it a squeeze stile.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stile

You pays your money...

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stile

Fixing the link...

Thanks, Icy. Squeeze stile is a good name - pretty explanatory, although I've never heard it before. I think I'll use that, with a footnote explaining it.

I like your stile.

In (british) cycling circles that wold be called a silly sustrans gate

Not that you'd want to cycle in that particular place of course but many of our national cycle routes maintained by the sustrans charity have irritating gates in that sort of style.

Mostly to prevent joyriding in motor vehicles to be fair but that doesn't make them any less annoying.

How much joy could a rider have in going up a flight of stairs?

A mountain biker would enjoy coming down those stairs, though.

I hadn't thought of bikers.

I think we're talking at cross purposes here.

A mountain biker is someone who cycles a mountain bike, a type of rugged pedal bicycle.

I did say 'not that you'd want to cycle there'

Though yeah, someone on a MTB might.

It's not I might want to cycle. A tricycle is the only thing I can pedal, and it wouldn't be pleasant to go up o down a flight of stairs in one.