Older people need to be active to stay healthy. Walking is a very easy and popular way to do so. Especially walking a dog. And the older I get, the more problems I have with my joints, the fewer paths I can enjoy, and the more barbed wire there is across stiles.

It is the landowners responsibility to maintain stiles and gates on public footpaths on their land. The stiles must be safe and reasonably easy to use. 

British Standard 5709 specifies: The selection of a gap, gate or stile.... shall result in as little restriction as possible for ... all legitimate users including the mildly or seriously disabled, the elderly, children ... dogs.

Tonight, between 2 rainfalls, I walked my dog Tiger with a friend from the village . We are both over 70, and neither of us could go over the stiles.