COMFORT:
What is it, therefore, that makes a good walking stick?: As it turns out, quite a lot. Gabriel Stone investigates. (Gabriel Stone, 3/10/26, Country Life)
A well-made stick is an object of beauty, a symbol of connection to the land from which it was plucked and, over many patient hours, refined. That symbolism becomes weightier still when it takes the form of the crozier, or shepherd’s crook, long carried by bishops on ceremonial occasions to represent pastoral care for a perpetually wayward flock. Cathedrals excepted, a wooden stick feels out of place in town or, at least, a striking style statement. In the countryside, however, there’s no finer companion to tackle uneven ground, beat down nettles, shoo errant livestock or simply rest on in contemplation.