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 A rustic stepping stone bridge across astream. | |
| Ancestor | None, this is one of the few foundational types, but see also:ford (crossing). |
|---|---|
| Related | Natural stepping stone stream crossing |
| Descendant | Clapper bridge,Zig-zag bridge,Log bridge |
| Carries | Pedestrians |
| Span range | Has no spans, but stones must be spaced to allow water flow and a comfortable step or leap |
| Material | Selected stone |
| Movable | No |
| Design effort | Low-rustic toArtisanapplied art design |
| Falsework required | No |
Stepping stones orstepstones are sets of stones arranged to form an improvisedcauseway that allows apedestrian to cross a natural watercourse such as acreek, a smallriver; or awater feature in a garden where water is allowed to flow between stone steps.[1] Unlikebridges, stepstone crossings typically have nospans, althoughwood planks orstone slabs can be placed over between the stones (which serve as thepiers) to improvise aslow-water bridges. Although their historical origin is unknown, stepping stones, along withlog bridges, are likely to have been among the earliest means of crossing inlandbodies of water devised by humans.
In traditionalJapanese gardens, the termiso-watari refers to stepping stone pathways that lead across shallow parts of apond, which work like a bridge-like slower crossing. Usingiso-watari for crossing ponds, or shallow parts of streams, one can view theaquatic animals andplants around or in the pond, likecarp,turtles, andwaterfowl.
Today, stepping stones are commonly used bymountaineers andhikers as a makeshift way of crossing uncharted or unanticipated streams and torrents. They may occur alongside aford.
TheDrukken Steps in theEglinton Woods ofNorth Ayrshire inScotland were a favourite haunt ofpoetRobert Burns and his companion Richard Brown, while the two were living inIrvine from 1781 to 1782.[2]
The name "Drukken" steps derives from a person's gait as they stepped from stone to stone whilst crossing the Red Burn. Seven or more stones were originally set in the Red Burn which was much wider than in 2009.[3]
Burns himself used the Scots spelling "Drucken" rather than "Drukken".[4] The ruins of the Drukken Steps are in theEglinton Country Park.
A deadly version of stepping stones involving glass tiles is featured in the 2021 South Korean seriesSquid Game as the fifth game played in the series.[5]
