A brief note on English grass (photo above): It’s really like no other grass in the world, and you must be fond of the stuff to tackle the Tolkien Trail because
it’s everywhere.
Catholic kissing gates (photo right page)
It wasn’t long before we ran into one of these puzzling contraptions. Ironically, it was our Scottish trail companions Steve and Helen who informed us about these “kissing gates”, which would greet us often as we trekked diligently through the morning mist.
What’s a “kissing gate”? And why is it Catholic?
A kissing gate is inserted into a gap cut into a simple fence that divides one property from the next and is constructed very much like today’s revolving doors, without the glass. But there’s a clever twist: two people can stand in the gate’s opening, but no matter which direction the twin swinging gates are moved, they can never be in on the same side together.
If you think about it, amorous would-be lovers burdened with the cumbersome clothing of the day, would have found even kissing a ‘Romeo-an’ task -- thus preserving each other’s purity prior to marriage.
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