The castle on the hill: a wooden castle tile
A castle at the top of the hill, its flag flying and its door wide open
They saw a castle at the top of the hill, with its flag flying and its door wide open.
The castle on the hill: a wooden castle tile for The Story Path.
Lay the castle and see where their story goes.
Play with the castleAdds to any set. Every tile joins every other.
Always a new place. The castle isn’t in any of the sets, so it never doubles one you have.
£17, or £15 each with two or more pieces. Posted from 1 December, in time for Christmas.
- The castle on the hill: one solid oak tile, 120 mm square and 13.5 mm thick
- An arrow joint, so it joins any other Story Path tile
- Our cotton drawstring bag (one comes with every order), which is also the pile you draw from
A castle makes a good ending and an even better beginning. Lay it first and the story sets out from the gate; lay it last and the path climbs the hill to get there.
The Lucky Bag. Draw a tile without looking, join it to the path, and say what happens there.
The Forked Path. Draw two and choose: up the hill to the castle, or the other way. The one you leave goes back in the bag.
A story game for the floor: where story dice give one roll, these tiles keep the whole journey laid out to read back.
For more ways to play, and how story stones, story dice and story tiles compare, read our storytelling guide.
Cut from solid oak, planed and sealed with shellac, then engraved with the hill, the stepping stones and the castle with its flag. Ebonising with iron and vinegar turns only the engraved lines black, and Osmo hardwax oil finishes it. The arrow joint is cut so the castle joins any other tile, at either end of the story.
The picture is engraved into the oak, then the tile is ebonised with iron and vinegar, so only the engraved lines turn black. The path runs across every tile, in through one arrow and out through the next.
This tile carries no name. The name lives on the first page of a starter set or first book set, engraved in our script.
Delivery
Posted from 1 December, in time for Christmas
The Story Path is made to order in our Wiltshire workshop. Orders are posted from 1 December, in the order they were placed, so every set is under the tree in time for Christmas.
Delivery is by Royal Mail Tracked 48, free on every UK order of £20 or more; orders under £20 are charged £1.95.
Returns
90 days to return, with free return postage
We are pleased to offer 90 days from delivery to return your order, and we will provide a prepaid Royal Mail Tracked 48 label at no cost to you. Personalised and engraved pieces are included.
You may choose a refund, an exchange or a gift card. Refunds are made to your original payment method once your return is back with us and checked. How returns work
Multiple Lifetime Guarantee
Covered for life, whoever owns it
Should a piece ever break, develop a fault or go missing, we will restore or replace it free of charge, for the life of the toy and for whoever owns it next. Read about our guarantee
Everyday care. Wipe with a damp cloth and let the wood dry naturally. Please don’t soak it or put it in the dishwasher.
Where to keep it. Away from radiators and direct sun. Wood moves a little as the air grows drier or damper through the year, which is quite natural.
Refreshing the finish. When the wood begins to look dry, rub in one thin coat of Osmo Wood Wax Finish Extra Thin (1101), the finish we use ourselves, and let it dry fully before play. Once dry, it is food-safe. For babies who mouth their toys, ideally wait two weeks. Or let us make it easy: our Toy Care Kit has everything you need.
Our guarantee. Every toy is covered by our Multiple Lifetime Guarantee, and caring for it yourself never affects it.
More about our finish in our FAQ.
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A beginning, a middle and an end
The Story Path opens with “Once upon a time, there was…” and closes with “The End”. Between the two, the child lays the tiles in a line and tells the story along the path that runs through them, in through one arrow and out through the next. Every arrow is an “and then”.
It is designed around the way stories are taught in nurseries and Reception: an opening, a problem, a resolution and an ending. The line is laid and read from left to right, like a line in a book, and it supports the early learning goals for inventing, adapting and retelling stories.
Oak, and a little magic
The story tiles and both bookends are solid oak, finished with Osmo hardwax oil. No paints and no dyes: the picture is engraved and ebonised, so only the lines turn black. The magic tiles are cut from rarer woods, and their path and stars are gilded by hand in 24ct gold leaf. A new wood arrives each week in November.
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