Significant cuts and bruises and a visit to A and E after cattle charged on two castles walk near Sherborne Dorset

Incident number: 1201

Response ID: 316,811,621

Date of incident: 17.09.25

Location: Near Sherborne Dorset (grid ref ST 661 176 on walk 582 (Two Castles) on the walking world website at waypoint 14)

Status: Couple with no dog on PROW

Paul’s story

“The cattle were grazing about 100 yards right of us as we entered the field via a kissing gate. We were very cautious quiet and non-threatening by walking further from them to the left of the path. The lead animal spotted us and started strolling purposefully in our direction followed by the rest c20/30 of them. They gathered pace and it became obvious they were running our way so we ran towards the barbed wire fence on our right. By this time the whole herd were upon us with one animal jumping in the air with its legs outstretched! I cleared the fence but had to literally drag my wife to safety. We could see an open gate about 30 yards along this fence where the cattle started heading so they could run around and attack us in the field we’d just escaped into. Fortunately there was another closed gate into another field slightly further on and we managed to get there before them. I managed to bundle my wife over this gate to safety. The cattle gathered aggressively on the other side of this gate as we got over it. My wife sustained significant cuts and bruises to both legs and we ended up in Yeovil A&E where she got a tetanus booster. As we walked away from the incident we stopped a farm worker in an adjacent field to report this incident. He stated that “cattle don’t charge” and that other walkers had passed across safely that day. He did however promise to report the incident to his boss. We told him that there was a significant danger to safety and it could result in a fatality but he said we should have just shouted at the cattle and they’d have stopped. This is in my view very high risk advice since if they don’t stop you’d be trampled to death!”

Paul adds “There were probably other fields these cattle could have grazed. That should be considered. Also warning signs!”