Incident number: 1274
Response ID: 330,024,462
Date of incident: 05.07.26
Location: Horninghold, Leicestershire. GR 819 976 (Path No B101). Footpath running between Knob Hill Farm and Burn Hill.
Status: Two people with dog on the lead on PRoW
Chris’s story
“We passed through Knob Hill farm which is a danger in itself due to dogs running loose. However, the farmer did put the dogs away to let us pass. When we entered the large field above the farm we noticed a herd of cattle on the opposite side. I put the dog on the lead and we tried to skirt round below the ridgeline so that the cows wouldn’t see us. However, as we got to the middle of the field they came over the brow of the hill and began to charge towards us very aggressively. Probably about 50 cows, including calves. They were most interested in the dog so I let the dog loose for our own safety and told my daughter to try and make her way to the fenceline as I retreated with my back to the cows trying to keep them at bay. One of them charged past me and lunged for the dog. The others came right up and I had to wrap one on the nose to stop it charging over me. As we got to the fenceline it looked as though they had backed off but then came another charge. My daughter managed to throw the dog over the fence and clamber over, ripping her leggings and cutting her hand on the barbed wire. I had managed to pick up a stick to try and keep them at bay an just had enough time to make it over the fence. I’ve been walking in the countryside all of my life and this was the closest I have ever been to being trampled by a herd of cows. They were incredibly aggressive, no doubt protective of the calves, and not fit to be in a field with a public footpath running across it.”
Just as an update on this case, I did also report it to the HSE. I received an initial response asking me if I knew who the farmer was saying it was difficult for them to do anything without that information. I didn’t know who the farmer was so didn’t expect to hear any more about it.
However, I’ve just received an email from them to say that they have contacted the farmer (doesn’t say how they worked out who it was!) and reminded them of their health and safety responsibilities and offered advice on how to manage the situation. It says the farmer has accepted the advice and that my report will go on file as evidence in case of any future incidents.
So I was quite pleased by that. I shall have another walk along there at some point to see if anything has changed in terms of segregating the path from the livestock.
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Thanks for letting us know. That is good to hear that the HSE have worked out who the farmer is and have contacted them. Let’s hope their advice will be heard and acted upon. Please let us know what (if anything) has been done when you next walk that way Chris.
Safe walking
Libby
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Best wishes, Pete.
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PS incidentally, on the Pennine way in June, the trail went through a farm where the cattle were not in the same field but in the corner of the next field very near by, with a fence between us. I noticed that in spite of my proximity to them and their calves they were not stressed out, and it seems they felt protected from me by the fence between us. So it’s better for cattle as well as for walkers.
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