Incident number: 1282
Response ID: 330,099,718
Date of incident: 04.03.26
Location: TQ 85130 12615. 50.88336, 0.63050 OS reference 1066 Country Walk, Hastings Link
Status: Lone walker with no dog on PRoW
Susanne’s story
“I entered the field and saw the herd by the stile at the opposite side. I was unsure whether to carry on but had no choice in order to avoid a huge detour. I decided to walk round the edge so the cows wouldn’t feel I was walking towards them but as I had got about a third of the way they suddenly started running towards me. I tried to follow all the advice about making yourself look tall and retreating calmly but as they were picking up speed there was no way I would have made it back. I managed to run towards a side gate and climb over with one cow pushing at my leg as I was doing so. I then had to hack my way through brambles and nettles to get to a lane but anything rather than going back to that field. This is a long-distance footpath and I also often see cows on other sections as well as the South Downs Way, Wealdway and the Vanguard Way. At least long-distance paths really need cows behind a fence in my view as you often have no option but to continue”
Cattle Safety 
Shared on Twitter.
Best wishes, Pete.
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That’s been my experience also, that you often have no choice but to continue. Perhaps ultimately hard-pressed farmers don’t want to spend on putting up a fence to make a corridor, but I believe it is achievable, and hopefully in our lifetimes.☺️
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