Incident number 1179 Date: 12.08.25 Site: The estate of Garthgwynion, in Llynfant valley, near Machynlleth. Group of bullocks 1 person, no dog
Report: “I was about to cross the last metal gate, before continuing the Welsh Coastal Path from Machynlleth to Borth, (which passes through the estate of Garthwynion,) when I found a group of bullocks assembled on the other side, right in the middle of the path. I whistled loudly with my emergency whistle, and waved my arms frantically while shouting, and the animals got scared and run away a few meters from me, enough to let me cross. As I was passing in front of them, one of the animals decided to come towards me at a fast pace, soon followed by the rest of them. I sped towards the entrance gate of the estate, which fortunately wasn’t too far away.”
“No injury luckily, but it was a frightening experience.”
Location: ///rattler.fulfilled.beaters near Long Lawford, Warwickshire
2 people 1 dog
Report: “I was walking with my partner on our normal route to walk our dog and noticed in the distance some cows on one side of the bridge that we needed to cross. There was a lady and a gentleman walking towards us who appeared to have already come from that direction. My dog was heeling next to me off lead as we passed the man and woman, though I put him onto a short lead soon after this so we could get past the cattle. (We practice this often with cattle, sheep and horses, and he is always very focused on me.) We were quite close to the herd, maybe 3 meters, and they were stationary, all on the left hand side of the bridge – about 4 young calves were closest to the bridge/river. As we were about 5 meters from reaching the bridge, one cow started to charge towards me, then moo’d, I let go of my dogs lead who ran away towards the right hand side of the bridge, and the cow headbutted me to the floor. I think another cow must have turned to look at the dog as I was suddenly surrounded by at least two cows, as I was in the floor and pinned between two cows. I stood up as quick as I could, but was still being headbutted while doing so.
I was shouting with my arms up to try and appear larger, backing away slowly and trying to get towards the bridge. Luckily I was close enough to the bridge to get through, the dog was close next to it so I could call him through, and my partner was already safe behind the barrier. They were both unharmed. During the incident I realised I had dropped my phone, so I stayed on the bridge for about 5/10 minutes to see if the herd would move. The two people who we had recently passed were at the other side of the field behind a gate and shouted if we were ok – I shouted back that we were all ok, but I had dropped my phone. I think this shouting then scared the herd who walked away towards a house. I was then safely able to retrieve my phone from the ground and go back home, noticing that I had a painful right hip and painful left shin.
My left shin is very swollen, I am able to walk ok but I needed to ice as soon as I was home. I’m unsure if the shin injury is from being headbutted or not, as I can’t remember if one or two cows were headbutting me. There is a small bruise currently though I feel it will spread due to the amount of swelling. My right hip is also bruised – I think this was from being head butted as this side is where the main cow was attacking me from.
I walk this route often and there are no signs about cows, I haven’t seen them in this part of the field before. There are horses the other side of the field and there are sometimes signs about not feeding the horses, but no signs about cows
I feel like it was completely my fault, and I shouldn’t have even tried to go near the cows with their young. I was more focused on keeping my dog in heel so he wouldn’t sniff or interfere with the cows – I didn’t even think the cows would attack, and now I feel quite stupid! Especially since my partner has been chased by cows before and fears them, the fact that two people had already walked from that direction made me feel like we would be fine. I don’t blame the cattle for protecting their young, though I wish I had been wiser. I am lucky that no one was trampled, as it was very close.”
Location: Near Ilminster, Somerset. Exact location: lined.otter.trout
1 person no dog
Report from Matthew: “I saw cattle were in the field but I managed to sneak into the field and walked quietly around the edge without them noticing but as I was nearing the exit, the herd noticed me and charged – very fast and making a lot of noise! I continued walking quickly (not running) and narrowly made it to the gate and got through just before they reached me. Scary.”
Location: We think the path we were on was the Hanson Track, Warwickshire. If you are driving down the A3400 out of Shipston, you take the turn right signposted to Tidmington that leads to Ditchford Road – it’s a field on the right marked as a public footpath just beyond High Furze and opposite a footpath on the other side.
2 people no dog
Report: “We entered the field on the footpath and started walking across, we turned and noticed cows approaching from the other side of the field at speed. We were walking along the edge of the field. The cows closed in quickly and we could not leave the way we came in. We saw another gate and moved towards that thinking we could shut it but we could not as the gate was tied open with pink twine. Cows came through and all surrounded us closely behind the gate. They were making some noises and a few kept trying to creep closer. We were worried that at any point one or some of them could potentially charge or trample us as we were trapped by the wall and an open gate. We stood trying to appear calm for 10 mins but they were not going anywhere and we could not find a number for the farm. “
“The cows kept coming close and we had to sit on top of the gate which wasn’t very high. We felt like we were left with little choice but to call emergency services as we were fearful of walking through the crowd of cattle that had not taken their eyes off us. We were told by emergency services that we had to try and make our way through first by being noisy and trying to walk through them. Although reluctant we felt we had to follow advice and started to yell “move” loudly and clap. A few started to back off and make enough room for us to walk past them. We managed to leave the field safely but were very intimidated as this could have gone horribly wrong.”
“We learned that we may have been given bad advice by being told to be loud.”
“The only signs visible was instructing us to keep dogs on leads and stick to the edges which we did. There was no mention of cattle or how to respond. We also didn’t see the cattle when we entered the field.”
“We ended the call with the police once we exited the field but we don’t think cows should be in a field labelled as a public footpath especially when there are lone walkers and dog walkers. We don’t want this to happen to others who may be elderly or more vulnerable (or less lucky!!)”
Location: It took place on the Public Right of Way, continuous with Cut Lane in Rishton, Lancashire. What3words: retail.face.holly
1 person 1 dog
Report: “I was walking my dog on a lead on the public right of way approaching the bridge which leads past Cut Lane Farm. I was aware that there were cows with calves in the field, close to the track which is the public right of way. I heeled my dog close to me on my left hand side, away from the cattle. Suddenly, a group of cows turned towards us and charged. I was headbutted, thrown to the ground and was then trampled by several cows. I was screaming for my life and believed that I was going to die. I have sustained severe bruises to my legs, arms, chest and foot, and have received medical care for a suspected broken rib. Fortunately, my dog managed to escape across the cattle grid and seems unscathed.”
“I have severe bruising to my legs, arms, foot and chest. I am keen walker and runner, but now I am now frightened of walking/running in the countryside. I was treated in A&E, probable fractured rib.”
“There was a warning sign saying “Bull in field” and a sign saying “No dogs allowed on farmland” or something to that effect.”
“I have reported this attack to the police and HSE.”
“I would like to see cows, especially those known to pose a threat and those with calves, cordoned off from public rights of way.“
Location: Coastal path in North Cornwall, near Castle Point, St Gennys
1 person and dog
Report: “The cows ran to me and surrounded me, chasing my dog into a blackthorn bush over the cliff edge and also surrounding me. I stood my ground but had to shout at them to get a way out.
My dog was stuck in the blackthorn, but was lucky to be unharmed, I managed to get her out. She was less than a foot off from going over the edge of the cliff
The cows should not have been on such an exposed path. I am confident around cows so could deal with them. But the incident was very frightening, they were after my dog and very nearly killed her by forcing her off the cliff.”
Report: “Half the group, including a dog on a lead, walked through the field with no incident. We all gave the cows and calves a wide berth.
2 of the party were further behind with another dog on a lead. One cow spotted the second dog and became extremely aggressive. The walkers backed away and let go of the dog. The cow charged at the dog and chased it until it ran out of the field. The walkers managed to get out of that field without being hurt but it was close to being an incident with injury. We then had to find an alternative way for them to reach the village out if sight of the cows.
I will be reporting to this to the Local authority, but it is not easy to find out how to report these incidents. I don’t think cows and calves should be put in fields with public footpaths, the risks are too high.”
Location: A field just off of Church Road in Cheltenham Gloucestershire, part of the Cotswold Way
3 people, 2 dogs
Report: “The cows were all the way on the far side of the field away from the gate that we were walking towards. We entered the field and started walking towards the next gate which would take us into the next field (without cows) to continue along the Cotswold Way. The cows started staring at us and flicking their tails, we kept calm, our dogs were kept on leads the whole time, they were not provoking or paying attention to the cows. The cows started to walk over slowly, we became a bit wary of this.
We almost got to the next gate and one cow started charging at me. Our group unfortunately split because we panicked and ran a bit away from it. We were now far from exit routes within the field and started to calmly walk back to the nearest one, the dogs still were not provoking it or doing anything to rile the cows. Then out of nowhere they charged at us, and there were around 20 cows in this field; they all started charging, the three of us got split, one of us ran towards the original exit and the other two of us ran other ways. All of these cows were suddenly charging towards one person, and luckily her and her dog got out of the gate, if she had been 3 seconds slower they would have trampled her and as there were so many of them I think the outcome would have been bad.
I luckily scrambled under a barbed wire fence into the second field as there was no way I could have walked safely out from that field. The third person managed to scramble over a fence because they didn’t have a dog. The cows stayed waiting at the fence staring at us.”
Location On footpath on the outskirts of Aldbury, Hertfordsire, England
I person, 1 dog – on lead
Account “I was on my usual early morning dog walk that includes a field that had recently had a herd of black cows put in it. I’d been nervous of walking through it ever since, but a friend persuaded me cows are completely harmless and we walked through together and she demonstrated how to make my arms wide and make a loud strange noise if I felt threatened by them, which would warn them away.
Location On PROW immediately after gate from Swinburns Park Estate near Watermillock, Cumbria
People 2, no dog
Account “We stopped walking as soon as we saw the cows on the path in front of us. The cows were single file walking up the path. The lead cow was dappled grey colour and as soon as it saw us it bellowed loudly and started walking towards us followed by the rest of the herd all making loud bellowing noises. We had no option to turn and run for our lives back to the gate. Once we were on the other side of the gate the grey cow had moved off the path into the tall ferns and saw us over the stone wall and came running towards us bellowing.” Respondent suggests that the following may help: “Warning signs on the path and preferably get the pathway fenced off from the grazing area.”
Location: On PROW between Germoe and Porthleven, Cornwall. WtW – ample.lateral.dreamers
I person and 1 dog
Group of bullocks
Lottie’s account “I was following a marked footpath, my dog was on a lead. There were no signs about cows. I entered the field and then went along the path to an opening on the path which joins to the next field. In that field were bullocks who quickly stood up and came towards me. I felt I couldn’t escape so I stood on a wall and had to call for help. The farmer arrived after 15 minutes and shouted at me saying it was my fault for entering a field with cows when I had a dog. He lead the cows away so I could walk out of the field. My dog is safe with livestock. There are no signs warning that over 20 bullocks are on the footpath, there is no safe place to escape them and they surrounded us.”
This is an article that was published in Farmers Weekly and written by one of COWS members, Dr Jerry Alderson, who was asked to write it after appearing on a Farmers Weekly podcast.
Imagine this. You are in your local town, about to use a footpath across a patch of grass which you have used many times before. At the path entrance is a new sign stating ‘DANGER’. There is no explanation. The path was never signposted. Neither has it been closed. No alternative route is offered. What would you do?
Surely the local council would keep you safe, if they were concerned? Is this a hoax? You may feel frustrated that your way is effectively blocked by a danger you cannot see and don’t understand. Would an alternative route take you into more danger, or on to private land? Should you risk it, or walk away?
This may seem far-fetched, but walkers in the countryside are faced with dilemmas like this every day.
Rights of way are exactly that – a RIGHT to pass. Nothing more, nothing less. These highways are often ancient, predating the enclosure act and private farmland as we know it.
I am a former farm-worker, now a GP, landowner and lifelong walker. I am a staunch supporter of British farming and the need to strengthen and improve UK food self-sufficiency. I believe that these two interests can peacefully co-exist.
Farms can be dangerous – look at the annual death toll published by HSE. Whilst a land occupier (owner or tenant) may not automatically owe a duty of care to users of a right of way crossing their land, any injury to such a user resulting from negligent or dangerous practices could lead to prosecution.
It is an OFFENCE to block or even discourage the lawful use of a right of way. Non-specific warning signs implying ‘danger’ could be used by unscrupulous occupiers to discourage use. Regularly keeping cattle in fields crossed by a right of way without any form of mitigation of the potential danger – fencing for example – seems reckless. Recent research published by killercows.co.uk shows that ALL cattle have the potential to be dangerous despite current HSE guidance.
Making it difficult to use a right of way so that it falls into disuse does not remove the right of way and will likely lead to walkers finding their own, less suitable, way across your land.
Most walkers do not intend to trespass, damage crops or injure livestock. But neither do they have the in-depth appreciation of the potential dangers on your farm that you have. Subconsciously, they are relying on the presumed professionalism of you, the land occupier, to keep them safe by identifying or mitigating any dangers. ONLY YOU CAN DO THIS.
Most land occupiers do not want the death or injury of a member of the public on their conscience.
Wouldn’t it be in everyone’s interests to assist walkers to move efficiently and safely along rights of way crossing farmland, by ensuring that signposting is clear, unambiguous and undamaged, paths unobstructed and gates and stiles well maintained? Clearly identifying dangers adjacent to paths, such as working machinery and slurry-pits, also makes sense. Where fields containing a right of way regularly contain livestock – the erection of a stock fence keeps livestock away from people, and dogs away from livestock. For temporary separation of livestock and people, an electric fence may be more versatile.
If you are not responsible for footpath maintenance on your land, suggesting these measures to the relevant authority would make sense. You know your land better than anyone, after all.
Returning to our original scenario – how useful do you think a sign saying ‘bull in field’ really is? It neither removes the danger nor offers an alternative. SURELY, WE CAN DO BETTER!
Cattle Safety 