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A collision avoided by jumping over a hedge

Incident number: 968

Response ID: 306,988,458

Date of incident: 22.07.24

Location: I was in a field on a public way southwest of Chilcompton (near Midsomer Norton)

Status: Lone walker with no dog on PFP

RJB’s story

“Was crossing from stile to stile. Stiles were overgrown so was hard to find the exit stile. Got chased by 20-odd young but fully-grown cows and found the gap in the hedge to jump over just in time. I had to run across the field with an 18kg backpack on – if I’d been less fit or had less time to react then I’d have been at the very least in a collision with a charging herd.”

Is it unreasonable to expect electric fences on footpaths?

Incident number: 967

Response ID: 306,987,531

Date of incident: 13.07.24

Location: Nera Steyning Sussex (W3W: glossed.dumplings.odds)

Status: Loan walker on PFP with dog on lead

Neil’s story

“I entered the field via a stile on a signposted public footpath with my springer spaniel, who is 7 years old and has never had the remotest interest in livestock of any description her entire life, and this day was no different, and thus she was off the lead as usual, but close to me as usual, carrying a stick. I noticed the herd at the far end of the field (250-300 metres) clumped directly on the footpath route and essentially right in front of the next stile. I put Jem on the lead and began to walk gently in a very wide arc around the other edge of the field and we were about 100 metres from the first style when I noticed them moving towards us at what seemed a fairly regular walking pace. I became anxious about 10 or 15 seconds later when I noticed a couple at the head of the herd break into a slight canter and definitely in our direction, which then very quickly escalated into a run that the rest of the herd followed with. I quickly unclipped Jem and sprinted with her back to the stile we had come over. By the time we jumped back over it, the cows were almost upon us and running at what I would describe as stampede pace and they were snorting and mooing very aggressively. My heart was in my mouth and the dog was also quite scared. I am an experienced country walker and live nearby in the village of Henfield. I always respect cows and give them as much room as possible but have never been this aggressively pursued before by them. Really very frightening.”

Neil thinks

“Where there are a herd in a field with a public footpath running down one side of the field, but no easy escape (hedges on all 4 sides), I don’t think it is unreasonable for the farmer to have to place an electric fence along the line of the footpath. I know this wouldn’t stop them if they really wanted, but they would probably be wary of it having been zapped by it already a few times and would not come to near it. – Maybe? ! Also, if the herd are know to agitate easily – which the farmer should be aware of – then appropriate warning signs should be used on the stile access to the field.”

Hurdling a gate to avoid cows

Incident number: 962

Response ID: 306,985,898

Date: 05.05.24

Location: Near Brockhampton Herefordshire ( What 3 Words ///asleep.dated.pods on a footpath heading East towards Hollington Farm)

Status: Loan walker without dog on Public right of way

Rob’s story

“I was walking alone along a footpath from Lower Bolstone Wood towards Hollington Farm. As I entered a field I started walking alongside the hedge towards the other side. Then a group of cows came running towards me from the left hand side. The hedge was too high and overgrown to climb over or through so I ran to the other side of the field and hurdled the gate just before they reached me. There were approximately 20 of them and it was very frightening”

Emma meets cows with calves at Sycamore Gap

Report number: 986
Date of incident: 15/8/2019
Location: Sycamore Gap

Group of cows with calves. Dog on a lead. Family walk.

Report: “We were on the main footpath leaving Sycamore gap in Northumbria – the walk we were following was on a National Trust printed leaflet. When we got into the field I could see the cattle all crowded around the footpath and the stile, they were huge – looked like highland black cattle – huge horns. I sensed for some reason we may have trouble, possibly because of an earlier incident (described later,) and told my daughters if there were any problems to jump over the wall to the next field. I said this as sort of a joke but then as we approached one cow in particular looked troubled by the dog (who was on a short lead and perfectly calm,) she started following and virtually cornered myself with the dog, and terrifyingly when about 4 foot away, put her head right down and started scraping her front leg as if about to charge. I noticed there was a ditch with long grass, chucked the dog and myself in it (which effectively hid the dog) and walked slowly along, this thankfully seemed to confuse the cow, but it felt like a very very close call.”

“I contacted the National Trust as didn’t know what else to do. They said they would talk to the farmer involved but who knows. A few years previous to that in the Lake District we walked through a field of jersey cows, I always remember but couldn’t quite believe it, but do now, we had no dog then but they were definitely bothered by our then around 5 year old daughter – who was just with me on the path , they started gathering pace but thankfully I was near the stile by this point and got her over quick – I think it could have been nasty if we had been further away as they gathered speed – hope this helps wish I had thought about reporting to the HSE or yourselves – it didn’t occur to me until I saw the guardian article.”

Additional comment: “Really troubled me that this was a leafleted walk you can pick up at the National trust places, these cows were aggressive as with calves , this was quite a small field , it was the dog that was worrying them TBF – but based on other incident with young child I was really worried about families in that area as well.”

Steve P meets cattle on the Dales High Way

Report number: 985
Date of incident: 3/9/2024
Location: On the Dales High Way, arriving in Appleby, Cumbria.

No dog, lone walker

Report: “I was reaching the end of the Dales High Way, with Appleby now in view. A clearly signposted stile gave access to a field. There was a cow stood directly blocking the stile, with a large herd spanning the field behind it. The cow was clearly refusing to give up any ground. I had to walk further along and scale a tall fence to enter the field. I then waited and then plotted a course to try and avoid the herd. Suddenly, a cow from the group began charging at me without any warning. With no chance of a quick escape, I shouted and clapped loudly. Luckily it swerved and stopped, but was only a few feet from me by that point. By the time I reached the exit, I realised there were indeed young cows amongst them. Although unscathed, this was a very frightening experience and could have ended up badly wrong. This is a well used national walking trail.”

Steve P comments “Large herds with young cows should be kept off public footpaths. There should have at least been an alternative option, like there are in other places in this trail. It is do-able.”

BE: “all fields containing livestock should have signs giving a name and contact number to be used to report an animal in distress, or endangering the public”

Report number: 984
Date of incident: July 2024
Location: Fields near Thorncombe, Dorset

Report: “I walk my dog daily on footpaths around the village. Many of these footpaths run across the middle of fields and there have been several times when I have found cows threatening and frightening. The cows are moved frequently in and out of different fields, so it is unpredictable where they are likely to be. They are also often densely grazed in large numbers. As I have become more anxious about the threatening behaviour of these cows, I avoid entering fields containing cows whenever possible. In the recent case, in July, I had been for a long walk, and when I found there were cows in one of the fields on my way home, I could not see an alternative route and did not want to have to walk all the way back the way I came. The cows initially looked quite docile and not too close to the path, so I entered the field and walked along by the path but closer to the fence. A cow saw me and started to move towards me, then others noticed and followed. I became worried and as they grouped together and picked up speed towards me I ducked under the barbed wire fence and tried to continue on the other side, however this was alongside the river (River Synderford) and the undergrowth stopped me from continuing that side. I luckily found a large fallen tree branch and got back into the field. By waving the branch and shouting I was able to keep the cows back and reach the stile out of the field. I kept my dog on the lead with me all the time, as I didn’t feel it would have helped to let him loose.”

Additional comments: “I think warning signs should be used (though not as a ruse to prevent walkers using footpaths.) It should be made clear that walkers are entitled to go off footpaths and into neighbouring fields if necessary to avoid cows. Electric fences could be used to create safe routes to allow walkers to pass through, or around, fields containing cows. I also believe that all fields containing livestock should have signs giving a name and contact number to be used both to report an animal in distress, or escaped, as well as those endangering the public. It is currently impossible much of the time to know who owns the animals, or which farm they belong to, so you have no idea who to contact.”

Ingrid is chased by bullocks on the South Downs Way

Report Number 983
Date of incident: 22/8/2021
Location: On the South Downs Way, just across the A road between Housedean Farm and Southease, near the top of a large hill.

Group of bullocks (young bulls), lone walker, dog on lead

Report: “I got to a gated field which the South Downs Way ran directly through, where I saw what appeared to be a couple of young bullocks rearing up and bucking when a couple with a dog passed by, the couple were walking slowly, and didn’t appear to be in any immediate danger, so I stupidly opened the gate and tried to walk past, staying close to the fence. When the cows clocked me they suddenly gave chase, and I had to fling myself over the fence to get away from them.”

“The fence was topped with barbed wire and I was wearing shorts, so I tore one of my legs up quite badly and had three long scratches on it for a few weeks afterwards. It was getting dark by the time I reached the bottom of the hill and I was quite shaken.”

“I had to have a tetanus jab and my GP double-checked my scratches.”

Comment re signage “There was a sign at the bottom of the hill, warning of a bull in the field, but no sign on the gate I actually went through.”

Comment by Ingrid “The field that was occupied by the cows covered an extremely large and irregularly shaped stretch of the south downs way, I would appreciate it if farmers could, where possible, keep large herds away from some of our country’s most popular walking trails.”

Mrs Williams is chased by bullocks

Report Number: 982
Date of incident: 29/6/2024
Location: ///highways.viewer.call Nr St Buryan, Cornwall

Report: “Two of us were walking along a public footpath. We had got half way across the field when cows came round from a connecting field, they were a group of bullocks and they ran to us at the stile, I had our dog in my arms the whole time. Then we ran to a gate at the far end of the field so we could get into the next field and escape from them, unfortunately the gate for the cattle was open and they continued to chase us across that field.”

Comment: “I have a video of this. The footpaths were badly marked, I don’t think many people use this path. But it is on ordnance survey. I carry my dog when ever I see cows.”


Mandy is charged at by a frisky bullock

Report number: 980
Incident date:1/5/2018
Location: https://what3words.com/rinse.burst.opposites Nr Brading, Isle of Wight

Group of bullocks, lone walker, no dog

Report: “I entered the field (Gander Hill) from the public gate from the Centurian Copse end, onto the footpath, I didn’t know the herd was in the field. After a few minutes I saw them on the top of the hill, there were 20-30 of them, they were frisky. I chose the lower path to keep out of their way as there was not an alternative route. They came nearer but were interested in each other not me, apart from one in particular that was very frisky and watching me closely. They were on the top of the hill, I was below. I should have turned back at that point but kept going, cautiously. Probably they were 100 yards away at least. I carried on for a couple of minutes thinking that I would get to the exit at the other end of the field before them. The one that was interested in me broke away from the rest of the herd and halved the distance between iteself and me in about 10 seconds. It was watching me closing, bucking, agile, dancing almost. The rest of them came a bit closer but were still frisky amoungst themselves and not very interested in me. I was very frightened, rooted to the spot, hands clamped by my side, nowhere to go, I was too far from the edge of the field to get to it and anyway it was a high fence with a lot of brambles and barbed wire. I was scared to wave my arms around or shout at it or move in case I frightened the rest of them into running at me. So I didn’t move at all, just stood stock still. It charged at me. But stopped of its own volition about 20 yards from me, stared at me for a moment and then tossed its head and rejoined the rest of the herd, which then ambled off in the direction of the far gate. I carefully retraced my steps back the way I came and exited the field.”

Mandy comments “Cattle should not be allowed to roam on public land full stop. Where there are farmers fields with footpaths, then those footpaths should be fenced, just basic stock fencing will do. I am happy for footpaths to be sensibly re-routed within the field concerned to allow a sensible solution that protects livestock and humans from unhelpful interactions.”

Henry wants more protection for walkers so they can cross fields safely.

Report number: 979
Date of incident: 30/6/2017
Location: ///Leopard.Riverboat.Soonest. Between Stanton Prior, BA2 9HT and Bath Spa University campus,

Group of cows involved, black angus, red angus, Angus/Hereford cross, lone walker, no dog

Report: “I had passed through the field the day before and observed the cows were very alert and territorial, despite there being no observable calves. On that occasion I decided to leave the field through a fence as I was uncomfortable walking further. The day of the attack I was walking in the opposite direction, from Stanton Prior to Bath Spa University, where I was a student. I entered the field via the footpath and saw the cows on the far side of the field, approx. 400m away. With so much distance between us I felt reasonably ok about walking through, despite my encounter with them the previous day. However, as I continued to walk, keeping a close eye at all times, they gradually began to notice my presence and turned towards me. I kept walking as they were still far away, but then the herd began to move in my direction. I had already picked an exit point to get to if needed and I began to slowly move in the direction of the gap in the hedgerow by the fence. As I was moving away they began to run towards me in a long line, with one cow breaking off and running down the fence line. I was able to get over the fence just before the cow reached me. Had I not been aware of the herd’s previous behaviour and picked an exit route, I’m not sure I would have made it away unscathed. The hedgerow was thick and there were long stretches without exit points. The method the cattle used with one running along the fence line and the remainder spread out and running towards the fence line would have made outrunning them very difficult. I had no dog, was moving cautiously and always keeping distance. In other words this was totally unprovoked and potentially very serious. I filmed the entire encounter as I was so concerned something might happen.”

“I informed the farmer who didn’t take the incident seriously and told me how nice the cows were. This incident totally changed the way I walk in the country, especially around livestock. I will not enter a field with cows again as a result of this.”

Henry comments ” there should be more signage, more communication that this can happen to anyone, not just dog walkers. More exit routes in fields. Ideally more protection for ramblers/walkers so they can cross fields in safety. I used the route as my commute to university and work. Without crossing the field, my walk increased from 20 minutes to 1hr. I had no other method of transportation.”

Raced at by bullocks

Report number: 978
Incident date: 5/9/2022
Location: Berry Pomeroy – walking on public right of way path from the village up through huge field to head towards castle.

Lone walker, dog on lead.

Report: “The field from the village is huge and slopes up so you cannot see when entering if livestock are in there. It’s a circular walk from Berry Pomeroy village to the castle and back. As I got to the brow of the hill I saw a huge group of (what I presume were) bullocks They were a long way off but when they saw me they came racing down and started bombing me and hitting the hedge around me and my dog. I was about 20m away from the gate so I ran for it as they were getting more aggressive. I just managed to get through the gate and they ran into the gate after me (colliding with it.) I was terrified. Stupidly I didn’t take my dog off lead.”

“I had to get a friend to drive to collect me as the only way back to village was along a well-used B road that people use as a rat run to Paignton/Torbay and that has no footpaths. The bullocks were still at gate when my friend picked me up an hour later from the castle. I’m surprised no one has been killed in that field. A notice should be put up to warn hikers! I’ve never gone back.”



Cows give chase

Report number: 977
Date of incident:30/8/2024
Location: Lugwardine, field next to river Lugg, Herefordshire

Group of cows, no dog, 2 people.

Report: “We entered the field and didn’t see the cows immediately as they were at the other end and around a curve in the path. When we saw them I got my son to walk nearer to me. We couldn’t see the exit on the path so we stopped and decided to keep well away from the herd and cut across diagonally away from them. Then they stopped eating and all looked at us, then started to run at us, still a distance away. I told my son to run and I was more of a jog and they chased us but when we went back around the curve in the field they didn’t keep up the chase. I knew cows could be dangerous but never actually had an incident like this, scary with an 8 year old.”