Cattle Safety

Scared near to Llanidloes Wales

Incident number: 942

Response ID: 306,604,784

Date: 31.05.24

Location: llandiloes Gwestyn Map reference SN887861 approx.

Two incidents in the same place. In both incidents I was walking on my own without a dog.

1. Walked from a public footpath north east of Gwestyn onto the bridleway leading west from Gwestyn. Cattle in the field with the bridleway came running at speed towards me and started to crowd round me. I ran at them and they ran away but came back again. After two or three further attempts to run at them I had to climb a barbed wire fence into another field to escape them. I cut my hand and ripped my trousers on the barbs.

2. A different day, walking east south east from Gwestyn on same bridleway. The cattle were further east from Gwestyn on this occasion. Same problem again. They came running at me, gathering round. I had to climb barbed wire again to get into the next field.

Our reporter says “It should not be legal to keep cattle in the same field as a public right of way. It’s no good specifying breeds etc. There have been too many accidents and near misses. It is too terrifying and lots of people I know will simply not enter a field where there are cattle, meaning they are prevented from using their legal right to walk on any right of way they choose. Farmers should be forced to fence off sections of path or put electronic collars on cattle that control where they can go. Or could hand held cattle scaring devices be developed just like the anti dog devices you used to be able to buy that are (sadly) not seen any more?”

Scared walker -“Either fence the cattle off from the path or do not put them in a field with a public footpath.”

Incident number: 941

Date of incident: 30/6/2024
Location: Gregynog Estate near Tregynon, Powys. Footpath between Skew Bridge and Gregynog Estate footbridge.

Group of cattle – “I don’t know what. No time to stop and look.”
No dog, single walker.

Account: “I was walking bang on the path. I know because I have GPS. The cows approached me at a trot. I had no stick so I had to wave my coat. They speeded up. It was terrifying. I was so scared I was screaming at them to GO AWAY, waving my coat at them. They just kept running at me from different angles. I had nowhere to go. It is a big field and I wasn’t near any edge.”

Further comment: “Either fence the cattle off from the path or do not put them in a field with a public footpath.”

Lisa asks “Why are farmers allowed to keep bullocks in fields with public rights of way?”

Incident number: 939

Date of incident: 29/8/2024

Location: What3words Patrol.kicks.classmate . Whitehall near Hemyock

Group of bullocks
No dog, single walker

Account: “I started into the field, no cows present. They came from the left at the far end of the field and were just 3 or 4. Soon there were at least 15, I didn’t count. They started to watch me so I skirted away a bit, though they were close to my exit. In a few moments they gathered around me. I kept walking and speaking in as calm a voice as possible. I could hear them trotting behind me and I was quickly surrounded. I just kept going, from the left and slightly behind they all began to run together, like a stampede, but thankfully I attained the gate. A lady renting the house beside the field, owned by the farmer, asked what had happened as she had seen me in the field.

It was terrifying. I had no idea whether they would run towards me, I had no stick to fend them off. Completely upsetting, I felt fortunate to be unhurt.”

Comment: “I still feel very distressed, lucky to be uninjured. I had no help and could easily have been hurt.
Why are farmers allowed to keep bullocks/ bulls in public rights of way? At least without warning. It shows lack of any care for those whose right it is to be there.”

JJ has several bad encounters with cattle

Incident No. 938

Date of Incident. 29/08/24

Location. Perrydale Farm, Sparrowpit, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, SK178ES

Account “I had decided to walk down the road rather than across the footpath I had taken earlier as I had already been chased by a herd of cows. As I walked down the track I realised another herd was roaming free across the track and was blocking the path. I tried to walk as far away as I could, slowly and calmly. The young cows began to bolt around and as I passed 2 of the young cows began to rear up and run at me. I managed to get behind a wall and out onto the main road, I was so terrified by this.”

“During this walk trying to tick off 3 popular Ethels* I was plagued by cows –

>I was chased or approached in 2 fields,

>completely unable to cross 1 field due to aggressive cows hanging around the stile

>I had to leave a footpath and cross into another field over barbed wire due to a cow that had escaped it’s field,

>paralysed by fear walking down another bridleway because of several cows on a path that were stamping feet at me (thankfully a group of bikers appeared and helped me past)

>and then finally when I tried to choose a longer, less safe route back to the start (including a 2k walk on a busy country road with no pavement) I was chased by these bullocks.

I’m so angry that farmers can take no effort to protect walkers from harm and there is no recourse – even if that harm is sheer terror (have previously been attacked and harmed by cows)”

“I have tried to find contact information for the farmer but can’t find any.”

*Ethels – https://peakdistrictwalks.net/peak-district-ethels-list/ – Killer cows hadn’t heard of Ethels!

Advice can help but it doesn’t remove the risks

Incident No. 936

Date of Incident. 21/08/24

Location. Witton Weavers Way, Maiden House Farm, Blackburn, Lancashire

Account “This is the second incident in this precise field in 18 months. The first incident I hold myself responsible; I didn’t know what to do in the event of a cow attack and, as they began to approach me, I ran (which caused the whole herd to stampede after me). Luckily, the gate to the field which is usually open to the adjoining field was closed that day, and I dived over it.

After this first event, I was duly rattled and then did a bit of research on what to do if I am ever in a similar situation again.

2024 Data Report: headlines

COWS probably hold more information about cattle attacks than any other organisation in the UK. We looked at our database and have brought you the headline figures.

As of July 2024, we have collected 889 cattle incidents in England and Wales, reported to us over the past 7 years, using our self-reporting online form. You can read the full 2024 Data Report here: Cumulative Data Report, 2024

Angelsey Brynrefail circular walk – cows charged at me and my dog

Incident number: 935

Response ID: 306,162,318

Date: 16.08.24

Location: Angelsey: Walking to Mynydd Bodafon from Nan ty sebons across a large field Near Brynrefail

Liz and her dog Rosco were walking along this popular walk when 30 plus cows charged towards them at speed! Rosco had been on a lead and was calm so there was no real reason for them to charge. They moved quickly away from the footpath and managed to find a route away through undergrowth. Liz was very grazed and itchy after trampling through brambles and nettles to reach the path again and obviously very scared.

Liz says “I have problems with cows every week when I walk in Wales or England. They terrify me! They charge at speed towards me! Some farmers fence their cows away from footpath. Wish this was a legal requirement on public paths.

Walk cut short

Incident number: 934

Response ID: 306,153,541

Date: 14.08.24

Location: Fleet Head TQ 948 892 near Little Wakering in Essex.

Jane’s story

“Two of us were walking along the Essex coast path with our dogs on leads. We were on a sea bank and came to a gate. Ahead, through the gate, which is where we wanted to go there was a group of about 25 cows with what looked like older calves. To the left of the sea bank was estuary water. The cows were mainly on the right of the bank with about three on the top. While we were deciding what to do we saw another gate to the side of us about 50m away. We decided to go for that as the cows were mooing and walking towards us. They then started running and making a noise but we got through the gate as they reached us. The two dogs we had were calm and on a lead. We were not harmed at all but had to cut a big section of our coast path walk off.”

The charge line of cows was at least 12 cows wide at the front!!!

Incident number: 933

Response ID: 306,151,398

Date: 18.08.24

Location: Near Rushall Wiltshire (What 3 words outbid.shuttled.insurers)

Paul’s Story

“Two of us were walking without a dog along a public footpath. A large number of young bullocks were in the field (at least 50). They were 80 -100 meters away as we entered the field and started walking downhill towards the other gate but they immediately came closer and then charged at us as we were crossing on the public footpath. The line of cows was at least 12 cows wide at the front. We held our arms out as we walked but they were coming closer and fast. Shouting momentarily deterred the nearest leaders, also clapping, but more of the herd kept coming. They were less than 10m away. I kept walking and shouting and waving at them and my companion, behind me, charged a couple of 2m at them in desperation and finally the herd of cows turned back. We were able to reach the far gate.

The cows need to be separated from the footpath. Large numbers of cows like this are very dangerous.”

Dartmoor: Wheal Jewel reservoir – Cows charged and a lucky escape

Incident number: 930

Response ID: 306,096,962

Date: 16.08.24

Location: On public access land at Wheal Jewel reservoir – Dartmoor

I was walking on my own without a dog through open moor. I saw a group of cows and calves so I gave a wide berth – about 30 metres. The cows charged at me presumably to protect their calves. I jumped into a gorse bush and waited for them to go away. I thankfully only suffered a few minor scratches.

Bravery at Hadrian’s Wall

Report No: 929

Date of Incident: 19/09/22

Location: Hadrian’s wall path just west of Cawfield’s Quarry

Account “I was walking Hadrian’s Wall Path when a woman with a dog ran past me towards a gate. She was being chased by a cow with its head lowered. I (stupidly or bravely, I don’t know) stepped between her and the cow to protect them, spread out my arms, and yelled at the cow to stop. It skidded to a halt in front of me, looked me over, then peered around me towards the dog. Once the woman and the dog made it to the other side of the gate, the cow ambled away.

I believe that had I not intervened, the woman or her dog would have been injured.”

“I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time”

Report No: 928

Date of Incident: 25/07/24

Location: Newdigate, Surrey, England

Account “I was crossing a field on my own (female 64, very fit) with 2 spaniel dogs on short leads on a footpath. I knew there were cows in the field, couldn’t see a bull, there were some calves but not particularly young, probably about 15-20 cows. I tried to keep as far away from the cows as possible but they started to follow me and gradually caught me up and began to surround me. I let go of the dogs which ran off but the cows did not follow them. One cow pushed me to the ground with its nose and then three or four others joined in head butting me. I curled up in a ball trying to protect myself and stayed still hoping they would lose interest which they did after a while and moved away to a different part of the field.