Stories – Cattle Safety

Dodford footpath leading to Bournheath – walker cornered by a mixed herd

Incident number: 1266

Response ID: 329,840,622

Date of incident: 18.06.26

Location: Field adjacent to top of Yarnold Lane, Dodford leading across to Bournheath ( to right hand side as driving out of Dodford

Status: Lone walker with dogs on lead onPRoW

Sarah’s Story “The cattle approached (they were a mixed herd of Charolais, Hereford, friesian and possibly even a Guernsey) as we walked into the field and quickly blocked off the possibility of turning back.

The cattle were playful but kicked out and when I let the dogs of the lead and told them to run so I could use the leads as a whip to wave in the air to keep the bullocks back they cornered each of the dogs and I and we had to make our way through two fields blocked in both front and rear and on two occasions on all sides … I am a beef farmers daughter and have helped herd cattle for many years however I have never been cornered like this.

Sarah is understandably extremely anxious and shaken and adds “I wish to report this as had I not had experience with cattle I suspect at least one of us would have been injured – the cattle may appear friendly but with a dog it is a different story- two very friendly withdrawn guide dogs were not a threat and were walking nicely initially – they were petrified and clearly in danger – the bullocks were trying to toss them”

Trapped by cattle on weavers way near Halvergate

Incident number: 1264

Response ID: 329,834,345

Date of incident: 10.06.26

Location: On the Weavers Way footpath, between Stone Road, Halvergate and Berney Arms, shortly before the railway line.

Status: Lone walker with no dog on PRoW

RW’s story

“I was walking on the path across the marshes, following the Weavers Way path. A group of about 20 cows ran at me. I took cover between a kissing gate and a fence. Trapped for about 90 minutes. Some of the cows were aggressive. I phoned the police on 911; they were concerned but, due to the remoteness of the location, were unable to assist. Eventually, I left the gate and turned back to Halvergate. A few of the cows were aggressive but did not maintain their chase.”

They add “Cattle should be separated from dedicated footpaths such as the Weavers Way, ie by fencing or similar.”

Bennar near Barmouth – A very near miss…….

Incident number: 1263

Response ID: 329,826,913

Date of incident: 14.06.26

Location: Welsh Coastal Path. Farm at Bennar, north of Barmouth.

(What3Words: ///scrubbing.amused.cubed)

Status: Lone walker with dog on lead on PRoW

Martin’s story

“I was walking the Wales Coastal Path. I was on a public footpath near Bennar, heading towards Barmouth, when I encountered an enormous field with a herd of about 10 cows. The cows were calmly lying on the ground in the middle of the field, all together. I did not think they would be a problem since there was a lot free space to walk around them. As I usually would, I started walking slowly as close to the stone fence as I could, at a steady pace, heading for the opposite gate; the usual common sense and walking etuiquette. There wasn’t anything alarming about the herd at that stage, and the cows clearly saw me coming from the distance. However, as I was just about to pass them, and this was still at good 40-50 meters away from the herd, they all suddendly got up and started running. At first, they ran away from me. I stopped for a minute, giving the herd space and calculating my next movements, which were limited because the field was surrounded by barbed wire. However, as soon as I made another step, the herd came charging at me from a distance, at full speed. They got within 5-10 meters of me and 2 of the cows started bucking into the air, and directing their hooves at me, attempting to kick me. I had no other choice but to throw myself over the barbed wire, suffering some cuts on my arm. The only other alternative was to be trampled to death. Once over the fence, shaking and full of adrenaline, I started treading the bogs on the other side, falling knee-deep into concealed mud, and nearly breaking my ankles several times over a distance of about 1/8th of a mile. Most worringly, the cows wouldn’t let go. They followed me along the fence, watching my every step, bucking and stomping their ground. I am an experienced walker, and a male in my late 30s. I run and exercise regularly. I believe my fitness level was the only thing that saved my life that day. It also made me very anxious about my personal safety on the remainder of the path, and cast a serious doubt on whether I would be able to relax and enjoy my walks going forwards. I really hope no one else attempted to pass that field that day, and if anyone did – that they were safe.”

Martin adds

“I believe every field with cattle on a public right of way should have a contact number at the gate to the farm who owns the animals so that if they become aggresive you could call the farmer to report the incident and ask for help.”

Are cows becoming more aggressive?

Incident number: 1261

Response ID: 329,818,362

Date of incident: 15.06.26

Location: Fields near Tackley in Oxfordshire heading towards the canal path

Status: Group of walkers (3-5) with no dogs on PROW

Liz’s story

“We entered a field with about 50 cows (A group of heifers) at the far end of the field. They rushed over to us and when we tried to walk away along a fence , they tried a pincer movement to force us against a barbed wire fence. Whichever way we went they aggressively ran towards us.

We are all experienced walkers. No one ran. In the end we walked across flapping our arms and shouting and they formed a semicircle around us following us all the way.

We were badly shaken but unhurt”

Liz adds “In the last few years we have noticed more and more aggressive cows . I believe this is a breed problem. Friesians never bothered walkers in the past”

Letting go of his dog probably saved Michael’s life

Report 1259, Response ID 329,768,059, Single walker and dog, group of cows with calves and a bull

6/6/26 Location: Between Blore & Thorpe, Ashbourne on the Staffordshire/Derbyshire border. On a bridle path between Coldwall Bridge and Coldwell Farm. The Limestone Way runs through the field as well as another public right of way. What three words are ‘chop.doubts.rotation’

Michael’s report: “Dog on the lead, tucked in behind me. I saw the cows with calves, and gave them a really wide berth but I saw a couple of cows running towards me from a distance away. I was knocked to the ground and then the other cows started gathering around. I sustained a serious leg injury which requires surgery. I let go of the dog and he bolted towards the gate and the cows chased him which probably saved my life.”

Michael added “Better signage would be a start. Also I’ve been informed by other farmers that it’s not appropriate to keep cows with calves near a very busy public footpath, there are 3 public footpaths running through the field in question. The following day a sponsored walk was taking place with 300 walkers set to walk through the field. I believe the farmer was made aware of the walk but chose not to move his cattle.”

Killer Cows comments: Michael has informed Police, HSE, Local Council Rights of Way Office, the Farmer, The Peak District National Park. We hope he makes a good recovery.

Cows used our dog as a football

Report 1256 Response ID 329,756,083 17/5/26 2 people and dogs Location: Staplehay, Trull Somerset, Spearcey Farm

SW’s report: It’s a public footpath with 2 adjoining fields, with a river on one side, which the cows also access regularly. As we entered the second field we immediately noticed that there were 2 or 3 calves with the 20 or so cows (the bull we noticed later). Within 10 m of entering the field the cows started running towards us so we immediately let off the dogs. Unfortunately one is slightly geriatric and a little unaware of her surrounding, so she trotted 3-5 meters from the path at which point she was immediately charged. The cows then surrounded her and started to use her as a football, basically taking turns to butt and try to stamp her. We of course were terrified and tried to make some noise and scare them off of her, to little or no avail.

Aggressive or curious cattle? Either pose a risk to walkers.

3 recent reports follow, 2 with dogs, 1 without. All the walkers felt worried enough by the cattle’s behaviour and exited the field across potentially dangerous routes. People may argue some of the cows were “just” curious or playful rather than aggressive. If a 1/2 ton of animal is “curious” and comes charging towards you or pins you to a gate, that is dangerous. Cattle pose a risk to walkers. So what is the solution?

Signs indicating dangerous cattle in the field will not happen as the law states no dangerous animals should be kept on land with public access. Banning dogs across fields of cattle clearly will not solve the problem, half of our reports are from people with no dog. Educating people to “respect the cows” will not help, you can respect a charging cow as much as you like, but it won’t make you safe. Giving cattle a wide berth, not getting between a calf and mother, having a calm dog on a short lead – all good ideas but we have reports from those who follow all the above and yet were attacked. The solution is fencing off cattle from walkers. Read the following reports and decide what you would do in that situation.

Are more field exits a solution to escape from aggressive cattle?

Report: 1243
Date: 14/5/26 Location: The incident happened on the Dales Way. In the field between the railway line on Lambrook Beck and the Beck houses. This field is in the Dales Way between Sedbergh and Burneside.

Rajiv’s post: We were walking on a public footpath on the Dales Way when our path was blocked by a herd of cows who were blocking the only exit to the field in which we were. One of the black cows walked towards us aggressively and there were two to three other cows right behind this cow who were also looking and walking towards us. We immediately walked away and tried to hide behind a tree. The aggressive cow followed us right up to the tree and chased us around the tree for a little bit. This led to a standoff where the cow was on one side of the tree and we were on the other. Eventually, when the cow was distracted, we walked briskly towards the exit and the cow followed us. We dodged the cow behind another tree, while avoiding the other cows from the herd, and eventually found a path for a brief moment which allowed us to navigate to the exit and escape. If the tree had not been there, there was no way for us to avoid the cow which was directly following us in an aggressive fashion.”
“A solution could be to have multiple exits on fields that are occupied by cows. This will allow walkers to navigate away from a single exit in the event it is blocked by cows. I also observed that a lot of accidents are while attempting to jump over barbed wire or over fences, and having multiple exits will allow walkers to escape safely.”

Cows and walkers – no dogs, but walks spoiled

We published a post recently about being careful while planning new walking routes for fear of meeting cattle Ensuring Safety on a Walking Holiday: Cattle Management – Cattle Safety . This fear is not unusual, and is well founded, we have hundreds of reports where walkers have been frightened or hurt. Below are three recent reports where walkers have been scared or threatened by cattle. These walkers were not injured, but unfortunately we have many reports where people have been badly hurt. How a walker behaves does not seem to predict a particular outcome, as cattle seem to be unpredictable to us lesser mortals (there are those who say watch the head, look at the feet, avoid eye contact etc…. and they profess to be able to understand cattle behaviour – we are not cattle experts and should not be expected to be.) So in Cattle Safety eyes – all cows are a concern and an encounter with them is potentially dangerous.

Cyclist on bridleway threatened by cattle

Report number: 1244 Date: 15/5/26
Location: Greywell Hill Estate. Nr Odiham Hampshire. ///reverses.motel.ambitions

1 person no dog

Graham’s report: “I was following the bridleway on a bicycle. The cows were 50 yards away from me, I was moving away from them when they came running towards me. Aggressively charging me, pawing the ground with their hooves. I used my bike as a shield, and made occasional sharp noises to attempt to deter them as I retreated towards the gate I entered through. They continued to aggressively come towards me as a group, and stayed surrounding the gate after I was able to escape through it.”
Graham comments: “These cattle should not be allowed in a field that public have access to. Simple as that.”

Cattle block footpath

Report number: 1241 Date: 28/2/26
Location: Astwood Bank, Worcestershire, Footpath known locally as The Ridge. (Affords spectacular views across countryside with Malvern hills in the distance.) What3words: Report.foil.figure

Report: “On seeing us, a herd of about 10 cows started running towards us, fortunately we were close to a gate and managed to escape through it. They surrounded the gate. We waited for about 20 minutes then abandoned the walk. This is the second time this has happened [2025] in almost the same part of the footpath. We used to walk it regularly but are now too afraid to go there.”

Family attacked

Report number: 1240 Date 9/5/26 Location: Newlyns Farm field, Lodge Farm Odiham, Hampshire

Bec’s Report: “2 children (8y and 14y) along with their Aunt and dog entered field through kissing gate coming from the canal tow path into field. Aunt holds onto dog collar as the dog owner (my father 73) and myself are a few metres behind them. The first group (children, Aunt, dog) walk along footpath into field, myself and father enter field some seconds later approx 10-15 metres behind. By the time the first group reaches a bridge crossing the stream at the middle of the field one cow begins to bellow and the children become scared. Aunt and dog stop to wait for my father who has the dog lead as aunt is currently walking hunched over holding the dogs collar. I walk faster to catch up with my children, we walk together towards gate at opposite side of field quickly but not running. As we are walking away from my father, Aunt and dog we continue to hear bellowing of the cow and I see it is moving towards them. There are many cows and calves in the field, at least 20 I think, maybe more. Many cows are slowly advancing towards us but one particular big brown cow (the one who is bellowing) circles around and charges at my father who is now holding onto the dog collar and trying to put lead on.”