Near-miss 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us would have been injured – the cattle may appear friendly but with a dog it is a different story- two very friendly withdrawn guide dogs were not a threat and were walking nicely initially – they were petrified and clearly in danger – the bullocks were trying to toss them”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”

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.”

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 known to be aggressive kept in field with a public footpath

Report: 1238
Date: 10/5/26
Location: Jurassic way. Watford. W3W hails.restrict.springing

Report: “We were walking to the right of the footpath, keeping to the fence to avoid the cattle. We had 2 dogs on short leads under close control. One cow made for us. Bellowed in way I’ve never heard a cow bellow before. Before I knew it the whole herd were running toward us bellowing and charging at one of our dogs. The owner of the dog dropped the lead and let the dog run away. We turned back the way we had come and made for the stile as fast as possible with the other dog still on a lead. The loose dog went through the fence and ran along it returning to us while we were still being chased by cows. The cows were still bellowing and stomping. The cattle eventually ceased chasing us at speed, just followed us at some pace until we made it back over the stile. We returned to the road and asked a local lady a way around. Telling her what happened she said the cows were known to attack walkers regardless of whether dogs were present or not. We followed the diversion she gave us during which another local passer-by made comment about her husband also being attacked by the cows. As we turned into the lower field we met a young lady that turned out to be the land owners daughter who gave us permission to cross in a different area and also confirmed the cows are known to be aggressive.”
Further comment “These cows need moving to a field without a public footpath. Or a fence cordoning cattle from the footpath.”

Popular walking route with unsafe cattle roaming across it

Report number:1234

Date: 4/5/26

Location: On the side of the river Arun just past Arundel castle

2 people with dog

Laura’s report: “We were walking on the footpath and the cows were quite a way to our right, to our left was the river. The cows started coming over, we went down towards the river but it was knee deep bog. The cattle kept following so I walked on ahead, so they would leave my partner and the dog along. I managed to get to and jump in a cattle pen, the cows surrounded that and were pushing it trying to get in. I ended up having to climb over the fence behind me which was adjacent to the railway and crawl through undergrowth to get away. I then distracted the cows while my partner and dog got away by climbing along the river bank, under a bridge and we then had to pass our dog across the fence to the railway line before skirting it and getting away. There was no other way. The cattle should have been fenced in, this is a very popular hiking route.”

Laura adds “I’ve also been chased by cows in a field close to my home in east Grinstead, my dog was on a lead and we entered the field quite a way away and intended to skirt round the edge and out, the cattle came charging at us. We only got away because there was a scaffold plank crossing from one field to the next, which slowed them down”

Family forced to swim to escape from dangerous cattle

Report number:1233

Date: 3/5/26

Location: Aller, near Langport, Somerset

Family group & dog

Libby’s report: “We were chased and pinned against the rivers edge by a whole group of cows who were kicking and jumping. They edged closer and closer until we were left with no option but to jump into the river and swim to the other side. My mum was a little further up trying to use a fence post to stop another group from pushing her into to river. After we jumped in they then charged over to her. I then had to jump back into the water to try and help her. Luckily the splash startled them enough to cause a distraction so my mum managed to get away. The whole incident was extremely frightening and traumatic for us all. Thank god we were able to swim is all I can say.”

Libby adds “At least have a sign up or to move the cows off of the public foot path.”

Experienced walkers frightened by agitated cows

Report number: 1232

Date: 25/4/26

Location: Between Overton and Erbistock (Wrexham). Approx What3Words = riverside.period.curtail

2 people no dog

Frances’s report: “We crossed a stile into the field and immediately noticed a herd of cows on the other side. They seemed to be minding their own business and facing the other direction so we continued to walk. We stayed close to the fence, as far away from them as possible. One cow noticed us and turned to look – as we both grew up in the countryside, we were not too worried as cows are naturally curious. We expected her to follow us for a bit then lose interest as normal. However, the cow started running towards us, followed by the rest of the herd, some of who were bucking and kicking. Now extremely frightened, we tried to find an escape – the only way out being over a barbed wire fence. We both jumped the fence to avoid the oncoming herd and my friend badly cut her shin on the barbed wire as she went over. Both of us were also badly scratched and stung by the undergrowth we landed in. The cows reached the fence (with us now on the other side) and would not lose interest so we continued along the other side of the fence. Once this path had run out, we had no choice but to re-enter the field. The cows had run away but were still kicking and bucking, so we were apprehensive to continue in the field. We ran across the field and jumped the fence on the opposite side to continue in safety.”

Frances adds “I would love to see a rule where footpaths have to be protected by fences through fields with livestock – for the animals’ benefit as well as the walker!”

Cattle charged at walkers – this could have been prevented by a simple fence

Incident number: 1229
Response ID 329,262,000 Date: 16/4/26
Location: Preston Bagot, Warwickshire. Grid reference 176644

2 people, no dog

Report: “Walking around the edge of a field the cows charged. I had to climb over a barbed wire fence while my husband ran around the corner of the field.
It would be great to see special fencing protecting public footpaths that are frequently used for cattle grazing.”
Minor injuries were sustained and the incident was reported to the police & the local authority who said they would log the incident and that it is important to report them.