Incident number: 1304
Date: 27/08/26
Location: We were walking the Outer Aylesbury Ring and had left Gypsy Bottom on our way to Ashendon, Buckinghamshire
13 walkers, no dog
Libby’s report: Our walking group is completing the Outer Aylesbury Ring, one section at a time, the path we followed was obviously not walked a lot, one wooded section was tricky with a fallen tree and some barbed wire as a trip hazard, but we continued until we arrived at the field. The field in front of us was huge, all grass was scorched, and our footpath passed along two borders of it. It contained a very boisterous group of young cattle that came charging over to us, very close. We had a discussion at the stile, the alternative was to walk along a main rural busy road with tricky bends – so hard to see walkers until you’re right on them, a large group would be at risk. 4 people opted to walk back to the road. The rest of us opted to walk across the field keeping very close together. (Cattle have poor eyesight and so a cohesive group of people are seen as a big animal and cattle will stay away – that was the reasoning- but it felt scary.)
One group member walked to a nearby gate and lured the cattle away from the stile while the rest of us crossed into the field. We all bunched up together as the cows came charging over to us, they were very frisky and came very close. We tried clapping our hands and shouting – but that brought them closer. We think perhaps the farmer fed them near that stile and he probably summoned them by shouting and waving his hands. So we just kept quiet after that.
I carried a huge branch that had fallen on the ground and others had walking poles, we just tried to make ourselves as big as possible in their eyes. They charged off and then ran round back to confront us again and again, coming very close each time. They were snorting and jostling and lowering their heads towards us – which is aggressive behaviour. Eventually we came to a scabby line of trees, we walked on the far side of these and the cattle stopped following, even though we were still in the same field as them. We must have convinced them we had no food and weren’t worth chasing. We slowly (the ground was a little uneven) made our way to the exit stile and very gratefully left their field.
None of us were injured, but it was intimidating to walk across that field. A fence separating us from the cattle would have sorted both the worried cattle and walkers.
Because we were a large group, with no dog, and had agreed before we entered the field that everyone would stick together, I felt we were safe to walk the field. (Not completely safe but better than the road!) BUT I would not have felt safe if we were a smaller group, single walkers would have been at risk by those cows I think.
I wonder if this is how cattle are behaving across the parched fields of England and Wales at the moment? If so then large groups of walkers (RAMBLERS) be careful and stick together to be safe.
Cattle Safety 