Tag: Cornwall

Chased by cattle on an exposed part of the Cornish Coastal Path

Report: 1167

Date: 26/7/2025

Location: Coastal path in North Cornwall, near Castle Point, St Gennys

1 person and dog

Report: “The cows ran to me and surrounded me, chasing my dog into a blackthorn bush over the cliff edge and also surrounding me. I stood my ground but had to shout at them to get a way out.

My dog was stuck in the blackthorn, but was lucky to be unharmed, I managed to get her out. She was less than a foot off from going over the edge of the cliff

The cows should not have been on such an exposed path. I am confident around cows so could deal with them. But the incident was very frightening, they were after my dog and very nearly killed her by forcing her off the cliff.”

Cows and calves!


Incident number: 870
Date of incident: 27.05.24
Site: Between Boscubben and Trendrine Farm on the footpath between Zennor and St. Ives in Cornwall


We were a group of 3 adults and 4 dogs, we noticed cows with calves in the field ahead of us, so as we approached the field, we started to put the dogs on leads.
One cow charged to the front very aggressively. We tried to circumnavigate the field, with the herd following us round being very frisky. The cattle were too aggressive so we had to give up and double back.

I am not risk averse, but to proceed would have been foolhardy. A dogless couple aborted an attempt just after we had tried, but succeeded after we had left the scene suggesting the dogs were the spark for the cow’s aggression.

We were not injured but badly frightened.

Killer Cows comment: The Health and Safety Executive strongly suggests that farmers do not put cows with calves in fields where footpaths pass through. HSE recognise the risk and English law states that farmers have a duty of care towards those who walk across their land.

This occurred in an area where there are many walkers, surely there should be clear signage to an alternative cattle-free route if the farmer cannot manage to fence off the footpath.

Melanie’s Story: seriously injured by cattle attack.

I constantly relive the nightmare… the flashbacks are utterly terrifying and extremely distressing.

On the 6th July, 2020, I was walking a very familiar footpath, in the far west of Cornwall. I was with my daughter and two grandchildren, and we had our two dogs on leads. The path was very well-used. All of us including the dogs were very used to country walking.

Continue reading “Melanie’s Story: seriously injured by cattle attack.”

Surrounded and trampled by cows

I ended up on the ground, being trampled under the hooves of 10 or 15 cows.

Cindy’s story

On the 30th September this year, I was walking on a public footpath in Cornwall, on a circular route from Millook, near Bude, through Trebarfoote Farm, which is where the incident happened. Continue reading “Surrounded and trampled by cows”