Tag: derbyshire

Derbyshire cow attack knocks man unconscious

Case No. 1154

Date of Incident: 15 06 2025

Location: On PROW near High Stool Farm, Flagg, Derbyshire – WTW – cloud.carpeted.bluffs

2 people, 2 dogs

Cows with calves

Account “We entered the field on the right of way. Our dogs were on a close lead. The cows started running towards us. One charged at my husband and knocked him to the ground. He was unconscious for sometime. Cows were headbutting his head. I ran back and made myself big and loud to try and keep the cows away. My husband finally came to and he struggled to the next field. He had a very swollen face, black eye, and substantial bruising. He was admitted to hospital for his injuries. We discovered in hospital he had 3 broken vertebrae in his lumber spine and bruised/broken ribs he was in hospital overnight and is still under hospital care. This has been reported to the police and local authority.”

Respondent also states “The trauma for me was unbelievably awful. I thought my husband was dead and the incident has seriously impacted my walking confidence and seriously impacted my husbands health”

Multiple spoiled walks and frightened walkers – this is not a rare occurrence; cattle need to be separated from walkers.

Report number: 1111

Date of incident: 4/5/25

Location: Etchingham to Bodiam first half of circular trail, East Sussex

2 people no dog

Report: “After passing through a gate, we saw cows on our right quite near, and our path was to the left. Upon proceeding, the cows began to charge, we weren’t injured, just frightened.”

Report number:1112

Date of incident: 19/5/25

Location: Eaton Barn in the parish of Doveridge, Derbyshire

1 person 1 dog

Report: “Very aggressive cows, making lots of noise and running amok, luckily I had let the dog off the lead so the cows followed the dog that can run fast. I wasn’t injured, just frightened. There should be fencing to separate cows from the path.”

Report number: 1115

Date of incident: 26/5/25

Location: St Margaret’s Bay Downs Road East Valley Farm near Dover

2 people, dogs

Report: “I was walking with a friend in the above area as we have done many a times. Heard something in the wooded area to the left of us and carried on walking when from that area came a Bull in full charge mode to get to a field of Heifers!! As quick as we could we got our dogs on the lead….we tried to get out the way sadly I fell over but manage to get up and spotted an area of fencing to stand by….TERRIFIED we stood still I told my friend do not move and DO NOT make eye contact because he was stood 15 feet in front of us an no way was he friendly!! The Heifers in the field were making the situation worse by running up and down with excitement. When the Heifers moved up their field we managed to run into the farm area……our hearts racing as we were PETRIFIED!! Traumatised we reached the farm where we met a lady explained the situation……..no apology NOTHING! This Road leads to houses, local walkers and riding schools with young children!! Farmers should take more responsibility.”

Report number: 1116

Date of incident: 26/5/25

Location: Halvergate, Norfolk. On the Weavers’ Way between Berney Arms Station and Stone Road.

1 person no dog

Report: “I was walking by myself along the Weaver’s Way between Berney Arms Station and Stone Road at about 5pm on 26 May. I went through one of the gates which is marked on the Weaver’s Way and a herd of about 30 cows charged towards me from about 100m away. I went back through the gate, making sure it was closed. The cattle then congregated at the gate. I managed to find an alternative route around the field. However, it was very frightening and I felt in danger. The pathway should be fenced so that the cows can’t charge at people walking along it. Or the cows shouldn’t be allowed to be roaming in the same field as the path.”

Report number: 1117

Date of incident: 26/5/25

Location: It was a walk in Rutland, near Stoke Dry and Lyddington.

1 person, no dog

Report: “I went through the gate into what was a public right of way and immediately to my right up a slope about 50 to 100metres away was a large herd of cows. I hesitated and thought; should I chance it? My gut instinct was not to walk across this field, but turning back meant going a long and not very pleasant way round. I walked several more steps into the field trying to think where to go. I kept checking the cows to see if they’d noticed me, and they had. It was eerie, as one by one the ones at the front lined up side by side and just stared at me. I stared back out of fascination, which is probably what you shouldn’t do. I quickly made the decision to get back to the gate to leave, as the atmosphere was feeling ominous. I was about equi distance to the gate as I was from the cows. I power walked back to the gate. As I was near the gate I saw one of the cows bolting down the slope towards me. I managed to keep,semi calm as I opened the gate. A few seconds later several of the cows had run down and charged into the gate, one was hoofing the gate. Felt very relieved to be on the other side of the gate! I was extremely lucky that I hadn’t got too far away from the gate. I think that this is a real issue, where cattle graze at large in land that is a public right away. It really needs to be challenged robustly. NB: There was no sign about cattle grazing in this field. I would like to see cattle completely separated from the general public at all times. Either cows occupy completely different plots of land, or there is some sort of fencing that separates walkers from them. I don’t think you can trust cows or rely on cattle etiquette.”

Killer cows comment: It seems to make no difference whether walkers have a dog or not, HSE statistics agree as do our figures. Across the country walkers are being scared and put at risk by cattle, all the above may have resulted in injuries or worse, and should be treated seriously. Cattle require fencing off from walkers.

HD: “This incident has made me nervous in a place where I previously felt entirely comfortable.”

Report Number: 974
Date of incident: 31/7/2024
Location: handwriting.tortoises.unwraps – Location is somewhat approximate, but I was heading downhill on the public bridleway from the Pennine Way above Moorfield towards the junction with Derbyshire Level.


Report: “I was walking downhill on the public bridleway – a walk I do everyday in the evening during which I have never seen anything but sheep in this particular section – when I spotted a lone cow almost directly parallel to me across the gully. The cow spotted me and began to move at the same pace. When I sped up slightly, as I had begun to feel frightened, the cow matched my speed. This continued until we approached the point where our paths were due to converge. By this point I was rather scared, so I started to run. The cow copied my actions and rushed towards me. I was forced to break into a sprint and head for the gate. The land is very rough there and I stumbled a few times with the cow still on my tail. Luckily I was just far enough ahead to make it to safety. When I reached the gate I threw myself over it and the cow suddenly stopped short and simply continued to stare. My experience is not much compared with the awful ordeals of others listed here, but I was really terrified for a few minutes and I developed palpitations shortly afterwards. It has made me very wary of returning to a walk I had been enjoying as part of my regular exercise for months.

I now make my ascent on the other side of the valley and use Wormstones as a vantage point to determine whether there are any cows present on that day in the way of my descent. If so, I adjust my circular walk and am forced to complete a linear route instead. It has made me nervous in a place where I previously felt entirely comfortable and which was very beneficial for my mental health.

Put simply cows should never be in a field with public access. That is the only solution in my view. Better signage and communication from the farmer can still not wholly prevent injury and death to walkers simply wishing to enjoy the outdoors unmolested. I would also like to see farmers held to account more rigorously for serious incidents.”

Millthorpe Derbyshire “We are all so traumatised, never have we felt so scared for our lives”

Incident number: 921

Response ID: 305,399,403

Date: 31.07.2024

Location: Millthorpe, Derbyshire (What 3 words ///crops.flexibly.inert)

Emily’s story

“I was walking along a public footpath across a field with my mum, 6 year old boy and two dogs on leads. The cows just seemed inquisitive coming closer to see who we were. My mum and son began to get a little concerned and then all of a sudden one cow started charging towards us at which point the cow must’ve only been 6 meters away. We were by a hedgerow in the middle of the field, so we dived into those. Then three other cows came head first charging into us. I was protecting us all screaming and hitting them on the head. We backed further into the brambles. The cows were very aggressive and on high alert. Charging around the field and coming back to us to ram us further. With no exaggeration I thought they were going to kill us. We were stuck in this vulnerable situation for at least 45 minutes. We called our family and they rushed up within 10 mins, they found a man sitting with a small buggy truck. My dad and husband distracted the cows at the top of the field whilst the man in vehicle came to our rescue. The cows were charging at another fence trying to get at my dad.”

Sam’s story: There is no reason for so many cows to be on footpaths!  

Incident number: 895

Response ID: 304,260,052

Date: 27.06.24

Location: Two locations near Youlgreave Derbyshire What three words ///point.proclaims.poppy ///distilled.regaining.jukebox

First field had large group of 30 plus cows with calves in the fields surrounding the gate of a popular footpath. We were four people with dogs on leads. Attempted to walk through the gate cows came forward we avoided took a detour over a wall into a different field. Second location no safe route through at all. Every field full of cows. Popular footpath again. Attempted to walk through 40 plus cows charged us. Dogs barked to scare them off they backed off slightly we progressed cows charged at us again. This happened 4 times before we got out of the field.

Local walker, frightened in Derbyshire

Report No: 889

Date of Incident: 19/06/24

Location: Footpath near Shireoaks Road, Mount Pleasant, Belper, Derbyshire – GR (as given by respondent) 53.0331277-1.4969888

Dogs 1 on lead

Herd of black cattle

Account by local walker: “The fields are on the valley sides, so it can be a bit steep in places. There are 2 paths parallel to each other that run along the slopes. I could see a herd of black cattle ahead on the lower path, so I kept my border terrier on a short lead & walked along the upper path to get enough distance to could get around the cattle safely. I knew that path goes through & under some trees and was worried some of the herd may also be there, plus it was just starting to get dark, so it would be difficult to see any black cows ahead. I dropped back down onto the more open lower path once I’d passed the herd, not noticing there were more cattle up ahead. I cautiously dropped lower off the path to keep away but they started to look interested & move towards me. I kept the dog on a short lead as I know she would want to protect me if they charged & get trampled on. I threw my arms open & kept ordering them away. A few would stop then others would start coming at me again. I had to do this a few times before they finally stayed put. I honestly thought they were all going to charge. I wouldn’t be able to run away from them. It was very frightening, especially as I was on my own.

It definitely spoilt what I’d hoped would be a relaxing evening walk.”

Local walker would like “Temporary electric fencing to keep cows off paths when they are in the fields – to become legal.”

Charged at by a herd in Derbyshire

Report number: No. 749

Date of Incident 12 08 23

Location: Cliff Farm, Elton, Derbyshire. On public footpath.

Single person, no dog

When I entered the field the cattle and bull were lying down mostly at the bottom of the field a good distance away from me and the footpath. I didn’t see any young with them. As I started walking across the field they stood up and one started making an awful, aggressive sound. I continued calmly, didn’t change direction or pace and kept walking away from them.

There were a couple of cows very close to the footpath, they let me pass without any problem. I heard more noise, looked back and they were starting to walk quickly towards me, so I sped up as the field is quite big. When I looked back again they had start running towards me along with the two I had recently passed by. So I had to run!

I just made it to gap in the wall before the closest one reached me. I dived through and my ankle caught in the gap and fell. I hurt my ankle, shin and knee as I fell. It was a terrifying experience, the gate very close by was wide open and they could have come through there so I was still terrified as I crossed the next field. Thankfully, they stayed at the wall and continued to make aggressive noises.

Additional note – I had walked through another field previously with cattle (grid ref – SK21972 61197) I don’t know if it belongs to the same farm. This was a much smaller field and they had young with them. The cows didn’t mind me walking through, even though I had to walk straight through the herd and I had no issues, however I did notice as I was a good way over the field that there was a massive bull in there too with no signage anywhere. If it’s the same farm, it makes me think it’s a farmer with a bad attitude to walkers and rights of way.

Trevor escaped through a barbed wire fence to safety from a herd of cattle in Derbyshire

Date: 31st May 2023

Location: Biggin village near Hulland Ward Derbyshire

I entered the field on my own without a dog, there was a fairly large herd about 150 metres away all lying down. Following a hedge on my left I tried to cross the 100 meters to reach a copse of trees on other side. Half way into the field I noticed the cattle were on their feet when I startled a pheasant. The cattle then started running toward me at surprising speed. I also tried to run for it but could not find the gate. I reached a tree and moved around it as a young large calf tried to approach. (It was in touching distance.) The rest of the herd were stopped by the low hawthorn tree I was under. Next to me there was a barbed wire fence through which I clambered into an adjacent field. I fortunately had no injuries . Later viewing the herd from a safe distance I saw that they were frisky and charging around for no obvious reason. The incident was not reported.

Incident Number: 755

Response ID: 288,882,351

Maxine’s story: rammed by a cow

We both fell on the floor.

On the 20th August, I was walking with my husband along the Monsal Trail, near Bakewell, Derbyshire.

We came to a stile where 3 bullocks and a cow were standing. We walked calmly in order to pass them – when, suddenly, the cow charged at my husband and rammed its horn into his stomach.

Continue reading “Maxine’s story: rammed by a cow”

A Tale of Three Walks: close encounters with cattle.

cornered by herds of cattle

  1. Rod’s story

On the 9th August, 2020, I was walking along a public footpath in Norton village, near Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire (grid reference TL 23241 34541). I was on my own and didn’t have a dog with me.

I noticed the cows as I was walking through the footpath, but they were in a far corner and peacefully grazing. As I reached around midway through the field they began moving towards me. They then blocked my path and one ran towards me. I put my hands up and talked calmly, backing away slowly. They continued pursuing me. I fell over while walking backward and the same one approached again. I ended up backing back to the gate and leaving the field.

My main worry would be if that footpath was used by children, or families with children who didn’t know how to behave around cattle, this incident could have ended much worse.

Respondent ID: 240210409

2. A couple’s story

On the 9th August, 2020, we were walking on a public footpath near Brailsford, Derbyshire, in a field just southwest of the Post Office.

We saw a group of black bullocks standing in the field, so decided to give them a wide berth (c. 70 metres). We have been through this field before, but the cattle have either all been lying down or have been in another part of the field c. 250 metres away. However, today they were standing up.

I noticed that very soon they started walking purposefully towards us. I would estimate that there were approximately 15-20 animals.

I ran to the gate, but my wife isn’t as quick. She picked up a stick, which she waved at them in order to keep them at bay. I went back to help her, and started shouting and screaming at the bullocks to provide a decoy. This helped to distract them, and to allow my wife to get to the gate too.

It was very frightening, especially for my wife.

We did report the incident to the police. Ideally, we’d the cattle to be moved somewhere else so that they are no longer a nuisance to those using a public footpath. Failing that, some warning signs MUST be put up if the farmer doesn’t wish to face prosecution.

Respondent ID: 240210310

3. CS’s story

On the 19th August, 2020, I was walking along a public footpath near Morton, Derbyshire (Grid Reference SK 40048 60921). I was on my own in the field, with my two dogs on a lead.

One of the cows in the field took a dislike to us and started stomping and huffing. Then it got ready to charge!

The herd cornered us. I had to climb through a barbed wire fence to escape, as unable to find another way to safety. The dogs were unharmed, but I had some scratches and bruises.

Respondent ID: 240476237

Chris’s Story: a scary encounter with cows and a bull

The bull appeared in front of the gate… about two metres away.

On the 13th June, 2021, I was walking with a group along a footpath in Eaton Dale, near Alsop en le Dale, in the Peak District (Grid reference: SV 16978 55586)

We came to a field with a waterhole next to the gate. Did a check of the field before entering, and saw there were cows but did not see a bull or calves. They looked like dairy cows.

Continue reading “Chris’s Story: a scary encounter with cows and a bull”