Tag: Dorset

Popular walking route with a very excitable and frightening group of young heifers

Incident number: 1079

Response ID: 313,680,417

Date of incident: 31.03.25

Location: Fields behind the Queen’s Arms in Corton Denham Dorset

Status: Lone walker with no dog on PRW

Gaynor’s story

“I decided not to pass through their field when I saw the cows across the footpath and stayed on the other side of the hedge to find a different way round. Suddenly I heard a loud piercing bellow and hooves stampeding behind me on the other side of the hedge. It was so loud with the cows screaming and bellowing and the hooves charging. I was petrified that further along the hedge the cows could get into the field I was in. They continued making a racket, pushing against the fence and following me. If i’d decided to walk along the hedge line in the same field as them I’d have been trampled – it is a very big group of cows and it was aggressive. I was walking alone without a dog.

There were no signs on the fences along the footpath or the stile which led into the cow field. It’s a popular walk. There should be warning signs!”

BE: “all fields containing livestock should have signs giving a name and contact number to be used to report an animal in distress, or endangering the public”

Report number: 984
Date of incident: July 2024
Location: Fields near Thorncombe, Dorset

Report: “I walk my dog daily on footpaths around the village. Many of these footpaths run across the middle of fields and there have been several times when I have found cows threatening and frightening. The cows are moved frequently in and out of different fields, so it is unpredictable where they are likely to be. They are also often densely grazed in large numbers. As I have become more anxious about the threatening behaviour of these cows, I avoid entering fields containing cows whenever possible. In the recent case, in July, I had been for a long walk, and when I found there were cows in one of the fields on my way home, I could not see an alternative route and did not want to have to walk all the way back the way I came. The cows initially looked quite docile and not too close to the path, so I entered the field and walked along by the path but closer to the fence. A cow saw me and started to move towards me, then others noticed and followed. I became worried and as they grouped together and picked up speed towards me I ducked under the barbed wire fence and tried to continue on the other side, however this was alongside the river (River Synderford) and the undergrowth stopped me from continuing that side. I luckily found a large fallen tree branch and got back into the field. By waving the branch and shouting I was able to keep the cows back and reach the stile out of the field. I kept my dog on the lead with me all the time, as I didn’t feel it would have helped to let him loose.”

Additional comments: “I think warning signs should be used (though not as a ruse to prevent walkers using footpaths.) It should be made clear that walkers are entitled to go off footpaths and into neighbouring fields if necessary to avoid cows. Electric fences could be used to create safe routes to allow walkers to pass through, or around, fields containing cows. I also believe that all fields containing livestock should have signs giving a name and contact number to be used both to report an animal in distress, or escaped, as well as those endangering the public. It is currently impossible much of the time to know who owns the animals, or which farm they belong to, so you have no idea who to contact.”

Scared out of a field: Twice in as many months!

Report number:892

Date of incident: 23/06/24

Site of incident: Close to OS Grid Ref: SY 63456 82538 on footpath going East to West, just south of Tatton Farm near Chickerell, in Dorset

We were walking on a public footpath in Dorset around 16:00 hrs. We had entered a field with a few cows in, so had put the 2 dogs on their leads. The cows were looking at us from a distance, though not approaching. We kept looking back to ensure they didn’t follow. All of a sudden, we became aware of another, different herd of cows ahead numbering approximately 25. We could see the stile we were making for, but the cows quickly surged towards us. My wife, who was very scared began to run with the dog she was looking after. I released my dog so it might follow her whilst I could try to slow the cows down, to allow them to make it to the stile. We are aware of the advice not to run, but it is a natural instinct to remove yourself from imminent danger. I did not run, just walking fast and shouting as loud as I could at the cows, swearing and repeatedly shouting no. This did slow down their approach, but did not stop it. I had now got close to the stile and continued to fend them off while my wife managed to get the dogs and herself over the stile (no doggy door to make things easier!). The herd continued to approach me as I got over the stile and swarmed around it after I had cleared it. I would not necessarily describe the cows as aggressive, although my wife did notice some leg stomping. They appeared youngish and it may just have been exuberance on their part, but the danger of contact with some very heavy animals was very real. This is our second near miss encounter in as many months and I am beginning to wonder whether my dogs (two flat coat retrievers) are of particular interest to cows.

We should not be intimidated out of using public footpaths. Warning signs are not enough. Landowners/farmers need to be more conscious of this issue. After all, they expect us to be sensible and considerate!

Zoe’s story: trapped by cows

We were trapped between a herd of cows and a ten-foot fence.

In April, 2019, I was walking with friends through Tyneham Village, in Dorset, with my dog (Rosie) on a lead. We followed the footpath from the village to go up the hill and back onto the top, and to head back to the car park.

A group of cows became very interested in us. My dog was well behaved and on the lead – but the cows came close and I became frightened. Continue reading “Zoe’s story: trapped by cows”