Tag: Health and Safety Executive

Can We Enjoy a Walk in the Countryside?

You may have heard Adrian Chiles’s radio programme discussing the safety of walking through fields of cattle, if not then head this way – Adrian Chiles – 04/04/2024 – BBC Sounds . Neither the animal behaviourist nor the representative from the NFU on the programme arrived at any conclusions about how we should behave to avoid being attacked by cows. So we ask the question – can we enjoy a walk in the countryside?

This all began because we love walking in our beautiful countryside – and it’s good for us.

The benefits of walking

Natural England has updated the Countryside Code, recognising the significant health and wellbeing benefits of spending time in nature. These benefits are important. England and Wales are blessed with a wonderful network of footpaths, allowing everyone access to our countryside so they can enjoy the benefits to both mind and body that walking in natural surroundings can bring.

But: Killer Cows have received over 800 reports of incidents in the countryside, these are from walkers who have either felt scared or been chased by cattle or, even worse, sustained injuries from cattle – some very severe. Many have been so affected they no longer feel safe enough to walk in the country and so have lost any benefit access to the countryside gave them.

So what do people suggest to do to keep safe?

Continue reading “Can We Enjoy a Walk in the Countryside?”

Craig and Audrey: attacked by an angry cow.

The animal charged my wife… crushing her chest with its head.

Update 12th October 2020

Since the attack on myself and my wife (see my story below), the Health and Safety Executive have fully investigated the attack. They paid a visit to the landowner, and the cows have been removed from the spot where the attack took place.

They even came to see us face to face to inform us of the outcome of their investigation, and I would like to thank them for their time.

I would encourage anyone else who is attacked by cows to make sure they contact the Health and Safety Executive. They do take it  very seriously.

Unfortunately, my wife is still off work, 10 weeks on from the attack.

Craig’s story

On the 29th July, 2020, I was walking with my wife along a bridle path between Kettlewell and Starbotton, in the Yorkshire Dales. We had our little dog with us.

We came across a couple of cattle, and one calf was with them. At first we thought one of the cattle was a bull. I picked up our little dog, as she is just small, and we tried to give them as much distance as possible. But we were in the confinements of a walled bridle path (see photo above). Continue reading “Craig and Audrey: attacked by an angry cow.”