My problem is, what do you tell your nervous children about cattle? As they approach adolescence, you want to build their confidence so that they'll be able to go on walks with friends, so the temptation is to give the usual advice about staying quiet and calm, moving slowly, avoid getting between cow and calves etc but, while that nearly always works, I've seen some bizarre behaviour in both herds and individual cattle. For example, walking 20 yards ahead of a small group (wife, two children, brother-in-law), I passed the outlying members of a herd of cows with no descernible reaction from them but, when the following group passed by, the entire herd took fright and stampeded downhill, crashing through hedge and fence into the next, even steeper, field.Again with family, I've passed though a field of cattle uneventfully until, just as I was climbing over the stile into the next field, one cow went berserk and careered through the herd, rearing up to attack another cow.We've probably all been followed by curious, playful steers and turned round to discourage their interest, but there was one time when I was hobbling with hamstrings seized up through dehydration and proceeding so slowly that I was completely surrounded by the beasts, but a few surly 'Garns!' and extravagant gesticulations cleared a path before me.The advice has to be that, yes, you should be quiet and calm, but also be wary and, if you're at all unsure, have a swift exit strategy in mind. I've walked through hundreds of herds without fear and without harm, but always keep in mind that injuries do occur.