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Main Boards => General Walking Discussion => Topic started by: WhitstableDave on 18:54:54, 08/10/20

Title: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: WhitstableDave on 18:54:54, 08/10/20
With yet more deaths caused by cattle in recent weeks, we’ve once again been discussing a whole range of approaches to the problem - everything from carrying a horse whip to refusing to enter a field that has cattle in.
 
I’ve only been walking for pleasure in the countryside for a few years, but during that time my attitude towards cattle has changed quite significantly - from treating the animals with a touch of caution, to avoiding them altogether if at all possible. 
 
This is one of the closest PRoWs to where we live - and we have never used it during the months that it has cattle in. We prefer to wait for winter!

(http://www.cruisingmates.co.uk/coppermine/albums/userpics/10054/Cattle_topic_2.jpg)

However, I have wondered if there are factors that might influence our attitudes and approaches that we don’t ever seem to mention. Four have occurred to me, but I’m sure there are many more factors that others can think of…
 
1. Footfall.
 
By which I mean the frequency the path across the field that contains cattle is used by walkers. The most frightening experience my wife and I have suffered happened when we crossed a small field on a PRoW that’s obviously almost never used. There were a couple of dozen cows about 20m away from the stile where we would exit the field. The shape of the field meant we couldn’t see the cows as we approached the stile, but they seemed not to be interested in us. I climbed the stile after my wife and, just as I did, there was a loud bellow and a cow thundered past. We’d never experienced a close call like that before and that single incident made us completely rethink our attitude towards cattle. I believe those cows were not used to having people walk across their field.
 
On other occasions, cattle will be encountered while we’re walking on well-walked paths and I like to think that cattle in fields crossed by popular paths are unlikely to pay any attention to walkers.
 
2. Size of the group of walkers.
 
I often come across a herd of cattle when walking solo – I talk to them and sometimes try to persuade them to move, but I never have any success.
 
Last year, my wife and I were walking in the Peak District when we got to a stile where, on the other side, a pair of cows in a narrow space refused to move. A few moments later, a large group of young walkers arrived at the stile chatting and making a fair amount of noise… and the cows ran away.
 
So it seems to me that a walking group is less likely to have problems with cattle than is the lone walker or pair of walkers.
 
3. Breeds of cattle.
 
I know almost nothing about breeds of cattle. However, I do believe that some breeds are a lot more docile than others. For example, Highland Cattle look impressively scary, but (AFAIK) they’re gentle giants – or why else would bodies such as the National Trust leave them to graze their open access areas?

(http://www.cruisingmates.co.uk/coppermine/albums/userpics/10054/Cattle_topic_4.jpg)
 
4. Lie of the land.
 
I’ve saved what I consider my most significant consideration until last. When it comes to making that decision about whether or not to mix with the cattle ahead, the lie of the land is all-important.
 
On my solo walks or on walks with my wife, only once have I abandoned all hope of making further progress and retraced my steps a considerable way. I’m not talking about finding a way around or doing a spot of trespassing in a nearby field, I mean giving up and going back rather than chancing going on!
 
We were walking in South Wales. There was a wide, fast-flowing river to our right, a railway embankment to our left, and a herd of cattle straight ahead. They were in a small, triangular field and the map showed that our exit would be at the narrow point some way ahead. As we approached, the cattle seemed to show an interest and moved towards us. We chickened out!
 
(http://www.cruisingmates.co.uk/coppermine/albums/userpics/10054/Cattle_topic_1.jpg)

Often, fields are wide enough to give any cattle a wide berth and on open land in national parks and similar, the berth can be as wide as you like. We’re not going to walk through the middle of them, but if we keep our distance, there’s enough room for all of us!
 
Sometimes though, there can be a real dilemma. A few years ago, I was walking alongside the Royal Military Canal in the south of Kent when I arrived at a group of cattle spread across the narrow strip available to me. I had the canal to my right and a fence to the left. Returning the way I’d come would have added miles to the walk, so I had to walk straight through the herd and hope for the best. I was in my early days of walking and my wariness was still undeveloped, and it did occur to me that since I was on a named footpath, no one would put dangerous animals in my way. I was so trusting!
 
(http://www.cruisingmates.co.uk/coppermine/albums/userpics/10054/Cattle_topic_3.jpg)

I’m hoping that if we can share our own experiences and observations, it will aid our awareness and hopefully help us all to minimise the risks we’re still likely to take…
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Bigfoot_Mike on 19:11:06, 08/10/20
While Highland Cows might have a good reputation, one did kill a pensioner in Plockton in 2003. These beasts used to be allowed to roam wild in the village and I remember seeing them there. I certainly took avoiding action when the path back to the car was blocked by 4 cows and a bull. I didn’t fancy walking between them, given their size and the length of their horns.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: BrionyB on 19:22:42, 08/10/20
I have wondered if weather can make a difference. It's purely anecdote, but the only time I've encountered "agitated" cattle was on an unpleasantly hot, humid evening, the kind of oppressive weather that gives me a headache - low atmospheric pressure? There was a dramatic thunderstorm that night.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 19:27:29, 08/10/20
Re your point 2.  Normally cows move out of my way as I approach them, even if I am on my own but, if I can, I try not to intrude on the herd space then they generally just give me a curious or dirty look as I pass. However, there have been a few occasions when I have found it difficult to persuade cattle to move.  One was dropping off the North Pennines when I met an entire herd, including calves, blocking the only gate through the wall.  I literally had to push my way through, though I have to say the bull in middle of them was a tad unexpected.  A second was a cow across a ledge path in Austria.  There was no feasible way round and no matter how hard I pushed either end, it was going nowhere until it had finished its lunch.  One hazard we rarely see in the UK but is quite common in Europe is cows in thick forest.  When you meet those on a forest track. a degree of tact is required to get past.  The best method is to decide which side you want to pass on and then push on gently and quietly until they have had enough if being chivvied along and summon up the courage to break back past you.  The nearest to this I have had in the UK was a couple of dozen cows that had strayed on to the ex-railway line I was walking on.  The fences on either side prevented them getting out of the way so they just retreated in front of us but they got more and more agitated, the further they got from their field so we just pushed them very gently hoping they would find the courage to break back.  The last straw was a gate that blocked their further progress.  The stand well to the side technique worked and they galloped off back whence they came.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: gunwharfman on 19:48:07, 08/10/20
After my experiences with cattle, if I need to leg it to safety I just drop my rucksack to the floor and run. If I enter a field of cows and they look interested in me I just unsnap my hip strap, loosen my shoulder straps and unclip the chest strap, just in case. I can't run with a rucksack on my back. I've only done it once and twice nearly. The cows don't bother with a rucksack (well they didn't do anything to mine) all I did was wait, out of sight for a short while, they then wandered off and I just strolled back, lifted the bag onto my back and walked on.

I don't like it if walking across a sloping field where the cows are at the top and I'm at the bottom. It happened to me on the Cotswold Way, I'd walked though some cows and was halfway down the field, when I heard a 'stampede' from behind me. Scared me to death! I thought I was done for but at the last couple of seconds the herd just parted, some went to the left of me, some went to the right. A really scary moment.

I carry a horse whip, £5 from Go Camping, its pink, (on special offer) short and very lightweight. I tend to use it when cows are gathered around stiles, a light tap on the rump is enough to make them move. I've got away with it so far. When I run its with me if dogs get difficult, usually just the sight of it is enough. I thought I was going to have a problem today, a group of five dogs came running at me, but they were fine. I've noticed that three people now dog walk others peoples animals have started to use the area that I go to.

One of the ladies specialises in taking 'gun dogs' for walkies. I learned something the last time I saw her. She has a stirrup type pump and a container of water and she makes her dogs wet BEFORE she walks them. Easier to get the mud off when their walk is over evidently.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: gunwharfman on 19:50:58, 08/10/20
I remember some time ago when one commenter suggested that a coat hung up above one's head with hiking sticks can be useful, makes the walker look much bigger than the cow and they keep away? I've never tried it personally!
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 20:19:54, 08/10/20
Thinking more about this, the title of the thread is absolutely correct.  It is more to do with attitude than the cows themselves.  Recognising there are breed differences, beef cows, dairy cows, cows with young and bulls, the fact remains that people have a very different views of cows and will therefore behave differently when faced with them.  My wife for example does not like to be near cows and is very nervous around them while I am quite happy to aproach them and to be close to them.  Cows, being curious animals will approach anything that piques their interest and they like to get close enough to inspect and smell it, typically about one metre away.  If you are the kind of person that is not bothered by this then you do not have a problem but if you aren't, the natural reaction is to retreat as they approach.  This makes you interesting, the faster you retreat, the more interesting you are.I think the advice given in the various Youtube videos is good advice but if you are the kind of person that is afraid of cows, it is not going to help as it is difficult to control your response.  If you are afraid of cows, you are not going to read their behaviour in the same way as a person who is not, what once person sees as playful behaviour another will see as agression.
All I can say is in almost 60 years of walking most of the cows that I have met were utterly indifferent to me, some have been curious, even fewer have been boisterous, very few have been naughty but I can only recall one that was actually aggressive (but not to the point of attacking).  I admit there have been odd occasions when the behaviour of cows in fields has worried me, more so since my wife has been with me, but I cannot recall not entering a field just because there were cows in it.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: pauldawes on 20:49:38, 08/10/20
....but I cannot recall not entering a field just because there were cows in it.


I can “echo” that. But I have certainly got out of a couple of fields double pronto because I didn’t like the behaviour of cows in them.


I think biggest single factor in turning my own attitude to being pretty cautious and slightly anxious has been direct personal experience of some cattle that struck me as darn aggressive.


Some of my close family work on farms...and when I asked them if I was being daft for being ultra cautious, they told me that they themselves never trust any large farm animal they don’t know well...and (patently) even the non aggressive ones can cause serious injury without any ill intent.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: gunwharfman on 21:29:42, 08/10/20
As regards 'large animals' when I was walking a section of the Sussex Border Path last year a horse took the hat from my head and dropped it on the floor and then tried to take the rucksack off my back. I left my hat and retreated back to the stile a bit shaken (my first problem with a horse) so I waited, the horse then wandered off and I briskly crossed the field picking my hat up as I went.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Dovegirl on 22:08:50, 08/10/20
Most of my encounters with cattle have been without serious incident  -  they have shown no interest or have followed me with no sign of aggression.  If they've followed and I've held up my hand to them and said 'Stop' or 'No' they've stopped, and then, when I've set off again, so have they.  On one occasion I was walking a stretch of the Serpent Trail in West Sussex, through a field containing a large herd, and I don't know what spooked them but they suddenly stampeded  -  but parallel with me, not at me.

However, one day, when I was on the South Downs Way above the Devil's Dyke, a very popular spot, a cow butted its head against my arm.  I got away without further trouble but found the incident alarming.  But my worst experience with cattle was about half a mile away on Newtimber Hill and only a few yards from the South Downs Way itself.  Another walker, coming down the hill, had got past them but said they had their young with them.  I very cautiously ventured a short distance up the hill and one of them charged. It ground to a halt just before reaching me but it was a terrifying few moments.

I've always been wary of cattle but I'm much more so now.  If they seem docile I might walk through their field, though giving them a very wide berth. But sometimes I change my route to avoid them.  Yesterday high up on the downs, there were cattle ahead on the path, so I turned back and took another path, which lay in the valley far below them.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Thedogsmother on 22:48:09, 08/10/20
Last week, my friend and I decided to take a walk from Trawsfynydd through Cwm Moch to find Bryn Cader Faner. We had looked at the route and thought it was feasible so we set off. Shortly after we started our walk we came across two hikers who warned us about cattle up ahead and said that they had been charged the previous week when they were walking there with a dog. They had apparently decided to give it another go minus the dog!


We pressed on ahead to have a look at the situation, but soon decided to change our plan. The cattle were on an absolutely massive area, so in theory there should be plenty of space to pick our way quietly giving them a wide berth. Chances are we may have been fine, but it was the terrain that made us decide to change plans. It was very open land and extremely boggy. A mixture of rock and bog mostly so if we had got into difficulty we wouldn't have been able to run and cover any ground quickly. So yes, terrain was a major consideration.


We parked Bryn Cader Faber for another day and instead skirted around the lake, up to Tomen y Mur and back around to the lake, across the footbridge and back to the car. It was still a lovely walk but rather different to what we had planned! I guess it is good to be adaptable.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Andies on 15:17:52, 09/10/20
I suspect that as the years pass we are all more likely to experience some issue with cattle at some time, a simple case of probability. Equally we all have different views on the risks, and as such will act accordingly.
I don't know if it is borne out in the statistics but it does seem that serious incidents involving cattle are increasing or at least being reported more.
Equally the comments about frequency of handling, different breeds and particularly the presence of dogs all seem very relevant.
All things considered my attitude has changed considerably over recent years to now avoiding cattle especially in confined fields and giving them as wide a berth as possible on open fells. Better safe than sorry.


Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 15:40:18, 09/10/20
I have no evidence to substantiate this but, if there a rise in the number of incidents as opposed to a statistical spike, it could be that the pandemic has seen more people walking than heretofore.  I certainly noticed a rise in numbers walking both locally and on Dartmoor and Exmoor.  If true, this would mean more encounters with cows and with a larger proportion of those involved not being used to meeting cattle.  Equally, from the cows point of view, they will have had a sudden increase in the number of visitors without the opportunity to adapt.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Islandplodder on 17:24:00, 09/10/20
I have heard that cattle which aren't used to people can be more aggressive.
I do avoid them as far as I can. Had a funny experience a couple of months ago, as Island daughter and I altered course to avoid the cows, we were a bit alarmed to see one detach itself from the herd and trot very purposefully in our direction. We were about to take evasive action when we realized it wasn't us she was interested in, but the place where she had learned to jump the fence into the next field where some delicious crops were growing. We left her contentedly grazing...


Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: WhitstableDave on 17:24:20, 09/10/20
I probably ought to spend some time studying the subject  :-[ , but I wish I knew a bit more about the temperaments of various breeds. As in, which breeds - by their very appearance - should I be more wary of? And which, along with Highland Cattle, tend to be docile?

My wife and I are particularly cautious around black cattle. We were crossing a field a few years ago, and as we crested the summit, we saw a herd of black cattle galloping (or whatever cattle do) back and forth along the field edge where our exit was. They'd mill around for a while, then all charge off past the stile. We took the higher ground to one side of the fence line and waited until they ran as far as they could the other way. After a while, we managed to get to the stile before they headed back again.

I've no idea what breed they were - just that they were all black. And I've not trusted black cattle ever since.

Are there any other breeds I should be especially careful around? (Naming colours and patterns would be most helpful...  ;) )
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 17:35:33, 09/10/20
I can tell some breeds apart but I have not noticed much difference that you can rely on.  I know there are breed characteristics but I suspect individual variation in temprament and how they have been handled outweighs that.  A rule of thumb I use is if they are obviously female and calfless, the bigger the better.  It's the little ones that play up.  Quite often there is a ring leader that detaches itself from the group that can be a pain in the backside.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: fernman on 18:44:54, 09/10/20
In my experience Black Welsh Highland cattle seem to be quite docile, they either run away or they stare at you without making a move.
I've been pretty close to their bulls on a couple of occasions, while another time I went through a gate out of a farmyard with a cow standing on on side of it and her calf on the other.
But I could be wrong!
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 19:01:21, 09/10/20
Just a thought for those who have successfully vaulted the fence or gate and are standing there looking all smug and sticking their tongue out at Daisy - a cow jump obstacles up to 6 feet high if it wants to, and it does not need much of a run up.  This one is a bit lower but look at the laclk of effort https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWSBOhUBxtY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWSBOhUBxtY)

But given an incentive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NoHF4D55gc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NoHF4D55gc)
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Jac on 09:43:24, 10/10/20
Often a mixed herd - cows/heifers, youngsters and bull - seem more settled and peaceful.

Hope I'm not tempting fate here :-\
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: happyhiker on 12:43:11, 10/10/20
On a happier cow note, one evening in Devon, I walked through a field to its high point in the hopes of a good sunset picture. At the top of the field was a tall stile which made a good vantage point. The field beyond contained a herd of cows but as I was not going any further, this did not matter. After I had been sat there a while, the cows got curious and came over to me. When he nearest one came close enough, I stroked it's head. Very soon, the other cows were pushing each other out of the way for their turn!


I suppose this was possibly a bit irresponsible in retrospect as it might encourage cows to approach and thus frighten people!


I have found dogs and horses over the years much more troublesome than cows. Hate dog owners who tell you their dogs "won't hurt you" after their dog has rushed up barking and growling!
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: barewirewalker on 14:49:38, 10/10/20
Like your Photos WD, at least there is a bull in the field well places above the notice, warning of his presence. All to often these warnings are meaningless, further information on breed type and stockmanship information informing that a a risk assessment has been carried out would help being placed alongside such a notice.

An obvious safety protocol in the second with the highland cattle would be electric fence sections of the lane that the cattle congregate on, where if puts the walker at a terrain disadvantage to avoid approaching the cattle. Personally in this instance I would think the risk assessment low.

Bulls a bit more obvious in your 3rd photo. Herford bull, breed traditionally placid running with a mixture of crossbreeds probably in early stages of pregnancy, some Limousin crosses, possible Belgian Blue. If they were close to calving then the stockman should do a risk assessment for his own safety as well as others based on knowledge of individual observations and temperament records and post advice based on this information. Be surprised if such a detailed protocol exist in farm safety training today.


Fourth photo all Freisian Dairy followers, probably incalf heifers, low risk but highly inquisitive. Risk would be pushing through the animals, and loosing balance, then the herd being frightened the trampling being caused. My advice; always create a pathway with voice or gesticulations.


Ninthace's experience with a parapet path is a classic example where terrain and deviation puts the walker at a disadvantage, fencing strategies should be be part of an automatic safety protocol.

Hope these ideas are not too confusing, might be the year 3026 when they are original thought from the CLA, and only after land gets nationalized. :crazy2:
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Dyffryn Ardudwy on 15:01:40, 10/10/20
Until you have had close encounters, with a field full of bullocks, showing great interest in the human about to commit suicide thinking of entering their field.
Or, being chased by a galloping Hunter Horse, that for some reason, probably his temperament, was kept in a field alone, with a PROW crossing the corner of it.

Even showing promise as a 200m sprinter, trying to outrun a herd of very excited cows, above Porth Wen Brick works near Bull Bay on Angelesy's coastal path.

To show these animals the respect they deserve, you have had to have prior close shave experience with them.

Many members of the public, have no recollection of close shaves with our bovine colleagues, so enter their field, possibly unaware of the possible dangers involved.

If they have an excitable dog in tow, who decides to bark and scare the animals, then the consequences can be dramatic.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: WhitstableDave on 15:16:14, 10/10/20
Hi BWW. I am well impressed by your expertise!

I knew that was a bull the other side of the stile in my first photo, because I was only a few yards away at the time. How you could tell it was a bull from the photo is beyond me.  O0

(BTW, your other observations were interesting and helpful too.)
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Jac on 15:41:56, 10/10/20
Yesterday's experience.
Meadow by R Teign. National/Woodland Trust Land.
Crescent shaped meadow with access gate at each point of the crescent. Higher ground in the concave arc. Consequently, at either gate you cannot see half the field nor the other gate.
An undated sign by each gate stated that '12 Hereford heifers would be put in the field'. Sign not dated.
Sign did also suggest you might like to use the path running outside the field but why would you if no cattle are obvious.

Leaning idly on the gate I counted up to 10 then noticed something no heifer has!

In the field were 10 heifers, a handsome black bull and ......  appearing one by one from their afternoon naps in undergrowth yawning, stretching and seeking out their mums for tea at least six calves.

A lovely peaceful scene but had someone approach from the other gate, seen no cattle and wandered in with lively dog it might have become a lot less tranquil. It's a well used area for dog walkers but not a PRoW. If the sign been amended most people would probably have taken the other path and perhaps avoided a problem.  With no date on the sign and no cattle in sight you'd assume they had not yet arrived.




Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: archaeoroutes on 16:56:27, 10/10/20
I just try to read their mood. But then I grew up with cattle just behind out house and thus I played in their fields.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 17:17:04, 10/10/20
We followed a herd of cows for around half a mile today as they were being moved from one field to another.  GPS trace shows they were ambling along at around 3.5 mph and they weren't even putting any effort in.  No wonder you can't outrun them!
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: barewirewalker on 17:33:06, 10/10/20
Hi BWW. I am well impressed by your expertise!

I knew that was a bull the other side of the stile in my first photo, because I was only a few yards away at the time. How you could tell it was a bull from the photo is beyond me.  O0

(BTW, your other observations were interesting and helpful too.)
Blocky conformation, straight back very well bred animal at  a guess, broad male head and black calves, in background but he give away was the ring in his nose,  :D .
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Bigfoot_Mike on 17:46:18, 10/10/20
My wife and I encountered something similar to WD’s second photo on the return walk from Slaggan -a derelict village with a pretty beach, much loved by cows. On the way out we saw some a Highland Cows high up on the hill. On the way back there were half a dozen, or so, big beasts blocking the path. One was a bull. To stay on the path, we would have had to squeeze through small gaps between them. I wasn’t keen on this, so we crossed a ditch and went part way up the hill to pass them - not too high, as two more were descending towards us. We passed safely, watched by the cows, but nothing worse. There had been another couple ahead of us on the path. We didn’t see them again and assumed they also got through safely. At least we didn’t see any evidence of their demise. Perhaps we would have been fine squeezing between them, but I wasn’t chancing it.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 18:10:33, 10/10/20
Highland cattle are grazed on Exmoor.  Last year we met a solitary mum and calf some distance from the main herd on a narrow path through the heather.  She did not want to get off the path and neither did we.  Since I would rather face a Highland Cow than an Exmoor Tick, we pushed her gently along until she decided she had gone far enough and got out of the way to go round us to rejoin the herd.   They always seem to be fairly placid beasts but as been said, it is a matter of reading their mood.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: fernman on 18:25:49, 10/10/20
While this lot on the RoW looked pretty harmless, there were rather a lot of them and they were bigger than me.
So I didn't take any chances, I trespassed along the adjoining field, from where I took the photo.

(https://i.postimg.cc/RFqXp9Jn/Cattle.jpg)
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: fernman on 18:37:40, 10/10/20
At the entrance to a field. you can just see the metal kissing gate on the right.
Again, they might have been harmless, but I chose another route.

(https://i.postimg.cc/zvZ2y63b/Cattle.jpg)
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 19:33:20, 10/10/20
They're sweet.  I would have gone in and said hello.  O0   Mrs N would have let me too, once she had checked the insurance.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: barewirewalker on 20:26:04, 10/10/20
Look like dry cows to me. Part of an active dairy herd. Out to grass separated from the the herd that is milking, as they are in the 3 months stage between end of lactation and parturition. Usually they will be cows of mixed ages in the sorts of large milking herds of over 500 rarely managed with the young followers and incalf heifers.
Not likely to have any herd formation instinct, yet as they have gone through milking parlours will have had human interaction unless they come from a very bad handling regime, which may make them bad tempered.

Breed Friesian, red may be a red Friesian.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 16:48:48, 11/10/20
It could be worse.  In Hawaii they have invisible cows!
(https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/500x211/invisible_cows_9c3950aae3dff366f23348d60075629c6f523365.jpg)
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Bigfoot_Mike on 17:06:51, 11/10/20
They are bigger than me, faster than me, some have big horns and they can hunt in packs. Those are factors that affect my attitude to cattle.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Islandplodder on 19:20:22, 11/10/20
You hit the nail on the head Bigfoot
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 19:42:24, 11/10/20
Some have mastered martial arts too!  Remember - avoid the meadow!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxXjsQbCZR8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxXjsQbCZR8)
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Jac on 09:15:35, 12/10/20
Some have mastered martial arts too!  Remember - avoid the meadow!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxXjsQbCZR8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxXjsQbCZR8)

;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: gunwharfman on 10:08:40, 20/10/20
Very good, a different slant on and old problem.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: gunwharfman on 10:11:19, 20/10/20
I see this morning the Daily Mail is giving the dangers of cows their full attention this morning.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8857529/Grandmother-died-attacked-herd-stampeding-cows.html

It happened in 2016.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: tonyk on 11:52:40, 20/10/20
I see this morning the Daily Mail is giving the dangers of cows their full attention this morning.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8857529/Grandmother-died-attacked-herd-stampeding-cows.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8857529/Grandmother-died-attacked-herd-stampeding-cows.html)

It happened in 2016.

 It was a report on the inquest that is still ongoing.The Guardian has printed similar articles over the years.An inquest is more informative to the public than an inital article about the incident that often contains incorrect information.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 12:19:58, 20/10/20
I see this morning the Daily Mail is giving the dangers of cows their full attention this morning.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8857529/Grandmother-died-attacked-herd-stampeding-cows.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8857529/Grandmother-died-attacked-herd-stampeding-cows.html)

It happened in 2016.
The Daily Fail!  GWM I am shocked you read such a thing!   :D
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: gunwharfman on 12:49:02, 20/10/20
I tend to read them all, except for the ones that try to make me pay, so for me, that's The Times and The Telegraph. I know that there was that famous sketch years ago where certain types of people read particular newspapers which ended with a remark about Page 3 in the Sun, I've forgotten how it goes. Can anyone remember? I wonder if the reader 'types' of today are the same as they claimed to be then?

Anyway, I thought that I would have to go through, or bypass some cows today when out running. When I arrived at the stile the I was really pleased to see that farmer had moved them to the next field. So from then on all I had to be of careful about was their droppings. Running across a field where the cows were two days ago really helps to concentrate the mind and in this situation even I am surprised how nimble I can be. About a mile later I nearly had trouble with a dog but the owner was in charge thank goodness. One word and the dog instantly stopped charging at me.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 13:01:01, 20/10/20
I tend to read them all, except for the ones that try to make me pay, so for me, that's The Times and The Telegraph. I know that there was that famous sketch years ago where certain types of people read particular newspapers which ended with a remark about Page 3 in the Sun, I've forgotten how it goes. Can anyone remember? I wonder if the reader 'types' of today are the same as they claimed to be then?

It has been quoted many times but it was best expressed in Yes Prime Minister

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGscoaUWW2M
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: shortwalker on 13:02:23, 20/10/20
The cows round me all have ASBO's. I know this as they all have ankle bracelets. ;)
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: tonyk on 13:02:32, 20/10/20

 


Moderator's note:Not acceptable to terms and conditions of the forum
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Bigfoot_Mike on 13:04:46, 20/10/20
It has been quoted many times but it was best expressed in Yes Prime Minister

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGscoaUWW2M (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGscoaUWW2M)
A classic
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: BuzyG on 15:13:55, 20/10/20
Some have mastered martial arts too!  Remember - avoid the meadow!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxXjsQbCZR8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxXjsQbCZR8)


Never heard of it.  I will remember it now though.  ;D ;D ;D O0
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: BuzyG on 16:00:04, 20/10/20
I have yet to meet a cow that has intimidated me in any notable way.  I have been known to to heard them, for some distance, along narrow stone walled country lanes back up on to the moor, in order to then get my car down off the moor.   

I respect there size, speed and space though.  Perhaps I'm lucky being taller than any cow I have yet to meet.  I know it affects how I see other creatures, possibly why I am more nervous of horses closing me down quickly, than when cows or bullocks do the same. And they do close me down sometimes.  But they are not there for a fight any more than I am.  It's either curiosity or bravado.  Though I dare say a mother with calf would keep coming, if I were stupid enough to encroach on their space.

Perhaps one day, something will happen that will adjust my view. Until then I will continue to confidently and happily pass through areas that are occupied by cattle.

My personal code for cattle.

Keep your distance. Do not approach them unless you need them to move out of your way.

Check your clothing.  Some bright colours definitely provoke them, so if I am wearing a red tea shirt I will put something bland over it, even if it means I'm getting hot for a few hundred yards.  If your walking shell is a bright one take it off and get wet or cover it.  Also check nothing is lose and flailing about in the wind and tuck your rucksack fly cover out of sight.

Ignore them. If they walk towards you carry on doing exactly what you were doing. 

Face them. If they run towards you in a heard. Again carry on as above.  If they get uncomfortably close (20m or so) I turn and walk towards them. Then resume my track to let them know I will defend my ground, but have no beef with them. 

Very occasionally I have raised my arms, but not done that for a long time since I realized I did not need too.

Above all remember they are not there for a fight, they are just doing what cattle do. 

(If you have a dog I can't advise as, in my experience, most dogs so obviously provoke other animals. a bit like why I climb hills, just for fun, because they can and that is something that must be hard to train out of them)

Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: gunwharfman on 16:09:23, 20/10/20
Yes Prime Minister, still makes me laugh!
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 16:54:20, 20/10/20
Interesting comment aboit the red T-shirt BuzyG.  It is said the cows are red/green colour blind.  If true - I should cover up the grey shirt too  ;)
https://silverlakefarms.com/can-cows-see-color/ (https://silverlakefarms.com/can-cows-see-color/)
https://animals.mom.com/cows-poor-eyesight-4622.html (https://animals.mom.com/cows-poor-eyesight-4622.html)
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: BuzyG on 18:07:15, 20/10/20
That's an interesting article.  Not too many hard facts in there though and some contradictions re whether they can see particular colours. Suggests they see longer wave lengths better but can't see Red very well.  The contrast point is a good one.

My own observations are that it is the brightness they go for rather that any specific colours. Perhaps I should not have mentioned red earlier, but I have several bright red T shirts and have definitely observed a change in behaviour of cattle, after covering them up in the past. Interestingly my rucksack fly cover is bright Orange and is something I always tuck away near cattle.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: WilliamCameron on 23:49:54, 20/10/20
I have seen a cow walk over a child, luckily the child survived, but I do not think of them as harmless anymore.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: gunwharfman on 16:37:40, 21/10/20
My last real run-in with cows, on the Two Moors Way, I managed to secure myself in the 'V' area between a metal gate and a fence. Every time they tried to get to me I just gently prodded the offending cow on the nose with my hiking stick, rubber tip off, and they backed away. In the end I outwaited them, they got bored, a gap appeared and I was off like a rocket!

(https://i.ibb.co/r3x5WYC/023.jpg) (https://ibb.co/2SvcbxD)
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: BuzyG on 16:50:11, 21/10/20
My last real run-in with cows, on the Two Moors Way, I managed to secure myself in the 'V' area between a metal gate and a fence. Every time they tried to get to me I just gently prodded the offending cow on the nose with my hiking stick, rubber tip off, and they backed away. In the end I outwaited them, they got bored, a gap appeared and I was off like a rocket!

(https://i.ibb.co/r3x5WYC/023.jpg) (https://ibb.co/2SvcbxD)


I hate that sloppy slimy mud.



Some good hair do's there though.  O0
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 17:08:41, 21/10/20

I hate that sloppy slimy mud.
I reckon they do it on purpose.  I have seen the same cow made slutchy mess not only in gateways but also at the foot of stiles and footbridges.  The ridge route back to Simonsbath after walking by the Barle is an endess succession of working models of the Somme battlefield at this time of year.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: BuzyG on 17:13:32, 21/10/20
Thank goodness for the open moors.  I'll take wet peat bog and tussocks over that all day long. O0
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: shortwalker on 17:21:02, 21/10/20
Thank goodness for the open moors.  I'll take wet peat bog and tussocks over that all day long. O0


The problem is for me to get to the open moors, those sort of fields is what I need to go through. Not that I am envious of coarse.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: fernman on 20:08:25, 21/10/20
Thank goodness for the open moors.  I'll take wet peat bog and tussocks over that all day long.

You can't be sure of that in many parts of upland Snowdonia, where you have a great chance of encountering Black Welsh Highland catttle, though as I said w-a-a-y back in this thread (post #13) that I *think* they're docile.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: BuzyG on 00:11:39, 22/10/20
You can't be sure of that in many parts of upland Snowdonia, where you have a great chance of encountering Black Welsh Highland catttle, though as I said w-a-a-y back in this thread (post #13) that I *think* they're docile.


I was simply talking about the mud.  Happy to meet the ladies pictured, as long as I don't have to do their hair.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: gunwharfman on 09:42:54, 22/10/20
I forgot to mention when I typed 'off like a rocket' it was because I had to scamper up the grassy bank behind the cows and then turn right to the safety of a stile to get away from them. I created my own predicament because I didn't bother to look at my map as I entered the field and just assumed that the path went down the bank to the gate. If I'd kept to the top of the field and had just walked from left to right I wouldn't have met any cows.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: barewirewalker on 11:30:56, 22/10/20
Shame on you GWM, I think the lady in the front is asking you to give her right ear a good scratch.

Look like dairy followers so probably very low risk and just friendly. If herdmen were encouraged as part of Public Relations, which all other business have to spend time and resources on, to print information about the livestock in a field, perhaps there would be less false news floating around and better information to base understanding.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Murphy on 17:10:09, 22/10/20
Apart from my own personal serious experiences of cattle resulting in injury which has been discussed on this Forum previously, I guess listening to Jeremy Vine on BBC radio 2 today - phone in on dangers of cattle in fields with public rights of way, the discussion around the potential for diverting a path where 4 individual incidents of persons being injured by cattle took place recently, and the number of individuals phoning in about their injuries or near misses with cattle.   I imagine anyone lisening may have had their attitude towards cattle shaped accordingly!
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Jac on 09:29:46, 23/10/20
........   I imagine anyone lisening may have had their attitude towards cattle shaped accordingly!
and unfortunately their resulting nervousness could exacerbate problems
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: WhitstableDave on 13:02:18, 24/10/20
Further to my photo in the first post...

(http://www.cruisingmates.co.uk/coppermine/albums/userpics/10054/Cattle_topic_2.jpg)

...I think the safest way to deal with the issue is to wait until autumn when the herd has moved indoors!  :)

(http://www.cruisingmates.co.uk/coppermine/albums/userpics/10054/Bull_in_Field_2.jpg)

(Photo from this morning's short walk with the boys. BTW, the 'warning' sign is a permanent fixture.  ::))
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 13:44:29, 24/10/20
You just have to learn to love them!
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/nurturing-resilience/202001/cuddle-cow-the-new-psychotherapy
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: gunwharfman on 14:54:21, 24/10/20
Not for me thankyou! Another problem with cows is if you are unlucky enough to have one breath directly in your face!
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Deolman on 09:19:18, 03/11/20
As a solo walker I am wary of cattle and will try to avoid crossing a field where they are present if at all possible. The main reasons cows may take an interest in you was explained to me by a dairy farmer on one of my walks. Apparently cows are short sighted and very curious so if they see something moving across the field they will quite often want to take a look. It only needs one to start waking towards you and then the rest will follow. If you try to run then they will also run to catch up with you. On the numerous occasions this has happened to me I have stuck to a steady pace and just kept a close eye on them and if they got too close I would turn and shout at them which made them keep their distance. Because of their poor eyesight they are very much attracted by bright objects hence why I no longer wear my bright red top! On a recent encounter I had a bunch of young bulls following me. When they lost interest they ran off except for one who seemed very interested in my walking pole. After holding it out to him he had a good sniff then, curiosity satisfied, ran off to join his pals.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: barewirewalker on 10:19:11, 03/11/20
You were given good advice by that farmer, but young bulls are rare, normally you will meet Bullocks, these have been castrated. If we learn to use the correct terminology it will perhaps help to lessen the myths that build up around the real instances of aggressive animals.

The unnecessary warning of a permanent sign that bears no relevance to present risk, should be commented on. At the least, it is a sign of lazy land management and too often a sign of latent hostility.
I once found a Beware Bull sign on the gate of a barley stubble field with a volunteer potato plant on the  field headland. At a minimum rotation, after grass, would suggest 5 if not 6 years since there had been a bull in that field.


The OP is giving a useful insight into the mixed messages visitors are getting from the occupiers of our countryside. Not enough educational input is going into the agricultural colleges about access; Farmers cannot continue to rely on the excuse that they they work harder and longer hours, therefore these small items of bad management are excusable.


These signs of bad manners and latent hostility are a result of the Farmer deferring to the Landowner interest in matters of land management, because of the conflict over subscriptions. More research should be going into public access and the results used to train young farmers and stockmen to respect their customers, when they visit their places of food production.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Deolman on 10:45:42, 03/11/20
You were given good advice by that farmer, but young bulls are rare, normally you will meet Bullocks, these have been castrated. If we learn to use the correct terminology it will perhaps help to lessen the myths that build up around the real instances of



As I am more interested in getting away from a herd of cattle safely than I am in taking a close look at their nether regions I am unable to verify if they were young bulls or bullocks - not sure if knowing would make any difference to the situation😀


Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: BuzyG on 14:09:38, 03/11/20
You just have to learn to love them!
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/nurturing-resilience/202001/cuddle-cow-the-new-psychotherapy (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/nurturing-resilience/202001/cuddle-cow-the-new-psychotherapy)


You are coming up with some corkers in the reference department recently Ninthace.  Is it chucking it down outside?  O0
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 14:36:03, 03/11/20

You are coming up with some corkers in the reference department recently Ninthace.  Is it chucking it down outside?  O0
Rain is  off and on.  I have had my walk for the day and I have run out of models to build.  The three I have ordered haven't arrived yet, the housework is done, the garden is too wet to work on and I am B-O-R-E-D.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Bourneendboy on 17:39:52, 03/11/20
We have some friends that run a dairy farm and some others whose family have a farm and breed cows. Both have said in the past to always be very cautious of cows when walking through fields and never to enter if they have calves.
If the cows do approach, usually they are just being inquisitive, make yourself as large as possible and clap your hands and they should move away.
I will always try and avoid entering a field of cows if poss and always look for a quick exit if they spot me ;D
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Toxicbunny on 20:08:41, 07/11/20
I am wary of any cows , dairy or bullocks. I know different breeds. They say certain breeds have a nice temperament and that's like saying all dogs are nice.  If cows are too close to a stile or the field is too big with no fast exit point I will go another route. The problem is cows associate people with food and once one runs they all follow. The farmer who lives near me is now retired he told me never trust a cow and never turn your back on one. I do think some legislation should be brought in however with cows and wild horses on ROW.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Dodgylegs on 22:13:45, 07/11/20
My relation, a farmer, has installed an electric fence between edge of his field and ROW, to avoid any incidents. He is fortunate that the ROW comes down the side of his land and not across.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 22:55:19, 07/11/20
My relation, a farmer, has installed an electric fence between edge of his field and ROW, to avoid any incidents. He is fortunate that the ROW comes down the side of his land and not across.
Seen that before. OK until he doesn’t bother to trim the hedge and vegetation.  If the path sees a lot is use, it can end up as a quagmire.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Bigfoot_Mike on 23:45:52, 07/11/20
Seen that before. OK until he doesn’t bother to trim the hedge and vegetation.  If the path sees a lot is use, it can end up as a quagmire.
Wouldn’t the path be more of a quagmire if the cows also had access?
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: Dodgylegs on 23:55:09, 07/11/20
Seen that before. OK until he doesn’t bother to trim the hedge and vegetation.  If the path sees a lot is use, it can end up as a quagmire.


The path is actually one of the Worlds oldest railway tracks!
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 09:11:22, 08/11/20
Wouldn’t the path be more of a quagmire if the cows also had access?
Round here quite a few paths are fenced off from the rest of the field they cross, usually by barbed wire but sometimes by what purports to be an electric fence.  Those that run by hedge lines often force the walker off the line of the path towards the fence. Many of them near villages are used by walkers and get churned up in the winter.
Not fencing gives the walker more freedom of line.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: jimbob on 09:26:51, 08/11/20
Better a bit of clag than a curious beast getting too close and personal.

Well done that farmer, better to think of others than worry about accidents.

Kinkyboots can give you really good advice on footwear to wear on muddy tracks for free. A bump in the ribs and getting trampled into said mud is avoidable thanks to the thoughtful farmer. If only others did this or something similar.


Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: WhitstableDave on 09:49:31, 08/11/20
I post this purely as an observation, because I don't have strong feelings in this particular case.  :)

The satellite view is of a field - a full half-a-mile across - that's just down the road from me (it's the one I cross only when the cows are indoors) and it's also the field featured in the very first post of this topic:

(http://www.cruisingmates.co.uk/coppermine/albums/userpics/10054/Cow_field.jpg)

The green line is pretty close to the PRoW footpath as shown on the OS and council maps. However, fingerposts (white dots) direct walkers around the edge of the field by a drainage ditch (there's no fence). What interests me is that the fingerposts are of the very substantial kind which, in Kent at least, are only ever seen at junctions with roads and byways. Since two are pointing in the 'wrong' direction and the other is nowhere near the official RoW, I often wonder who put them there...
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 10:09:43, 08/11/20
Better a bit of clag than a curious beast getting too close and personal.

Well done that farmer, better to think of others than worry about accidents.

Kinkyboots can give you really good advice on footwear to wear on muddy tracks for free. A bump in the ribs and getting trampled into said mud is avoidable thanks to the thoughtful farmer. If only others did this or something similar.
Equally nothing more frustrating than being forced through clag and overgrowth in a field that is more often than not devoid of cows.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: jimbob on 10:50:13, 08/11/20
Equally nothing more frustrating than being forced through clag and overgrowth in a field that is more often than not devoid of cows.
Oh, the thought, "having one's cake and eating it comes to mind"

Most farmers work extremely long hours anyway, the thought of installing and removing, then repeating a needed action repeatedly will be very low down on their list of priorities. Once up and protecting an ROW, best left in place. In parts of Yorkshire, a long time ago, they put stonewalls up alongside paths as they last for hundreds of years, saves time and brass. Also keeps the paths extremely clearly defined.  This habit of fencing ROWs is to be applauded and encouraged.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 12:51:08, 08/11/20
Whereas I prefer to walk without barriers on both sides in the first place - even less work for the farmer. O0
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: jimbob on 13:42:46, 08/11/20
Whereas I prefer to walk without barriers on both sides in the first place - even less work for the farmer. O0
Ninthace,:
Have you no need to try to I understand the worries of others (who seem to make up the majority of writers on this and like topics).  Fences suit all those who are concerned, those who are not concerned can walk where they please anyway.

Personally, but without damaging anything I walk where I like, cattle and horses don't easliy bother me too much, though having had a farmer friend seriously injured by his own hand reared stock, I don't take the risks lightly.
I await your normal comeback with anticipation and will give way to allow you the last word.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 14:32:32, 08/11/20

Thank you Jimbob.  Can I tackle your idea of permanent as opposed to temporary barriers?
I live in a county largely given over to stock rearing.  The animals are rotated between fields to protect the grazing so much of the time they are empty.  To protect the general public by fencing all the PROWs that cross fields where stock might be grazed would be a major undertaking as well as expensive, as would the maintenance of the fencing.  Moreover, when the the stock graze the fields they include the line of the PROWs.  Once stock are kept permanently clear of the paths, another means would be need to be found to keep the paths to stop them being choked by seasonal growth.
IMHO lines of parallel barbed wire one meter apart either side of every PROW that crosses grazing land would be a complete eyesore and would turn the countryside into little more than a theme park.  Such a proposal could also be detrimental to the current PROW network.  If landowners are forced to fence off paths, it will give them an excuse to challenge the continued existence of the PROW network, especially those sections that are little used.
I can understand that some people do not want to walk in fields with livestock in them and they are at liberty not to.  However, farms are first and foremost businesses, not recreational facilities - that is a bonus for us and rural communities but brings very little return to the farmers themselves.  This proposal would only serve to aggravate the the relationship between the farming and the walking communities.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: WhitstableDave on 15:04:17, 08/11/20
I realise that different herds are taken inside at different times of the year, but the good news for us is that every bovine within several miles of our house has now left the fields... for a few months at least.  :)
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 15:50:55, 08/11/20
I realise that different herds are taken inside at different times of the year, but the good news for us is that every bovine within several miles of our house has now left the fields... for a few months at least.  :)
We have a herd near us which. as of yesterday, was trying to convert its field into a working model of the Somme battlefield. Most cows round here seem to still be out and we even have fields with lambs that are a couple of weeks old.
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: jimbob on 15:56:09, 08/11/20
We have a herd near us which. as of yesterday, was trying to convert its field into a working model of the Somme battlefield. Most cows round here seem to still be out and we even have fields with lambs that are a couple of weeks old.
NintaceYour years being an expert in HM forces have clearly left you unsuited to the rural idyll.🤣
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: ninthace on 16:02:17, 08/11/20
NintaceYour years being an expert in HM forces have clearly left you unsuited to the rural idyll.🤣
O0 O0   Agreed.  Whoever heard of an airfield in the countryside - ludicrous idea!  ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: BuzyG on 18:27:57, 08/11/20
We have a herd near us which. as of yesterday, was trying to convert its field into a working model of the Somme battlefield. Most cows round here seem to still be out and we even have fields with lambs that are a couple of weeks old.


I spotted two young fowls near to sheep's tor on Friday. Still suckling from their mothers.  Winter seems a way off still at the moment.  The leaves are still firmly on our cherry trees too. :o
Title: Re: Factors that may shape our attitudes towards cattle...
Post by: GnP on 20:10:55, 08/11/20

I spotted two young fowls near to sheep's tor on Friday. Still suckling from there mothers.  Winter seems a way off still at the moment.  The leaves are still firmly on our cherry trees too. :o

It always amazes me how so many things start to regenerate way before the new year arrives..

ps ..That w is really close to the a isn`t it..