Excuse Me, But You're Crowding Me

by Chrissy Royston, Derbyshire

I would like to add to the story told by Phil Goodman - my experience of cows was very similar.

Myself and 3 female friends plus 2 dogs were crossing a field with approx 50 to 60 young cows. They also came to investigate. We were not too worried though because we thought we could reach the far stile first.

Alas they beat us to it!

They surrounded us in a pincer movement literally jumping over each other to get to us. Some were going down on their front legs as if to make a challenge!

We sent the dogs with one handler forward thinking that was the attraction (sounds a bit sacrificial, remind me not to go walking with you. Ed).

Alas we were wrong!

Like Phil we were also madly waving paper and shouting to scare them off - but this didn't work!

In the end we had to walk really fast, taking care not to fall, and we must have leapt over the stile without our feet touching it - quite athletic!!

In all the years of walking I have never encountered such inquisitive energetic cows. The whole episode has left me quite unsure about them - and now I will walk an extra mile or so to avoid them!!

“I've had 3 similar encounters. Now I don't cross fields with young cows, especially bullocks. The second time it happened a friend and my family dog and me were walking on a public footpath. It was a huge field with a steep incline on our right. A herd of bullocks appeared on the horizon, but as I had crossed this field many times I wasn't worried about getting to the kissing gate at the far end. However, they charged down the hill and we ran towards the barbed wire fence on our left but they surrounded us. There were about 40 of them and they were being aggressive and not responding to my shouts of 'Gee Yaa' which the farmers used as herding words in my community. Thank God for my dog (a collie cross) who understood the situation and goaded them to chase him instead. The cows had been within 10 feet of us and getting closer and a few had been pawing the ground with their heads lowered...not a good sign. I'm so grateful to my dog, and that we escaped unharmed. Especially as the farmer had to move them a few weeks later for an undisclosed matter.”

Colette Brown, Cumbria

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