The danger of cows to walkers.

Thanks for that. Any idea what ‘my’ bull is? His wives are Aberdeen Angus.

janeainsworth

Sorry accidentally touched post.
Should read ‘are entitled to use them in the expectation that it’s safe to do so’.

And the same applies to zebra crossings in town...only idiots blithely step out regardless of traffic. Do you want to be in the right or be alive?

Some years ago a 65 year old man from a village not far from us was trampled to death by cows whilst walking with his wife, she managed to escape. There were calves in the field at the time but they were regular walkers and well used to the countryside. Then just a couple of years ago another lady was attacked in the same area, luckily she was rescued by passers by but was very seriously injured, her dog was killed by the cows. I have always been frightened and hearing these stories terrified me, We have had some scary experiences while out walking having to leap dry stone walls to escape cattle chasing us. Now I insist on walking miles out of our way to avoid them. Better to be safe than sorry.

How can a bull be a dairy bull?

What puzzles me is that the pilgrim route actually goes through the village but is then signposted through the cattle field when it could continue past the field and rejoin it at the cattle free field further along.

My son was chased by a herd a few months ago. There were about 40 of them and he said they were obviously not happy and meant to harm him. He managed to make it to a gate just in time but it really shook him up. Afterwards we looked up what you're meant to do under these circumstances. Essentially if cornered make yourself as big as possible, legs spread and arms in the air. Shout and make lots of noise. The cows won't like this and will be uncertain about what to do next. Keep doing this until you can get to the nearest exit.

Sago

How can a bull be a dairy bull?

A dairy bull services dairy cows

And the same applies to zebra crossings in town...only idiots blithely step out regardless of traffic.
Pantglas If you read my posts you’ll see that nowhere have I suggested that walkers disregard the presence of cattle in a field crossed by a public right of way.
I’ve merely pointed out that the public are entitled by law to use such footpaths.
Most of them date back centuries.
It’s said that cows are now more aggressive than they used to be because of modern farming methods which has reduced their contact with human beings.
That being the case, I think farmers have a responsibility to reduce the risk of an attack on walkers who are conscientiously sticking to a legal right of way.

You’re right Janeainsworth but my last sentence still applies.

There is some useful advice here. I personally do not have a dog. I have had to walk where cows are but kept to the very edge of the field, fortunately the cows did not bother us. I don't go into fields with livestock unless there is really no other way. Cows do frighten me as they are enormous animals. I follow the Country Code but it is certainly quite worrying that cattle herds seem to be becoming more aggresive.

AreWeThereYet

Our friend is a local dairy farmer. One of the fields where his herd grazes has a public right of way through it. To protect both his cattle and the public he diverted the right of way around the field and fenced it in. The new path is about 100 yards from the original path. He put up a polite sign explaining the diversion of the path. Three times walkers have broken the new fence down because 'it's their right to walk the original path as it's a public right of way'. Common sense? Not so common it seems.

So these idiots would put themselves in danger to enable them to exercise their ‘right’? Absolute fools.

I think people who cross field with herds of cows inside are foolish but if there’s a public footpath people think it’s safe otherwise it wouldn’t be signed as such. I have been chased by cows before and I’m terrified of being attacked by a bull so I’m very wary of crossing fields. I think most people believe cows are benign and they aren’t and I just find it shocking that there’s no law in place to keep cows away from public footpaths.

To be honest it is difficult to walk in any field in Devon without meeting cows, so although horrible I guess the number of incidents is low.
I also take my life in my hands walking the dogs on the common where the Royal Marines practise shooting. One ran into their camp once where they were eating sausages!

You turn a corner and these pop up!

I live in the country. I would never walk in fields where cattle are grazing, especially in the spring when they first come out and are very frisky; and if there are mothers with calves.

I recognise that that there are rights of way, but do not think the farmers should have to keep their cattle off fields with paths, nor have to fence the path off from the field. They have to use their land and rotate the grazing as best they can to run their business. If that means that there are certain times when walkers need to choose to not use the path, then so be it.

I completely agree Luckygirl. I can't imagine a situation in which anyone has to walk through a field with livestock in it. If they are having a ramble they can always turn back and find another field. But there will always be those who insist on exercising their legal right to use a public right of way, regardless of the potential consequences. I see no reason to require farmers to go to the expense of fencing their livestock off.

FoghornLeghorn

AreWeThereYet

Our friend is a local dairy farmer. One of the fields where his herd grazes has a public right of way through it. To protect both his cattle and the public he diverted the right of way around the field and fenced it in. The new path is about 100 yards from the original path. He put up a polite sign explaining the diversion of the path. Three times walkers have broken the new fence down because 'it's their right to walk the original path as it's a public right of way'. Common sense? Not so common it seems.

So these idiots would put themselves in danger to enable them to exercise their ‘right’? Absolute fools.

A public footpath, marked on the definitive map, is a legal right of way. A footpath diversion has no legal status unless the landowner has gone through the full legal process for diverting a footpath. This is an expensive process. This is why the farmer cited hasn't done it.

'Rights' have to be continually asserted else they tend to be lost. The walkers who insist on taking the original footpath are protecting everyone's legal right to use it as a footpath. No such 'right' attaches to the unofficial 'diversion' the farmer has made.

You clearly have no idea about the problems associated with maintaining (in the sense of keeping them open) legal public rights of way.

The problem, Germanshepherdsmum is that a public footpath is a right of way. If you go through another field to avoid cattle, you are trespassing; although thay's not a crminal offence, the landowner can prosecute you.

There's no easy answer to this. Farmers need to use their fields, walkers should be able to use designated footpaths, changing the route of a footpath is a complicated business..... Personally, I feel that a fenced-off section around the edge of a field is a good idea, or maybe farmers could put notices on the field entrances to warn people there are cattle in there (what a faff!).

We've been followed, on the other side of the fence, by nosey bullocks when walking down a lane in Orkney. Quite disconcerting because the fence was a wire one and there was only an "Orkney gate" - a few strands of wire held up by a few bits of wood! The cattle respected it, though, but it would have broken if one of them had leaned on it!.

'that's not a criminal offence' - too many fingers on the wrong keys!!

It’s not a criminal offence, it’s a civil matter. I should have explained myself more clearly. I was not advocating just walking through another field but using another public right of way.

Maizie, the right to use a public footpath which is shown on the Definitive Map maintained by the local highway authority is not lost if it’s not continually exercised. That’s an excuse trotted out by ramblers. I used to work in the legal department of a highway authority so know a bit about this.

MaizieD, of course I know that public footpaths run through fields of cattle. What amazes me - is the complete ignorance of people using them, often accompanied by dogs. We should be wary of any large animal, surely, and allow them space?

At my primary school, we shared our vast playground green with free-ranging cattle. There was never an incident.

Although I was born and bred in Devon, so am used to lots of cows, I am slightly scared of them and would never dream of walking near them. It makes perfect sense to take a big detour around them, imho.

Germanshepherdsmum

*Maizie*, the right to use a public footpath which is shown on the Definitive Map maintained by the local highway authority is not lost if it’s not continually exercised. That’s an excuse trotted out by ramblers. I used to work in the legal department of a highway authority so know a bit about this.

They should still be legally diverted.

Footpaths get overgrown, over sown, ploughed out. Pesky Ramblers for trying to make sure they are kept own.

Cows with calves can be lethal, perhaps especially if you have dog attached to you by a lead. Even bullocks can be unpleasant. I once had to let my GSDs off their leads to look after themselves as a herd of bullocks were becoming uncomfortably near to the dogs on leads.

In that same field there was an electric fence to contain the bullocks but the farmer had not maintained it and was invisible trailing in long grass and it gave my dog a shock.