Me and the family came close to being skewered / trampled yesterday whilst out walking on the bridleway near Wellingtons monument near Baslow. At one stage I was pinned up against the stone wall by the woolly bully, before having to run in one direction with the dog, allowing the wife and kids to escape the other way. They were being proper protective of their calves, which were hidden in the long grass until it was too late. I’m a fairly laid back person, but felt the incident serious enough to fill in a form on the HSE website, making my self feel like a right townie. Not sure the cattle have the right temperment for being in a field with public access.

I know of at least one guy who got mauled several years ago whilst out runnning in the peak. He was in a very bad way. Think it might have even been over on the eastern edges: might even have been Baslow.

I would of thought it more useful to contact the farmer and/or the national park wardens though.

“…before having to run in one direction with the dog”

There’s your problem right there. Always release your dog if cornered by cattle. Its the dog they’re bothered about, not you.

Ah yes, I’ve encountered those scary cows. I guess the combination of calves and a dog don’t mix. A warning sign might help, I suppose, although you obviously have every right to be there.

Piccies

Devash – I did in the end, but she’s 14 and can’t really run. – It got to the point where she was a worthy sacrifice though  !

before having to run in one direction with the dog

As above. Let the dog go. It can outrun cattle, you can’t. EDIT: Maybe… 🙂 I’d imagine having a load of heifers up your tail can reinvigorate even an elderly dog!

Was there a bull in with them? I believe there are restrictions on bulls of certain cattle breeds being in fields with ROWs. Mainly dairy breeds – Holstein etc.

They can be very intimidating. I had to thrash **** out of a few with a big stick last summer to get them to back off. But as above same scenario as we had the dog with us. They are the issue but my dogs a **** and would just run off and I’d never see him again so it’s not really an option for us.

Is this the perp?

Generally it’s only bulls of recognised beef breeds that are allowed outside, even then they have to be with a certain number of cows.

Given that the cows had calves and you had a dog with you that’s more likely a reason for their interest/aggression.

A few years ago when out running I was floored by a cow, luckily for me once she’d got me on the ground she lost interest. I had a chat with the farmer, he’d actually no fields he could put his cattle in to that hadn’t got a ROW through it. He also noted that putting a sign up is itself fraught with difficulties: any wording that implies a known risk can’t be used, hence the anodyne “Bull in field” type notices.

Yes you’ve a “right” to walk in the countryside with your dog but that needs to be tempered with some common sense even if it means altering your plans.

Cycle up there semi regularly and never had a problem. Have randomly talked to/at them when they had calves so they knew I was there. It’s a fairly well trafficked area with walkers, runners, cyclists and horse riders so the cattle should be used to people. Unless they’ve had some new one’s in who are learning the ropes.

That’s her Martin, except, the horns looked bigger close up !

You were probably best trying to find an alternative route before entering a field with calves especially if you had a dog with you.

Thanks Glenn. – If only the calves had been visible and / or there was a warning sign.

Thanks Glenn. – If only the calves had been visible and / or there was a warning sign.

I wasn’t trying to be a smart arse, just offering a bit of friendly advice.

A couple were trampled at the weekend near Milngavie, to the North of Glasgow. Tbh I don’t go in a field with cows, particularly at this time of year, if I can help it. And that’s without having a dog.

Don’t complain about it, unless the cattle were somewhere they shouldn’t have been.

No worries Glenn.

Not sure it’s complaining Nobeer. – I just wouldn’t like anyone to get hurt up there.

Cycle up there semi regularly and never had a problem. Have randomly talked to/at them when they had calves so they knew I was there. It’s a fairly well trafficked area with walkers, runners, cyclists and horse riders so the cattle should be used to people. Unless they’ve had some new one’s in who are learning the ropes.

Me too.

I guess animals are just unpredictable.

I appreciate you’re not complaining as such, but taking a dog into a field of recently calved cattle is leaving oneself open a bit, it’s pretty much common sense, You can’t put signs up about everything.

Sometimes the public have to take a bit of personal responsibility, and I’m no fan of farmers in general btw.

To be fair to the OP he couldn’t see the calfs as they were hiding in the long grass. Pluss it’s a big open area roughly the shape of a triangle so you can easily enter in one corner and not know the cows are there until a copule of miles later. And if ou can’t see the calfs then you’d reasonably carry on.

Cows can be interesting. On a night ride in the Peaks a few years back I started riding though this boggy field, in the middle of summer, and noticed there were loads of cows in it. Decided that discretion was the better part of valour did a u-turn and took a five mile road diversion instead.

I’m not criticising the OP at all, as I’m well aware he couldn’t see the calves. All I’m saying is that there is no point at all contacting the farmer as he’d quite rightly tell you to do one. Taking a dog into a field of one tonne nutters is a risk at any time, never mind spring time.

YMMV.

In the USA cows kill more people than sharks but that odd static aside having grown up and visited cousins farms I’d be very cautious entering any field where there are calves and certainly not with a dog.

In the USA cows kill more people than sharks

Tubbies choking to death on chunks of steak doesn’t count.

I startled a calf once on the bike, his mum was none too impressed and came “barrelling” down the trail after me, I discovered a sprint I never knew I had that day 🙂

Had similar issue in Scotland couple of summers ago. Was with then 9 yr old son and dog. Entered field with Friesians in. Couple started taking a proper interest. Let dog go and told son not to run. We started walking for gate, they started to canter, we gently jogged. When we were within 20 yards of the gate I told him to sprint like hell! Was properly scary, particularly because I had the boy with me. Strange thing is I grew up in the country and used to being around cows (Phnaar, phnaar), but there was something menacing about this.

On way back decided to skirt field. 3-4 cows followed us on the other side of the wall. As we came to the end, I realised that the wall stopped and the cows could just come round the end and meet us. I had run like buggery, thrown the boy over the electric fence at the end and failed spectacularly to vault it cleanly (the electric shock isn’t that bad, unless you p1$$ on it which is another story) before I realised that a similar fence blocked the end of the cow’s field where the wall stopped and we were safe.

Moral of the story, approach with caution and probably not with a dog at all..

..and regardless of how much you’ve had to drink – and how much your so-called mates are egging you on – never, never answer a call of nature on an electric fence..

Given that the cows had calves and you had a dog with you that’s more likely a reason for their interest/aggression.

This +1

Plus..

A lot of Cattle have been kept indoors over the winter, it’s only now that they’re being let out for the summer. It’s been a wet and cold winter, mainly wet and the ground has been too sodden to let them out.

They’re in protective mode for at least another 5-6 weeks until they settle and the calves are grazing on their own.

Honeslty can’t see why you’d be a “form filler” what’s the point?

Simple answer is “Don’t go in a field with cows in it”

Also, it’s only some breeds of Bull that the farmer is required (by law) to post on entry to his field “beware of bulls”

If in doubt, stay out.

To be fair to the OP, the site in question is on miles of open moorland. You could easily walk/ride a couple of miles before encountering the cattle.

The cattle could hang out anywhere, but I think they like to loiter by the bottlenecks on trails and intimidate people 😉

Jesus, 26 posts and no one has yet pointed out the obvious mistake the OP made:

It’s “My family and I came close to being trampled”

I’ve had a couple of close encownters over the years. The worst was a couple of years ago just outside Cilcain in North Wales. I’d just entered the field when the whole herd of about 12 to 15 came barrelling over to me and trapped me against the fence. I’d turn and yell at them and they would back away but soon as I turned to go back towards the exit they came at me again. I proper shit meself and I’ve been very wary of cows ever since.

I went to Holmfirth on Saturday and got halfway across a big field before I noticed there were cows with calves at the far end. One cow and it’s calf were right next to the bridleway and I got to within about 10 feet of them before the calf spotted me and legged it up the hill at a high rate of knots. This spooked it’s mum and for a second I thought it was going to charge me. I ended up saying “good girl, good girl” to it in my calmest voice which did seem to calm it down a bit. I mustn’t have been thinking straight because apparently the best thing to shout is “get awa’ tha’ filthy bugger”. Which I learned from this very forum.

Some of you lot sound like you’d be better off not going out in the countryside!!

You don’t have to be in a field to killed by cattle especially at this time of year. I worked with this poor woman’s husband.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-36079825

I got charged at one night at Christmas. I was out shooting and walking through a field. Recon I spooked them but a really frightening experience as it was pitch black. Thankfully they backed off when I poked one in the eye with a strobing flashlight.

You have to laugh at the irony of the fact that cows go for the dog when the thing that actually eats them is holding the lead.

Apparently following a complaint to HSE the herd have been removed – according to one report they have now been sold. For anyone who might be interested to see their return (if that is at all feasible now), there is a petition here:

https://www.change.org/p/national-trust-the-return-of-highland-cattle-on-baslow-edge?

Hope it goes well, mate. Would be nice to see them back again.

Hope the OP is happy now that cattle have been moved. Effin townie.

Are we blaming Marcus for their demise then?

Yep, the photographers aren’t happy:

Are you wondering why there are no Highland Cattle on the moor around Baslow? This is part of an article, written by…

Posted by Baslow WI on Sunday, March 3, 2019

Are we blaming Marcus for their demise then?

Please, lets not. OP made a complaint about a potential risk and the result was a little extreme, it seems.

Please, lets not

Go on, let’s, it’ll be fun.

(He’s far from a townie, fwiw)

Cycled up there last week and didn’t notice any cows. I know there were also cows at Curbar edge and along to Froggatt edge. Does anyone know if these were the same cows or a separate herd?

It’ll be the deer next!