to have been scared away by cows?

[GoodButNoMedals]

I took the dcs out for a picnic in the sunshine today. We went somewhere out in the country, along a nice footpath through a farm, to an allegedly lovely pond and field with lots of space for the kids to play. Half way along this walk that I kept promising the kids would be worth it, we come to a gate leading into a field with cows (bullocks actually I think but I wasn't looking too closely) in it. We went through the gate and the cattle all stood up and looked at us, we walked a bit further along the footpath and they started coming towards us, that was when both dcs and I turned back and ran walked quickly back to the gate. We had our picnic in a not especially pleasant field, it wasn't horrible but it wasn't the idyllic spot we were aiming for.

Dp thinks we were being soft and wimpy, that the cows would have been fine, and laughed hysterically at the thought of us running away from cows. AIBU to have found them really scarey a bit unnerving?

Goodness Goodbutno. One of our favourite walks sometimes has cattle in the field, and I've found it quite unnerving when they've moved toward us in a group, but thought them harmless until this thread.

Yanbu

Goats are no joke either! I know, I know...but I'm actually serious. We have a family friend who used to have a herd in the Pyrenees. When the females were in season, he used to have to keep the Billy Goat in a pitch black shed or he'd just charge and try and kill everything in sight trying to get to the females! I remember being terrified of it as a child. Plus the bloody females ate my satchel when I fell asleep outside one afternoon

Oh FFS gollygosh, it wasn't an entirely serious post! I grew up surrounded by animals iin the countryside, I am aware that farmers keep animals but when entire swathes of the countryside and miles of footpaths are inaccessible for months on end it tends to make a mockery or rights of way. If you want people to care about the countryside you have to let them use it. Shutting off rights of way ensures they can't. Why should people who see the countryside as not open to them care about preserving it?

ooh ooh I've got a scary cow story... was driving to work and there were about two dozen cows in the middle of the road, obviously just escaped through a gap in the hedge. I got out of the car & tried to shoo them back into their field but of course the whole herd of them started running in the opposite direction towards busier road.

Started to get that OH SHIT feeling so rang neighbour in a panic telling her to call the police (this was 7.30 a.m) when little old lady drove up, got out of her car and between us we got them back into the field - little old lady was about 75 but way more competent than me at cow herding. Then she said, I'll go get the farmer. You just stand by the gap in the hedge to stop them getting back out.

So there I was in posh work clothes standing in the mud yelling GET BACK YOU COWS every time one took a step forward - and they did keep trying to get past me.

Farmer arrived after about 15 mins and I went to work. End of story.

Was the field with a pond a public space or was it private land with a footpath running through? If the latter, YABU for straying off the path and picnicing on private land.

We live in the countryside and were out for a walk in our local fields with DS in his rucksack. We went through a field of bullocks and they followed us the entire length of the field. DS loved it but I felt a little intimidated. However, I wouldn't make a detour unless there were calves or a bull.

Aw, cows are sweethearts!

Bring a big stick, waving it about will make them stop and stare in wonder, for some reason.

DON't bring a dog, as they are trouble with cattle (both dogs and cattle become bothered).

Saying that, I once was attacked by a ram, he knocked me right in the knees, and I got up and tried to push him away, but he was stronger and knocked me over again. Kids were sitting on the fence calling to me to come to safety. I ran and jumped the fence! The children then told everyone that their mum had "fought with a sheep" which makes me sound like a loony...

Cows are indeed horrendous creatures, but they do sometimes come in useful
here

dh also read a story about a farmer that was being attacked by a bull, and the herd of cows in the same field walked towards him and made a circle around him in order that the bull couldn't attack him any further. They remained there until someone came to rescue the farmer.

Chandon, the thought of children telling people that their mum had "fought with a sheep" has really tickled me. I keep picturing it and laughing again..

Me and ds2 were mugged by some sheep a few years ago. I managed to get ds into his carseat, but was then prevented from getting into the drivers seat by the bloody cheeky sheep who had actually got into the car and was trying to get ds2's sandwich off him! I got hold of it's horns and pulled it out of the car whilst trying not to wet myself laughing and whilst poor ds2 sat in his carseat and wailed in terror.

You DO NOT DUCK WITH COWS!....EVER!
And unless you have a death wish, you do not walk a dog through a field of cows!
I'm a country girl born and bred.
I know beef and dairy farmers. Even they dont fuck with cows! The farmers that I used to lodge the ponies with once told me a story about his herd of bullocks. They were spooked, and stampeded. They were jumping a five foot barbed wire fence like thoroughbred racehorses!
His advice to me? If they got to close when I was catching the ponies: leave!

ScarletLadtOfTheNight01 "Now GEESE on the other hand...they are evil. I've been chased by a gaggle of the evil fuckers before. They scare the shit out of me."

Oh I am right with you on that!

Never felt really intimidated by cows and am fairly OK at facing down a shouty dog but I go to jelly when those beaky bastards are around.

I suppose I am a little bit bird phobic, don't mind chickens and ducks but anything like geese or swans really unnerve me. When I was about 6 I got locked alone in a car with a live turkey (was meant to be dead but recovered and got out of the sack) and it was a terrifying experience.

sheep, fine. Cows, no. And I'm a right bumpkin.

And pigs, definitely not. Especially after watching Deadwood.

We were once on a walk where the footpath went right through a small enlosure with pigs in. There was a stile at each end of the enclosure so that is clearly what you were expected to do but I was rather houghtful about it because I know pigs can bite. There was no way to go around and avoid the enclosure but as we stood dithering about what to do we saw some people coming from the other direction. We watched and they got through without being eaten so we decided to risk it and the pigs didn't gve us a second look!

We were on the public footpath, had already met the farmer on our way in. He suggested where we could go for our picnic, the field with the pond which is (I believe) a public field with access via the footpath across his farm (at the very least that farmer is happy to let people picnic there). We were definitely on the footpath, stayed on the edge of the fields away from crops, closed all gates behind us and generally followed the countryside code that I learnt as a Guide so many years ago.

We met the farmer again on the way out and he said he'd forgotten to warn us about the cattle in the fields and asked if we'd managed to find somewhere to have our picnic.

My only issue had been that dp laughed at us for running away from the cows. I'm now very confident that I was NBU so I shall think no more about it.

Oops! That should be FUCK not DUCK!!

5foot5 - I don't mind swans but geese freak me out. It's the freaky blue eyes that do it. Canada geese etc don't bother me it's those big scary white ones! I can understand why people have them as guard animals. They're so bloody angry all the time.

I live in the depths of the countryside and I know for a fact that you do n

Umm, try again...

Anyway, yes, ahem, I live in the depths of the countryside and I know for a fact that you do not mess with cows. There was a lady killed just down the road from us a few years ago.

They've just put cows in the field where one of my favourite paths runs but I will not be using it till they come in for the winter.

I'm scared now after reading this thread! I have walked with my two boys (age 6&2) through a field with cows. They were blocking the path towards the gate on the way out and I had to shoo them with a big stick. Luckily they went the way I wanted but I was looking for the nearest fence to throw the kids over if they came towards me!