What should I do if I have to cross a field with cattle in it?

The great majority of encounters with cattle are uneventful — they look at you and go back to eating. The minority that are not can be extremely serious, and they follow a consistent pattern: cows with young calves, a dog present, and a walker who did not have an escape route. Assessing the field before you enter it is what avoids nearly all of it.

Safety

Step by step

1. Look at the field before you enter it.From the gate or stile: how many animals, are there calves, is there a bull, where are they in relation to the path, and where is your exit? A field of bullocks lying down at the far end is a different proposition from a herd of cows with calves standing on the path.
2. Identify calves and treat that field as high risk.A cow with a calf is protective and reacts to anything she perceives as a threat, especially a dog. Almost every serious incident involves calves. If there are calves, take the alternative route.
3. Look for a bull, and know the rules.Bulls of recognised dairy breeds are not permitted in fields crossed by public rights of way at all. Beef bulls may be present if accompanied by cows or heifers. A lone bull in a field with a footpath is a situation to avoid regardless of the law.
4. Go round if you sensibly can.Walking the field edge, taking the next field, or using the road for half a mile is not a defeat. Nobody has ever regretted going round a field of cattle. You are entitled to use a right of way, and you are also entitled to decide not to.
5. If you cross, plan the exit before you start.Know where you are heading and where the nearest gate, stile or fence is at every point. Never cross a large field of cattle without an escape route within reach.
6. Walk calmly and predictably along the edge.A steady pace, no shouting, no waving, no sudden changes of direction. Give the herd as wide a berth as the field allows and keep the fence or wall on one side of you.
7. Never walk between a cow and its calf.This single mistake accounts for a large share of incidents. If a calf is on one side of the path and the cow on the other, do not go through the gap — go round the outside.
8. If they follow you, keep walking; do not run.Cattle are naturally curious and will often amble after you out of nosiness. Keep walking steadily towards your exit. Running triggers pursuit and you cannot outrun cattle.
9. If they get close, turn and face them.Stand your ground facing them, make yourself large, and speak firmly and loudly. Most curious cattle stop. Then continue backing towards the exit, still facing them.
10. Let the dog go, and put yourself over a boundary.If you have a dog and cattle become aggressive, drop the lead or unclip it at once. The cattle are reacting to the dog; the dog can outrun them and will find you afterwards. Get yourself over a fence, wall, hedge or gate. This reverses the normal rule about dogs and livestock, and it is the right thing to do.
11. Report a genuine problem.If a field on a right of way is regularly dangerous, report it to the local highway authority's rights of way team, who can require action. If you are injured, report it — Health and Safety Executive statistics on cattle incidents come from exactly these reports.

Tips

• Cattle are more excitable when they have just been turned out, when they are being moved, in hot weather when flies bother them, and around calving time.
• Groups of young bullocks are boisterous rather than aggressive but a herd of them at a canter is dangerous simply because of size and momentum. The same advice applies.
• Walking poles are useful for making yourself look larger, and not for hitting an animal, which escalates the situation.
• Approach a herd rather than being surprised by them: talking as you walk means they see and hear you coming.
• The right of way exists regardless of the cattle, but a farmer will usually be reasonable about walkers using the field edge instead of the exact line of the path.

Common mistakes

• Keeping the dog on the lead when cattle charge — The cattle are after the dog and you are attached to it. Letting the dog go separates the target from you, and the dog escapes easily.
• Running for the gate — Running triggers the chase response and cattle are much faster than people. Steady walking towards an exit works far better.
• Crossing a field of cows and calves because the path goes that way — There is no obligation to walk into a hazard. Take the alternative and note it for next time.

Questions people ask