The most commonly occurring guidelines and advice obtained when searching for information using the ‘Google’ search engine, which describes best practice when walking through fields of cattle
| Guidelines | Number of mentions | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Leave gates and property as you find them | 3 | Countryside Code Natural England The Ramblers |
| Follow paths unless wider access is available such as ‘Open Access’ land | 3 | Countryside Code Natural England The Ramblers |
| Do not be afraid of cattle but be mindful they are protective of their young | 1 | NFU Cymru |
| Take a walking stick with you | 2 | NFU Cymru livefortheoutdoors.com |
| Be bold and walk straight through the cattle if the animals move towards you | 1 | NFU Cymru |
| Avoid getting between cows and their calves. Be prepared for cattle to react to your presence, especially if you have a dog with you | 1 | NFU and Ramblers |
| Move quickly and quietly, and if possible walk around the herd | 1 | NFU and Ramblers |
| Do not put yourself at risk. Find another way round the cattle and rejoin the footpath as soon as possible | 1 | NFU and Ramblers |
| Do not panic or run. Most cattle will stop before they reach you. If they follow, just walk on quietly | 1 | NFU and Ramblers |
| If you feel threatened, just carry on as normal, do not run, move to the edge of the field and if possible find another way round the field, returning to the original path as soon as is possible | 1 | go4awalk.com |
| Try to keep quiet and move away calmly and out of the field as soon as possible. Try not to surprise the cows | 1 | go4awalk.com |
| If cows get too close, turn quietly to face them with arms outstretched | 1 | go4awalk.com |
| Walk around cattle, rather than through them | 1 | livefortheoutdoors.com |
| If jostled by cows, turn to face them, wave your arms to make yourself look as big as possible and shout firmly | 1 | livefortheoutdoors.com |
| Apparently bulls can be controlled by twisting the ring in their nose | 2 | livefortheoutdoors.com walkingworld.com |
| If you want cattle to go away, wave your arms around and shout at them | 1 | walkingworld.com |
| Bulls: give it a reasonably wide berth and walk as quietly round it as you can (try not to run). If you have a close encounter with one you can (in theory) use the ring in its nose to control it, grab the ring and twist it | 1 | walkingworld.com |
Keep dogs under effective control:
| 5 | Countryside Code Natural England NFU and Ramblers go4awalk.com livefortheoutdoors.com |
| If cattle chase you and your dog, it is safer to let your dog off the lead—do not risk getting hurt by trying to protect it | 6 | Countryside Code NFU Cymru NFU and Ramblers The Ramblers livefortheoutdoors.com walkingworld.com |
| Take extra care when walking dogs around livestock (especially young farm animals) Be especially vigilant if you find yourself with your dog in a field with both cows and calves | 3 | The Ramblers go4awalk.com walkingworld.com |