Up until a couple of years ago I would have said that anyone who was attacked by a cow it must have been something that were doing. I've been walking, running and biking in the countryside since I was a kid and never had a problem.

Then last year we were attacked by herd of cows and I am of a different opinion.

Yes we had a dog but he was right next to us on a short leash. Yes there were some young cows but not what I would call calves, they were nearly fully grown. The field was really small with a path runnning diagonally across it and the field was full of cows and a bull (but I'm not worried about a bull with cows about)

But literally the moment we stepped into the field they charged at us and surrounded my husband. I have never seen anything like it. He couldn't let go of the dog as they would have had to run over him to get to the dog and the chances are the dog would have stayed behind my husband for protection anyway (big wuss). He was shouting at them and flapping his arms but they were just pushing and pushing. I didn't think he would get out alive and I'm not being melodramatic. The aggression they were showing was unbelievable. I was lucky enough to be able to jump a wall as they were after my hubby who had the dog.

I did research and there has been about 58 deaths from cows in the last 5 years. That to me is not insignificant. That is farmers, vets, walkers with dogs, walkers without dogs, cyclists etc. That is just deaths then there are huge amount of injuries and absolutely no statistics on aggressive events like we went through. There is also apparently a European breed of cows over here that is far more aggressive than our usual breeds over here.

I contacted loads of organisations and was basically told that I should have altered my behaviour. They would not listen to the fact that the cows charged us the moment we stepped in the field.

It has made me really quite nervous of cows and ruined our enjoyment out in the countryside whenever we see a herd of cows. I'm always checking to make sure they are only dairy cows (which generally are not aggressive). Otherwise we make huge detours.

I think where there is a right of way through a field or out in the moors and the cows have young or there are bullocks then they should have to put up electric fencing to protect walkers etc. When we had a place over in Switzerland that's what they did in the mountains during summer grazing , the cows were encircled by electric fencing.