29 October 2019

Cattle

The Peak District National Park straddles four counties - Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire. Yesterday, Clint kindly transported me right through Derbyshire into Staffordshire via Bakewell and Hartington. There were a couple of hold-ups because of road resurfacing and market traffic in Bakewell so I didn't reach the distant village of Onecote until twelve thirty.
It was so good to be walking in a corner of the national park that I had not explored before. The sun was out, my boots were on and all was well with the world. I didn't get back to Clint till 4.30pm and by then, largely because of putting the clocks back on Sunday, the light was already failing.

Along the way I saw many things, including a junction of farm tracks that looked fine to walk across until I discovered that the mud and cow shit there was about six inches deep. But once in, I had to keep going, emerging from the junction with boots that were now thick with brown gunge and twice as heavy. Up ahead there were some clear puddles that I splashed around in to remove most of the milk chocolate coloured coating. Fortunately, the boots are waterproof.

On my rambles, I am often observed by members of the cattle family. And yesterday was no different. Cattle will often look at me as if I am the first human being they have ever seen. In fields they will frequently move towards me. I have heard of horse whisperers and worm charmers, perhaps my relationship with cattle is similar.
As I walked along the track to the long disused copper mine at Mixon, there was a young bull on guard straddling the track. If he had been elsewhere in the field, I  would have walked quietly past but standing there he obliged me to hop over the fence into an adjacent field.  He continued to watch me as I moved by while  I wondered what was going on inside his bullish head. His harem was grazing close by. Perhaps he saw me as a challenger...(See the top picture).

28 comments:

  1. "Oh cattle, I am but a fool ..."

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    1. I will always want you for my sweet heart
      No matter what you do...

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  2. Florida cattle look at me the same way when I walk past them. Bulls are wary creatures, I think. That top fellow is very handsome.

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    1. I wonder who his hairdresser is? I would love to have curls like that all over my face.

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  3. Cows and bulls are so funny -- curious, and yet driven pretty much by instinct rather than intelligence, I suspect. Looking at a cow you never get the sense there's much going on upstairs.

    I do love the hair on that top one!

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    1. Who knows what is going on in there? Perhaps they are composing symphonies or contemplating parallel universes in which cattle are in control.

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  4. Love the pics of all of the cows but am wondering if the first cow has a thyroid problem as his eyes look a bit bulbous, lol
    I have to say that you have made me a bit self conscious of my 'lol's' now. ha ha.
    Briony
    x

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    1. Keep your lol's a-coming Briony! That top picture is not a cow, he's a bull with only one thing on his mind!

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    2. No wonder his eyes are popping out.

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  5. Well, I thought I was going to get a wise and witty comment on Herefords. Instead I just got shit!

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    1. That's what you get from me Red! Shit!

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  6. I've wondered if you were a cow whisperer since you seem to have many encounters on your walks. Do you play any musical instruments? I've always heard cows love music and will come up close to listen. In fact, there are many YouTube videos of cows enjoying music.

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    1. I can play the acoustic guitar Bonnie but I never carry it around when walking in the countryside! I am not a minstrel.

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  7. Those are some healthy looking cows. Around these parts, it's all black Angus. Or buffalo. Good to steer clear (ha) of bulls of any breed.
    It was 0* here this morning with blowing snow and ice. It always amazes me that cattle are able to survive these extreme temperatures. Calving can be a different story.

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    1. They are tough creatures - that's for sure Penelope! Good job they haven't got fingers or toes.

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  8. I tend to believe you may very well be a cattle-whisperer. You and cattle certainly do have an affinity.

    Just don't wear red when you're out roamin' the fields in the gloamin'...and in the morning and afternoon!

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    1. Before Shirley, most of my past girlfriends were cows.

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    2. That's not a very nice thing to say, Mr. Pud!! Very bullish of you!

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  9. That first fellow certainly has a fuzzy face. I like your cow pictures; keep on taking them, please :)

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    1. If I spot a procrastinating donkey anywhere I will ask her to pose for a picture.

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  10. I like the shot of the bull. You keep mentioning Bakewell which made me think of Bakewell tarts, which I assume originated in Bakewell, so now I want a Bakewell tart.

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    1. In England a "tart" can be a certain type of woman! Peronally I prefer Bakewell puddings!

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  11. Like Bonnie has commented, cows love music. My brother-in-law who runs a dairy farm with his two brothers in the Ripon area has told me that they have indeed music playing in the cow stables, and that the cows seem to enjoy it. (They can move freely between pasture and shed, only in the severest of winter weather are they confined to the stables.)
    The second picture with the cow in front of the stone wall is my favourite of this set.
    Good job your walking boots are water proof, but then of course I would not expect you to go walking or hiking in anything but sturdy footware.

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    1. I certainly would not wear flip flops or what the Australians call thongs.

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  12. I love that first photo and all the little curls on its face.

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