UKC

During the winter months I use a single track moor road to run at night time. About three miles in I come up to a farm where there are highland cattle in the road. Its not the most pleasant part of the run having to go through them in the dark on such a narrow road.
The first time I came across them was running in the dark and mist. I almost ran into the side of the highland coo due to the visibility. I didn't recognise what this thing was just a big beast jumping about in front of me. I found the herd there the next night when there was no mist and could be seen by torch light.
To bypass I would have to climb a wall then cover a very rough area to get by all of them. The other side they are roaming free all over.
This is an increasing problem as there are now calf's there and I have no idea what side the mother is on when passing. There also there just about every night now although its better due to better light .

I know farmers get away with having sheep wandering about on roads is it the same for cattle? Seems a big risk for the farmer to have such expensive beasts wandering in the road at night in the mist.

In reply to fmck:

is this a thru road or a dead end?

is it a private road?

In reply to fmck:

Keep well away. I was attacked by cattle with calves last year and will never trust them again.

In reply to fmck:

Do you cross a cattle grid to get onto the single track moor road?

In reply to Vanessa Simmons:

Complete thread hijack but did you know that Barclay James Harvest wrote a song for you?

In reply to fmck:
Did you ask them moooove it moooove it?

In reply to fmck:

Don't tell north Wales police, they may come and run them over.

In reply to fmck:

Try sounding the horn.

In reply to Removed User:

At last! Someone who's heard of BJH! My UKC name was chosen for my favourite band (great song too).

In reply to fmck:


No problem... call the police and they'll come and run them over for you.

In reply to Vanessa Simmons:

Highland cattle or a different breed?


I've always found highland cattle nicely placid, even with calves but I understand the wariness of OP. They are muckly horny beasts after all.

In reply to Vanessa Simmons:

I was going to suggest that you'd taken the name from the song, but then I wasn't sure. To be honest BJH takes me back to a lot of ghosts and a place and time that leaves me feeling a little nostalgic.

In reply to fmck:

It's not uncommon to find highland cattle on single track roads in parts of the highlands. They don't tend to moove for cars.

In reply to Removed User:

Yeh, quite a number of them. It links two A route roads and due to its ascent and view points is very popular at times. Its remoteness but easily accessible if you know what I mean attracts all sorts of goings on. That aside last night there was even more calfs giving more concern. Although highland cattle do seem placid I was previously followed by a party of them on Mull that weren't! The pet border terrier was responsible for that one though.
Frightening thing for me is the one that gets caught out by surprise when I run through them. To all of a sudden find this huge mass of bulk with great big horns jumping up and down in front of you is worrying.
I did think of an air horn to clear the road but I would be at risk of harming them. One thing is I noticed the more they see me the more confident they seem to get. The other night one just stood in the middle of the road just staring at me.

In reply to fmck:


There are some notorious Highland Cows on Mull.

I've met some.

I did a fairly good(probably bad) Usain Bolt impression when a few got pissed on the Glen to Ben Talaidh.

The mob round at Ulva Ferry are generally nonchalant,not giving a Feck type cows, but they didn't like me on my bike one night a few summers ago.

I am usually good at judging the MOOd in the bovine camp.but sometimes all it takes is for a calf to start skipping about ,and then.....

Get out of Dodge .

In reply to fmck:

I guess the point here is that these will be either on the farmer/crofter's own land or on common land and either way have an absolute right to be there, hence the cattle grids.

In reply to Removed User:

So if you run into one when its dark and the mist seriously reduces your visibility will your insurance have to pay for running into them?

andymac: same glen. Got off ferry expecting the bus service to run same time. had to wait for next ferry to get bus and ended up running up the glen getting chased with the highland coos with 4 pints of Guinness and carrying a terrier!

In reply to fmck:


I want a copy of the video!

In reply to fmck:

Good question. I would say that if you cross a cattle grid then you should expect stock on the road. I can't be certain but I would suggest that it would be your liability, not the farmer/crofter's and you might, infact be liable for any damage done to the stock.

There are any number of highland roads that cross open moorland with free roaming stock on them. In fact the farmers/crofters have been encouraged to increase the number of native species cattle on these areas in order to improve moorland management so I'd suggest that any attempt to complain or have them removed might fall on deaf ears.

In reply to fmck:



I couldn't help but laugh.

that's a long glen.

I have added your incident to the list.

Could have been serious; you could have spilt you Guinness !

In reply to fmck:

When I used to mountain bike I went out in the dark quite a lot and lights weren't so good in the pre-LED days. I had a completely irrational fear of racing down a hill and getting my head stuck up a cow's bottom and suffocating.

In reply to Vanessa Simmons:

Anyone who cut their teeth at Den Lane or Dovestones in the late sixties will have heard of them: they were the local band.

In reply to fmck:


A good test here might be to replace "cow" with "small child". If you ran in to a small child because it was dark and there was poor visibility, it might be suggested that you were running/cycling/driving to fast.

Many hazards - potholes, children, adults, cars etc are smaller than a highland cow. If a cow catches you by surprise you are going far to fast for other hazards.

You don't move faster than you can see.

In reply to wintertree:

>

Well I know for a fact I don't run faster than the speed of light!

Small children out on a road at night in the mist I wouldn't hesitate in phoning the coppers as the parents are clearly neglecting their duties. As anyone knows what its like to use a headtorch in the mist and dark. You begin to question its effectiveness due to the reflection of light off the mist. Visibility was down to about 3m that night so the highland cow was always going to appear right in front of me no matter the speed.

In reply to fmck:

I think this is a none issue.. deer, sheep, cattle are often on roads at night. It could be a tree down.

Just take a head torch or even a hand held bike light and just slow down should it matter. There's not much else you can do.