Ruth Livingstone
My book: Walking the English Coast
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Winfield’s Award
Killer Cows: Cattle Safety
Are cows becoming more aggressive?
Incident number: 1261 Response ID: 329,818,362 Date of incident: 15.06.26 Location: Fields near Tackley in Oxfordshire heading towards the canal path Status: Group of walkers (3-5) with no dogs on PROW Liz’s story “We entered a field with about 50 cows (A group of heifers) at the far end of the field. They rushed over […]
Letting go of his dog probably saved Michael’s life
Report 1259, Response ID 329,768,059, Single walker and dog, group of cows with calves and a bull 6/6/26 Location: Between Blore & Thorpe, Ashbourne on the Staffordshire/Derbyshire border. On a bridle path between Coldwall Bridge and Coldwell Farm. The Limestone Way runs through the field as well as another public right of way. What three […]
Cows used our dog as a football
Report 1256 Response ID 329,756,083 17/5/26 2 people and dogs Location: Staplehay, Trull Somerset, Spearcey Farm SW’s report: It’s a public footpath with 2 adjoining fields, with a river on one side, which the cows also access regularly. As we entered the second field we immediately noticed that there were 2 or 3 calves with […]
Author Archives: Ruth Livingstone
55. Shoreham to Worthing To Ferring
Worthing is surprisingly nice with a good pier. I see Morris Dancers and kitesurfers. And discover a charming garden in the shingle. Continue reading
54. Brighton to Hove to Southwick
Despite the fact I am determined to try and like Brighton, I am put off by the burnt pier and a rude man. I discover a nudist beach, in the shadow of a power station. Pleased to be heading home. Continue reading
53. Seaford to Brighton
I start walking from lovely Seaford, see a Wheatear in an abandoned village, take a detour through Newhaven, walk across crumbling cliffs, pass through the unusual town of Peacehaven, cross the Greenwich Meridian line and arrive, tired and grumpy, in Brighton. Continue reading
52. Eastbourne to Seaford
Shivers go up and down my spine. Here, along the crumbling cliff edge, are tributes to people who have died. There are bunches of flowers and little crosses – 5 or 6 little memorials. They are sited where the path comes very close to the edge of the cliff. Beachy Head is a magnet for the sad and desperate; 530 feet above the sea – the 3rd most popular place in the world for suicides. Continue reading
51. Bexhill to Eastbourne
Between Bexhill and Eastbourne, I meet herring gulls, comorants and an egret. The heavens open but lightning fails to strike me down. I pass 6 Martello Towers in various stages of redevelopment and decay. Eastbourne is surprisingly attractive and its pier looks lovely in the evening light. Continue reading
50. Hastings to Bexhill
What a sad sight this pier is! Burnt buildings, roofless wrecks, timbers showing, seagulls perching on shattered planking – a blackened and rusting structure. Warning signs advise people to stay away and not to walk beneath.
Continue reading
49. Rye Harbour to Hastings
There is a naturist beach at Fairlight Cove – although access to the beach is deterred due to the dangers posed by erosion. There are great fossils to be found here. And dinosaurs’ footprints. Sadly, I see no fossils, no dinosaur footprints and no nudists. But I do have a great walk and manage to pursuade my husband not to break his neck.
48. Lydd to Rye to Rye Harbour
When I walk in, people stare at me. I wonder if they are looking at my boots, my jaunty little rucksack, or admiring my general air of health and wellbeing. After a very good lemon curd bun, I visit the loo and find out, by looking in the mirror, that my hair is sticking up on end and covered in sand. I look like a wild woman. Continue reading
47. Dungeness to Lydd
Buffeted by wind, and fighting for a foothold on the shingle, I continue onwards – disoriented and uneasy. I have the dangerous firing range on one side. A nuclear power plant on the other. A howling gale blowing behind me. And ahead is a protected nature reserve. Continue reading
Stage 46. Hythe to Lydd-on-Sea
I come across a warning sign.
“Caution non-ionising radiation. Do not loiter within 2 metres of any antenna.” I look back at the mast where I have just spent 10 minutes of ‘loitering’. A bit late to tell me now!
Continue reading
Ruth's Coastal Walk (UK) 