Ruth Livingstone
My book: Walking the English Coast
Click for further information
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
Stage 16. Harwich to Kirby-le-Soken
The heat is relentless – more like Spain than England – and the air is hot and close around my face. My chest feels tight and I am having trouble breathing. I hear the sound of horse hooves behind me and have to force myself not to stop. There is horsey breath coming over my shoulder…. Continue reading
Stage 15. Boyton Marshes, Bawdsey to Felixstowe
I pick up the bat. Feeling a bit of a fool, I wave it wildly. Who am I waving it at? Where is the ferry? “You didn’t think it was going to work – waving the bat – did you?” I am not expecting much of Felixstowe and am pleasantly surprised. Continue reading
Stage 14. Aldeburgh through Chillesford to Boyton Marshes
Today is a day of forests, fields, pigs and hay fever. I get hot, cross, bothered – and lost – on a pig farm. I meet a snake and nearly have a close encounter with some cows. Continue reading
Stage 13. Dunwich, Sizewell, Thorpeness to Aldeburgh
Being a medical doctor carries a penalty – hypochondria. While I ponder the miracle of my apparent fitness, despite a multitude of possible ailments, time passes and I make my slow progress along the shingle. I am heading for Sizewell nuclear power station. Continue reading
Stage 12. Covehithe, Southwold, Walberswick and Dunwich
What is the one thing more embarrassing then being rescued by the coastguards?
I walk past crumbling cliffs and fallen trees. I can’t resist taking photographs, wanting to capture some of the drama and sadness of this doomed area, as the land gives way to the tides and the greedy sea. Continue reading
Stage 11. Corton to Lowestoft to Benacre
I reach the the most Eastern point of the British Isles and then head off down a long stretch of deserted beach. Disorientated by a never-ending shingle bank, I miss lunch and am nearly defeated by a disappearing beach as I make my way past crumbling cliffs. Continue reading
Stage 10. Caister to Great Yarmouth to Corton
I am surprised by the lack of care for sand dunes in Great Yarmouth and experience a moment of stillness under the pier. Further along the coast, I come to an area where a whole section of cliff has slipped down …. The path has disappeared. Continue reading
Stage 9. Sea Palling to Winterton to Caister-on-Sea
I see a dog’s grey muzzle in the water – a labrador I think – about 20 yards from shore. My heart stops. I believe I have just seen a dog drown. For one wild moment I contemplate plunging into the cold sea ….. Continue reading
Stage 8. Mundesley to Happisburg to Sea Palling
I walk through a dramatic landscape of battered and broken sea defences. I am shocked to find back gardens sliding into the sea, garden sheds lying on the beach below and shattered houses with empty windows, abandoned to their fate. Huge boulders have been dumped against the crumbling cliff….. then comes an unexpected a beautiful surprise … Continue reading
Stage 7. Sheringham to Overstrand to Mundesley
I forget my socks. There is nobody here at all. Nobody. On my right are crumbling cliffs with no way up. If you were caught here with a rising tide, it would be difficult to escape the waves. Continue reading
Ruth's Coastal Walk (UK) 