Ruth Livingstone
My book: Walking the English Coast
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Winfield’s Award
Killer Cows: Cattle Safety
Cattle charged at walkers – this could have been prevented by a simple fence
Incident number: 1229Response ID 329,262,000 Date: 16/4/26 Location: Preston Bagot, Warwickshire. Grid reference 176644 2 people, no dog Report: “Walking around the edge of a field the cows charged. I had to climb over a barbed wire fence while my husband ran around the corner of the field.It would be great to see special fencing […]
Charged at by a cow in Derbyshire (Pattern of previously aggressive livestock behaviour in this area)
Incident number: 1228Response ID 329,163,280 Date: 8/4/26 Location ///farm.prepare.character, Between Unstone Green and Dronfield,Derbyshire 2 People, with 2 dogs on lead Incident Summary: “On 8th April 2026, while traversing the established public footpath southwest from Highgate Lane, our party (two adults and two canine companions on leads) encountered an aggressive bovine. The animal emerged from […]
Ensuring Safety on a Walking Holiday: Cattle Management
We all have a right to walk safely along footpaths, and we can’t predict which cattle will be aggressive.
Tag Archives: coastal erosion
28. Great Wakering to Southend to Leigh-on-Sea
Southend is full of sunlight but I am surrounded by warning signs. I am forbidden from walking along the beach – first by Ministry of Defence warning signs and later by an oil spill. I scratch my insect bites and have some close encounters with blackberry bushes, before becoming trapped in deep, dark stairwell …. Continue reading
23. Maylandsea to Bradwell
The wind is wild and the sea stormy. I meet a venemous, slithery thing. And I grow angry at people who obstruct my right to walk along the sea wall. Continue reading
Stage 18. Jaywick to West Mersea
“Ferry,” says a male voice.
“Can you come and pick us up please?” I ask. “There are two of us and a bike.”
After a moment’s hesitation, the man says in a somewhat irritated tone, “I am not a taxi service you know.” 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 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) 