Ruth Livingstone
My book: Walking the English Coast
Click for further information
Winfield’s Award
Killer Cows: Killer Cows
A cautionary tale from Ireland
When Irish farmer, Dominic Leonard, was crushed by one of his cows, he suffered serious head injuries. In a video he describes the attack, the aftermath of his injuries, and the effect it had on him and his family.
Suggestions to improve footpath safety
There is often a bad’un in a herd and she is a catalyst for the others.
Surrounded and trampled by cows
I ended up on the ground, being trampled under the hooves of 10 or 15 cows.
Tag Archives: english
30. Fobbing to Tilbury
“Or, if you walk into the village, you may be able to catch a bus.”
“I am not allowed to travel by bus,” I tell him.
If he thinks this is a little odd, he is too polite to say so.
Continue reading
29. Southend to Basildon to Fobbing
I hesitate outside the dark mouth of the gloomy alleyway. For the first time on my whole journey, I feel very uneasy. I am not concerned about tides, or mud, or even snakes. It is the thought of ….. Continue reading
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
26. Burnham on Crouch to Rochford
I am planning to make good progress over the next few days. Who knows, I might even manage to leave Essex. With 350 miles of coastline, Essex has the longest coastline in England. I was not aware of this fact before I encountered its miles of estuaries ….
Continue reading
22. Maldon to Maylandsea
Here is Byrhtnoth, the Earldorman of Essex, bold and fierce, looking out to sea. I see Bradwell Power Station ahead of me and realise am making little progress. I worry about snakes and twisted ankles …. then my phone dies. Continue reading
Stage 20. Old Hall Marshes to Tollesbury
Bradwell Power Station looms menacingly on the horizon. There is the threat of rain and strange colour-changing light. My trousers look like an insect graveyard – sticky webs with spiders, flies, butterflies, beetles, ladybirds… Little flies extract their revenge on behalf of the insect kingdom, attacking my upper arms. Continue reading
Posted in 04 Essex
Tagged Blackwater, britain, british, coast, coastal, england, english, Essex, hiking, insects, light, marina, marsh, nature reserve, nuclear, path, photography, pier, power station, rain, ships, Tollesbury, walk, walker, walking
10 Comments
Stage 19. West Mersea to Peldon to Old Hall Farm
This is a day of highs and lows – and of unanswered questions. What has caused the death of all these little crabs? Why am I forced to play “chicken” with uncoming cars? And what is the purpose of that large, menacing building in the distance? Continue reading
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
Posted in 04 Essex
Tagged britain, british, coast, coastal, Dovercourt, england, english, Essex, Essex Coast, foot path, footpath, Hamford Water, Harwich, hiking, horse, Kirby-le-Soken, Lowestoft, marsh, Norfolk Coastal Path, path, UK, walk, walker, walking
8 Comments
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
Posted in 02 Norfolk
Tagged 02 Norfolk, beach, britain, british, coast, coastal, coastal erosion, Cromer, english, erosion, goynes, hiking, Marl Point, Mundesley, Norfolk Coastal Path, Overstrand, path, photography, pier, Sheringham, UK, walk, walker, walking
12 Comments
