The sad death of vet Liz Crowsley, 49,who was walking her dogs along a stretch of the Pennine Way, Gayle in upper Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, calls into question the responsibilities of farmers.

All walkers have a responsibility, of course, to respect the stock in the fields they are crossing but I have come across some pretty angry cattle. The bullocks below (the picture is taken from the style I had escaped over in the Yorkshire Dales last week) were quite craven when faced down…but still pretty alarming.

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Heifers, strangely, can be even bolder and the worst experience I have had involved a group of older cows in Northumberland. They had just been moved in the field by the farmer – by chasing them with a West Highland White Terrier – and that had prepared them nicely for the sight of our two Jack Russells.

They charged, I faced them - which usually does the trick – but there was one which almost didn’t stop. It did… just….and let out the most venomous bellow in my face you could imagine.