Went for a walk in the countryside at the weekend and had a very distressing experience.
I was walking on a thoroughfare clearly marked as a public right of way which traversed a number of fields and some wooded terrain.
Whilst crossing one of said fields, I decided to browse the hedgerows to determine if I could glean the last of the year's blackberry crop.
Whilst engaged in this activity, I became aware of a rapidly approaching heavy footfall and heavy breathing . Turning to face the source of these sounds, I found myself confronted with a huge Charolais bull just 20 feet or so from the position in which I stood. Panicking, I just threw myself into the hedge and tore my way through it in a desperate attempt to escape the attentions of this bovine behemoth. Fortunately, you'll be glad to hear, I did make it through to the other side but at a cost. I received some severe lacerations to my face and forearms from brambles and rusty barbed wire and I also hurt my right crural appendage on exiting the hedgerow owing to landing awkwardly.
Now, the whole point of this post is that I am considering taking legal action against the farmer and I want to canvass the opinion of the good people of CUK. I would attest that a farmer should not allow a dangerous animal in a field which is traversed by a public thoroughfare as the health and safety of the walking general public is greatly compromised. My friend Malc disagrees saying that a farmer is not resopnsible for the safety of those who cross his land. If he were he could end up in court just by dint, for example, of there being a stray boulder lying in his filed on which somebody has twisted their ankle.
Any comments would be most welcome.
I was walking on a thoroughfare clearly marked as a public right of way which traversed a number of fields and some wooded terrain.
Whilst crossing one of said fields, I decided to browse the hedgerows to determine if I could glean the last of the year's blackberry crop.
Whilst engaged in this activity, I became aware of a rapidly approaching heavy footfall and heavy breathing . Turning to face the source of these sounds, I found myself confronted with a huge Charolais bull just 20 feet or so from the position in which I stood. Panicking, I just threw myself into the hedge and tore my way through it in a desperate attempt to escape the attentions of this bovine behemoth. Fortunately, you'll be glad to hear, I did make it through to the other side but at a cost. I received some severe lacerations to my face and forearms from brambles and rusty barbed wire and I also hurt my right crural appendage on exiting the hedgerow owing to landing awkwardly.
Now, the whole point of this post is that I am considering taking legal action against the farmer and I want to canvass the opinion of the good people of CUK. I would attest that a farmer should not allow a dangerous animal in a field which is traversed by a public thoroughfare as the health and safety of the walking general public is greatly compromised. My friend Malc disagrees saying that a farmer is not resopnsible for the safety of those who cross his land. If he were he could end up in court just by dint, for example, of there being a stray boulder lying in his filed on which somebody has twisted their ankle.
Any comments would be most welcome.
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