17th August 2007

Plenty of fun today... I walked from Stamford to Empingham via Easton-on-Hill and Geeston/Ketton. Weather was good, nice and sunny in general. The one major problem was a run-in with a herd of bullocks while walking along the MacMillan way between Ketton and Empingham. The track ran along the edge of the field, and just as I thought I had made it past the herd safely one young thug decided to charge me and the rest joined in. I quickly decided to put an electric fence between me and him and the rest of the herd, but was then pretty much trapped hard against a very thick and high hedge, which there was no going over or through. This led to a 30 minute stand-off, with this particular young bullock pawing at the ground and snorting at me. Thankfully his dislike of me was only surpassed by his dislike of the electric fence. I managed to get away after half an hour in a two-step manoeuvre which I finished by vaulting a gate. I took a few photos of the stand-off after things had calmed a bit.