7/06/2019 Walking from Peatling Magna to Foston (rain interrupted) approx 3 miles.

Forecast was not brilliant.

Have to say the weather man did get it right and it was a very wet day.

Only required on hot sunny days.

We started from the The Cock Inn and proceeded in the direction of Foston. It was raining at this point in time but quite light, nothing that our waterproofs couldn't cope with.

After walking out of Peatling Magna we encountered a farmer holding up the traffic retrieving about a dozen cattle that had escaped from a field. Then, after they had secured the cows we continued on our walk only to come across another cow wandering up the road. Later we found out that it was in fact a bull, a very large BULL, he was a big boy. The farmer came by in his pick up and attempted to coral said bull but to no avail. The bull turned round and disappeared down the road.
Ten minutes later coming up the road was another farmer in another pick up leading the bull.

We all stood on the side of the road, out of harms way hopefully, as they proceeded up the lane.

 They were virtually parallel with the group when the bull turned tail, ran down the lane, then jumped over the hedge and the fence then disappeared across the field of corn at about 50 miles an hour with one of the farmers in hot pursuit although losing ground rapidly. That was the last that we saw of the farmers and the bull. Quite an exciting episode.

Continuing on our walk at a more leisurely pace we saw places where the cows had left their mark on the road so we fathomed out that they had travelled quite a distance. Then we came across evidence of where a car, possibly a pick up, had left the road and gone through the hedge. 

So we solved the mystery of how the herd got out and went for a walk along the lane.

Sheltering from the rain we decide to continue to the next cattle grid and if the rain persisted we would turn back.

The rain continued so after a couple of group shots, we set off back to the cars then round to The Garden Centre in Countesthorpe to dry off.

Very interesting walk, wet, fraught with apprehension (not everyone likes to meet a bull walking towards them) and a bit of detective work trying to solve the mystery of how the cows went walkabouts.
Could this be the winner in the 'Bird on the fence' photo competition

It was a Yellow Hammer. Very rare and not easy to spot.

 Great photo as was the photos of the Bull.
Thanks for the photos boys.
See you all next week for more gripping stories from the Cosby Friday Walking Group.