Tuesday 3rd November - All 25 seen

The cattle were all seen in three groups this morning.

The first group consisted of steers 30, 210 and 1626, along with cows 211, 212 and 234, who were gathered near ///liner.bridge.folds. Steers 197, 219 and 1640, along with cow 1396, had crossed the path and were grazing in the heather on the far side.

A second group of youngsters 217, 270 and 271 were grazing in the woodland to the east of the Sandy Bowl, having moved down from the southwest shortly before I arrived.

The remaining twelve cattle were spread out across the area, from youngsters 227, 228 and 230, grazing in the bramble near the Royal Pavilion, to steers 20, 33 and 222, grazing near the cow shed. Cow 940 had found a lovely area of heather southeast of the cow shed and was enjoying her breakfast.

The cattle were all very friendly as I made my way around checking on them, with many stopping their grazing to come over for plenty of strokes and rubs, as well as neck and back scratches.

I'll add a full update and some photos later.

The cattle were all good today.

Monday 2nd - All 25 seen

 Between 06:45 - 08:45

All seen 5 groups

///pulse.rebounder.shifting 940,033,212,1640,211 and 222

///beeline.drilled.dignitary 219,1396,197 and 210 

///ironclad.seaweed.competing 214,234,227,072 and 021

///cubed.duties.splice 230,020,035 and 030

///eyelid.detained.acoustics 228,270,271,217 and 220

All the cattle were good this morning, grazing and enjoying the early morning sunshine, some hadn’t got up on my first visit but were all standing on my return. When I returned to Sandy Hill Road, where I had parked, 940 and 212 had made their way up the hill and were moving eastwards past the apple tree.

All the cattle were good this morning.

Sunday 1st November - All 25 seen

At 10:15 this morning, youngsters 227 and 270 were grazing deep in the gorse bushes south of James Bond Pond, near ///regal.jolly.swimmer. Youngster 270 was quick to come out and join me on the path, keen to say hello and settle in for plenty of neck and back scratches. After a while, youngster 227 appeared at the edge of the bushes and stopped for a few strokes before returning to graze.

At 10:35, steers 20, 35, 217, 219, 220, 222, 228, and 1640, along with cow 72, were foraging in the woodland near ///line.tedious.huts. They were all very friendly, taking turns to come over to greet me and enjoy plenty of attention. Youngsters 219 and 222 were especially friendly, both thoroughly enjoying long neck and back scratches. It was another foggy morning, and the cattle were all damp from being out in the fog. Although there was no rain, the air was so saturated with moisture that you could feel the fine droplets of fog on your skin while spending time with them.

I said my goodbyes at 11:05 and headed west to find the next group of cattle, with youngster 219 following closely behind. Steer 197, along with cows 212 and 214, were happily grazing near ///tabs.tiles.loft. On the far side of the track, cow 940 was munching contentedly on a patch of grass, with steer 1626 browsing leaves nearby. She was very friendly and enjoyed a neck rub before positioning herself for a lengthy back scratch. She's still very much the boss, seeing off any other cattle that dared to interrupt her scratching session! Further north, cows 211, 234 and 1396, along with steers 33 and 210, were peacefully grazing together. They all stopped to say hello and enjoy some strokes during their checks. By 11:30, steer 1640 had joined the group, and all twelve moved into the pasture near ///plotter.users.greet to continue grazing.

At 11:35, most of the cattle from the second group had gathered around the patch of grass near ///shock.bank.motoring to rest and chew their cud. They had been joined by youngsters 227 and 270. It was lovely to see youngsters 270 and 271 reunited and enjoying a bit of play fighting. Youngsters 222 and 228 enjoyed lots more attention before the group moved into the gorse bushes to the east. Cow 72 stayed behind and thoroughly enjoyed back scratches, lowering her head and almost falling asleep at one point.

Finally, at 12:30, the final three cattle were at the eastern end of Sandy Hill near the pillbox. Steer 21 was enjoying plenty of grass and bramble along the strip of grass at the side of the main path. Steers 30 and 230 were apart, but both were deep in the gorse bushes at the edge of the hill. I went in to say hello and check on them, only for both to follow me out into the open, making things a little easier. Afterwards, I returned to spend some more time with steer 21, who was now relaxing and chewing his cud. I said my goodbyes at 13:15, leaving him resting while the other two continued to browse on the gorse.

The cattle were all good today.

Saturday 31st October - All 25 seen

At 09:05 this morning, cow 211 and steer 217 were grazing in the thicket about 200 metres west of Horse Pond, near ///secures.nags.wand. They both emerged from the bushes to say hello, with cow 211 enjoying a long neck rub before thanking me with plenty of licks. About 110 metres further west, cows 212 and 1396, along with steers 21, 35 and 210, were peacefully grazing on grass and heather near ///dries.forum.manuals. They were very friendly, taking turns to come over to greet me and enjoy plenty of strokes and rubs.

As the morning went on, cow 214 and steers 20, 33, 197, 219, 220, 222, 228, 1626 and 1640 either emerged from the woodland to the northwest or wandered down the tracks from the northeast. They all came straight over to say hello when they spotted me. Cow 214 and steers 219 and 228 thoroughly enjoyed long back scratches, while youngster 222 preferred a lengthy neck and shoulder rub, rewarding me with the sweetest head rubs. They were all happy, relaxed and looking well. 

By 10:00, it looked as though no one else was going to join me, so I set off northeast towards the hill leading up to the Lookout, where I found cows 234 and 940, along with steer 271, happily grazing. Cow 234 quickly positioned herself for a back scratch before cow 940 came over to say hello. She was looking well today, munching happily on grass and gorse before stopping for a drink from a large pool of water nearby. She was happy to stand for some strokes and rubs before crossing the path to graze some more. Cow 72 and steer 230 were grazing further west, in the thicket on both sides of the main path.

By 10:20, steers 30, 227 and 270 were grazing near ///blues.enjoys.ooze, southwest of the Lookout. Youngster 227 was the first to come over to say hello, thoroughly enjoying a lengthy neck and back scratch. By the time we'd finished, the dense fog that had blanketed the site had given way to warm autumn sunshine. The other two were happy to let me approach them for their checks, with youngster 270 leaning in for neck and back scratches.

By 11:00, the majority of the cattle from the first groups had settled down on the hillside near ///pythons.slug.inflates to rest and chew their cud. They were all looking very comfortable lying in the heather in the sunshine. Steers 33, 35, 228 and 1626 were spread out grazing nearby. I went to spend some more time with them, and several got to their feet to enjoy some more fuss. It was lovely to see them all enjoying being back out on Caesar's after their time in Camp 45.

Around midday, most of the cattle started to get up and drift off towards Longbottom to graze some more. Cow 72 and steers 217, 220, 222, 228, 230 and 271 remained behind, happy to carry on resting in the sunshine. After a final round of strokes and rubs, I said my goodbyes shortly after 12:30, leaving them all resting peacefully.

The cattle were all good today.