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.