(Apologies to Daphne du Maurier.)
Back in June 1992, I took a day trip to Amberley, West Sussex, and got attacked by cows. Bullocks, actually. Angry half-tonne Jersey bullocks who knew on some fundamental level what would become of their bullock bollocks in just a few weeks. I was walking along their footpath and they stood up—yes, stood up—like Gandalf and bellowed something that sounded a lot like "You shall not pass!"
Today I returned to the scene of the crime. No bullocks anywhere.
One reason for going back was this bridge, which I showed you earlier:
Here it is today:
(By the way, the top image was taken on Kodachrome 64 with a Canon T-90; the bottom one, on a Canon EOS 20D. I'm looking forward to seeing them next to each other on a color-timed monitor instead of my laptop. Comparisons would be appreciated.)
From there, I walked up the path past the Cow Attack of 1992 and another 6 km or so beyond. Along the way, I did encounter some livestock, but these guys were (a) actually cows and (b) quite friendly:
They actually follwed me, single file, across the meadow you see in the background, and then lined up for this group shot. Then they got bored and wandered off. Unlike my last enocounter with cattle on that footpath, I did not run screaming while they chased me all the way to the stile which I then had to leap in a single bound.
I once again ate at The Bridge, the same pub I ate at in 1992. Like many pubs in rural England, they allow dogs. Cassie here was very interested in my ham sandwich:
Finally, a tip. It is possible to get sunburned in the U.K. Sunscreen and hats do less good back at the hotel in London than they do on the hike.