The cows return to graze on Michinhampton Common

I had a quiet day at home at last, with no particular pressure to do anything, which wasn't to say that I did nothing.

When Helena came home I mentioned I wanted to go and see a strimmer that I might buy, which required a short drive along the Nailsworth valley to small industrial site. Having confirmed that that model looks best for us, I will probably buy it cheaper elsewhere at the weekend. So having mentioned to Helena that the cows were supposed to be back on Minchinhampton Common we decided to drive up the side of the valley onto the flat and extensive National Trust common land.

Art first we couldn't see any animals but once we'd reached Tom Long's Post, at the very centre of the common, we saw a large herd all gathered together on the slopes down towards Brimscombe. I drove nearby and parked beside the road and we wandered across in pursuit of them. The first herd seemed to want to be very close together and Helena suggested that they were afraid of the big wide open spaces after having being cooped up in various farm barns all winter.

I spotted a separate group of long horned Highland cattle further away and headed off to try and photograph them. They were wholly absorbed by the abundance of grass and buttercups to be concerned by people. They kept wandering quite quickly so it was hard to get a good vantage ;point. In fact I am annoyed that I didn't check the quality of my pictures as too many of them were not what I wanted. Before long the two groups of cattle turned around and each went in opposite directions. This straggler was perfectly lined up for me to get a landscape shot looking back towards Stroud. In fact it is exactly the same angle of view as I get from desk, except ij reverse. The white house at the far right of the line of houses in the distance is where we live at the far eastern edge of the town.

You can just see some purple flowers in the verdant grassland which is maintained as traditional Cotswold grazing land. This allows these quite rare purple orchids to thrive on the common as does the carpet of buttercups and cowslips that seem to coat everything in all directions. Cattle have been allowed to graze here since the Norman conquest of England in 1066, and the Commoners still have various rights passed on through ownership of the land adjacent to the common, one of which is to graze their cattle, but only in the summer months, so that the vegetation has time to grow back and be maintained in good order. It is a fine balance. Somehow that balance now includes a golf course across parts of the common and it is quite common to see the cows grazing on the 'green' so that the golfers can't play. It seems that the cows have the right of way.