Close encounter with the bulls

[Jersey]

This morning I'm sitting in La Faba enjoying a five minute break and wow out of no where 7 bulls come strolling down the street 10 feet from me.
Wasn't concerned until 1 looked my way and started walking towards me.
No than a few seconds passed until his handler whacked him on the butt to get back in line. Pretty cool I must say

 

[Deleted member 43985]

I think they prefer a moving target

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Be happy he wasn't an escapee from the "toro bravo" ranches in the south of Spain.

 

[KinkyOne]

This morning I'm sitting in La Faba enjoying a five minute break and wow out of no where 7 bulls come strolling down the street 10 feet from me.
Wasn't concerned until 1 looked my way and started walking towards me.
No than a few seconds passed until his handler whacked him on the butt to get back in line. Pretty cool I must say

Hahaha, I remember that stretch from Las Herrerias up to O'Cebreiro on that narrow high walled or deep cut into the ground path. I was so damn fast just hoping I wasn't meeting a herd of cattle. Most possible my fastest uphill walk on any Camino

 

[dougfitz]

You might expect more encownters from here on.

 

[Jersey]

You might expect more encownters from here on.

Oh yeah. You are right. I lost count of the number that walked past me this morning in Fonfria

 

[Bradypus]

You might expect more encownters from here on.

Ouch!

Way back in another century the Camino Frances used to run right across a big field a few km beyond Roncesvalles. My very first morning in Spain. A huge bull came and stood in front of me on the path and just stared at me. All sorts of scary thoughts ran through my mind: "bull???" "Spain???" I decided to concede the right of way and made a big loop around him calling out "Buenos dias Senor Toro!" very quietly.... I think he was probably a very gentle placid beast but I didn't want to put it to the test

 

[jerbear]

I carry a small bell. (This top was given to me by a cow farmer) ring the bell and bulls disperse from the area. The mean bulls/cows are marked by wearing a bell. No debate. It works.

 

[JennyH94]

You might expect more encownters from here on.

Doug - 'love it! You're in top form!
Cheers - Jenny

 

[Bogong]

We're not supposed to talk about bull fighting, and I'll probably get a warning at the least for this, if not kicked off, but let's see how it goes (ladies don't read if you're squeamish or prudish):

A rather obnoxious and self- important tourist went into a Restaurant in a Spanish city during the bull fighting season. He was ushered to a table and served without fuss.

Suddenly the staff snapped to attention and formed a guard of honour at the entrance. An obviously very important person entered, was ushered to the best table in the room, replete with the finest silver service. The maitre hovered around him pouring from a bottle of the finest Spanish wine. The kitchen staff, all spruced up, appeared carrying a silver tureen with the most wonderful stew. A small group of musicians appeared almost out of nowhere to serenade him.

After the meal he was ushered out with the same pomp, and presented with another bottle of wine and a box of the finest Davidoff cigars.

Our obnoxious friend was not happy that someone had outranked him in importance and demanded an explanation. The maitre explained the man had paid for the privilege. The meal comprised the testicles of the bull from the day's main event.

Mr obnoxious demanded the same deal and signed up for the next night.
He was treated with exactly the same fanfare and fuss. But when the tureen's contents were revealed there was just a tiny bit of juice and a couple of small lumps of something.

Furious he demanded an explanation. The maitre was most apologetic: "Lo siento Senor. But sometimes the bull - he wins"

B

 

[Nandy61]

This morning I'm sitting in La Faba enjoying a five minute break and wow out of no where 7 bulls come strolling down the street 10 feet from me.
Wasn't concerned until 1 looked my way and started walking towards me.
No than a few seconds passed until his handler whacked him on the butt to get back in line. Pretty cool I must say

Just so newbies don't become alarmed, I doubt very much that they were bulls. Bulls cannot be controlled with a stick. And certainly no farmer could handle more than one without help. They were just cows. They too can sport horns.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Just so newbies don't become alarmed, I doubt very much that they were bulls. Bulls cannot be controlled with a stick. And certainly no farmer could handle more than one without help. They were just cows. They too can sport horns.

If you walk VDLP you will most certainly be walking amongst some bulls. Not "toro bravo" but intact male mooos.

 

[Mathew Smith]

Soto De Luina today, same thing only 5 bulls sat in the road. Very quiet road. I avoided them all by hopping into the next field. I came here to walk the Camino. Not run with the bulls. One thing at a time!

 

[Jersey]

Just so newbies don't become alarmed, I doubt very much that they were bulls. Bulls cannot be controlled with a stick. And certainly no farmer could handle more than one without help. They were just cows. They too can sport horns.

The last thing I wanted to do was alarm anyone. Personally I thought it was cool.
But I think it's a good idea for folks to be aware that they just might encounter a bull cow whatever with horns.
After some quick research I discovered you are twice as likely to be killed in the USA by a cow/bull/heifer than by a dog.
I was surprised.

 

[Gromit]

You have alarmed me. I am starting from St Jean Pied de Port on 27 August and this is the first I have heard about encountering bulls on the trail. I expect cows and am okay with that but what do I do if I come across a bull or, even worse, bulls?

 

[Anemone del Camino]

You have alarmed me. I am starting from St Jean Pied de Port on 27 August and this is the first I have heard about encountering bulls on the trail. I expect cows and am okay with that but what do I do if I come across a bull or, even worse, bulls?

You step aside quietly and calmly as you would for their female counterparts. If they are out where pilgrims are known to walk they are not an issue (unless frightened). No farmer is interested in having one of their animals injur anyone.

 

[peregrina2000]

You have alarmed me. I am starting from St Jean Pied de Port on 27 August and this is the first I have heard about encountering bulls on the trail. I expect cows and am okay with that but what do I do if I come across a bull or, even worse, bulls?

Hi, Gromit, welcome to the forum,

This thread from a few years ago might help, but I don't think alarm or panic is in order. As Anemone says, no owner of a "toro bravo" (the kind that charge) is going to leave one roaming free -- too much potential liability, and too big of an investment for the owner.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/crossing-bull-enclosures.28418/

 

[Gromit]

Hi, Gromit, welcome to the forum,

This thread from a few years ago might help, but I don't think alarm or panic is in order. As Anemone says, no owner of a "toro bravo" (the kind that charge) is going to leave one roaming free -- too much potential liability, and too big of an investment for the owner.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/crossing-bull-enclosures.28418/

Thank you for the reassurance. Of course, you are right. I just panicked for a minute. This is my first Camino which I am doing to celebrate my 70th birthday on 31 August and now that it is getting so close, I am getting a little nervous, but we have always walked and have been training for it for the past 18 months, so should be okay.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Thank you for the reassurance. Of course, you are right. I just panicked for a minute. This is my first Camino which I am doing to celebrate my 70th birthday on 31 August and now that it is getting so close, I am getting a little nervous, but we have always walked and have been training for it for the past 18 months, so should be okay.

Gromit, you will be just fine. Better than that: you will have a wonderful time. And happy b-day!

 

[dougfitz]

Just so newbies don't become alarmed, I doubt very much that they were bulls. Bulls cannot be controlled with a stick. And certainly no farmer could handle more than one without help. They were just cows. They too can sport horns.

I agree. Besides, cattle in groups are likely to be a milking herd - a farmer only ever needs one bull, and modern artificial insemination does away with even that. The chance of seeing anything but cows on the roads is going to be extremely small.

 

[nycwalking]

I agree. Besides, cattle in groups are likely to be a milking herd - a farmer only ever needs one bull, and modern artificial insemination does away with even that. The chance of seeing anything but cows on the roads is going to be extremely small.

Poor males going extinct due to AI. Let us start a save the bulls campaign.

 

[dougfitz]

Poor males going extinct due to AI. Let us start a save the bulls campaign.

Not so much going extinct, but supporting our food chain as meat rather than by producing milk.

 

[Levi]

The bulls in La Faba may have been oxen. At a fiesta near Seville a couple of months ago I was worried about the massive "bulls" sharing a small village square with a huge crowd of people. I was told they were oxen, placid, domesticated...

 

[linkster]

This thread sounds like a bunch of BULL!

 

[Gillyweb]

This morning I'm sitting in La Faba enjoying a five minute break and wow out of no where 7 bulls come strolling down the street 10 feet from me.
Wasn't concerned until 1 looked my way and started walking towards me.
No than a few seconds passed until his handler whacked him on the butt to get back in line. Pretty cool I must say

My cow/bull encounter happened so fast I didn't have time to think. Approaching Samos I had just reached the stretch where you can look down on the monastery and was ambling along quite happily. I became aware of lots of mooing and the increasingly loud sound of hooves !! Suddenly over the noise I heard a voice behind me yelling - I've no idea what, but I suspect it was something like " look out - move, MOVE !!"
I turned to find a whole herd of cattle (and I do mean about 25 of the things !!) running full tilt out of the field on my left, up the road toward me, then past me and into the field on my right. I dived into the hedge and stayed there safely till they passed. It all happened so fast that actually I just stood there and laughed afterwards. The poor farmer looked more shaken than I did. Pamplona had nothing on that moment. But hey, I survived and it's joined all my other wonderful Camino reminiscences. By the way - this is absolutely a one off. Please don't worry. On all my other Camino miles I've only ever met a few friendly cows ambling by.....the Camino isn't overrun by rampaging herds. This was just one of those things.

 

[Coleen Clark]

I carry a small bell. (This top was given to me by a cow farmer) ring the bell and bulls disperse from the area. The mean bulls/cows are marked by wearing a bell. No debate. It works.

Ya know, they used to tell hikers in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming to wear bells, it alerted Grizzly Bears of someone approaching and therefore did not startle them.
But then they started missing tourists, and finding bells in Grizzly dung.
Turned into dinner bells I guess.

 

[jerbear]

Ya know, they used to tell hikers in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming to wear bells, it alerted Grizzly Bears of someone approaching and therefore did not startle them.
But then they started missing tourists, and finding bells in Grizzly dung.
Turned into dinner bells I guess.

Any sound alerts a bear! My bear bell still dons my pack. Now it has a magnet to silence it when i want to have dinner company. I think bears dont eat bells or cameras. Lol. But the cows/bulls move with the bell sound. You need to try it to believe. EOS end of story. Have a beary nice day!

 

[Nanc]

 

[Nanc]

Close enoubters. Had severals days of sharing the road with small herds. I thought it odd to be late morning but realized that they were going from milking shed at home to a field somewhere else. Perhaps late spain evenings meant a.m. milking happened later than in the states ?
Had to watch toes cause these guys didnt care where i was but perhaps it all was non scary with cows and not bulls

 

[Pelegrin]

Close enoubters. Had severals days of sharing the road with small herds. I thought it odd to be late morning but realized that they were going from milking shed at home to a field somewhere else. Perhaps late spain evenings meant a.m. milking happened later than in the states ?
Had to watch toes cause these guys didnt care where i was but perhaps it all was non scary with cows and not bulls

The cows on the photo are beef type , so they aren´t milked. All the milk goes directly to their calves.
I think that the photo was taken in Galicia and the breed is Galician blonde.
In Galicia is very difficult seeing a bull and imposible seeing a toro bravo because there isn´t any cattle rising of that breed.
There are a few oxen for expensive meat but they are always indoors.

 

[Walter or Carol]

You might expect more encownters from here on.

Count me in too!

 

[Walter or Carol]

Count me in too!

"Cownt me in!" Darn spell checker hurts my punning

 

[NewYorkerOnTheCamino]

Hahaha, I remember that stretch from Las Herrerias up to O'Cebreiro on that narrow high walled or deep cut into the ground path. I was so damn fast just hoping I wasn't meeting a herd of cattle. Most possible my fastest uphill walk on any Camino

I encountered a down-hill moving heard of bulls in that crevice. I had nowhere to go and realized there was metal fencing up one of the high walls. I turned into spider woman and climbed a wall and hung there till the herd was almost done. When one of the bulls tried to motion toward me the herder communicated with the herding dog to bark in the bulls face. It was a total nightmare and no joke thought it would be the end of me. Glad I lived to tell the tale.

 

[mspath]

I encountered a down-hill moving heard of bulls in that crevice. I had nowhere to go and realized there was metal fencing up one of the high walls. I turned into spider woman and climbed a wall and hung there till the herd was almost done. When one of the bulls tried to motion toward me the herder communicated with the herding dog to bark in the bulls face. It was a total nightmare and no joke thought it would be the end of me. Glad I lived to tell the tale.

NewYorkerOnTheCamino,

Welcome to the forum!
Your first post certainly relates a frightening moment. Indeed all your readers here will be glad that you made it safely out of that infamous crevice near O Cebreiro.
Looking forward to reading more of your safer exploits in future posts.