Of the many animal encounters we had during our Gold award expeditions, the bovine variety in particular proved an interesting hurdle throughout. On one occasion we had to pluck up the courage to wade through an immovable herd blocking the gate through which we needed to pass. Naturally, I led the way after encouragement from my group (far less composed than I tried to portray) and we got through safely, only to flee from a stampede from their far more aggressive cousins the following day! As someone who never really spent loads of time in the countryside prior to my expeditions, it was a wee bit of a thrill, though no doubt routine for those more experienced than myself! Funnily, the number and size of the cows increases every time these stories are told. I'm now certain I spotted a minotaur... On days of such encounters, there was nothing better than sitting down after setting up camp with a hot drink, debriefing and retelling these heroics from our travels!