Highland cattle wandering on Minchinhampton Common

I'd heard the highland cows were back on the common despite not having seen them on my previous visits. I had to drive around a wide area of the common land but finally found them on the last area where they might have been.

The cows are owned by 'Commoners' who have ancient rights of grazing their animals on the common going back to just after the reign of William the Conqueror, in the 12th century. This year however the number of cows is much reduced from last year, but the herd of highland cows is about the same size.

I watched them for a long while peacefully grazing as well as sitting down at times in the pretty natural grassland landscape of the common, maintained by its owner, the National Trust.

I can see this patch of grassland near Tom Long's Post sited on the top of the common as I look up from desk to the horizon, about two miles away from here.