Monday 27 July, not available today to check on the cows but will be over there tomorrow and later in the week.

.

Sunday 26th July - All 4 seen

Shortly after 15:30 this afternoon, the cattle were gathered in the woodland in the northeast corner of the site, near ///wakes.timer.yours, about five metres south of Aldershot Road. They all watched with interest as I approached, relaxing and chewing their cud. Steers 200 and 208 were quick to wander over to greet me, with steer 200 enjoying plenty of head and neck strokes. Steer 207 soon came over to join us, while cow 201 initially hung back before happily letting me approach for her check. All four were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

After our initial greetings, the cattle formed a loose circle around me, continuing to rest and chew their cud. Despite the deep shade and a fairly gusty wind, they were still being bothered by large numbers of flies. They were happy to stand close, with me providing some protection from the flies. Steer 200 especially enjoyed a long back scratch.

At 15:55, they began to wander through the woodland and into the thicket to the south, where they started to graze. They enjoyed plenty of long grass and leaves from the many trees and bushes. They didn't remain there for long before making their way into the woodland to the west and continuing south towards ///grumbling.jets.march, close to Gelvert Bottom. Here, all four feasted on the fresh, lush grass, gradually moving west. Unfortunately, the Gelvert Stream was completely dry, meaning there was no drinking water available, although it did make crossing much easier. Before crossing the stream, cow 201 wandered along another trench, thoroughly enjoying the abundance of fresh grass growing along its banks. I said my goodbyes shortly after 16:20, leaving them all peacefully grazing in the sunshine.

Before making my way to the far side of the site, I checked the water levels in the pond at ///highs.modest.selection, where there was still drinking water available. After saying cheerio to the cattle, I made my way to the northwest corner of the site to check the water levels by the Fire Hydrant sign near ///community.folds.large. There was still plenty of pooled water, which was trickling into the surrounding area.

The cattle were all doing well today.

water source

///highs.modest.selection

Unsure why the water beacon isnt showing on No Fence for everyone.

Above is the W3Ws it is a deep ish hole, however all ditches were dry when we moved them.

Ive also attached a picture with the beacon showing.

Hope this helps

2.45, Mon 20th July, all 4 sitting in the shade to the right of the road that heads towards test track gate.

They were hard to spot in the dense foliage and I don’t know where the fire hydrant sign is to check water levels?  Is there a W3W? The ditches were damp looking but not flowing.  

Sunday 19h July - All 4 seen

At 15:25 this afternoon, the cattle were resting beneath the shade of the trees in the northwest corner of the site, near ///bind.senders.poses. Steer 200 and cow 201 both got up when they heard me approaching, peering through the branches before relaxing when they saw a familiar face. Steers 207 and 208 soon followed, getting to their feet while I was saying hellos to the other two, who had wandered over to greet me. Although it was cooler today, with a gentle breeze blowing, there were still plenty of flies about, although the cattle didn't seem too bothered by them.

After our initial greetings, the cattle were content to gather around me to relax and chew their cud. Steer 200 leaned in for a neck rub before shuffling forward for a back scratch. I noticed he had somehow managed to flip the neck strap on his collar, making it even tighter than it already was. After a long, relaxing back scratch, he patiently allowed me to straighten the strap on his collar. Since he was being so accommodating, I also took the opportunity to loosen the collar slightly to make it more comfortable for him.

The cattle were all happy, relaxed, and looking well. Even when some aircraft making last-minute arrivals for the Farnborough Airshow flew overhead quite close to their position, they remained calm and continued to chew their cud. I was delighted to discover that they had found the pool of water by the fire hydrant sign, with footprints indicating that they'd been drinking from there. I said my goodbyes at 16:15, leaving them all peacefully resting beneath the trees.

The cattle were all good today.

x4 cattle moved to Brocks Hill

Cattle brought onto Brocks Hill, found a water source, which will do the cattle whilst the air show restrictions are in place. We hope to move them off of Long Valley shortley before the water source dissapears.

Thank you for your continued support

The geazing team

Sunday 12th July – All 4 seen – Test Track access restricted daily due to the Farnborough Airshow, plus local road closures

The cattle were initially deep in the thicket near ///expel.podcast.duet, fairly close to the Test Track fence line at the eastern edge of the reserve. Despite pushing through the woodland to reach the fence line and then following it northeast, I completely missed them on my first attempt. However, after turning back and retracing my steps, I was greeted about halfway along by a chorus of moos, letting me know I had finally found them. All four were standing watching me with great interest, but there was no passable route through to them. So, I was very pleased when they followed me back to the clearing near the step stile onto the Test Track, around ///merely.cheered.bright, where I was finally able to join them at the end. 16:30.

Steers 200 and 208 immediately came over to say hello, both enjoying a few strokes before contentedly standing beside me to rest and chew their cud. Despite the gusty wind, which made the hot conditions much more comfortable, the boys were still being bothered by numerous flies around their eyes. Cow 201 soon came over to join us, remaining in the shade of the trees, while steer 207 stayed a little further back among the bushes. After a while, I wandered over to check on him, only for him to follow me back to where the other three were standing. Steer 200 has really started to enjoy having his back scratched, happily shuffling around to make sure I reached all of his itchy spots.

The cattle continued to rest, moving a little deeper into the shade of the trees and bushes, but remaining happy for me to stand with them. They would occasionally nibble on the gorse or browse leaves from the trees. All four were happy, relaxed, and looking well. They all appeared to be coping well with the extended period of hot weather, showing no signs of heat stress. I said my goodbyes at 17:15, leaving them all resting peacefully.

I wandered along to check the water levels in the pasture pumps and found they were both empty, so I gave them a good clean and refilled them. A small amount of water was left around the bases and on the ground after cleaning and refilling the pumps. Afterwards, I checked the water levels in the ditch and found it completely dry again.

Please be aware that entry into the Test Track section is now restricted due to the Farnborough International Airshow. Interestingly, it appears they have reused the signage from 2024, as the dates are incorrect. Aircraft validation is due to take place between 13th and 19th July, with the airshow running from 20th to 24th July. In addition, please be aware that there are a number of local road closures between 12:00 and 17:30 each day. These include the entire A323 Fleet Road, as well as Aldershot Road between its junction with the A323 and the Foresters pub. There are also restrictions in place on Aldershot Road from the roundabout at Tesco, with access permitted only for residents and those visiting the pub (this is the section past the main vehicle entrance to Long Valley).

Am I right in assuming the cattle will remain on the Test Track section during the Airshow? I know that when we had cattle on the Test Track back in 2022, they were removed for the duration of the show.

The cows were all good today.