It’s the mystery that has been hanging over Harrogate for a week: how did a cow get into Valley Gardens — and was it reunited with its herd?
The story of the cow wandering towards the Magnesia Well Tea Room last Saturday morning is one of our best-read this week.
It has provoked numerous head scratching because Valley Gardens is nowhere near grazing cattle. It has even inspired a poem, which we’ve published below.
Dog walker Lucy Emma Renshaw-Martin spotted the bovine beast when she was taking her usual morning stroll.
The cow heads to the tea room.
Police dealing with the incident.
Lucy, who sent us these photos, still has no idea how the cow got there or what happened to it. She left as the police were struggling to deal with the loose cow.
The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Police last weekend for details of the incident. The force finally replied today with a one-line statement saying only that ‘the cow was reunited with its owner’ — leaving the mystery only partially solved.
Poem about the cow
Carole Keegan, a member of Harrogate Writers’ Circle, compiled this imaginative poem about the cow’s sojourn to Valley Gardens.
“I want to break free” sang the Friesian cow
Not to the abattoir just right now.
Aha! A hole in the fence, looks big enough for me
Plenty of Flora and Fauna and of course the magnesia well for a cup of tea
It’s strange to be here without the herd
A few pics and police but nobody’s saying a word
Everyone’s looking at me but not even a MOO
Perhaps I should pop over and shout BOO!
It’s a mystery how I got here, buts it’s been such fun
I do love Patrica Hodge as Miranda’s mum!
AND an added boost I can manure the roses and plants
Maybe to the onlookers it will be pants.
I’ve looked all over and don’t know how I will be taken away
Oh the memories of such a glorious day
Gosh,I know I will put a daisy in my mouth, with a pout
Join the Magic Roundabout….hey Zebedee
Please wait for me!
Read more:
- Cow found wandering around Harrogate’s Valley Gardens
- Last Post marks 100th anniversary of Harrogate war memorial
Stone-carved poem to be unveiled at Brimham Rocks
A poem specially written by the Poet Laureate and carved into a permanent art installation will be unveiled at Brimham Rocks this Thursday (June 22).
Huddersfield-born poet Simon Armitage was commissioned by the National Trust to write the poem, which encapsulates why it is such an important place for nature, wildlife, and visitors.
A permanent art installation of two large stones, each containing a verse of the poem, will be positioned at Brimham on the north moor adjacent to the rocks, offering a place of reflection and contemplation.
The poem’s name, Balancing Act, reflects the sometimes conflicting roles the National Trust must play in both protecting and sharing Brimham Rocks.
Simon Armitage is professor of poetry at the University of Leeds and was appointed Poet Laureate in 2019. He said:
“It was a chance to get reacquainted with the rocks. I’d explored them as a child and in my memory, they were almost mythical or pieces of an alien landscape. Coming back to the area as an adult and a poet they were no less fascinating and mysterious but carried new messages connected to the environment, the precarious state of nature and the importance of wild spaces to our well-being.
“I also discovered that Brimham Rocks is more than just the stones, and the poem is a celebration of the wider ecosystem, from some of its more glamorous and obvious manifestations to micro-organisms, open moorland, and seemingly empty skies.”
Brimham Rocks is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Designated by Natural England, the status is used to protect the natural, environmental, or geological heritage of the British Isles from development, pollution, or insensitive land management.
Justin Scully, general manager at Brimham Rocks and Fountains Abbey, said:
“We are delighted to be working with Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and to have a physical representation of his poem Balancing Act as a permanent art installation on the moor at Brimham.
“We want to make Brimham Rocks feel more relevant to people and their everyday lives. We want it to be a place of reflection and inspiration, where visitors can come and spend some quiet time connecting with nature as well as a place where they come to climb, hike and play.”
The poem has been carved by the National Trust’s lead specialist craftsperson, Richard Dawson, into a type of North Yorkshire sandstone called Witton Fell. Sourced from an independent local company, the stone was chosen for its colour and texture, which is representative of the stone formation at Brimham.
The poem Balancing Act will be used by the National Trust to provide example and inspiration for further engagement with the public through literary events and activities with other artists and education providers.
Read more:
- Simon Armitage poem to be carved in stone at Brimham Rocks
- Cattle introduced to Brimham Rocks
- Famous author to return to Ripon Poetry Festival
Simon Armitage poem to be carved in stone at Brimham Rocks
Poet laureate Simon Armitage has been commissioned to write a poem inspired by Brimham Rocks and the surrounding moorland.
The poem, called Balancing Act, will be carved in stone and placed on the moor.
Brimham Rocks is an outcrop of millstone grit rocks formed 325 million years ago near Pateley Bridge. The site, owned by the National Trust, was designated a site of special scientific interest in 1958.
Mr Armitage, who was born in Huddersfield, was appointed poet laureate in 2019. A former geography student at Portsmouth Polytechnic, his work often focuses on northern landscapes.
He appeared at arts festival Feva in Knaresborough and at Ripon Poetry Festival in 2021.
A National Trust representative is due to give a presentation about the poem at Pateley Bridge Town Council tonight.
A trust spokesperson said the poem will “create a permanent artwork and place for reflection” and will be debuted at an official launch on June 22.
Further details are expected next week.
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