DOMESTICS
On the island you will find hens behind the Lodge, and geese and ducks around the farm. Domestic sheep–the white ones–in the fields to the south of Quarter wall and pigs to the right of the main track between the village and Quarter wallgate.
The reason I’ve included a section on domestic animals is because of the Highland cattle. What glorious beasts they are and they pose beautifully for photographs.
They look imposing but are very placid and will allow you to walk around them for your picture taking. They are primarily on the island for their meat. It is growing in popularity as it is much lower in cholesterol than other forms of beef. They have long shaggy coats made up of a long oily outer hair and a downy undercoat.
The coats can be red, ginger, black, yellow, white and my favourite, the brindle. The coats come with a long fringe which covers the eyes. It looks like they can't see where they are going, but it is there to keep the flies away and is known as a “dossan”.
Their other main characteristic is their superb horns. A bulls horns grow forwards and have a wider base, whereas a cows horns face up and have slender points.
All the cattle on Lundy are boys and are called bullocks, but you can ask the farmer about that. They are also fairly easy to spot as they mostly share the same terrain as the ponies, between Quarter wall and Halfway wall. Being nearly three quarters of a ton in weight, fences don’t trouble them and sometimes they are where they are not supposed to be!
Occasionally, you will see them in Brick Field, on your right as you approach Quarter wall gate from the village.
