Sheep Encounter !

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kingrollo

kingrollo

Guru
Of all the issues I expected when taking my new to me Grasshopper off road. Would the slightest bump have me on my backside,? was the terrain quite as flat as it looked? ....how would I get the bike over the little stream , and through the gates.

Well it was all going pretty well - 1 low speed tumble which I almost expected.

Then I passed a sheep, then 2 sheep - then wallop a whole load of sheep blocked my way and all stood there in unison - motionless - there eyes fixed, stone cold on me, - it was like scene from Zulu - with sheep. ! - I slowed down , hoping my dazzling front light would unerve them - but these guys were hardcore - I slowed and slowed - what noise could I make that would shift these blighters???? - Just as I was about to halt - one of the sheep bottled it - then another, then another, keen to stay upright I slowly pushed on - the sheep were now in full retreat - I now know how the allied troops felt in the D day landings - eventually they all scuttled into the long grass - game over........so I thought.


The sheep had clearly called for reinforcements and on my return a much larger mob had assembled on the path in front of me - these were freshly cropped blighters and looked pretty mean - I had the advantage though ....I'd faced em down once before - despite there bravado I knew it was all front ....I thought of some noises that sheep would be scared off - and started to shout .,. "Go go go" -;once more there resolved crumbled and they began to gallop away - a herd of pink backsides disappearing into the dust .....all going to plan .....,....Until I was nearing the end of the path ...there was grass either side if the sheep went into that I had a clear run at the gate - but if they headed for the closed gate , a major confrontation loomed ....and so it proved the sheep had no where to go ...and I had to get through that gate ....this could prove a long night....

Anyway I had the idea of outmanoeuvring the furry thugs .....I angled myself to the side ...clearly giving the sheep an off ramp ...which they thankfully took .. .they all galloped back up the path.....

Videos coming soon !!
 
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Pat "5mph"

Pat "5mph"

A kilogrammicaly challenged woman
Moderator
Location
Glasgow
Can't wait for the videos!
 
E

ebikeerwidnes

Guru
Location
Z’ha’dum
kingrollo said:
Of all the issues I expected when taking my new to me Grasshopper off road. Would the slightest bump have me on my backside, was the terrain quite as flat as it looked....how would I get the bike over the little stream , and through the gates.

Well it was all going pretty well - 1 low speed tumble which I almost expected.

Then I passed a sheep, then 2 sheep - then wallop a whole load of sheep blocked my way and all stood there in unison - motionless - there eyes fixed on me - it was like scene from Zulu - with sheep. ! - I slowed down , hoping my dazzling front would unerve them - but these guys were hardcore - I slowed and slowed - what noise could I make that would shift these blighters???? - Just as I was about to halt - one of the sheep bottled it - then another, then another, keen to stay upright I slowly pushed on - the sheep were now in full retreat - I now know how the allied troops felt in the d day landings - eventually they all scuttled into the long grass - game over........so I thought.


The sheep had clearly called for reinforcements and on my return a much larger mob had assembled on the path in front of me - these were freshly cropped blighters and looked pretty mean - I had the advantage though ....I'd faced em down once before - despite there bravado I knew it was all front ....I thought of some noises that sheep would be scared off - and started to shout .,. "Go go go" -;once more there resolved crumbled and they began to gallop away - a herd of pink backsides disappearing into the dust .....all going to plan .....,....Until I was nearing the end of the path ...there was grass either side if the sheep went into that I had a clear run at the gate - but if they headed for the closed gate , a major confrontation loomed ....and so it proved the sheep had no where to go ...and I had to get through that gate ....this could prove a long night....

Anyway I had the idea of outmanoeuvring the furry thugs .....I angled myself to the side ...clearly giving the sheep an off ramp ...which they thankfully took .. .they all galloped back up the path.....

Videos coming soon !!
Click to expand...

Videos

I was expecting a release date at a national chain!!!!
 
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OP
kingrollo

kingrollo

Guru
ebikeerwidnes said:
The fans will flock to the site!
Click to expand...
Jesus wept your sacked as editor !
 
a.twiddler

a.twiddler

Veteran
I'm glad to see you're getting out and about on the Grasshopper. I hope you're getting more adapted to it now, and getting to enjoy it.
Many years ago I was with a group from my then club on a YHA weekend in mid Wales. We came round a bend in a narrow lane to find a hundred yards worth of sheep being driven the other way by a couple of shepherds and a dog. We had no choice but to squeeze to one side and wait, knee deep in sheep, until the relentless tide of bleating dimness had gone by. It struck me at the time that despite their apparent stupidity, sheep have a powerful ability to survive just by weight of numbers.

A couple of years ago I was in the Shropshire lanes on the way to Ellesmere. I was following a “family route” through some narrow and badly surfaced lanes. I came across a sheep outside a gate where there seemed to be hundreds more sheep inside. When it saw me it made a run for it. I hoped that if I stopped it might turn back to the gate if the attraction of the herd was greater than its fear of me but it kept on running. I tried stopping several times but no luck. After being preceded by the sheep for a couple of miles it turned left up a farm track so I continued on my way. It seems that the Linear is not so good for herding sheep! I'm certainly no sheep psychologist, and can't get into the mind of a sheep. I'd probably get tangled up in its woolly thinking. Though being a prey animal, away from the flock it's probably driven by a prime directive. Run! I mutton get caught!
 
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ebikeerwidnes

Guru
Location
Z’ha’dum
A slightly different tack

many years ago I was working on the farm of a friend's relatives for 3 weeks on summer in Canada

the second time I did that they were looking after a few hundred sheep that a neighbour had bought in Northern Canada and brought South as the prices were higher here

anyway - they were all penned in a big field on this farm

On the farm there was also a pet dog - goldern retreiver and purely a pet with zero sense and ability to do anything other than than eat and be stroked

anyway - one night we were woken in the early hours because the sheep had managed to escape and had headed directly for the next door farms registered wheat crop - which was very valuable and not to be eaten by sheep!!


we shot out and ran up the road and started trying to herd the sheep out of the wheat field and down the road back to the right farm

all the time everyone had been shouting "do let the dog out!!!!" - she would clearly just chase the sheep!


anyway - she managed to get out anyway and shot down the road to where we were trying to herd the sheep - with zero experience and not much success

and she just saw what we were doing

and took over

she herded the whole damn flock perfectly
could have been trained to do it

all we had to do was block off the possible paths off the road and she herd them out of the field and 20-300 yards down the road
where we blocked the road and she pushed them in through the farm gate and then into the right field

it was am amazing display of natural ability from the wrong breed and a dog that was thought to be a soft soppy idiot


so she was the farm hero

for a few days until she found and pestered a skunk by the barn
when she became "less popular"
 
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OP
kingrollo

kingrollo

Guru
a.twiddler said:
I'm glad to see you're getting out and about on the Grasshopper. I hope you're getting more adapted to it now, and getting to enjoy it.
Many years ago I was with a group from my then club on a YHA weekend in mid Wales. We came round a bend in a narrow lane to find a hundred yards worth of sheep being driven the other way by a couple of shepherds and a dog. We had no choice but to squeeze to one side and wait, knee deep in sheep, until the relentless tide of bleating dimness had gone by. It struck me at the time that despite their apparent stupidity, sheep have a powerful ability to survive just by weight of numbers.

A couple of years ago I was in the Shropshire lanes on the way to Ellesmere. I was following a “family route” through some narrow and badly surfaced lanes. I came across a sheep outside a gate where there seemed to be hundreds more sheep inside. When it saw me it made a run for it. I hoped that if I stopped it might turn back to the gate if the attraction of the herd was greater than its fear of me but it kept on running. I tried stopping several times but no luck. After being preceded by the sheep for a couple of miles it turned left up a farm track so I continued on my way. It seems that the Linear is not so good for herding sheep! I'm certainly no sheep psychologist, and can't get into the mind of a sheep. I'd probably get tangled up in its woolly thinking. Though being a prey animal, away from the flock it's probably driven by a prime directive. Run! I mutton get caught!
Click to expand...

It was funny the sheep gave me a look not dissimilar to when most folk see a recumbent for the first time .....like ....wtf is that ???
 
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