According to one of our rangers, cattle grazing is a tried and tested conservation method that has been used in other areas of the dune system at White Park Bay to great effect, significantly reducing grass sward height and allowing rare plants such as orchids and winter annuals to flourish on the short turf.
The cows belong to a local farmer who rents out some of the land that the National Trust owns near the beach, and the cows have free reign at certain times of the year to take a dander around.
This is a method also used at Portstewart strand to allow a variety of flora to continue to grow and amaze us in these special places.