The behaviour and spatial utilization of beef cows on a Mediterranean foothill rangeland with rich hemicryptophytic vegetation was compared in small (28 ha) and large (146 and 78 ha) plots stocked at similar animal densities. Cow location and activity were monitored during late winter and early and late summer using Global Positioning System collars with motion sensors. The daily horizontal locomotion and time spent grazing ranged from 0.97 to 2.72 km and from 5.6 to 12.0 h d^-1, respectively, depending on period and plot size. The larger plots offered a wider herbage and habitat selection. While in the small plot animals visited most of the available area at least once, less than 50% was visited in the larger plots. Accordingly, cows grazed relatively higher slopes in the small plots compared to the larger ones.