Things that go bump in the night...
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I love a spooky story. Those that know me know I love anything mysterious, weird, strange, odd or bizarre. So what can I dig out about the great outdoors? These are a few things I've come across recently and one or two I've known about for a while.
The Grey Man of Macdhui
For ages there has been talk of a presence on Ben Mcdhui, the highest mountain in the Cairngorms. There have been no actual sightings, but many reports of strange noises or people being aware of something; hearing footsteps, but much larger strides than their own or crunching behind them. Many theories exist, but perhaps one suggestion is that people are seeing Broken Spectres where, usually in the mist, you see your shadow against the cloud, surrounded by a rainbow but, as many people have experienced irrational and unexplained fear on Ben Macdhui, perhaps there really is something there on that wild and lonely mountain....
The Black Eyed Child of Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase in Staffordshire is an area of outstanding natural beauty, but it also has a slightly less attractive side. Reports of aliens, UFOs, strange lights and the Pigman but also the Black Eyed Child. Photographers and drone footage have captured what appears to be the spirit of a young girl with a pale face and very dark eyes. Stories of black eyed children have been around since the 1990s, many from America, but urban myth or truth, who knows?
The Hellfire Caves of West Wycombe
These man made caves and tunnels extend nearly half a mile into the chalk and flint around the village of West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. They were dug in the 18th century for Sir Francis Dashwood who founded the Hellfire Club which held its meetings in the caves (the name actually came later - Sir Francis called the club the Brotherhood of St Francis of Wycombe, among others) and their use was most definitely pagan. Rumours of satanic practices, black magic and one unexplained death abounded at the time although no-one knows for sure what actually went on. The caves are said to be intensely paranormally active.
Schiehallion
Schiehallion is mountain in Perth and Kinross which has lots of myths and legends attached to it. It's situated almost smack bang in the centre of Scotland and translates as the Fairy Hill of the Caledonians but not the cutesy, bottom-of-the-garden variety; no, the aggressive type who drag intruders down to the underworld. It's also said to be home to Cailleach Bheur, the hag of winter who freezes everything and everyone who is unprepared. Interestingly, it was also the mountain used to calculate the weight of the Earth (or average density) and was apparently quite accurate (5.972 sextillion tons since you ask - a sextillion is 1000 trillion apparently)
Black Shuck
Black Shuck, Old Shuck. Padfoot, Skriker, Old Scarfe or Old Shock is said to roam East Anglia; a phantom shaggy black dog the size of a labrador, calf, donkey or horse with red eyes, flaming eyes, green eyes or one eye, an omen of death or misfortune, a terrifying apparition or a benign presence guiding the lost home, depending on where you live. The best recorded story is that Black Schuck appeared in 1577 in a thunderstorm and burst into a church in Blythburgh in Suffolk, ran up the aisle, killed a man and a boy and made the steeple fall through the roof. He then ran out and disappeared, leaving claw marks on the door which can still be seen today. People in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex still claim to see Schuck to this day....
Howden Moor
In March 1997 a strange incident happened over Howden Moor in Northern Derbyshire. Two loud 'booms' were heard, then reports started coming in from people saying they had seen a low flying aircraft, smoke and an orangey yellow glow on the moors. Police in neighbouring South Yorkshire also received similar calls. Military and civilian airports were contacted, but no one had anything flying in that area at that time. The search and rescue services carried out a huge and thorough all night search of miles of moorland but no one found anything at all, and this was from well over a hundred people. The search was eventually called off and it was concluded that there hadn't been a crash. Over the following weeks, people speculated; a UFO being the most popular theory and there were eye witness accounts of strange lights and noises in the sky that night. It was also claimed that a UFO had been tracked on local radar, but no more information was given when pressed. The RAF confirmed they had not been flying that night and hadn't picked anything up on radar. However, no rational explanation has been given for the two sonic booms heard and the UFO theory remains...
Dale Head
My own slightly odd experience was on a beautiful sunny day in June on Dale Head. Blue skies, quiet, warm and not a breath of wind. We had been on Hindscarth and were making our way back up to Dale Head, when we stopped to admire the view down to the Honister Pass and Buttermere. I had taken a photo and Bro was having a drink and we were standing on a small lump of rock when we heard a noise like a rustling Tesco bag. We looked around us to find it, but then realised it seemed to be a wind, and it literally went right round us at about knee height in a circle, moving our trouser legs and the grass but nothing else, all the time rustling loudly and then it disappeared. Very strange.
Sleep tight.
