Home
Malachi Smith's Library tagged cannock-chase → View Popular
03 Oct 09
Nick Redfern's "There's Something in the Woods...": The Ghost Woman of the Cannock Chase
monsterusa.blogspot.com/...cannock-chase.html - Preview
cannock-chase england staffordshire ghostly-figure big-eyes hypnotic mind-reader pye-green night
-
Thursday, June 21, 2007
-
The Ghost Woman of the Cannock Chase
- 23 more annotations...
-
-
Readers of this blog will know from previous entries that I have a deep interest in tales of werewolves and lycanthropy; and I have been keeping you informed of the recent wave of sightings of werewolf-style entities seen at the German Cemetery on Britain's Cannock Chase, a large area of forest situated only a couple of miles from where I used to live.
-
Well, not only has the Chase been home to diabolical werewolves, mysterious big cats and even alleged Bigfoot-like creatures over the last few years, but now it seems that ghostly, spectral figures are also putting in an appearance, as this story below - from this week's edition of the local Chase Post newspaper demonstrates.
-
This particular incident apparently occurred last November; however, it was the recent publicity afforded the unusual and ever-present activity on the Chase that prompted the witness to come forward.
-
Whatever is afoot, it seems to me that the Cannock Chase is rapidly becoming one of those classic "window areas" that seem to attract such a high-level of extreme strangeness.
-
Here's the latest from the Chase Post:
-
Mysterious figure spotted on Chase
Jun 20 2007 -
A mysterious apparition confronted a local woman on a lonely stretch of road.
The unearthly figure has been dubbed 'The Lady of the Chase'. -
In recent weeks there has been a rash of sightings of mysterious beasts on Cannock Chase.
If these reports are to be believed werewolves, cavemen, panthers and wolves could all be lurking on the Staffordshire beauty spot. -
And as paranormal investigators from around the globe prepare to converge on the Chase, another eyewitness, 'Linda', has come forward to tell us her disturbing ghost story.
-
"I had what I can only describe as a totally surreal experience whilst driving across Cannock Chase last year," she said.
-
"I had not been able to tell anyone about this apart from my partner.
-
And he encouraged me to contact you following some of the reports you have made in your paper."
-
Linda was returning home after visiting a friend in Pye Green, near Cannock, last November when she was confronted by 'the lady'.
-
"It was about 11.30pm and I decided to cut across the Chase. As I neared Spring Slade Lodge I had to brake hard as a person suddenly stood in the road."
-
After Linda recovered from the shock of the near collision she turned her attention to the figure in front of her car.
-
"In my headlights the form was of a tall female, pale grey in colour. She appeared to be naked but with no visible breasts or genitalia.
-
"Immediately, I was drawn to her eyes - large hypnotic eyes that totally transfixed me. I was in dread and unable to move a muscle. I was aware I was being 'mentally examined' and there was nothing I could do to prevent this."
-
After a couple of minutes the figure turned and walked away into nearby woodland.
-
"It was only when she had disappeared that I could move again," Linda said. "I accelerated away in panic."
-
She told us she has not been able to drive across Cannock Chase since the incident and added: "Sometimes, after a dream, I can see a vivid image of the woman's face with those staring eyes.
-
I'm not a very good artist, but felt compelled to draw the face of this figure. I call her 'The Lady of the Chase'. Has anyone else seen anything like this?" Have YOU seen The Lady of the Chase? Call the Post on 01543 501763 or email chase_post@mrn.co.uk
-
1 comments:
-
- davyb
said...as a teenager in the sixties there were many strange tales of the chase,one being the tale of the nine foot german,a guy travelling by cycleover the chase on his way back from work in sttafford on approaching the german cemetary saw a tall figure,headless and dressed in what appeared to be a german uniform crossed in front of him and disappeared into the trees.
- davyb
-
Damn Data ¦ Cannock Chase: Some background | Cabinet of Wonders
www.wunderkabinett.co.uk/...index.php - Preview
cannock-chase ranton trent-river history weird red-glow cloud vortex 1879-report UK england staffordshire
-
Sunday, March 19. 2006
-
Cannock Chase: Some background
- 63 more annotations...
-
-
-
In it he said:
Cannock Chase has a rich history of weirdness: there have been numerous reports of big-cats having been seen there, and I have personally taken part in several searches for these still-elusive animals. Occasional sightings are made of wild boar; I�m aware of one sighting of a kangaroo or a wallaby in the woods; an alleged encounter with a wolf; and several reports that fall into the classic "ghostly black dog" category.
-
But the first account of a man-beast in the area dates from way back in 1879, when a creature described as being half-man and half-monkey was seen on a lonely stretch of road at the town of Ranton, which is situated only a few miles from where the Cannock Chase stands.
-
We obviously can't leave that kind of statement hanging so we thought it worth digging a little further.
-
First off intrepid researcher Min Bannister braved the dangers of the National Library to find the original report refered to which was lurking in Charlotte Sophia Burne's Shropshire Folk-Lore volume 1 (1883):
-
A very weird story of an encounter with an animal ghost arose of late years within my own knowledge.
-
On the 21st of January 1879, a labouring man was employed to take a cart of luggage from Ranton in Staffordshire to Woodcock, beyond Newport in Shropshire, for the ease of a party of visitors who were going from one house to another.
-
He was late in coming back; his horse was tired, and could only crawl along at a foot�s pace, so that it was ten o�clock at night when he arrived at the place where the highroad crosses the Birmingham and Liverpool canal.
-
Just before he reached the canal bridge, a strange black creature with great white eyes sprang out of the plantation by the roadside and alighted on his horses back.
-
He tried to push it off with his whip, but to his horror the whip went through the thing, and he dropped it on the ground in fright.
-
The poor tired horse broke into a canter, and rushed onwards at full speed with the ghost still clinging to its back. How the creature at length vanished the man hardly knew. He told his tale in the village of Woodseaves, a mile further on and so effectively frightened the hearers that one man actually stayed with friends there all night, rather than cross the terrible bridge which lay between him and his home.
-
The ghost-seer reached home at length, still in a state of excessive terror (but, as his master assured me, perfectly sober), and it was some days before he was able to leave his bed, so much was he prostrated by his fright.
-
The whip was searched for next day, and found just at the place where he said he had dropped it.
-
Now comes the curious part of the story. The adventure, as was natural, was much talked of in the neighbourhood, and of course with all sorts of variations. Some days later the mans master (Mr B___ of L__d) was surprised by a visit from a policeman, who came to request him to give information of his having been stopped and robbed on the Big Bridge on the night of the 21st January! Mr B___, much amused, denied having been robbed, either on the canal bridge or anywhere else, and told the policeman the story just related.
-
�Oh was that all sir?� said the disappointed policeman. �Oh I know what that was. That was the Man-Monkey sir as does come again at that bridge ever since the man was drowned in the cut!�
I heard this from Mr B___ himself a week or two later. -
Next I braved the dangers of the stacks of books in my house to dig out a more recent report of strangeness which also looks at other cases and explanations (it's from Jenny Randles book Mind Monsters pages 203-6 -
-
I've tried to shorten the quote but she does an excellent job with it and packs a tonne of details in so I'll quote it in full.
-
See below for further details on the book):
-
A second case was first reported to me by Barry Heathfield editor of the Staffordshire Newsletter.
-
He had received a story from two witnesses and asked for my comments. I pointed out that the location, Cannock Chase, an area of broad heath and forest between Stafford and Birmingham, had generated a lot of reports of strange phenomena.
-
Indeed I called it a 'notorious spot for sightings' and promised that an investigation would be launched, not least because physical traces were allegedly left in the wake of this one.
-
I contacted Clive Potter, who is regional investigations coordinator for the area. Along with Kevin Flannery and Susan Dean he set an immediate enquiry into motion.
-
Reg Morgan, a power station engineer, had been with his friend, Gloria Hall, to a Gingerbread meeting in Cannock on the evening of 3 August 1988.
-
Mr Morgan had recently become a widower, although still young, and the idea of the meetings was to bring single parents together for mutual support.
-
They were returning to a village near Stafford shortly after midnight as 4 August began. As they approached a bridge not far from Little Hayward Mrs Hall saw a glow ahead of them.
-
Shortly afterwards, as Mr Morgan turned the car to the right, he looked in front and saw it also. Mrs Hall had been watching for deer, not uncommon in the area late at night, and at first she instinctively warned Reg, thinking it was something that he might collide with.
-
Gloria Hall describes it as 'a big cloud on the floor � all red � and it lit up'.
-
She later added that it was fluorescent and slowly pulsated (or rather the central glow was being 'eclipsed' by vapour).
-
It seemed denser in the middle, with vaporous mist on the edges. They could not determine if there was any solid shape behind.
-
Reg Morgan confirmed: 'It was like a gas cloud ... like a semi-saucer shape � a red glow � like if you look through a fluorescent tube
-
When he first saw it the cloud was airborne and spanning the road. It moved away from them to the north, faded out, crossed the River Trent by the bridge and then briefly reappeared on the far side, before vanishing.
-
The glow was certainly self-luminous. Reconstruction at the site proved there was no ambient light and the car headlamps could not have illuminated the thing.
-
There were no smells detected or apparent after effects. But during the sighting a clear indication of the Oz factor mentioned.
-
Gloria spontaneously remarked: 'It was dead quiet. . . very: very quiet.'
-
Roger later confirmed: 'It was unbelievably quiet and Gloria emphasized: There was silence about everywhere.
-
One witness in a similar case from North Yorkshire put it in a way that has always stuck in my mind: 'Nothing was doing nothing.'
-
Furthermore, Gloria was clearly the more affected of the two. She saw it first, remember, something Reg seemed slightly puzzled by, saying at one point: 'I don't know why it was blanked out to me' Possibly important in that regard, Gloria noted: 'I felt weird' and tried to describe a vague unease or alteration in her state of consciousness.
-
Upon return they reported it immediately to the police, who took details and said that someone would come to see them Nobody ever did.
-
A friend of theirs reported it to the paper. They had not planned this, but were quite willing to tell a reporter what happened and be photographed at the site
-
On the spot, next day, they found damage to the hedge The blob had been first seen behind this hedge, which it had obscured when it rose from the ground, also obscuring a road warning sign.
-
The bark on the branches was stripped and looked as if a force had crushed it. And the leaves were dehydrated.
-
After the story appeared in the paper Reg and Gloria noted one curious anecdote A few days after the feature they passed the spot, as they do regularly. An unmarked white Land Rover was parked there (in the middle of nowhere) and two men wearing overalls were apparently examining the ground.
-
Perhaps this is just coincidence, or perhaps some official organization did take more interest in the case than it appeared to do.
-
The investigation of this case was first class. Everything that could have been done was done, although (not surprisingly) there was a concentration on the physics of the event.
-
A whole host of significant information emerged.
-
Dr Michele Clare, whom we met earlier, is by profession a plant biologist. She studied soil, bark and leaf samples (and some nearby unaffected control samples). Nothing unusual was found, but it was possible to demonstrate from the presence of micro-organisms that no substantial heating was involved.
-
This makes sense, because the witnesses felt no heat despite their close proximity to the cloud, so whatever caused the red glow was not a rise in temperature.
-
Dr Terence Meaden, editor of the Journal of Meteorology, also assisted the case study.
-
Weather records show that the conditions involved a good deal of dewy drizzle, although a clearing weather system was sweeping through. The close proximity to the River Trent should also be noted.
-
David Reynolds, a local meteorologist, visited the site with investigators for a more detailed analysis. He found some evidence of tree damage which suggested a rotating vortex could have passed by.
-
The general opinion of the weathermen involved seemed to be that the mechanical damage noted afterwards (if it was directly linked with the glowing cloud) was created by a vortex associated with the blob.
-
The glow itself was probably ionization.
-
Certainly there was no physical evidence on the ground that any heavy, dense or metallic object had landed and taken off again.
-
We may notice another point from Persinger's work. The red colour, just as theory predicts, probably occurred because of the saturation of water vapour in the atmosphere at the site. If it had been completely dry, or further from the river, the colour would have probably been blue or white.
-
Geologically, the area is on a boundary between sandstone and shale rocks. Quartz is certainly present. Three fault lines lie within less than a mile of the precise location.
-
Again there have been reports of other luminous effects in the area in the past.
-
Paul Devereux claimed Staffordshire as a primary hot spot in his initial 'earthlights' research.
-
Janet and Colin Bord list a number of incidents in the region in their survey of Modern Mysteries of Britain.
-
My own records have many others. These include a small entity with a large domed head seen in a field at Brocton, just over a mile away and a voice speaking into the mind of a witness at Oulton, apparently emerging from a column of light coming out of the ground.
-
To cap it all, less than a mile from the site is a place called Hell Hole, which seems to indicate that strange events in the area may well date back into the past.
-
The local newspaper story was headed 'Glowing UFO shock for pair' and the editor phoned me for a quote on behalf of the British UFO Research Association. But the witnesses never said it was a UFO. In fact they reported it very carefully and accurately. We impose the UFO context onto this blob.
-
Soooo weird weather, deer, earthlights, EM, etc. as explanantions and whatever the thing at ranton was it doesn't sound much like a proto-Bigfoot sighting so a zoological explanation still seems elusive.
-
If anyone has any other accounts from the area drop by and let us know.
-
Damn Data ¦ Not werewolves but undergroundlings? | Cabinet of Wonders
www.wunderkabinett.co.uk/...index.php - Preview
cannock-chase UK england theories sensational nick-redfern eyewitnesses werewolves big-cats cemetery paranormal
-
Friday, May 18. 2007
-
Not werewolves but undergroundlings?
- 26 more annotations...
-
-
Cannock Chase just won't leave me alone.. I try and walk away but it keeps following m down the street shouting that my mother is a slag. Or the Fortean equivalent anyway.
-
Not only have I been described in the Cannock Chase Post as three angry Americans (I'm not) but we also have these reports cropping up that keep dragging me back:
-
Now we here that there may have been werewolf sightings but they aren't actually werewolves they are something much odder.
-
So there were claims that it wasn't Bigfoot but a Big Cat.
-
Nick Redfern gives the broader picture (and earlier news) in a round-up of reports on British werewolves but we'll cut straight to the chase (no pun intended).
-
A tribe of subterranean creatures who surface on Cannock Chase to hunt for food could be behind a rash of 'werewolf' and Big Foot sightings near Stafford.
-
Boom! No messing around straight in there. No they've got you by the short and curlies:
-
And the mysterious beings could also be responsible for a string of pet disappearances, it has been claimed.
-
Ok but has anyone investigated this?
-
West Midlands Ghost Club, our area's top paranormal investigation group, say they have been contacted by a number of shocked eye-witnesses who claim they have come to face to face with a 'hairy, wolf-type creature' at the beauty spot.
-
A scout leader and a local post man are amongst the 'credible' witnesses to contact the club. Theories behind the sightings range from a crazed tramp to aliens.
-
They seem to be doing a good job following up on previous werewolf reports (and are a group that have been arond a while and have done a lot of work in that time) but I see no troglodytes here.
-
Don't worry here it is:
But now another paranormal expert has put foward the theory the sub-human beast is not a werewolf at all - but a Stone Age throwback.
The investigator, who wishes to remain anonymous, told us: "Strange sightings in this area have been made over many years by civilians, military, police, ex-police and scout leaders on patrol. -
"Some incidents have been reported and logged but others not - some people don't want to be classed as 'mad'.
"The strangest rumour has come from a senior local resident who believes the mysterious intruders to be subterranean," he told us.
"The creatures have made their way to the surface via old earthworks to hunt, for example, local deer." -
So this is based on an anonymous source quoting an unnamed resident? Is there any evidence to back this up?
-
And, on the surface, the far-fetched tale could be easily dismissed. However, our expert added: "It's a fact that there has been significant mining activity under Cannock Chase for centuries. And it's a fact there is a high rate of domestic pet disappearance in the area - especially dogs off the lead...just ask anyone who walks their dog near the German War Cemetery..."
-
Now we don't doubt that there are odd sightings in the area (we've listed them here) and have been mining (I hope they are salt mines as we need more than a pinch of it) and I'm sure pets have gone missing but that hardly supports the wild statements.
-
What does the only named person say about this?
-
Nick Duffy, a lead member of West Midlands Ghost Club, told us he was intrugued by this new theory: "It's as likely as any of the others - so it could well be," he said.
-
Can't really fault him for this as all the other theories are pretty poor.
-
Now I'm not going to say that the Cannock Post (and affiliated news media) are full of... it but my own personal experience shows they aren't beyond playing fast and loose with the facts to a point where it more closely resembles fiction that anything that most reasonable people would call reality. Of course, Stig of the Dump may lurk beneath the unsuspecting hills of the Midlands, but the hill I'm thinking of is Jimmy Hill.
-
Now Nick Redfern has a book in the works from CFZ called The Lords of the Gray Woods: Strange Creatures of the Cannock Chase which should be interesting and informative and add new information and insight into the issue.
-
He also says he wants to take the first opportunity to get back to the Chase and go investigating. I wish him well and hope that he can penetrate the wall of unfounded statements and Chinese Whispers as I think the only way one is going to get sensible information on the whole business is
-
The one positive thing to emerge from this is that it should at least make Mac Tonnies happy, as it could fit with his cryptoterrestrial ideas.
-
icStafford - Chase is a spooky place
icstafford.icnetwork.co.uk/...%26siteid=87875-name_page.html - Preview
stafford UK cannock-chase spooky german-cemetery bigfoot reports werewolves big-cats lionel-fanthorpe
-
Chase is a spooky place
-
Oct 1 2009
by Annette Belcher
- 15 more annotations...
-
-
It’s official - the Chase has been hailed one of the spookiest places in the country.
-
The beauty spot, which stretches through Stafford, is renowned for its werewolf sightings, according to a latest paranormal study.
-
It is all revealed in the work of paranormal researcher Lionel Fanthorpe, 74, from Cardiff.
-
The study looks into paranormal events in the UK during the past 25 years.
-
The study provides a breakdown of Britain’s spookiest places and focuses upon unexplained incidents reported to the police and leading paranormal organisations since the 1980s.
-
There have been 21 reported cases of werewolf sightings, with the Cannock Chase werewolf being the most renowned.
-
For years the Post has been inundated with a host of unexplained sightings - from big cats to UFOs. Our readers have been baffled by the strange phenomena.
-
For Mr Fanthorpe - who works with his wife of 52 years, Patricia - comprehensive inquiry is always key.
-
He takes his inspiration from Charles Fort, the celebrated writer and researcher into ‘anomalous phenomena’ who died in 1932 aged 57.
-
He said: “The highest form of investigation was never to regard something as so firmly proved that we don’t need to look at it again, neither should we laugh out of court anything that seems so ridiculous that it isn’t worth investigating.”
-
Mr Fanthorpe, who publishes the work on his website www.lionel-fanthorpe.com, was commissioned to do the research in support of the release of Fringe Season 1 on DVD.
-
But paranormal investigator, Nick Redfern, says it is not just werewolves that make our beauty spot one of the scariest places to be.
-
The author and researcher, who grew up near Cannock Chase, said he is still inundated with reports of strange sightings at the site.
-
Nick added: “I’m very pleased to see that the Chase has been listed as one of the spookiest places in the country. I probably get at least two big-cat reports a month from the Chase - very often from around the German Cemetery.
-
“And, over the last year, I have received seven reports of Bigfoot-type creatures, with two having been seen at Castle Ring. As well as one report of a wallaby, numerous UFO reports, and even a 15-foot-long python seen near Milford Common. So, spooky is definitely the right description.”
-
Nick Redfern's "There's Something in the Woods...": Cannock Chase is Spooky!
monsterusa.blogspot.com/...cannock-chase-is-spooky.html - Preview
nick-redfern cannock-chase spooky anomalies weird england strange fish reptiles cryptids
-
Thursday, October 1, 2009
-
Cannock Chase is Spooky!
- 36 more annotations...
-
-
Yes, having investigated sightings of big-cats, werewolves, Bigfoot-type beasts, over-sized snakes, wallabies, wild boar, and much more in the woods of the area, I know that the Cannock Chase is spooky!
-
But, this time, it's not me making the statement. Rather, the local press are highlighting the fact.
-
Just a few days ago, I was contacted by Annette Belcher, one of the writers at the local Stafford Post newspaper, who asked for a comment-or-two from me about this latest development; and which, of course, I was pleased to provide.
-
Here's an extract from Annette's article, so you'll have a full understanding of what this new story is all about:
-
"It’s official - the Chase has been hailed one of the spookiest places in the country.
-
The beauty spot, which stretches through Stafford, is renowned for its werewolf sightings, according to a latest paranormal study.
-
It is all revealed in the work of paranormal researcher Lionel Fanthorpe, 74, from Cardiff. The study looks into paranormal events in the UK during the past 25 years. The study provides a breakdown of Britain’s spookiest places and focuses upon unexplained incidents reported to the police and leading paranormal organisations since the 1980s.
-
There have been 21 reported cases of werewolf sightings, with the Cannock Chase werewolf being the most renowned."
-
But, hang on, I haven't quite finished yet...!
-
Over the last decade or so, intriguing reports have surfaced - from the many and varied little pools and ponds that can be found in, around, and on the outskirts of, the Cannock Chase - of sightings of exotic fish, crocodilians and much more of a distinctly out-of-place, aquatic nature.
-
Without doubt, the most famous example of such activity occurred a number of years back at a small and semi-secluded body of water known as the Roman View Pond - that exists on the fringes of Cannock.
-
It was from there, in the hot summer of 2003, that hysterical rumors wildly spread around the town of Cannock to the effect that a giant, marauding crocodile was on the loose.
-
Local police, representatives of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), and the nation’s media all quickly descended upon the scene, as they valiantly and collectively sought to ascertain the truth about what, at a local level, fast (and inevitably!) became known to one and all as the "Cannock Nessie."
-
Of course, the facts were somewhat more sober and down to earth.
-
As my good friends Jonathan Downes and Richard Freeman of the Center for Fortean Zoology demonstrated to practically everyone’s satisfaction when they visited the area at the height of the sightings, the "beast" was likely nothing stranger than a three-foot-long Spectacled Caiman – a crocodilian reptile found throughout much of Central and South America.
-
It was the conclusion of Jon and Richard that the unfortunate creature had probably been housed locally by an unknown exotic-pet-keeper – that is, until it grew to a point where it became completely unmanageable, and was then unceremoniously dumped in the pool late one night and under the protective cover and camouflage of overwhelming darkness.
-
Almost certainly, Jon believed, the creature would not survive the harsh autumn and winter months that were destined to follow. And, sure enough, as the English weather changed for the worse, sightings of the mysterious beast came to an abrupt end.
-
Nevertheless, whenever I am back in the area, I always stop off at the pool and cast a careful eye firmly in its dark direction – just in case something monstrous and unholy decides to once again surface from the depths and put in a brief appearance.
-
So, why - you may well ask - am I bringing this up now?
-
Simple: there has been a new development of a very similar nature at yet another body of water in the area: a small, 3-meter-deep pool that is hidden in a corner of the Brickworks Nature Reserve at Wimblebury - which is only a stone's throw from the heart of the Cannock Chase.
-
As the Chase Post newspaper notes, up until recently "...the only things lurking in the murky waters were six bicycles, a shopping trolley and scaffolding poles."
-
ut all that recently changed, as the Post also notes in a brand new story.
-
Cannock Chase Council officials, concerned about vegetation dying, have made a startling discovery, says the Post.
-
The Post explains that amongst the usual debris and rubbish, "...there were fish in the water, lots of fish - 20,000, to be precise. Even more baffling, there were not just native species: as well as roach and perch, ornamental varieties such as brown goldfish and koi carp were found."
-
The Post expands further: "Ray Smythe, clerk at Heath Hayes and Wimblebury Parish Council, said: 'No one knows how on earth they got there. We can only think someone released them, but I’d be surprised if anyone knew the pool was there.'
-
"Members of Stoke-on-Trent Angling Society have been drafted in to net the mystery fish - and move them to nearby Milking Brook.
-
A spokesman for the club confirmed the operation had been a success. He said: 'We estimated that around 20,000 fish were transferred to Milking Brook. This needed three journeys, which, in each case, involved three tanks full of fish. I can confirm very few fatalities occurred during the operation.'"
-
There's little doubt - as Jon and Richard's fine detective work demonstrated a few years ago - that someone was even then releasing exotic creatures into the pools of the Cannock Chase.
-
Whether or not this latest development is directly linked to the earlier activity - or if it's an example of someone else adding to the ever-growing body of out-of-place animals that inhabit the Cannock Chase - is something that remains to be seen.
-
But, this new story only reinforces what I said at the beginning of this blog-post: Cannock Chase is spooky! And long may it remain so!
-
2
comments: -
- borky
said...NIck, I've only ever been to Norfolk once - Norwich, to be specific, in '89, when I went there for an interview as a computer programmer writing RPG/400.
- borky
-
I was astounded by how relatively isolated the area was from the rest of Britain
-
it required me to make about 800 train connections over a period of about 8000 years - but many aeons later, when I finally arrived there, I was immediately struck by this incredible impression the whole place - the whole county - shouldn't be there, or really belonged somewhere else, maybe attached to the continent or something.
-
This may've just been an early version of my later tendency to turn the corner and find myself on the wrong planet, but what makes me think otherwise is all these little snippets I've been picking up about the area in, for instance, Charles Fort's books, (which I've just started reading for the first time); plus everytime Chas started rabbiting on about his idea of mirror realms hanging in the sky, dropping things down on our world, the first thing that'd keep popping into my head was, "Bloody Norwich!"
-
Add to which - ADD TO WHICH - my own notion about when Pope Thingy the Thingieth chunnered on about, "These kids ain't Angles - they're angels!" he didn't mean figuratively - he meant LITERALLY, i.e., these Angle kids're bit special compared to other kids, which of course they would be if they were 'descended' from Agni the Hindu god of Fire and ended up having not just East Anglia named after them but ENG-land, (Eng being a variant of Ing/Yng, the real but esoteric name of Heimdall, the guy who acts as the GATEKEEPER between WORLDS!).
-
11 May 09
Nick Redfern's "There's Something in the Woods...": A Cemetery Snake...
monsterusa.blogspot.com/...cemetery-snake.html - Preview
nick-redfern cannock-chase germans cemetery snakes england weird
-
Thursday, May 7, 2009
-
A Cemetery Snake...
- 9 more annotations...
-
-
Well, yet again there is high-strangeness afoot in the woods of Britain's Cannock Chase - and specifically in the vicinity of its German Cemetery.
-
As regular readers will know, the cemetery in question has been a veritable hotbed of weirdness for years: Bigfoot, werewolves, hairy-sprites, ghosts, marauding black-cats, and spectral black-dogs have all been seen roaming amongst the old war-graves.
-
But, now there's a new player in town: a giant snake that has been seen slithering around the area.
-
As the story shows, this is not the first time that similar beasts have been seen on the Chase (I investigated a case myself a number of years ago that reportedly occurred in the blisteringly hot-summer of 1976).
-
So, what are people seeing? Are they regular snakes or something else?
-
From the descriptions, they could perhaps be pythons. However, the problem is that such creatures would not last long when the cold, harsh winter sets in.
-
And yet such creatures have been seen for years on the Chase, which begs the questions: if they are regular snakes, how are they surviving those aforementioned harsh winters year-after-year?
-
And why are the snakes (like all of the other odd beasts seen on the Chase) now homing in on the German Cemetery?
-
Truly a mystery of Fortean proportions!
-
31 Mar 09
Cannock Chase and the spooky demonic ghost dog - Sunday Mercury
www.sundaymercury.net/...monic-ghost-dog-66331-23272464 - Preview
cannock-chase britain brereton-ghost-dog ghost-dog harbinger evil black-dog
-
Cannock Chase and the spooky demonic ghost dog
-
Mar 31 2009
- 12 more annotations...
-
-
The Chase’s latest paranormal resident - the fabled Hellhound - has proved a hit all across the world with websites as far afield as the United States chronicling its history.
-
Last week it was revealed the forest land had a rich history of spooky encounters with the demonic dog, which is believed to be a portent of doom.
-
The hound, also known as the ‘ghost dog of Brereton’, has been seen on numerous occasions stalking the roads leading into Cannock and Huntington.
-
And such is the interest in the story, websites such as Paranormal Nights - which runs spooky, adventure theme activities over the Chase and, American-based Creatures of Time, have all flagged our stories on the Hellhound.
-
Paranormal website Level Beyond has even asked visitors to the Chase to submit any spooky encounters to it them.
-
They write: “Over the years, Level Beyond has reported on various mysteries surrounding the English town known as Cannock Chase. Besides the alien and bigfoot references, another mysterious creature is said to roam the area: a big, black dog.”
-
The apparition has been described as a large dog with sharp pointed ears and strangely glowing eyes.
-
The most prominent sightings happened in the 1970s and early 1980s.
-
While driving through the Chase in 1972, resident Nigel Lea described seeing a ball of light crash into the ground.
-
He slowed down to take a closer look and was confronted by ‘the biggest bloody dog I have ever seen’.
-
Add Sticky NoteWithin a month one of Mr Leas’ close friends died in an industrial accident, which Mr Lea believed may be connected to the dog apparition.
- As in the fabled "Mothman" of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. - on 2009-03-31
-
In January, 1985, Sylvia Everett described a strange misty figure moving across the road as she and her husband drove on a warm and clear summer night. Although they could not explain the incident, Mrs Everett believed that it may have been connected to the dog-lore of Brereton.
-
04 Oct 08
New black panther sightings on Cannock Chase - Cannock Chase Post
www.chasepost.net/...n-cannock-chase-93633-21828639 - Preview
cannock-chase big-cats witnesses britain forest woods german-war-cemetery sightings populations people
-
New black panther sightings on Cannock Chase
-
Aug 28 2008
By Kevin Edge - 18 more annotations...
-
-
Sightings of the Beast of Cannock Chase have increased, with residents reporting a series of close encounters with the big cat.
-
This week a number of startled Chasefolk contacted our offices.
-
Their encounters with the over-sized feline come at a time when big cat experts have warned large exotic cats are DEFINITELY out there.
-
Shocked trainee teacher Matthew Horeton said the beast dashed out in front of him while driving through the Chase near the German War Cemetery.
-
"I saw something large and black dart out in front of my car about 50 metres in the distance," Matthew said.
-
"At first I thought it was a deer, but as I got closer to the place it had disappeared. I saw something moving in the undergrowth.
"It was smaller than a deer, but it had a large black tail and was sort of slinking through the bracken.
-
"There was no way it was an average cat - it was much too large."
-
Another resident contacted us to say he had a similar encounter.
"As I was driving back to the town from Rugeley I definitely saw something moving from the fields into the woods," the person said.
"I was a fair distance away as I came over the brow of the hill, but this thing was not a deer. It moved in a slow and unhurried way. It was very low to the ground.
-
"I drive through the Chase regularly and I have never, ever seen anything like that."
-
The eye witness accounts come at a time when big cat experts are calling on people to accept the beasts are out there.
Neil Arnold, of Kent Big Cat Research, contacted us after word of the sightings spread.
-
"It's time the public, especially sceptics, realised that large exotic cats are nothing unusual in the UK countryside any more - and that the only mystery is that they've become a mystery," he said.
-
"These animals haven't recently been released, but a steady influx of animals from private collections and travelling menageries over time has resulted in today's populations."
-
He claims panthers and pumas are the two main animals sighted.
-
"The leopard is a big cat alongside the lion, tiger, jaguar as it can roar.
-
But the puma, despite reaching over 4ft in length, is not a big cat but the largest of the 'lesser cats'. It can't roar, but it does possess an eerie shriek," he said.
-
The expert said the animals, though not a threat to humans, 'must be taken seriously'.
-
"Lynx and smaller cats inhabit the countryside also, but the main problem is all the while such animals are classed as a myth. It means they are being ignored by authorities and prone to hunters which, in turn, will create very agitated cats."
-
He warned: "These cats are not a threat to humans, as there is so much prey out there in the wilds, from rabbits to deer, from birds to livestock, but such animals must be taken seriously."
-
15 Sep 08
YouTube - Where I Live cannock chase & Staffs area
Scenes of Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, Britain
www.youtube.com/watch - Preview
nick-redfern cannock-chase staffordshire uk britain england scenes landscape places
-
-
Where I Live cannock chase & Staffs area
- 1 more annotations...
-
-
Photography around staffs
-
06 Sep 08
MAN-BEAST U.K.: A New British Bigfoot Report
manbeastuk.blogspot.com/...ew-british-bigfoot-report.html - Preview
nick-redfern cannock-chase britain man-beast big-foot woods villages paranormal sighting 8-feet spiritual-warfare
-
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
-
A New British Bigfoot Report
- 11 more annotations...
-
-
Once again, Britain's Cannock Chase woods are a veritable hotbed of weirdness.
Yep, after a bit of a lull, here's a newly reported sighting (although the event is said to have occurred last year) of an alleged Bigfoot-like creature in the area. -
I've said it before and I will say it again: if these reports aren't hoaxes (and I'm convinced most of them aren't), then the Cannock Chase Bigfoot has to have paranormal origins.
-
Indeed, having grown up only a couple of miles from the woods, I know the exact area that the witness is talking about very well.
-
And, there is no way that a 7-to-8-foot tall man-beast can exist on the Cannock Chase (yes, it's of an impressive size and very dense in places, but it's not that big and it's surrounded by towns and villages), avoid detection and also leave behind no evidence of its "den" (or wherever it lives) or its eating habits - which would have to be huge, given the sheer size of the creatures reportedly seen in the woods of the Chase.
-
Literal ape-men? No. Some sort of phantom of the night? Yes.
-
-
2
comments: -
- Neil A
said...Interesting stuff Nick, there's certainly some kind of history to these reports and it was nice to actually get a feel for the sincerity of the witness. the guy could easily have gone on about the shaggy fur etc, but simply said it was just tall and muscular.
- Neil A
-
I think someone needs to really keep things stirred up out there because the more people believe the more things start to occur as you know.
-
The main problem is, if these UK man-beasts are spectral, which they must surely be, or at least of that ilk, then does it mean we should question the man-beast reports across the world ?
-
- Nick Redfern
said...Neil
Although a lot of researchers avoid going dowm the paranormal path when it comes to Bigfoot, I think - given the very close similarities between UK reports and those from other countries - the possibility of a common link or origin (however controversial, like the paranormal angle, it may be) must be given serious thought - Nick Redfern
-
29 Aug 08
ParaExplorers.com - ParaExplorers on the Road With...
Nick Redfern interview
paraexplorers.com/index.php - Preview
paraexplorers nick-redfern interview book field research were-wolves mammoths staffordshire uk england cannock-chase sasquatch paranormal spiritual
-
a series of in-depth interviews with some of the most fascinating authors, researchers and investigators working to solve the mysteries of the unknown.
-
ParaExplorers presents 'On the Road With...
- 70 more annotations...
-
-
This month, we feature Nick Redfern, author, investigator and monster-hunter extraordinaire, talking about his new book, "There's Something In The Woods."
-
Meet Nick Redfern...
-
Nick Redfern works as a journalist and author. He has written many books on UFOs and Cryptozoology (the study of unknown animals), including "Memoirs of a Monster Hunter;" "The FBI Files;" "Cosmic Crashes;" "Strange Secrets;" "There's Something in the Woods;" "On the Trail of the Saucer Spies;" and "Three Men Seeking Monsters" (the movie-option-rights to which were bought by Universal Studios in 2007).
-
He writes for "Fate;" "Fortean Times;" "UFO Magazine;" the British "Daily Express" newspaper; and many other publications. British by birth, he lives in Dallas, Texas.
-
1) OK, Nick, you’ve written several books now that cover your out-in-the field adventures, and you’ve chased down all sorts of wild and wooly beasts. What is it about the field of cryptozoology that holds such intense fascination for you?
-
ANSWER: Definitely one of the things that attracts me to cryptozoology is the idea that in today’s very sterile world, where we think we know everything and where there are no more surprises to be found, there could actually be strange creatures lurking in the lakes, woods, forests and lochs of numerous countries, right under our noses, and that are still successfully hiding from us.
-
That scenario appeals to me a great deal. Plus, I have quite a low boredom threshold; so, whereas sitting in the office for hours is inevitably a big part of being a full-time writer, I’m attracted to the fact that cryptozoology is one of those subjects that lends itself to on-site investigations.
-
So, it’s the lure of adventure I like, such as trekking through Puerto Rico’s El Yunque rain-forest in search of the Chupacabras; investigating the woods of Washington State in pursuit of Bigfoot; or taking a trip to the lakes and lochs of the British Isles in search of lake-monsters.
-
In fact, to a degree, I think everyone is fascinated by the idea that monsters and strange beasts might really exist.
-
For me that fascination and the lure of adventure began when I was five and my mom and dad took me to Loch Ness and told me about the legends; and, thankfully, I still have that same enthusiasm as I’ve always had.
-
2) Of the many “creatures” that make up the field of cryptozoology, you seem to have a preference for black dogs and werewolves. Is there a reason for this, and why do these particular entities seem to be so prominently reported?
-
I’m truthfully not sure why, but the idea that these creatures might actually exist, and might be more than just the stuff of Hollywood films, is one that I’m particularly intrigued by.
-
ANSWER: That’s a very good question. I do indeed have a big interest in werewolves, perhaps even a bit of an obsession!
-
I’ve investigated a lot of werewolf reports in the UK and in the United States; and I have to say that all of them have an atmosphere of the paranormal about them.
-
Other sightings and incidents are memorable and noteworthy because of where they occurred, such as near prehistoric burial grounds, stone circles etc.
-
For example, several of the cases I’ve looked into have been tied in with ancient rites and rituals undertaken in the dead of night by occult-driven groups.
-
Based on all my research into werewolves, and it could be argued that the ghostly black dogs are an aspect of werewolf lore too, I don’t believe these are flesh and blood creatures in the sense we understand the term.
-
There’s evidence too, and I’ve tried this – although I don’t actually recommend it – that with a lot of practice, meditation and dedication, it’s possible to summon these things into our realm of existence.
-
I think quantum physics may some day explain these things and where they come from.
-
I often have people roll their eyes when I tell them this, and you just know they think I’m a complete nut; but there’s no doubt in my mind that this works, and that werewolves – in some form, at least - do exist.
-
I don’t believe they are, as the classic legend tells us, humans that can shape-shift into wolf-men. I believe they are something far stranger and quite hostile to us. There’s a lot of sinister, malevolent activity attached to werewolves.
-
3) In past books, you’ve talked about the “tulpa” and how this relates to the possible nature of paranormal entities. Can you explain this for someone who has not read your books?
-
Basically, it’s a scenario very prevalent in Tibetan and Buddhist teachings. The idea is that the human mind – whether consciously or perhaps more often unconsciously – has the ability to conjure up imagery that can be projected outwardly and given a semblance of physical reality and a quasi-form of existence.
-
ANSWER: Yes, tulpas, in my opinion at least, are an integral part of cryptozoology.
-
The tulpa is said to live on human emotion; kind of like an emotional vampire.
-
And the more people that believe in it, and that it can feed upon, the stronger the so-called “mind-monster” gets.
-
Generally, when they are created, tulpas are said to want to hang on to every moment of their “life” for as long as possible, and can turn quite malevolent when the creator tries to “un-think” them out of existence.
-
I would not be at all surprised to find that many of the creatures we are looking for might very well be created thought-forms that now roam the woods in a state of semi-physical existence, and perhaps not even being fully aware of what they actually are.
-
This can result in a lot of psychic backlash as the tulpa tries to cling to its life.
-
And, of course, this might explain the fact that many reports of creatures like Bigfoot seem curiously substantial and insubstantial at the same time.
-
By that, I mean we have reports of people finding Bigfoot tracks – which suggest a flesh-and-blood animal – but sometimes those tracks just end, as if the creature has vanished into oblivion.
-
And maybe it has. Maybe, in reality, its life as a tulpa has come to an end.
-
Of course, not everyone agrees with me on this theory, and some researchers are openly hostile to it. But I don’t care; and I think that says more about their pre-conceived mindsets about what might exist and what might not.
-
I’m not dogmatic about my theories about tulpas, but I’m definitely not apologetic about them either. I just happen to think such theories deserve as much of a hearing as do the “flesh-and-blood” theories.
-
4) Is there a legend or creature you have yet to chase after that particularly intrigues you?
-
ANSWER: I’d definitely like to do some in-depth research into the reports of pterodactyl-type creatures that have been seen in the US for a very long time.
-
These fascinate me. Again, I’m not sure how we classify them: whether as a physical animal or a paranormal one; but I have to say that I lean towards the paranormal.
-
I think the idea that in some of the more remote, or forested, parts of the US there could be pockets of surviving pterodactyls is a great one; I think it’s pretty far-out too, however.
-
So, maybe, we’re looking at something not necessarily of our three-dimensional world.
-
And, I’ve uncovered some reports where people have seen these things while they’re in altered states.
-
I’d also like to dig deep into the legends of still-surviving mammoths. Until surprisingly recently, there were reports of people seeing creatures that sound suspiciously like mammoths, in some of more remote, frozen wastelands and forests.
-
If money was unlimited, I’d love to do a kind of “In search of the last Mammoth”-type investigation. For me, that might be the ultimate trip, even though the odds are really stacked against finding something.
-
5) What is the role, if any, of local folklore and legend in dictating the types of entities you see associated with specific areas, regions, countries even?
-
ANSWER: Well, I definitely think that folklore and legend have key parts to play in the way in which stories of strange creatures develop. However, for the most part, I don’t think it’s solely the legends of times-past that lead to a belief in these things today.
-
I think it’s the opposite: namely, that the old legends of strange creatures have a basis in fact, and are based upon people seeing them, but not necessarily sure of what it is they were seeing.
-
And so, particularly in past centuries, this leads to the creation of all sorts of legends and folk-tales as people try and grasp and grapple with what is they are seeing, and as they try and explain them. Then, of course, over time the legends get added to, distorted and mutated.
-
But, in summary, I’d say – and based on my own studies – that many legends and tales have a basis in some sort of fact, whether it’s of lake-monsters, giant hairy men, or whatever.
-
6) How close might we be to some kind of government disclosure here in the States as to the existence of alien civilizations and technology, or do you suspect we are never going to get definitive proof from our leadership?
-
ANSWER: Unfortunately, I don’t see any real scenario in which government disclosure will come, unless it benefits those in power to make the revelation.
-
I think the idea that some UFO researchers have – namely that of loftily demanding that the government reveals all because the research community thinks the information should be revealed – is very naïve, pompously ego-driven, and not in-line with general government-thinking.
-
If disclosure happens, I’d say the possible scenarios would be because (a) someone on the inside revealed something in error and it opened the floodgates; (b) an insider whistleblower deliberately revealed something that was undeniable; or (c) the government decides to use the “aliens are evil and here to destroy us” angle as an ingenious way to take away more of our rights and lead us further down the path to Orwell’s 1984.
-
For me, that’s the most sinister possibility: that we might be placed into a scenario of a manufactured threat that actually isn’t really a threat, but one that is exploited for purposes of control of the masses.
-
But revealing all just because some UFO researcher waves a banner outside of the White House or writes to his or her congressman? Not an absolute, single chance in hell.
-
7) We often hear so much about ghost hunters, but monster hunters face many different dangers and challenges. Have you ever truly felt as though your life were in danger out there in the field?
-
ANSWER: I’ve never felt in any actual physical danger, as the history of research into things such as Bigfoot, lake-monsters and even werewolves never really suggests – aside from at anecdotal and rumor level – examples of severe physical harm.
-
But I do believe it’s very necessary to tread carefully when dealing with the more paranormal side of cryptozoology.
-
Psychic backlash, invasion of a person’s dream-state by hostile entities and much more are in my view very real hazards, and ones not to be taken lightly at all.
-
This is more of a danger to a person’s psychological and mental state; and it requires a strong will when these darker aspects start circling around and trying to get their claws into you.
-
It has happened to me a couple of times, and when it does happen, I do altered-state rituals with sage and other substances to create a better atmosphere and to banish the negativity.
-
In fact, when I told someone about this the other day they called me an “anarchistic shaman for the 21st Century,” which I thought was pretty accurate! I’m happy with that description!
-
9) And finally, has your wife Dana recovered yet from this last episode of monster hunting and does she plan to go out in search of beasts with you next time around?
-
ANSWER: Dana is not the biggest fan of cryptozoology or the Fortean world [laughs]. She does believe in the paranormal, but she’s more into life-after-death, alternative healing, spirits and things like that, and not really interested in Bigfoot and the Chupacabras at all! So, for the most part, when I’m on a crypto investigation it’s usually with some of my Fortean mates, and Dana is happy to stay at home with a dirty-vodka martini.
-
Nick Redfern has a solid reputation as a leading researcher and author of all things paranormal, especially the field of cryptozoology.
-
But there is one thing he does better than all the rest, and that is get out there in the field, get his hands dirty, and actually look for the very things he writes about.
-
Not afraid to boldly go where no other researcher dares to, or even risk his neck, Redfern accumulates a book-full of new adventures (anyone who’s read his past books knows he doesn’t sit still for long) seeking monsters and things that go bump in the day and the night.
-
This time, he focuses his transcontinental road trip on the United States and his home country, England, and trust me, there are more than enough creatures to chase to fill ten books.
-
Redfern, who lives in Dallas, Texas, picks up where his gonzo thrill-ride “Three Men Seeking Monsters” left off and bounces back and forth between strange and creepy locales on both continents.
-
We follow Nick into the woods of the deeply historical region of Staffordshire, England where his monster quest begins in the Cannock Chase, searching out the “Cannock Nessie,” a local legend of a beast, and ends up chasing werewolves, giant cats and Bigfoot-like man beasts, all while his poor wife looks on begging him to not mess with unseen forces he knows little about.
-
Then it’s soon off to the States where we get a first-hand account of the hunt for oversized winged insects, giant black cats, ghost lights, creepy “dark men” and a plethora of other local and regional legends that few Americans may be aware exist right in their own backyard…ok, well, in the WOODS behind their own backyard.
-
Much of Redfern’s research focuses on cryptozoology, with giant black dogs and werewolf-type entities taking front and center, and the author never fails to both entertain and educate as he presents his own hands-on views as well as some cutting edge theories behind these entities, including the possibility that we are dealing with inter-dimensional creatures and not just flesh-and-blood beasties.
-
23 Aug 08
The Blogsquatcher: Interview with Nick Redfern, pt 1.
blogsquatcher.blogspot.com/...ew-with-nick-redfern-pt-1.html - Preview
nick-refern interview-part-1 cannock-chase britain staffordshire stone-circles glowing-eyes black-dogs sasquatch big-cats uk usa bigfoot research paranormal supernatural end-time dimensions spiritual
-
Thirty years ago, we had no rational conceptual basket for the experiences that go along with the infrasound hypothesis, so rather than collect the data, we (almost always) threw it out. The same thing could be happening with the lights and other trappings of UFO [and let me add now, other strange] encounters.
-
There could be data here that, thirty years from now, will have a rational explanation, but we just don’t have the mental framework to grasp it now.
- 98 more annotations...
-
-
We should be meticulous in our collection of the data. If the witness is otherwise reliable, and especially when there is physical evidence too, let’s take it all in. I can almost guarantee that, down the line, the things that weird us out now will look different later on.
-
And that's what I really want any researchers who might read this to take away from it. You'll see Nick make the same kind of call -- let's not throw anything away. Let's gather all the evidence, even if it's weird, and put it all together. What looks strange to us today may one day have a completely rational explanation.
-
I enjoyed the chance to hear Nick's views and I have to tell you, with some of the problems we have in bigfoot research, ie, finding enough physical evidence to prove bigfoot exists, I'm downright sympathetic to his views. Whatever your views, I hope you'll enjoy the interview too.
-
DB: What I'm interested in is exactly what you were talking about on Paranormal Radio with Captain Jack -- bigfoot accounts with "high strangeness" in them. It's been a kind of obsession of mine for quite a while, though I've never.. I may have been near a few bigfoot creatures before, but I've never experienced any "high strangeness" stuff.
-
DB: That I noticed anyway..
-
DB: But I get a lot of other people telling me stuff that does seem strange. You may remember I had a couple of interviews up from people who had very strange things happen during their encounters..
Nick: Yeah. -
DB: So if you've got any stuff like that I'm interested in hearing about it. And I'm also especially interested in any bigfoot encounters you might have had yourself.
-
Nick: Okay. Yeah, I mean I can talk about a few weird things that have happened. Do you want me to just sort of start at the beginning as to how I came to this conclusion and the journey along the way and things like that?
DB: Sure, that'd be great! -
Nick: Okay. Well basically, my interest in cryptozoology goes back to when I was about five years old. And my parents took me on holiday one summer to
Scotland, and we spent a day at Loch Ness. -
I've still got a fragmentary memory of this story of my dad telling me about how, you know, there was supposedly this dinosaur living in the depths of Loch Ness. And, you know, when you're five years old you're not necessarily old enough to appreciate all the intricacies of the story. But you're old enough to know, "Wow, there's a monster living in that lake!"
-
Nick: And so that really sort of sparked my interest, and even now as I said I can remember a few things from that day, but having been to Loch Ness again on several occasions..
-
You know I think one of the reasons why it captures people's imagination so much is the fact that it looks spooky. You know, it's a huge loch, very very black water, it's got an old ruined castle on it's shores. It looks atmospheric, and I think, you know, that was one of the things that sort of captured my interest and imagination.
-
And over the years, you know, from that age upwards, fourteen, fifteen, I began reading books on the subject, the ones that were around at that particular time in the late 70s early 1980s.
-
You know there actually weren't that many books available, in England at least -- a lot of imports. It was very much an underground subject, a fringe subject.
-
But I started subscribing to newsletters and things like that, and then, when I finished school, I went into journalism. I worked as a feature writer for a rock music magazine in England called Zero.
-
And so what happened was they taught me the inside and out of journalism. I was still developing this interest in, I guess, the UFO subject, cryptozoology, and the paranormal. And so I thought, "Why not try and combine the two?"
-
So I started writing for magazines and newsletters -- of course this was pre-internet era. It was just somebody would put their own stapled newsletter together and send 50 copies out to different people or whatever. So I used to do a lot of that. And then that kind of progressed into more mainstream journalism writing, and then also doing crypto and Fortean stuff for mainstream publications. From there, that led to the books.
-
Nick: And so, what basically happened over time was -- where I was living back in England, which was an area called Staffordshire, a county in England -- I was doing a weekly column for a newspaper called the Chase Post.
-
And this brought in a lot of reports from people who, you know, they'd seen like a black cat, a big large black cat running across the road late at night, or they'd seen an out of place animal.
-
Something like a wolf, for example. People would see wolves, wallabies and things like that, kangaroos.
-
But I would say for every, I don't know, twenty or thirty reports that would pour in, there would be one or two which would fall into the classic bigfoot type of category.
-
DB: Really?
-
Nick: Now of course, when you talk about bigfoot, everybody knows the bigfoot, the sasquatch of the Pacific Northwest, or other parts of the US, or the Yeti of the Himalayas, and then you've got the Yowie in Australia, and etc., but bigfoot and Britain aren't two words that spring to mind collectively. You know, when you're investigating and thinking about these things.
-
Nick: I mean Britain itself, to put it into perspective, England, Scotland, and Wales combined, in terms of the square mileage, is actually smaller than the state of Texas where I now live.
-
Nick: So it's not that big a country, even though there are a lot of wild areas and forests and woods, etc. And the population is 60 million, which is a pretty substantial population for a small country.
-
And so the idea that a bigfoot or a colony of bigfoot creatures could be roaming around the British Isles sounds bizarre and preposterous, and yet the witness reports are no less credible than anything we're getting from the US, or China, or India, or wherever, Russia.
-
So I began looking into these reports and, just to go back to the big cats, I mean everybody who is interested in cryptozoology has heard these stories of big cats roaming the British Isles.
-
Nick: A lot of reports, a lot of escapees, that sort of thing. But when it comes to bigfoot, then you really are in a whole different category.
-
Now, one of the things I found is that many of the bigfoot reports that, not just came to me, but that came to other researchers as well -- what I did, as well as digging through my reports that people would give to me, I went back and looked through the old literature from years ago and found a lot of very similar reports, where people had said things like they'd seen a giant gorilla in the woods fifty years ago.
-
And I began to realize that, to my surprise, the number of bigfoot reports in Britain was probably much bigger than anyone else had probably previously realized.
-
Nick: Or what they described as a man-like bear being seen in the woods, that sort of thing.
-
I mean, certain areas of the British Isles were teaming with reports. I would say I've got upwards of, probably, low three figures from all across the British Isles and spanning a period of about eleven centuries.
-
The earliest one is literally from about 900AD, something like that.
-
Nick: Now, several things stand out when you talk about the British bigfoot. One is that in many of the reports, the areas in which they've been seen has some sort of significance.
-
Let me explain what I mean by that. A lot of bigfoot sightings in Britain have been made in the vicinity of ancient stone circles, prehistoric burial mounds, and areas that ancient man perceived as being of some significance.
-
Whether magical, cultural significance, whatever. One classic example is a place, ironically not far from where I was born and grew up, called the Cannock Chase.
-
The Cannock Chase is this large area of woodland, or forestland, in the county of Staffordshire that I mentioned earlier, where I was born.
-
And there's an area on the Cannock Chase called the "castle ring." Now the castle ring is an ancient structure built by ancient man, I think something like four or five thousand years ago. There are all sorts of theories concerning why it was built, what it's significance was and is..
-
Nick: But the interesting thing about castle ring is that it has been the sight of nine or ten bigfoot-type encounters, that I'm aware of at least.
-
Nick: This includes people seeing shadowy forms in the woods, bright red eyes -- I actually had a very weird experience myself once over there when staking the area out, and saw what looked like a flitting, shadowy form with these two red eyes.
-
Now of course people can say, "You're seeing things that you're looking for," and what are the chances of something being in the area at the time you're looking for it. I would agree with those sentiments and those statements.
-
And that's why I think the British bigfoot, at least, is different in some ways to some of the reports from elsewhere.
-
It is the case that they, you know, turn up in these prehistoric locations, and sometimes people are looking for them. It's almost as if these creatures know and manifest for them.
-
Now I know to some people, they think, "Oh, Nick's off on his paranormal tangent again," and there's like a little rolling of eyes and shaking of heads..
-
Nick: But I mean, I can only tell the story as I know it from my perspective in interviewing the witnesses, and I would say I've probably got.. probably at least twenty or thirty reports where these creatures have been seen in areas that are standout areas, stone circles, places like that.
-
Now you could argue on the one hand, Britain is a very old country, and you don't have to drive too far anywhere to find an old castle, or an old stone circle, which is quite true. But when you specifically get these reports of people seeing these creatures within like ten or twenty feet of these stone formations time and again, and the witnesses don't know each other, then I think we have to conclude, or I do at least, that something weirder is afoot.
-
Nick: Now there are other reports, for example, of bigfoot having been seen in the UK. One case, that I can think of, in the same location as a crop circle.
-
And there was evidence at this crop circle where there'd been some sort of ritualistic activity going on. For example, there were five peacock feathers laid out, like in the form of a pentagram.
-
Nick: And, of course, if you go to wikipedia or some search like that you'll find that there's a lot of legends and folklore, not all positive and good ones, attached to peacock feathers and the peacock itself.
-
So to find a report where somebody had seen this, like they described it like a huge, or large chimpanzee racing across the road late at night from the same area where rites and rituals have been undertaken inside a crop circle. Then, again, I find it difficult to, kind of, separate these various phenomena.
-
Nick: You know, is it just coincidence that bigfoot has been directly opposite where a crop circle was made and there were some weird rites and rituals afoot? I think it's very very unlikely that there wasn't a connection.
-
Now, to expound upon that, there are people within the UK, for example -- and I've tried this a couple of times -- who tried ritualistic magic to try and conjure these things up.
-
And there have been a number of cases where people, including me, have basically gone out into the woods -- I actually detail this in my latest book, There's Something in the Woods..
-
Nick: Yeah, I've gone out and basically tried meditation and learned how to do ritualistic magic, and then, maybe a year or so later, somebody has seen something very very similar to what I envisaged in that area.
-
Now I'm not, certainly there's nothing special about me, a number of people have done this and in their own minds as well they've had some success in this area.
-
NIck: One of the other areas that clinches it for me, at least, that there's more to bigfoot than meets the eye in Britain, is that, I think I've got three or four reports on file -- it's a very small number, but to me it's significant -- where people have been driving home late at night and they've seen this large hairy creature shamble across the road.
-
And as it's done so, anything from like a hundred to a couple of hundred yards in front of them, their headlights, or car engine, or both of them, have failed. Almost like a vehicle interference case in some UFO reports.
-
But, again, I fully realize that some people think, you know, that's just too outrageous, the idea that a bigfoot, or a living creature, could affect the headlights of a car, and yet the people relating these accounts have, to my mind at least, no reason to lie.
-
Nick: Now how we explain that, I haven't got a clue, I'll be the first to admit.
-
They come across as genuine as other people, and no axe to grind, you know, not looking for payments for the interview, concerned about not having too much publicity, in some cases quite happy for their first name to be revealed, but they don't want everybody and his brother knocking on their front door.
-
So you have to wonder what is the motivation for coming up with a really wild story like that which in many respects defies convention and reality? So I would say it's these sorts of things, having grown up in Britain, and having been exposed to British bigfoot reports, has made me appreciate more the high strangeness angle, that Is so relevant because of Britain being such a small country.
-
And, as I say, because of the locations where these things have been seen also.
-
Nick: Now when it comes to the US, I'm fully aware that most US researchers of the subject do take the approach that we're dealing with a flesh and blood animal that is simply hiding out in huge forests and has successfully managed to keep away from society for however many years, for the most part.
-
And that could well be the case. But I have to say, I have investigated, like I'm sure most researchers have, so called "fringe cases," in the US.
-
Nick: One classic one, which is also in the new book, was concerning a sighting of a bigfoot in the woods of Oklahoma, which I think was about two years ago.
-
And the couple who said they saw this huge creature just sort of stride across the path way in front of them in the woods, which they described as an immense creature, like eight foot tall or something like that.
-
Nick: And they said, and I know this gets into some wild areas, that the creature, they felt, was talking to them through their minds, almost like a telepathy, saying, "Don't come any closer, stay away."
-
Nick: And the bizarre thing was, they described it as almost being a very gentle, womanly voice, coming from this creature, as I say in the book, that looks like it could tear apart a small car!
-
And they afterward began to experience a lot of weird activity in their home, like poltergeist activity, seeing strange balls of light flitting in the woods outside of their home, things like that.
-
Now, again, you either have to say, "Well these people are just cranks," you know, seeking publicity, etc. But actually, the ironic thing is they weren't seeking publicity, rather they were looking to get some sort of idea, from someone who could, hopefully, help them as to what they saw.
-
So, you know, if they're not cranks, if they're not crazy, if they're not fantasists, again, I have to conclude that even if bigfoot is a physical creature, there are far stranger things going on with respect to these perceived paranormal aspects, poltergeist activity in the wake of an encounter.
-
And I think one of the things that parallels very closely some of the cases I investigated in America and practically all of them in Britain is this issue of the self-illuminating red eyes.
-
Nick: Now, in England, I can tell you that I don't think.. there's probably no more than a handful of the three figure reports I've got that don't mention either self-luminating red eyes, or very very bright eyes, like silver eyes or white eyes, but that don't seem to be reflecting from any particular light source.
-
Nick: Of course, you know, you can see an animals eyes in the headlights of your car if you're driving late at night, but most of the people I've spoken with said that, no, it was far stranger than that. It was almost like these eyes were lighting up half the face. They were that bright.
-
And we get that in a lot of other crypto reports as well. Even some of the black cat reports in England have these aspects, and particularly the ancient black dog legends in Britain.
-
Nick: I've got a lot of reports like that, where there are these stand out red eyes.
-
A lot of the British towns and villages have these ancient stories of phantom black dogs, kind of like The Hound of the Baskervilles, which itself was actually based on one of these legends.
-
And in these cases, the black dog is sort of like a "Grim Reaper" type character. If you see it on a lonely road late at night, there's going to be tragedy in the family, or somebody is going to die, that sort of thing.
-
Nick: And they're kind of like an archetypal legend that is instilled in much of British folklore, but again, these black dogs are described as having these huge, illuminated eyes. In some cases bright red, or silver, or white.
-
So whether or not.. to what extent that's relevant, and even what it means, I'll be the first to admit I don't know. I'd be speculating, I just haven't got a clue.
-
You know, you look at the Mothman as well, this winged creature with glowing eyes.
-
But collectively, it's these types of reports -- the locations, some of the after-effects -- that lead me to believe, as I said, even if bigfoot is physical, there's more going on.
-
Nick: Now let me talk about the paranormal, of course that's very much a simplistic term. You know, it's a catch-all term for who-knows-what. And it's also the same with people who say, well, bigfoot can flit in and out of dimensions, etc. That sounds great, but my first question is, "How do you define what a dimension is?"
-
Nick: It's these simplistic that get bandied about so much within many aspects of the Fortean world. And I think things like quantum physics, possibly, are beginning to answer some of these questions about other realities and things like that.
-
But I think it's in the very early stages and I hesitate to go down that path and fully embrace it, but equally I think it's not a responsible thing to ignore the high strangeness, fringe cases.
-
Unfortunately I know some researchers who do. They just flat out think that, you know, the witness had to be mistaken at best, or at worst, they're trying to con me and hoax me.
-
Nick: I can understand that if you're of a mindset that -- particularly if someone has seen a creature close up and they're convinced it was a fully flesh and blood animate object. But equally I think the responsibility is on us to try not to get caught up in belief systems, and to analyze all of the evidence, even if it doesn't always sit well with what we tentatively conclude.
-
I don't mind admitting some people think, when I start going off on this paranormal tangent, you know, they think, "Nick's lost it" or, you know, "He's been smoking too much of the good stuff!" So in that respect I find it -- what shall I say.. I'm trying to follow the path of staying impartial..
-
Nick: But I won't lie and say I don't come across cases that suggest there's more going on, because I do. And I don't want to ignore those cases. I want to be able to try and have an open, wide approach to the subject that doesn't cause conflicts because I believe this or I believe that.
-
Now in saying the fact that I do subscribe to the idea that at least some of these things are paranormal, as I said, one of the things I've tried to think of is, well, how can we take this to the next level?
-
We'll take a break here, and I'll have part 2 of the interview up in the near future.
-
26
comments: -
- dbd
said...I'm sure not! (Making any money, that is.)
One thing I'd say is: If you don't like going on anecdotal evidence, you need go no further in bigfoot research until the body comes in (if it ever does). - dbd
-
For the rest of it, I've directly experienced very few of the things that Nick talks about, but I have experienced some things. But I have on the blog somewhere an interview from a policeman who had a very strange encounter (use the Infrasound search term). I find him very credible, and it's his experience (along with some others) that makes me want to really look at this side of things. I don't mind if it doesn't suit you -- everyone takes a different approach. My only thought is that we need to stop throwing out evidence because it doesn't fit our view of the world.
-
I remember when I first started bigfoot research, the self-luminous eyes nearly stopped me as soon as I learned about them. Since then I've done some research and have learned that there *are* physical ways for a suspension of salt water to emit light. Of course, until someone can actually study the eyes, it's just one loopy theory on top of another. But that's where we are, in terms of the opinion of mainstream science -- we're visiting the loopy fringe, whether you say bigfoot is just a flesh and blood descendant of Gigantopithecus, or whether you are willing to go further.
Some of the very strange things people report *might* be explained by the infrasound hypothesis, though there are problems with that. But how can we ever fine-tune that hypothesis if the features of reports that would reveal it are supressed? -
- Nick Redfern
said...Megapodia:
I would to a degree with you about anecdotal evidence; however, the Blogsquatcher is right. - Nick Redfern
-
Without a body, any and all evidence (regardless of whether it points in the direction of flesh and blood or the paranormal, and no matter how credible the witness it) is anecdotal and all we have to work with; it's the only thing that allows us to make a framework or theory.
Of course, if the body of a real Bigfoot is found, then I will be the very first to admit I screwed up in my beliefs and conclusions.
As for money and Bigfoot: I think (in fact, I know!) there are a lot of misconceptions about this.
For example, after living in the USA for 8 years, last year was the first year I was able to afford medical insurance and to finally get a car.
Before then, it was ride the bus and hope I don't get ill. -
And my ability to finally afford medical insurance, had nothing to do with Bigfoot or Forteana!
One well known person in the world of Forteana came to visit me once and was amazed that i was living in a 20-foot by 20-foot rented room.
Like many others, he imagined that author = mansion and ferrari!
Most books (certainly mine) don't sell in massive quantities.
My book "Man-Monkey," published last year has sold around 300 copies -in total.
Given that the author gets around a dollar a book, that's not much! LOL.
Now, I want to stress that I'm not complaining because I freely chose the life I live; but - as someone who has written books - I do want to keep things in perspective!
-
17 Aug 08
Sightings of "Wolf-Like" Creatures and Rumors of Underground Cavemen in Staffordshire, UK
naturalplane.blogspot.com/...f-wolf-like-creatures-and.html - Preview
staffordshire uk underground wolf-like creatures cannock-chase great-britain england mystery eye-witnesses police germans cemetery cavemen
-
Friday, August 15, 2008
-
Sightings of 'Wolf-Like' Creatures and Rumors of Underground Cavemen in Staffordshire, UK
- 12 more annotations...
-
-
A tribe of subterranean creatures who surface on Cannock Chase to hunt for food could be behind a rash of 'werewolf' and Big Foot sightings near Stafford.
-
And the mysterious beings could also be responsible for a string of pet disappearances, it has been claimed.
-
West Midlands Ghost Club, our area's top paranormal investigation group, say they have been contacted by a number of shocked eye-witnesses who claim they have come to face to face with a 'hairy, wolf-type creature' at the beauty spot.
-
A scout leader and a local post man are amongst the 'credible' witnesses to contact the club.
-
Theories behind the sightings range from a crazed tramp to aliens.
-
But now another paranormal expert has put foward the theory the sub-human beast is not a werewolf at all - but a Stone Age throwback.
-
The investigator, who wishes to remain anonymous, told us: "Strange sightings in this area have been made over many years by civilians, military, police, ex-police and scout leaders on patrol.
-
"Some incidents have been reported and logged but others not - some people don't want to be classed as 'mad'.
-
"The strangest rumour has come from a senior local resident who believes the mysterious intruders to be subterranean," he told us.
-
"The creatures have made their way to the surface via old earthworks to hunt, for example, local deer."
-
And, on the surface, the far-fetched tale could be easily dismissed. However, our expert added: "It's a fact that there has been significant mining activity under Cannock Chase for centuries. And it's a fact there is a high rate of domestic pet disappearance in the area - especially dogs off the lead...just ask anyone who walks their dog near the German War Cemetery..."
-
Nick Duffy, a lead member of West Midlands Ghost Club, told us he was intrugued by this new theory: "It's as likely as any of the others - so it could well be," he said.
-
Selected Tags
Related Tags
Sponsored Links
Ads by Google
Diigo is about better ways to research, share and collaborate on information. Learn more »
Join Diigo