| HOME |
| NEWS |
| PARA DIMENSIONS |
| WORLD MYSTERIES |
| CRYPTOZOOLOGY |
| CANADIAN GROUPS |
| UK GROUPS |
|
Strange sightings of a giant man-ape have been backed up by monster hunters in Northumberland.
Professional yeti-hunters armed with thousands of pounds' worth of gadgets have homed in on Bolam Lake near Belsay after a string of encounters late at night.
The four-man investigation team from the Exeter-based Centre for Fortean Zoology have returned to base after their week-long mission to investigate reports of a yeti-like creature roaming through the woods.
Team leader Jonathan Downes said: "The expedition was a success beyond our wildest dreams. The most exciting thing was that five people I interviewed had seen the beast at the same time - I was one of those people."
Mr Downes said: "What I saw was a dark, man-shaped object approximately seven-and-a-half feet tall.
"It had a barrel chest and thick muscular arms and legs. I had a very clear sighting but I saw no glowing eyes and wasn't able to tell whether or not it was covered in hair."
But the Bolam Lake Bigfoot is only the latest in a diary of sinister sightings of strange beasts that have baffled North East folk down the ages.
In 1972, neighbours in Hexham, Northumberland, were scared out of their wits by a chain of events triggered when two young brothers unearthed two small carved stone Celtic heads while weeding.
They took the small heads, which resembled a man and a witch, indoors, and suddenly household objects began smashing, apparently by themselves.
Most terrifyingly of all, their next-door neighbours were woken each night by a 6ft half-man, half-wolf which appeared on their landing and ran off down the stairs. Several times they found their front door wide open and the sound of panting and padding footsteps were heard.
A doctor in Celtic culture who believed the stones were 1,800 years' old took the heads to Southampton, where she woke feeling cold and frightened to see the same creature. She followed it outside, but it disappeared towards the back of the house.
The Hexham heads passed into the hands of other collectors who reported no werewolf problems - but no one knows where they are now.
In 2000, locals living near Alnmouth in Northumberland began talking of a spate of mysterious UFO sightings. Rumours that new military hardware was being tested by nearby RAF Boulmer were ruled out because it was a no-fly base.
As well as apes, wolfmen and UFOs, police have had reports of numerous sightings of big cats prowling the North East countryside. The so-called Durham puma, possibly a wild animal turned loose to fend for itself, has been spotted in areas ranging from Derwentside to Northumberland, while a similar Blanchland beast has also been reported. In September 2001 an attack in Northumberland on a flock of sheep - five of which were killed - sparked fears that a puma was on the loose.
Durham Police's wildlife liaison officer, Sgt Eddie Bell, who has been investigating reports of the puma for more than a decade, believes up to a dozen could be living in the North's countryside.
The Evening Chronicle via icNewcastle / England | Andy Lloyd - Jan 23.03
Material reproduced here is for educational and research purposes only.
| ||||||||||
