Scotland has some amazing hiking. My nephew recently spent a week or so on the West Highland Way with a friend. And, given the size of even the largest Scottish cities, stunning nature is rarely more than a short drive away.
In fact, Scotland can be a fantastic place to do any number of unique outdoor activities. Like all-weather skiing? Try the Midlothian Snow Sports Centre, where you can, among other things, ski year-round on what amounts to wet carpet. It’s surprisingly popular. You can walk through the countryside in the footsteps of intellectual giants like James Hutton, who originated the idea of Deep Time. And there’s always aurora-chasing.
And now you can hike the Scottish UFO Trail.
Some 40 years ago, West Lothian forestry worker Bob Taylor claimed to have had a close encounter with a hostile alien spacecraft. The incident happened in November of 1979, in Dechmont Law Woods in Livingston.
According to Taylor, who passed away in 2007, he was walking through Dechmont Law Woods with his dog, when he saw a flying saucer hovering above the trees. He said the ship had two smaller spheres attached, with spikes. The spheres dragged his legs and dragged him toward the ship. He smelled something burning and heard a hissing sound. And then he passed out.
Taylor came to about half an hour later, and, finding his car wouldn’t start, dragged himself nearly a mile home on foot. His wife called the police, who initially declared the incident an assault. However, after they visited the scene of Taylor’s abduction, they found a strange pattern of holes and indentations on the ground, which, to this day, have not been explained.
What’s more, Taylor’s trousers were ripped in such a way that investigators determined the damage had been caused by something mechanical, pulling upward — such as a spaceship dragging its victim towards it.
A criminal investigation ensued. To this day, this is the only close encounter in Britain that has been investigated to this extent by the police. It’s also the only officially recognized UFO encounter in Scotland.
To commemorate the Dechmont Woods Encounter, the West Lothian Council has put in marker posts and a display board pointing visitors to the site.
Will you have your own encounter in Dechmont Woods? Chances are slim. However, chances are very good that you’ll have a gorgeous hike in some stunning countryside.
Featured Image: CC0 by CPMacdonald, via Pixabay
Jess Faraday 