British Bigfoot

The British Bigfoot

 

First and foremost, it must be noted that there are quite literally hundreds of reports on record. And, most of the witnesses come across as highly credible. There are, however, significant problems: there is zero evidence in the fossil record that any kind of ancient, large ape has ever existed in the U.K. Plus, the United Kingdom is hardly what you could call large, but it has a population which is getting close to seventy million. In other words, if seven-to-eight-foot-tall apes are roaming around the U.K., we should surely have hard evidence by now. But, we don’t. We just have fleeting sightings of such beasts – and that’s all.

On top of that, there’s the fact that there is barely a U.K. case that doesn’t have a paranormal aspect attached to it. The “Man-Monkey” that haunts the woods surrounding England’s Shropshire Union Canal was first seen in January 1879 and is noted for its spectral – rather than physical – appearance.

The “Beast of Bolam,” seen for several weeks in Northumberland, England in the early 2000s, was described by dozens of witnesses as being shadow-like. Eleven reports exist of sightings of a Bigfoot-type beast seen at the Castle Ring on the Cannock Chase, a heavily-wooded area in central England. And what might the Castle Ring be? It’s the remains of an Iron Age hill-fort. Sightings of Bigfoot-type animals (if “animals” is the right word to use) have been made near none other than Stonehenge, Wiltshire.

The Shug-Monkey of Cambridgeshire has on occasion been seen in Rendlesham Forest, England, which just happens to be the site of the U.K.’s most famous UFO encounter – which occurred in December 1980. The wilds of Devon (where Arthur Conan Doyle set most of his famous novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles) have been the site of a handful of encounters – one of which occurred at Lustleigh, Devon’s old mine-works. Lustleigh has a history of strange phenomena, such as large black cats and phantom black dogs with blazing red eyes.

That the U.K. Bigfoot is (a) often encountered near ancient sites; (b) described as being spectral, rather than physical; (c) seen where other strange animals roam; and (d) confronted at the “landing site” of the U.K.’s most famous UFO incident, places matters in a very weird light. Put all of these issues together and what we have is a creature that is clearly not a creature, after all.

© [Luton Paranormal Society ] [2003]