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Not a ghost story as such...

Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 11:44 pm
by SmithyFish
One of my favourite local beaches is called Morfa, an excellent place to pick up a variety of species. The main problem is the fact that between the town itself and Morfa is Port Talbot steelworks, a huge site of around 7 square miles, meaning that the only way to reach the beach is by parking near a chemical works and yomping 1 1/2 miles ir so along a public right of way that passes through the steelworks. Being near a nature reserve, it's not an unpleasant walk but can be a bit iffy at night, especially if you mainly fish alone like me.

Anyway, a few years back, I did the walk at night, got in a few hours bassing and toddled off home, happy as Larry. The next day, I popped in to see my dad, who works in the steelworks, and whose job often means he is driving around the site in a company Landrover.

To cut a long story short, he had been on a night shift the night before I had fished, and caught sight of a colleague, off shift, walking his German shepherds on the Morfa path, so he pulled up for a chat only to see the guy staring dumbfounded, away from the path, into the dark, with the dogs cowering at heel. "Did you see that?!" he murmured to my dad. "See what?" my father replied. The guy swore that a very large cat had just prowled across the path only 8 or 9 yards in front of them, turned to give them the once over and sauntered off into the darkness. His legs couldn't carry him from the spot, and my old fella had to bundle his mate and both dogs into the Landrover and give them a lift back to the car.

That was also the last time I walked that path alone at night.

Re: Not a ghost story as such...

Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 12:03 pm
by Shaun Harrison
I have been ridiculed by several in the past and all the usual ' What had you been drinking' remarks. But one Sunday afternoon in pure daylight whilst approaching Hodnet on my way home from the Mangrove a large black cat jaguar looking with a real long thick tail crossed the road in front of me and disappeared into thick ferns at the bottom of a wooded hill. I was stone cold sober (driving) and know exactly what I saw.

Re: Not a ghost story as such...

Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 12:29 pm
by Scott
I believe you Shaun, after all is not fact that large black cats have been released in this country? There's a chapter about this sort of thing in Chris Yates' 'Night Walk'.

I would love for proof to come to light of the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot....

Re: Not a ghost story as such...

Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 12:42 pm
by Woolly Bear
They are out there I agree ,they have been seen in the paddocks next to our cottage on several occasions by different people too . W B .

Re: Not a ghost story as such...

Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 1:25 pm
by Santiago
Funny, over Christmas me and my friend both had some kind of big animal jump on the tops of our narrowboats in the middle of the night. A few days ago I told him I heard something big land on my boat during the night and that my cat was asleep so it was not her, and he told me he had experienced the same thing for the last four nights that was so scary he didn't investigate what exactly was outside, and we concluded it might be a big cat like a panther. Anyways, we were chatting outside our boats when another friend passed by and we told him about the strange bumps in the night, to which he tells us about a panther that has been seen in the area. Apparently, there's definitely one of them that patrols the Thames Valley along the river and preys on muntjac and wildfowl. And I suspect there may well be quite a few and are breeding!

Re: Not a ghost story as such...

Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 2:23 pm
by Paul D
Scott wrote:I believe you Shaun, after all is not fact that large black cats have been released in this country? There's a chapter about this sort of thing in Chris Yates' 'Night Walk'.

I would love for proof to come to light of the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot....
So do I, I once had "something " growl at me from deep within the undergrowth whilst answering a call of nature, made me back off rather quickly. :Scared:

Re: Not a ghost story as such...

Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 3:37 pm
by GhyllManor
Some years ago while walking my GSD ''Topper'' along the Thames towpath between Molesey and Walton, at about 11pm, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks! (he was a seriously fearsome dog) turned and ran towards home! I did the same and very nearly overtook him!! Next morning I walked back, certain that there would be some clue, but nothing, no body floating in the river, no sign of anything untoward. A day or so later I was recounting this to a neighbour who informed me that some sheep had been killed in a local meadow close to the river and the culprit was believed to be a big cat!

Ted

Re: Not a ghost story as such...

Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 4:54 pm
by Catfish.017
Hi Smithyfish. PM sent.

Re: Not a ghost story as such...

Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 5:34 pm
by Robbi
GhyllManor wrote:Some years ago while walking my GSD ''Topper'' along the Thames towpath between Molesey and Walton, at about 11pm, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks! (he was a seriously fearsome dog) turned and ran towards home! I did the same and very nearly overtook him!! Next morning I walked back, certain that there would be some clue, but nothing, no body floating in the river, no sign of anything untoward. A day or so later I was recounting this to a neighbour who informed me that some sheep had been killed in a local meadow close to the river and the culprit was believed to be a big cat!

Ted
That wouldn't be at the back of Barkers Farm and the waterworks would it ?

Re: Not a ghost story as such...

Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 6:43 pm
by SmithyFish
Catfish.017 wrote:Hi Smithyfish. PM sent.
And returned!