We got out and about and made the best of the unseasonal early May weather at the weekend. Not having walked for a while, we decided to head to gorse-covered coasts and tree and fern-lined woods. Saturday’s walk along the Suffolk Heritage Coast from Sizewell to the Minsmere RSPB Nature Reserve was pleasant enough, and not only did we see lesser-spotted varieties of the feathered variety, but also very strange and long-lensed types of twitchers.
Yesterday, though, after a walk into town and an icy coffee, we played at being Mulder and Scully, and walked the UFO Trail at Rendlesham Forest. One of a handful of trails at the huge woodland site, the three-mile, hour-and-a-half route took us around the area where, in December 1980, several sightings of UFOs were reported to have taken place.
The strange and possibly extra-terrestrial shapes seen in the sky 28 years ago on the evening of 26 December have been well-documented both in the press and on the web, but we thought we’d try and experience what happened for ourselves – especially as we’re a little jittery about all things alien.
The Rendlesham Forest UFO Trail visits alleged locations of the 1980 sightings
The story goes that strange and unexplained lights and craft were seen in the forest near gates of RAF Woodbridge, and together with high radiation levels on the ground and eyewitness reports, many believe that the mysterious events of that night all point to ‘the most significant UFO incident to occurred in the UK.’
I don’t doubt any of that for a moment, and Suffolk has long been muted as an area rich in UFO activity, but on a warm and sunny afternoon, the scenery and sounds were somewhat different to a cold and dark forest in winter. But, as the moss and leaf-covered paths wound there way past landmark points of the sightings, we were still a little wary. All manner of nature tried to spook us, from pine cones (and even whole branches) falling off trees, to silhouetted deer appearing ahead of us in shaded paths and clearings.
By the end of the trail we were glad to get back to the car park, where families were enjoying their early evening picnics or heading home with a rosy glow after being out in the sun too long.
The only UFO hunters for those few hours, and conspiracy theories or not, the trail certainly made us think about what was seen in the treetops and clearings all those years ago. We plan to go back soon and explore another trail, but I think we’ll leave the UFO hunting to the real-life Mulders and Scullies…
