The “UFO Windows” Of The United Kingdom

There are and have been throughout history UFO sightings all over the United Kingdom, and indeed Ireland. There are without a doubt, however, several locations where a concentration of activity resides. Within the UFO community, there are three particular “window areas” that appear to attract more regular activity than most.

And, as we will examine, one of these would appear to be more active than all of them. And what’s more, it remains so today. What might the reason be for these apparent “windows” that allow for an increase in UFO activity in specific areas of the United Kingdom? And why do some of them last for only a certain amount of time before slipping back into sporadic sightings, while others remain consistent in their persistence?

The United Kingdom has a long history of UFO sightings, both officially and unofficially. However, there is no doubt that since the early-1960s, certain hot spots have formed in locations that might not first come to mind for many.

Warminster, Wiltshire, England

We have examined the so-called “Warminster Thing” previously and the connection it very likely could share with Rudloe Manor. However, while the peak of the strange noises and equally strange lights in the sky ceased somewhat in the late-1970s, sightings continue regularly here today.  And what’s more, almost two decades into the 2000s, it would appear they are beginning to increase.

In 2017, for example, several UFO sightings would come from the region, some of them even reaching national newspapers. Many of them were also captured on film and would find their way on to social media.

Several particular sightings would come from the Cley Hill area. Many of these sightings would share very similar details. In particular their “glowing” or shimmering appearance. One local resident would offer that “strange noises” are often heard seemingly coming from above them. Furthermore, strange “shimmering lights” are often observed over the area.

These descriptions are almost exactly the same as the initial sightings in the Warminster area in the mid-1960s.

Further still, the entire Wiltshire region is a hot spot of another kind – crop circles. These strange anomalies appear annually in the fields in the area. And despite their skepticism, researchers still do not have an explanation for how or why these strange patterns are appearing.

Some of the most famous crop circle formations have called the area home. Perhaps most notably, The Galaxy which formed in 2012 and comprised of “400 perfect circles”. What’s more, it still defies any kind of satisfactory information. Recently in 2017, a Wiltshire farmer hired a “cherry picker” so that enthusiasts could view a recently formed crop circle.

It would certainly appear, then, that strange UFO-related activity continues in Warminster and the surrounding areas.

The short video below shows a UFO sighting from 2017.

Bonnybridge, Scotland

While the peak of the activity in this region of Scotland occurred between 1992 and 1996 during the Falkirk Triangle wave, activity, sporadic as it might be, goes back decades. And they similarly continue today.

Perhaps one of the strangest incidents occurred slightly to the west of Bonnybridge in Glasgow, known as the “The Flaming Train” incident. Just before Christmas in December 1983, Tom Coventry stood at a bus stop in Glasgow. After several moments of waiting, his evening would take a most bizarre turn.

Out of the blue, and at extremely low altitude, a “gray-silver” object “shaped like a railway carriage” screeched towards the bus stop. With flames shooting and licking out from the end of the craft, it hovered no more than 20 feet away from him. He could clearly see three windows and what appeared to be “swirling yellow smoke inside”. Then, as suddenly as it arrived, it would disappear up into the sky at great speed.

While certainly not as active as it once was, sightings of strange happenings continue in the region today. And what’s more, the claims are as varied as they are strange.

In the summer of 2002, ^[1] just outside Glasgow, an unnamed man took a picture from his window of a triangular shaped craft. According to the witness, they were looking out of the window trying to locate their cat when “this strange thing in the sky” caught his eye. He immediately grabbed his camera and snapped a shot. Within seconds, the craft was gone.

You can see a picture below.

Activity Continues In Southern Scotland Deep Into The Twenty-First Century

More recently on 10^th March 2009, a picture of a “teapot lid-shaped” UFO emerged following a sighting near Fife. The witness was taking photographs of the full moon at a little after 6 pm. Although they didn’t notice the object at the time, when going through the pictures later they noticed the strange object just to the left of the moon. He would state in his report:

What amazes me is that there appears to be a lighter part on the object, the part nearest the moon. It is almost like the moon is reflecting off the underside of it! ^[2]

This, of course, would suggest that not only was the object solid and very real but also that it was well within the planet’s atmosphere.

You can see a picture of that object below.

Although slightly to the north of Bonnybridge, just outside Aberdeenshire, an incident in October 2012 not only had several witnesses but was captured on video. Morag Ritchie, along with her family were woken by strange flashing lights in the sky overhead.

Ritchie would later state:

…I thought it was a star. However, it was a sequence of flashing lights. There was also a darting light coming from the side. There was no sound either. I got my family up and we all watched it for a while. I kept going back to bed but I was so unsettled that continued waking up! ^[3]

Ritchie’s daughter’s fiancée would echo this description, while her daughter herself, Cara would state:

It was really scary. I’m still scared just in case something happens!

Ritchie would offer that all she wished for was an explanation. It would appear that the explanation remains elusive.

UFO Alley, The Pennines

Perhaps the most intriguing, and arguably the most active of these UFO hotspots is the tentatively titled UFO Alley. In fact, it is the persistence of UFO sightings that make this apparent UFO Window stand out from the ones mentioned above.

For while sightings occur still today in both the Warminster and Bonnybridge areas, the peak of their respective activities was limited to a certain time frame. In UFO Alley, however, sightings have continued at a steady pace decade after decade.

There are many claims and theories as to why this area experiences so many UFO sightings. Might it be, as some researchers insist, that an alien base resides somewhere deep underground? One accessed by some unknown and hidden entrance somewhere on the lonely plains?

Or might the area, in the same way that many believe the previously mentioned Wiltshire, be the victim of ley lines? Strange meetings of energy that, as wildly speculative as it is, might open portals or doorways to other world or other parts of the Universe? Might this be the reason for so much UFO activity? Might UFO Alley be a kind of cosmic highway?

We have written before, for example, of the recent UFO sightings over Manchester, which would perhaps come as no surprise given that Lancashire borders the Pennine region. However, it is the other county which borders this beautiful, enigmatic, and mysterious stretch of land that is of interest to us here.

Yorkshire, The Most Active UFO Area In The UK?

Yorkshire is likely the most surprising location within an already surprising location of increased UFO activity, with persistent UFO sightings and bizarre tales having emerged from the county going back decades. Indeed, we have examined previously the UFO sightings and subsequent investigations of one-time leading UK UFO investigator, Tony Dodd, whose initial sightings took place while he patrolled the country roads of Yorkshire as a police officer.

We have also examined such incidents as the Howden Moor case which some researchers claim is a case of a crashed UFO in the woodland of the area, then the subject of a cover-up by authorities.

We will look at some of the more recent UFO encounters from this part of the world shortly. First, though, we will examine three bizarre, chilling, and intriguing incidents that took place in the 1980s.

The Curious Case Of Zigmund Adamski

A very short distance from Manchester in Todmorten, a similar case of apparent alien abduction seemed to have occurred. Only this time, however, the person involved wouldn’t be able to offer any information as to what had happened, as they hadn’t survived whatever ordeal had led to their untimely death. ^[4]

56-year-old Zigmund Adamski’s dead body was found on top of a huge coal pile on 16th June 1980. He was over twenty miles away from his house in Tingley. The coal miner had been missing for five days after having left his home to visit the local shops.

Upon initial investigation of his body, police noted how it appeared that it had been “lowered” on to the pile of coal. If someone had dragged him up to his final resting position, there would have been coal markings and dust on his clothes, of which there was none at all.

It also appeared as though he had been dead for some time, not least because he barely had a days growth of beard upon his face.

A Face “Contorted With Terror” That Must “Have Known Great Fear!”

However, despite the coal yard being busy, no-one had reported seeing his body, which police found unlikely if he had been here since he had gone missing. His face itself – described by one of the policemen sent to the call, PC Alan Godfrey, as being “contorted with terror!” The coroner also stated that Adamski must have “known great fear or pain” immediately before he died.

More detailed investigation of Adamski’s body found he had curious burn marks on the back of his neck, head, and shoulders. A strange gel was also detected that detailed analysis could not identify. He was also found not to be wearing a shirt – only his trousers and jacket, both of which were fastened incorrectly as if he had been “re-dressed” in a hurry. His shoes were also in such a state.

All the clues were there to suggest some kind of strange intervention at the very least in Adamski’s death. When the officer involved revealed he had witnessed a strange UFO encounter himself then links became even stronger.

The Horrific Experience Of PC Alan Godfrey

Several months after the discovery of Adamski’s body PC Alan Godfrey claimed to have had his own alien abduction encounter. Godfrey, incidentally, has never wavered in his accounts despite facing much skepticism.

In the book The World’s Greatest UFO Mysteries compiled by authors Nigel Blundell and Roger Boar, they speak extensively of Godfrey’s claims and the hypnotic regression sessions that followed.

It became clear that Godfrey had reported to his superiors that he had seen what he believed to be a UFO only hours before Adamski’s body was discovered ^[5] in June 1980. The police did not name him publicly but stated that someone had come forward and that UFO experts believed their account to be true.

On 28th November 1980, Goddard made another report of a UFO. He claimed the mystery object was floating about five feet above the ground in a Todmorten housing estate at 5 am in the morning. He claimed he had to wait until he got to the station to make the report due to his radio not working.

UFO researchers soon picked up his case, discovering that Godfrey could not account for fifteen minutes of time during his most recent sighting.

“They’re Robots! They’re Not Human!”

Siting their source as a piece that appeared in the Sunday Mirror newspaper on 27th September 1981, the two aforementioned authors printed parts of the regression sessions.

Godfrey told of how a blinding light had transported him from his car to the craft. He found himself in a medical “white” room – a tall six-foot figure with him, dressed in a dark suit and wearing a “skull cap” type headpiece. Then, still under hypnosis, Godfrey became terrified. The transcript of his next words reads as follows:

They’re horrible…..small…three to four feet, like five year old lads! There are eight of them. He’s touching me…..He’s feeling at my clothes. They have hands and heads like a lamp… keep touching me…….they are making noises……Joseph, I know him as Joseph. He has told me not to be frightened! They are robots! They are not human! They’re robots! They’re his!… Joseph’s robots! There’s a bloody dog…..it’s horrible! The size of an Alsatian!

You can check out a short interview with Alan Godfrey on BBC Breakfast Time from the early 1980s below.

The Bizarre Encounter Of Christine Smith

A little over a year after the encounter of Alan Godfrey, another apparent alien abduction incident occurred in Yorkshire, this time in Skipton in North Yorkshire, and is another that comes to us from the book Without Consent. ^[6] The witness, using the name “Christine Smith” was driving from Morecambe to Skipton at around 10 pm on 4^th March 1982. There was hardly anyone else on the road as she made her way home. Inside the car with her was her pet dog, which was sleeping peacefully in front of the front passenger seat.

After a while, however, she noticed a light coming from one side of the vehicle. When she turned to look at it, she realized that the entire side was illuminated in a bizarre blue wash. She turned her attention back to the road. As she did so, though, she saw two strange lights in her mirror. They were behind and slightly above her and were unlike car headlights. One glowed a blue color, while the other was a distinct red.

She continued on down the road, the lights remaining in their position seemingly following her vehicle. Then, things changed dramatically. Out of nowhere, a bright beam of light suddenly lit the road up from above. The light appeared to move and before she knew it, her vehicle was enveloped in it.

As this happened, things changed even stranger. She appeared to be encased in a bizarre, almost physical silence. The only thing she could hear was the rampant revving of the car engine. She continued on the road, the light remaining all around the car. The fear inside her was rising with every second.

Then, at a distance ahead of her, the headlights of a lorry appeared. At the same time, the beam of light disappeared. She continued on her journey, doing her best to calm herself. She eventually arrived home. However, when her husband, “Gerry”, informed her she was almost an hour and a half later than she should have been, she began to realize that something truly strange had taken place.

A Recollection Of Lost Memories

Things turned even stranger the following morning when she noticed a strange, red rash on her back and torso. This is something that often shows up in similar close contact encounters.

Christine would eventually opt to undergo hypnotic regression with the help of a local UFO researcher. Like most such regressions sessions, the revelations were startling and intriguing in equal measure.

She would recall the strange lights behind her car, as well as the moving beam of light that encased the vehicle. She claimed she could hear a “soft buzzing” and how she “felt very cold all over”. She began to feel a sudden and overwhelming tiredness. It was around this time that she felt something “soft and fluffy” near her ankles.

She was now uncertain if she was in the car, or if she was laid down or sitting up. She could, though, hear “heavy breathing” around her. She noticed there was a blindfold of some kind over her face. She could, however, see a light through the material that appeared to be shining on her while at the same time rotating.

Suddenly she felt something grip her arms, holding her in place. A buzzing sound filled her ears, and she could feel that something was touching her, at one point, placing something into her back which caused her a terrific amount of pain. The device – or whatever it was – was eventually removed. However, the apparent experiments or procedures continued. She told of a “square pressure” being placed in the middle of her forehead and of rotating lights that made her face and hands feel hot.

The next thing she had the feeling that she was lying down somewhere. Whoever, or whatever, was behind this encounter, said to her they “wanted information”.

Guardians From A Distant Galaxy

She would continue, under hypnosis, to reveal the events of that missing 90 minutes in March 1982. She would claim that these creatures were from a “distant galaxy” named “Zircon”. What’s more, they were “guardians” who had been coming to Earth for “centuries”, even going as far as to say that humans (in the past) have mistaken them for “gods” but had known and referred to them under “many names”.

She would elaborate that the reasons for these prolonged visits to Earth was to offer assistance and help humanity. To some researchers, this ancient alien slant damages the credibility of the witness. However, there are many researchers who believe that the basic notions of the ancient astronaut theory are very possible, if not likely. Do the revelations of Christine support that?

A subsequent session with Christine would seemingly see some form of temporary possession occurring, with one of the aliens “speaking” to the hypnotist through Christine. One of the most intriguing aspects of this conversation came in a response to a question about “other alien encounters”, when the apparent possessing alien claimed that they “are not of this world” and that they were “evil”.

Does this suggest that there are multiple aliens visiting the planet? Many serious researchers have offered that this is very true. And some of those researchers have determined that certain aliens (most notably The Greys) are not so much extraterrestrial, but more demonic (at least how we would understand the word).

The case is one that perhaps divides opinion in the UFO community. However, like many others that hail from this part of the world, it is extremely intriguing and contains a great many of the details that we can find in other similar cases.

The Ilkley Moor Alien Abduction

One of the most intriguing claims of alien abduction in the Yorkshire countryside occurred on 1st December 1987. ^[7] The account has also proved to be one of the most genuine, not least because the man involved has refused all monies to go public and has remained anonymous, refusing to release his real name. The only known information as to his identity is that the man involved is a former policeman who goes by the name of Philip Spencer.

That cold December morning Spencer left his home in the village of Ilkley at a little after 7am. He was on his way to his father-in-law’s home in East Morton. The two of them had planned to spend the morning photographing the Yorkshire Moors.

While making his way up a steep hillside not long after setting off, Spencer heard what he later described as a humming sound from above him. He assumed this to be a low flying aircraft which was not uncommon for the area.

Suddenly he noticed movement in the field to his left. He turned his head to see a small figure making its way up the embankment of the quarry. Spencer stopped dead and shouted at the strange figure. He also managed to snap a clear photograph, though, which incidentally experts declared genuine when they examined it.

You can view that picture below.

A Classic Case Of “Missing Time!”

Spencer would quickly follow the figure, who appeared to be “waving him off” as it went to the top of the hill. As he reached the top of the quarry himself, the creature had vanished. Above him though was the sight of a “huge silver disc-shaped object!”

A second later, the disc was directly over him. It then shot off at great speed.

Shaken by the encounter, Spencer decided to turn back home. Only when he arrived back in Ilkley did he notice the time was after 10 am. He had lost a total of three hours.

It was then that the picture he had taken suddenly arose in his mind. Realizing he needed to view that picture as soon as possible in the hope that it might make sense of the situation, Spencer would catch a bus to the nearby town of Keighley where he could get the picture developed in an hour. As he made his way there, he used up the film with random shots in order that it could be developed.

After walking around the town waiting for the pictures, he returned to the shop, picked them up, and immediately began sifting through them. He stopped dead when he found the one he was looking for. There, a little grainy but still very clear, was the strange figure he had witnessed on the hillside.

This missing time combined with strange, intense dreams that Spencer experienced in the days following the incident led him to seek assistance from experts in a field he knew very little about.

The Beginnings Of An Alien Encounter Investigation

According to a write-up of the incident by Carl Nagaitis and Philip Mantle in their book Without Consent, Spencer would ultimately decide to contact a UFO group to not only report the incident but to seek further information on just what he saw. As he had no previous interest in the subject, he would research UFOs before finally deciding to write to Jenny Randles (using a PO Box number to keep his identity a secret) who, in turn, would pass the information on to the Manchester UFO Research Association.

However, there appeared to be little interest in the case initially from the organization, leading Spencer to seek out the help of another UFO researcher – Arthur Tomlinson (who, incidentally, also had connections to Manchester UFO Research Association). Tomlinson would take an immediate interest in the case, quickly making arrangements to meet with Spencer.

He would arrive in Ilkley (along with fellow researcher Steve Balon) and invited Spencer to go through the route he had taken on the morning in question as he told them again of this most strange encounter. It was to Tomlinson that Spencer gave the photographs (and negatives) so that they could analyze them. Tomlinson also highlighted how a compass that Spencer was carrying at the time of the encounter had reversed its polarity (meaning it now automatically pointed south as opposed to the north).

Tomlinson would eventually entice the Chairman of the Manchester UFO Research Association, Peter Hough, to join them on a subsequent visit to the location of the encounter on Ilkley Moor. Spencer would go over the incident once more for Hough’s benefit – relaying the information exactly as he had done previously, a sign of credibility on the witness’s part.

An Anomaly Later Explained!

During this second visit to the site of the encounter, the investigators noticed an apparent anomaly. An anomaly that would perhaps begin to unlock just what had happened that morning. The sky in the photograph was light. However, according to Spencer’s recollection, he had taken the picture at least 15 minutes before 8 am – meaning that the sky (at that time of year) should have been quite dark. This anomaly would be explained a little later following Spencer agreeing to undergo hypnotic regression.

Before that happened, though, several unnerving developments occurred. Spencer would claim to have received a very out-of-the-blue visit from two men claiming to be from the Ministry of Defense. According to the now shaken witness, the two men introduced themselves as Mr. Davies and David Jefferson (most likely false names), and they were extremely interested in Spencer’s experience, as well as the photograph. Spencer would inform them that he no longer had the picture in his possession when they asked to see it.

Spencer would inform the UFO investigators of this impromptu visit, now clearly unnerved that his identity would be released to the public. This, however, didn’t happen, and no further visits from the MoD occurred.

The Revelations Of Regression

As was hoped, the eventual regression session would bring forth some amazing revelations. Not least that the picture he had captured was taken much later than Spencer had consciously recalled.

He would describe how he was walking along the moor that cold morning when he suddenly noticed the strange green figure. However, as opposed to moving away from him the figure was heading in his direction. At the same time, he noticed he could no longer move – he was paralyzed where he stood and “everything’s gone fuzzy”. The next thing he knew he was “floating along in the air”. He looked down and could see the green figure walking, slightly ahead of him.

He then noticed the “big silver saucer thing” with a “door in it”. It appears he must have lost consciousness as “everything went black”. The next thing he realized he was in a “funny sort of room”. He noticed there was a light, but he couldn’t locate the source of the illumination. This is a particularly interesting detail as many people who claim to have been inside an apparent alien craft speak of this “no-source lighting” – a detail perhaps so mundane, it screams authenticity.

Another detail often mentioned in similar accounts is a voice appearing in his mind urging him not to be afraid. What’s more, upon hearing the voice, the fear that previously gripped him appeared to disappear.

Then, he noticed that he was being placed on some kind of a table. Still, the fear remained subdued, despite the sheer bizarreness of the situation. A fluorescent tube-like instrument appeared and began to make its way over his body, beginning at the feet, as if scanning him somehow. It passed over his head and promptly retreated out of his vision. It was at this point that Spencer noticed a doorway. In it, was the green figure. It was beckoning him to join him.

“There’s Light All Around!”

Although he claimed he didn’t want to follow the figure, he found himself walking toward the door. In his regression session he states:

There’s still a bright light. I can’t see where it’s coming from. There’s light all around!

He continued walking, eventually finding himself a “round room”. He noticed he was stood on a raised section in the room, finding himself staring at a strange “ball with things around it”. There are suggestions that the room had some form of weightlessness in it as his “camera and compass are trying to get away” from him.

He was urged to continue walking, toward another corridor, which he soon found himself walking down. He would eventually find himself inside another room. This time, he saw a picture on the wall that began to move (likely some kind of screen). He also noticed that there were two green creatures in the room with him.

Although he didn’t reveal what the pictures were showing, he claimed that one of the creatures – directly into his mind – asked him “Do you understand?” He replied that he did. Then, everything went black once more.

The next memory he had is of coming around on the moor where he had first noticed the strange figure. What’s more, the figure was stood in front of him. Only this time it was moving away from him. He called out to it to wait, but it simply waved him away. Realizing he had his camera in his hand, he decided to take a picture of it.

This last part of the session revealed that he had taken the picture between 8 am and 10 am – after the abduction encounter.

An Account Recalled “As Something That Had Actually Happened!”

The person who performed the regression sessions, Dr. Jim Singleton, was of the opinion that Spencer was a credible witness and was recalling an encounter “as something that had actually happened”.

Another thing that seemingly works in Spencer’s favor is the fact that he insisted right the way through the process of the investigation on anonymity. He at no point made any attempts to make money from his encounter by selling his story to newspapers or magazines. Furthermore, although it perhaps carries slightly less weight, the fact he was a former police officer with hopes of rejoining the forces, is another factor that works in his favor.

There are also many details that surface in this encounter that surface in many others from around the world. The no-source lighting, we have already mentioned, is just one. There is also the experiments and the missing time elements of the account, as well as the visual screens shown to him with an apparent message to be understood.

Of even more interest, when Spencer was asked about one of the films, in particular, he replied that he was “not supposed to tell anybody” about the content of the film as it was “not for them to know”. Furthermore, whether through his own choice or some kind of advanced mental programming, he adhered to those apparent orders.

This might suggest that Spencer, like many abductees, was intentionally targeted as opposed to having been taken at random. If this was the case then we have to ask, why? What are the deciding factors in the decision making as far as which individuals these alleged aliens are interested in, and for what reason?

How authentic the account might be (in terms of whether it happened in the way Spencer recalled) is perhaps open to debate. It remains, though, one of the most intriguing on record – not least due to the photographic evidence that would appear to support it.

“I Wish To Hell All This Never Happened To Me!”

Like all such claims, the three incidents above are open to debate as to their authenticity. They, however, represent only a tiny drop in the UFO field’s ocean of claims of abductions – and an even tinier percentage of UFO sightings.

As easy as it might be to dismiss the suddenly increasing number of sightings as nothing more than overactive imaginations, the fact that so many people are seeing something, is itself a reason for investigation. How many other people might come forward if they feel a serious investigation will look at their claims?

Although there is no doubt some people will make wild claims just for the fun of it, many others will hold their tongue for fear of people mocking them or thinking them mad.

PC Godfrey perhaps said it best when he spoke to the Sunday Mirror back in 1981 when he stated:

I wish to hell all this had never happened to me. I’m just an ordinary bloke doing an ordinary job as a small-town bobby! Do you think being associated with flying saucers makes my life any easier? I’ve never even read a science-fiction book in my life!

As we will examine in a moment, reports of such sightings on the east coast of the United Kingdom have surged in recent years.

Two Disc-Shaped Objects Seen From A Road In Derby

Almost two decades before the sighting over Harrogate, in the winter of 1974 in Derby. ^[8] On the day in question, the witness, Theresa, who was a teenager at the time, was at a local gym attending an afterschool gym class. However, at around 4 pm, a sudden power cut forced the session to end early. She and a friend made their way to a telephone box and rang her father requesting that he come and pick them up, which he agreed to do. Because it was winter, even though it was only a little after 4 pm, the sky was already dark. So dark that as they stood at the roadside waiting for Theresa’s father, the two strange lights they saw stood out clearly to them.

At first, they thought the lights were the headlights of an approaching car. However, they each realized that these lights appeared different somehow, in a way they couldn’t quite put their finger on. Perhaps because the lights appeared to be approximately 30 feet above the actual road. In fact, the closer the lights came to them, the more they appeared as though they were a distinct disc shape. Even stranger, each of the objects appeared to have a beam coming down from them, stretching all the way down to the road below.

Suddenly Theresa exclaimed to her friend that what they were looking at “was a UFO”. She turned to her, and could see the fright on her face immediately. At one point Theresa covered her eyes with her hands in disbelief. When she took her hands away a moment later, both of the obscure aerial vehicles had vanished. She asked her friend if she had seen them also to which she replied she had.

Theresa’s father arrived a short time later and picked the two girls up. Neither spoke of the object as they were driven home. Unbeknown to her friend, Theresa had witnessed a similar object around two weeks earlier while at a gala in her school hall. She happened to look out of one of the large windows of the hall and saw a strange “glowing dark orange cigar-shaped object”. She immediately called out to one of her teachers to look out of the window. However, the teacher dismissed her claims of a “UFO” being outside and told her “not to be silly”. Strangely, Theresa has no clear memory of what happened in the moments following this.

It is perhaps interesting to debate whether it was pure coincidence that Theresa witnessed two UFOs so close together, or whether she was somehow targeted by the occupants of these strange craft. Might, as much as there is no evidence to suggest so, she have been, at one point or another, a victim of alien abduction? Perhaps particularly so when Theresa failed to remember the moments following the sighting of the cigar-shaped UFO out of the window of the school hall.

The Glowing Disc Over Grimsby

A little-known sighting that comes to us courtesy of the Birmingham UFO Group is very much worthy of our attention here. ^[9] According to the report, at around 6:30 pm on 18^th July 1982, 17-year-old Virginia Dodsworth was at a local park with her boyfriend, Jim, and her friend, Claire in the town of Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire. They appeared to be the only ones there, as they sat near the lake chatting idly.

As they sat there, Virginia suddenly noticed a “bright white glowing light” hovering over the top of some trees a short distance away from them. Despite the bright sky of the early evening, the object was completely clear and appeared decidedly different to how a normal aircraft such as an airplane or helicopter would appear.

She estimated that it was at an altitude of approximately 200 feet and moved through the sky at a speed of around 100 miles per hour. Then things turned a little more concerning. The object appeared to arc somewhat in the sky and within a moment it was heading toward them.

The closer it got the more details of the bizarre craft she could make out. She could tell she it was distinctly disc-shaped but similar to that of a paracetamol (painkiller) tablet, and was a dull grey color. Around the middle of the center of the object were several rectangular-shaped windows or portals, while on the underside three lights appeared to rotate. She would further estimate that the object was approximately 40 feet across.

The closer the object got to them, the more it slowed down. It eventually came to a stop just above some nearby trees at a distance of approximately 25 feet.

Occupants Who Had “Connected” With Her Mind!

The three teenagers stood watching the craft in amazement, not daring or having the inclination to move. Virginia would recall that despite the bizarre surrealness of the situation, none of them felt any fear. Even stranger, she had the feeling that the occupants of the object had somehow “connected with her mind”. She would elaborate that they had noticed that she was watching their craft and so had come closer to them. At this point, she began walking toward the curious object.

She continued her approach, waving her hand as she walked. The craft, however, remained completely silent and motionless. Then, it suddenly zipped off over the top of the trees. After several moments, it changed direction and then disappeared into the distance. Virginia would estimate that as it headed away from them, it must have been moving around 500 miles per hour.

The three young people were more than perplexed by what they had just witnessed, and remained where they were, silent, for several minutes before each deciding to return to their homes. Once home, Virginia informed her father, who was a serving police officer, of what she had witnessed. Rather than dismiss his daughter’s claims, he fully supported her version of events, and asked her to sketch a picture of the object she had witnessed.

The events of that early evening would stick with Virginia for the rest of her life, right up until 2020 when she finally made her report.

An Intriguing Sighting With Only One Known Contactable Witness

Virginia would go on to have a life-long interest in UFOs and alien encounters, reading as much as she could on the subject over the years. Although she didn’t see Carol that often after the incident – her presence that afternoon was more out of coincidence rather than being close friends – Jim would feel uncomfortable speaking of the encounter, even privately, and eventually refused to do so altogether. She would eventually lose contact with both of them.

Just what might have Virginia and her friends have witnessed that afternoon in a Grimsby park in the summer of 1982?

According to the investigation of UFO investigator, Dave Hodrien, the location of the sighting “does not lie with an airway” and it does not sit in “controlled airspace”. This means, as Hodrien concludes, that the object was “unlikely to have been a misidentification of an aircraft taking off or coming in to land”, although he stresses that an “untracked” aircraft remains a possibility.

The appearance, movement, and sheer speed of the craft, however, suggest that it is not something terrestrial and much more advanced than any aircraft currently known. What’s more, the way it moved also suggested it was under direct intelligent control and not controlled remotely. It is also strange that the object remained completely silent, even when taking off with blistering pace, again suggesting that whatever it was, it wasn’t something terrestrial. There was also no obvious signs of propulsion nor any type of vapor trail.

It is also worth pointing out that the sighting occurred long before people carried mobile phones with cameras on them, and, perhaps not surprisingly, none of them had a camera on them on the evening of the sighting. Consequently, there are no photographs of the object despite the close range the witnesses were to it. Furthermore, although there were three witnesses to the events themselves, two of them have, so far, remained elusive.

Whether Jim or Claire ever come forward, or indeed if any other potential witnesses realize they were there that day or saw the same object from a different location remains to be seen. For now, the sighting remains a complete mystery.

Several Strange Lights Over Huddersfield

Around the same time as the sighting in Grimsby, another incident unfolded in nearby West Yorkshire in Huddersfield. ^[10] The case is another that comes from the research files of the Birmingham UFO Group and UFO investigator, Dave Hodrien.

According to the report, Hodrien met the witness, Richard Muir to discuss a UFO sighting he and has wife had been witness to while on holiday in Benidorm in 2018. However, while discussing this incident, Richard began telling Hodrien of a much more dramatic sightings that had occurred in June of 1982 (the witness did state that it might have been 1981).

On the night in question, at around 6 pm, when the witness was 16 years old, he around 10 friends at a nearby “rec” area (a field or play area) playing cricket. As they were doing so, the group noticed several bizarre star-like object that glowed a blue-white color. The teenagers soon brough the game to a complete standstill and stood, enthralled and watched the display above them.

They watched them for several minutes and after deciding they were not going to do anything at all out of the ordinary they went back to their game. As the game went on, others who had gathered to watch the contest witnessed the lights moving off into the distance.

He would inform his parents of what he had seen upon returning home, but they had not seen anything out of the ordinary themselves. The following day, however, he discovered an article in a local newspaper detailing the incident. The lights, it appeared, had been witnessed by several other of the local residents of the town. Unfortunately, Richard didn’t think to keep the newspaper, and he has been unable to obtain a copy of the article in the years since.

Just what was over the town of Huddersfield that afternoon is perhaps open to debate. According to some what the witnesses saw was likely nothing more than a group of stars appearing in the early evening sky. However, the fact that several of those who were watching the cricket match stated they saw them move into the distance, this would seem unlikely. And, of course, they were seen clearly by other people around the town, at least according to the apparent newspaper report.

There is little chance that the light belonged to a terrestrial aircraft, especially as there was no sound noticed by the witnesses. And in the early 1980s, such things as drones were not at all widely available to the general public. Another possibility – that what was seen was a set of balloons – would also appear unlikely given that they appeared to hover in the same position for several minutes before moving off into the distance. The fact that the witnesses didn’t see the light appear rather they just noticed them makes it unknown if they approached the location or did just appear overhead.

The Joined Diamond UFO Incident Over Harrogate

Although it happened around a decade after the above sightings, an intriguing report of an unknown vehicle over Harrogate – also in West Yorkshire – is worth examination here. ^[11] The witness, Simon Kirby, was 21-years-old at the time of the incident in December 1993. It was just short of midnight, and Simon was returning home with his brother, Mark, and his friend, Rob, from a local nightclub.

The night was clear and dry, and the streets were littered with people either looking to climb into a taxi or to continue on to another club. It was as they were walking along the street that Simon happened to look up to the sky and noticed a “strange object” moving across the sky, slightly higher than the roof of one of the town’s hotels.

Simon would later describe the object as looking like “two glowing diamonds (that were) linked together with lines of small flowing circles (or) spheres at each corner”. The color of the diamonds was “an unusual rusty red color” while the dots were a “bright blue-white”. He estimated that the object was approximately 10,000 feet in the air, which would have meant it was a mammoth vehicle. Simon would further estimate the craft was moving at a speed of around 100 miles per hour. He also noticed that as it moved it the diamond sections “oscillated around one another” and appeared “like a dumb-bell tumbling across the sky”.

At this point, Simon called out to Mark and Rob, but they had already noticed the bizarre aerial vehicle. All three stood for several moments, shocked by what they were seeing. As they watched it, Simon glanced toward the crowds of people a short distance away on the main streets. None of them appeared to have noticed the bizarre craft overhead.

After around 10 to 15 seconds, the strange encounter got even stranger. The object suddenly ascended directly upward at an unbelievable pace. Within no more than four seconds, it had disappeared completely out of sight. Simon would later state in his report that the craft “went from a sedate position to an unbelievable speed”, further stating that he simply “can’t find the words to describe how quickly this thing vanished”.

The three young men remained where they were, not sure what to make of what they had just witnessed. After several moments, they set out for home.

An Almost Identical Sighting The Following Day

The following afternoon, at around 2 pm when Simon returned home from work, he and his brother spoke to their mother about what they had witnessed the previous evening. To their surprise, she believed them without question, certain they wouldn’t make up something so strange. By pure chance, as they were talking to her about the sighting, they heard the DJ on the radio show that was on Stray FM in the background.

The host claimed that he had received a phone call from a resident of from a nearby village. They claimed that the local lady had been making her way to her child’s school in order to pick them up when she noticed a strange object that appeared to look like “linked triangles”. The host asked anyone else who thought they might have seen the object to get in touch, however, they made it clear that they were not taking the report seriously, which likely deterred any further witnesses making themselves known.

When Dave Hodrien interviewed Simon, he asked if it was possible to speak with the other witnesses. However, neither he or his brother had remained in touch with Rob since the incident, and Mark didn’t wish to discuss the events of that evening, not least as he was a little under the influence of alcohol and uncertain of exactly what he had seen. To Simon and Mark, though, it was clear that the object the woman was describing was the same object they had witnessed the previous evening.

For his part, Simon, who had always had an interest in aviation, was certain that what he witnessed that evening was not a conventional aircraft. Aside from the bizarre shape and dimensions of the object, but the fact it moved with such alarming speed, much faster than any human could have withstood. What’s more, where the object was witnessed no other aircraft were known to have been in the airspace, suggesting that, however unlikely, the object was certainly not an misidentified vehicle.

Because of the various colors, the way it changed direction, and (once more) the lightning speed of the craft, it was extremely unlikely that it was a Chinese lantern. Furthermore, the fact that an almost identical object was witnessed the following day surely adds credence to the sighting of the three young men that December evening in the early 1990s.

Increasing Encounters In Recent Years

In June 2016, Cleveland Police released all of their files concerning emergency calls of UFO sightings in and around the Teesside area of the United Kingdom. The files contained dozens of reports of strange phenomena in the night skies. And in the years that followed, an apparent wave of UFO activity has hit the east coast of the United Kingdom.

One such report spoke of a strange craft in the dark sky that “pulsated in an irregular manner – like a heartbeat!” This continued for two minutes before the craft apparently shot off at speed. Another sighting came from a couple who spotted six “silver saucers” over the town of Lackenby, while a further woman reported a sighting in September 2015 of a UFO hovering in the Middlesbrough sky.

One particular claim stood out though. An unnamed man, who was reported missing before police located him, claimed in December 2015 that he spotted a UFO, was taken aboard the otherworldly craft, and taken on a “trip to Durham!” In other words, he was abducted by what would seemingly be aliens. Make of his claims what you will – the fact is, they are now on record.

While it is perhaps habit for many of us to automatically think of small-town America when we hear claims of alien abductions, for its relatively small size, the United Kingdom has a plethora of such claims to offer. What’s more, a great many of these claims, particularly those of abduction, are all remarkably similar in detail.

While we will return to some of the most recent of these sightings, first we will look at an alleged incident from 2009.

Couple Witness “Spaceships Over The Sea!”

As well as the released report, a separate story appeared telling of an elderly couple who witnessed around forty UFOs hovering over a beach on the coast of East Yorkshire. ^[12] Furthermore, an intense military operation in the area would follow this apparent out of this world encounter.

The incident took place on 14th September 2009 over Wilsthorpe Beach. In UFO circles it carries the name, The Wilsthorpe Incident. The couple – both now in their eighties and with their names withheld – would view the bizarre events from their home in the purposely built seafront flats that look out to the North Sea.

At around 11 pm, as the couple prepared for bed, an intense glow was visible outside their bedroom.  Intrigued, the couple would look outside to a sight of marvelous, glowing UFOs over the beach in front of them. The lady would describe them later as “spaceships over the sea!” and of a “boomerang shape!”

According to the witnesses, there were “thirty to forty” of the strange objects. They would recall no noise coming from the crafts “but there was electricity going into the sea!”

The lights would remain over the coast for around ninety minutes. They then left “in pairs at a forty-five-degree angle until just two were left, which shot straight up!”

Thinking the incident was over, they went to bed. The following day, things would take an even stranger turn for the residents of this otherwise sleepy seaside town.

Military Operation “Shuts Down Beach”

The following morning, two military Chinook helicopters would descend on the beach. Each would unload a full unit of military personnel, who would quickly go to work.

Two bait diggers from a local bait shop on Bridlington Harbour would recall how “soldiers with guns” suddenly appeared with orders to leave the beach immediately. Understandably fearful, the two workers did as ordered, but they would watch the units from the cliffs above.

According to them, soldiers would go up and down the beach with metal detectors. Incidentally, each had informed their employer of strange “triangular craft” that “entered the sea” in the days leading up to the sudden lockdown of the beach.

Another witness in the area, a man at Blythe Park boat compound, would confirm a military presence that morning. More reports would surface of “gunfire and explosions!”

UFO researcher, Paul Sinclair, would even file a Freedom Of Information Act in an attempt to obtain the details of the military presence that day in September 2009. The only information he would receive back was that it was simply a “routine military exercise!” Among other information provided was the fact that “no live ammunition” was with the military unit, and that the unit did take part in “controlled explosions!”

In short, they revealed nothing of any interest and were making it clear they were not likely to anytime soon. For his part, Sinclair continues to investigate the case, which he feels will prove to be an important incident in UK UFO history.

Camping Trip Sees UFO Light Up “Like A Bolt Of Lightning!”

According to 22-year-old, Trent Mason, and 21-year-old, Jack Holdsworth, ^[13] while on a camping trip in the Yorkshire countryside near to the Ribblehead railway viaduct, they would witness a strange object “move around the sky” above them for two hours.

The object would perform various pattern-like movements while changing color from a hard white to a warm orange. Neither witness could quite believe their eyes, each looking to the other for confirmation of the strange events unfolding before them.

UFO researcher, Philip Mantle would state following the sighting of the two campers that, “it comes as no surprise to learn of the sightings” given the number of cases he has already been privy to during his work.

Mantle would also remark on the apparent sudden surge of UFO sightings, not only in the UK but more specifically over the skies of Yorkshire.

After stating that sightings had become rare in recent years, “2017 has seen a sharp upturn in reports in this area!” Although Mantle isn’t able to offer why this is, he did offer that the recent sightings near the famous viaduct “fits with other sightings I have had from this general area in the past!”

The Yorkshire 2017 UFO Wave?

In July 2017, another report of a UFO sighting would come from Leeds. In broad daylight, the “flashing, white object” appeared over the skies of the West Yorkshire city. One resident would catch the object on video and upload the footage to YouTube (the video has since vanished). Before it vanished from the Internet, however, the UFO Institute would examine it. They would describe the object as likely a “metallic sphere” and very much a solid object.

In Sheffield in January 2017, footage emerged on YouTube of a similar object hovering over the Parsons Cross area. Kevin Pearce would upload the clip after capturing the footage around 2 am after thinking it was a low-flying helicopter. The object remained over the city for around two hours, occasionally flashing red or green lights.

Only a month earlier in Sheffield, on 27th December 2016, a fixed webcam at the University of Sheffield captured a similar object over the city center at just after 7 am. At the end of August, while looking out over the hills of Penistone, near Sheffield, a witness would report what seemed to be a plane flying on a “downward elliptical trail” before making a sharp course change.

You can view the video below of the University of Sheffield footage.

Spherical Disc-shaped Craft Filmed Over Pontefract

In more recent times, during the afternoon of 23^rd December 2018 in Pontefract, a witness named Michael was visiting friends – Trish and Barbara – and was enjoying lunch in their dining room in front of a large window. ^[14] It was as they were eating that Michael saw something strange in the sky out of the corner of his eye. He thought, initially, that the two objects might have been birds that were reflecting the sun. However, the more he looked at them, the more he realized it was something a little more out of the ordinary.

The object, whatever it was, was at an altitude of around 1500 feet, and of more concern, it was heading straight toward the house. As it moved, Michael noticed that there was some kind of strange movement at the edges of the craft, although he couldn’t quite make out what was causing this movement.

At this point, leaning forward to see more clearly out of the window, Michael diverted the attention of the two women toward the object. Within a few moments, the three friends were stood closer to the window, watching the bizarre scene unfold before them.

To their continued amazement, it appeared the object was changing shape, going from a disc-shape, to spherical and then to a flat-shape. The more he looked, it was confirmed to Michael that the object was, in fact, disc-shaped but that it was rotating on its axis. He estimated that the object was approximately 300 to 400 feet across and appeared to be around three miles from their location, although it continued to head toward them.

Michael reached for his mobile phone and managed to capture several minutes worth of footage of the object before he was unable to get a clear shot. The three friends then watched the object for several more minutes until it had finally disappeared from sight. Michael would estimate that the object had remained in sight for approximately three minutes before it disappeared for good.

Barbara would later state that the object was “quite a way off” but that it clearly “looked and moved funny”. She was certain that the object was not a “helicopter, plane, or a bird” and that it appeared as though it was “rotating” as it moved. Furthermore, the object appeared to be under intelligent control as opposed to drifting.

Trisha would largely agree, offering that the object “wasn’t like anything” they would normally see in the skies over Pontefract. She too would echo that the object was “clearly under control rather than drifting”.

Although the object appears very distant in the footage that Michael managed to shoot, you can clearly see that something solid is present in the skies.

The sighting remains unexplained, but it would appear perfectly clear that something strange was witnessed that afternoon. Aside from the video footage, there is also the fact that it was witnessed by three separate people, all of whom have given detailed statements about what they saw.

It would appear from the many people who have viewed the video since that this footage could indeed be of an advanced technological craft that could very well be of extraterrestrial origin. It would certainly appear that conventional aircraft, balloons, or drones can be ruled out. From everything available to us concerning this sighting, it appears that activity in this part if the United Kingdom remains rife and plentiful as it has been for decades.

You can see video footage of that sighting below.

What’s Going On Over The Skies Of The East Coast?

Over a five-day period between 14th and 19th January 2017 came a surge of sightings. Over the skies of Flamborough on the east coast of the UK, there were reports of flashing red and orange lights. Usually combined with “low popping sounds!” The description of the lights would claim they were “like fireworks” which “became more intense before the end!” The popping sounds would become more like “electrical surges!”

The following month in February 2017, multiple witnesses would report another strange light in the sky. Again, with a “humming buzzing sound” over the North Yorkshire Moors. The swift way it would move over the hills would quickly rule out it being a plane or helicopter. As did the shape of the craft. When the witnesses got a better look, which they would report as a “diamond triangle” shape.

On 6th April came a second report from the Wath Upon Dearne area of Doncaster. This time, of a “white light going through the sky with no sound (and) gradually ascending!” On this second occasion, a helicopter was circling the area. And continued to do so until the object disappeared.

Several weeks later on 10th June in Owmby-by-Spital in Lincolnshire, came a report of repeated sightings. Again of a strange object hovering in the skies over the small town. These sightings would happen at various times of the day, from 9 pm to 3 am.

The video below shows a UFO sighing off the east coast of England during this time.

Important Answers In The Most Unlikely Places?

What might the connection be, then, between these apparent hives of UFO activity? And are there others that perhaps play out under our noses?

Indeed, it isn’t an automatic when discussing such UFO windows or hotspots in the United Kingdom. However, we might well mention the apparent concentration of energy in Wales. Most specifically in Broadhaven and the apparent “triangular” region of activity there.

This is even more interesting when we consider one of the most famous Welsh UFO cases. The Berwyn Mountains Incident. And whether we accept that the reasons for this surge of activity in these very specific areas of the United Kingdom are due to some kind of cosmic gateway, or due to a physical base on or under the Earth, then perhaps the claims of Russ Kellett that such a base resides on the Welsh coast should be examined further.

And if Kellett ever does prove to be correct? What does that say about Bonnybridge, Warminster, and particularly the still heavily active UFO Alley? Is there an alien presence in the otherwise picturesque towns and country roads of Yorkshire, for example? And indeed the Pennine Hills? Maybe permanent residents to the area? Or just passing through from another realm, time, or galaxy?

Indeed, it may still prove to be very much the case that some of the biggest answers to the UFO and alien question may reside in the most unlikely places.

Check out the video below. It features Philip Mantle, one of the most respected UFO researchers of the last forty years. He also works a lot from Yorkshire.