There are countless picturesque walking and hiking trails all over Scotland, but the Dechmont UFO Trail in West Lothian is one of a kind.
Those who follow the way-marked path will learn all about the ‘Robert Taylor incident’, which remains the only criminal investigation into an extraterrestrial event in Sco Visitors will pass through the scenic woodlands, taking in the wildlife and views of the Dechmont Law hill.
The Robert Taylor incident occurred on Dechmont Law on November 9, 1979, when forester Robert “Bob” Taylor claims to have seen an extraterrestrial spacecraft. According to Taylor, he had parked his truck at the side of a road near the M8 and walked through the forest and up the side of the hill with his dog.
He then claimed he observed a “flying dome” roughly 6.4 metres in diameter hovering above the forest floor in a clearing. He stated that the unidentified flying object was “a dark metallic material with a rough texture like sandpaper” and featured an outer rim “set with small propellers”.
Taylor said that small spheres “similar to sea mines” then emerged from the aircraft and dragged him towards it, at which point he lost consciousness. The forester stated that the last thing he remembered was a strong a foul odour akin to “burning brakes”.
According to Taylor, when he woke up, the strange objects were nowhere to be seen. He walked back to his truck but was unable to start it, so was forced to walk all the way to his home in Livingston.
When he returned, his wife noticed that he had various cuts on his bodies and his clothes were muddied and dishevelled. They called the police, who took Taylor back to the scene of the incident.
Once there, the police found “ladder-shaped” marks at the locations where Taylor claimed to see the UFO, as well as smaller marks that he said were made by the smaller mine-like objects.
The incident was recorded by the police as an assault, making it the only UFO sighting in the UK that has ever been designated a criminal investigation.
While there have been countless theories explaining the unusual event over the years, with some believing that Taylor suffered a temporal lobe epilepsy or a “mini-stroke”, what happened on that night in 1979 remains a mystery.
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