Pretty cottages, a couple of pubs and a tea room - it sounds like any other village you’d come across in the beautiful Derbyshire Dales. Visitors to Bonsall, near Matlock, come to admire the gorgeous surroundings and enjoy a slice of quiet country life.
With a population of less than 1,000 and sitting on the border of the Peak District, the village has been described as “sleepy”. But this village has a rather intriguing secret.
Bonsall is in fact known for being a UFO sighting hotspot and the village even has connections with Hollywood and NASA. Derbyshire Live spoke to some of the residents about the Bonsall’s extra-terrestrial stories.
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One gentleman who has lived in Bonsall all his life claims that the UFO sightings were made up by a former pub landlord to drive business. The man said the landlord used to take tourists up onto the nearby moors on "UFO tours", whether this is true or not, the original sighting which put Bonsall on the map was definitely not from a pub landlord.
In 2001, housewife Sharon Rowlands reportedly sold footage she had captured of a flying saucer for £20,000 to a Hollywood producer. It is even said NASA officials asked to examine the tape as they believed it showed a similar type of craft once spotted by the space agency's cameras during the STS-75 Columbia Space Shuttle mission in early 1996
On top of Ms Rowland's footage, in the early 2000's 19 sightings of UFOs were reported. One woman reported seeing a "ball of fire" in the skies, another "two big, bright lights", and a man out walking his dog witnessed a "pink glow, vertically-shaped like a shoe box".
Whether these have any credibility that is up to the individual to decide. Opinions from locals differed from person-to-person, with one woman saying that although she doesn't believe the sightings, "it has been good that it has brought attention to the village".
No UFO sightings have been reported in recent years, so perhaps whatever alien had visited Bonsall might have found a new village to holiday at. But Bonsall still attracts a good number of tourists on weekends as the surrounding countryside is fantastic for walking trails.
An attractive, historic former lead-mining village set in steep-sided converging limestone dales, Bonsall is filled with fine looking houses and quaint cottages, some clinging to the sides of the dale. In the sloping market square is the unusual 17th century cross, set on top of 13 circular stone steps.
Aside from UFO sightings, Bonsall is also famous for holding the annual world hen racing championships in August. Taking place at the Barley Mow pub, chickens are encouraged along a 20-metre track by their coaches, who hope to win the coveted title.
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