These pertain to the story of forestry worker Robert Taylor, who found himself at the heart of one of Scotland’s most famous UFO mysteries when he came across a “flying dome” in a woodland clearing near Dechmont Law in Livingston on November 9, 1979.
It popped into my head in recent weeks following a raft of feverish social media posts and news reports about puzzling lights in the skies above New Jersey.
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From legends of a “moon boat” in 4th century China to the “flying saucers” spotted by pilot Kenneth Arnold near Mount Rainier, Washington, in 1947, it touches on a topic of endless human fascination.
Scotland at one point was dubbed “the UFO capital of the world” thanks to a wave of sightings at the so-called “Falkirk Triangle” near Bonnybridge through the 1990s and 2000s.
West Lothian has garnered its own place in the history books as the only example of a UFO encounter in the UK becoming the subject of a criminal investigation.
As a youngster growing up in the sticks, it was wildly thrilling to live barely a mile as the crow flies from the site of what has since become known as the “Livingston Incident” or “Dechmont Woods Encounter”.
Taylor, employed by the now defunct Livingston Development Corporation, was doing a routine check of new saplings, when he entered a clearing and reportedly became “transfixed by the sight of a large metallic cone” hovering in front of him.
He is quoted in Arthur C Clarke’s Mysterious World as saying: “I just came round this corner and I was amazed to see this vehicle sitting there. I was rooted to the spot. It was like a huge spinning top, 20ft or so wide and the same in height, with a huge flange right around it.
“There was a rod sticking out of this flange with what I took to be blades on top and portholes behind those blades going right round the dome.”
Today, you can visit the site of the alleged encounter (Image: free) Taylor recounted how, as he approached the object, two spheres, each about three-feet wide with protruding metal spikes “similar to sea mines”, dropped down and raced towards him.
He claimed to have experienced an acrid smell and the sensation of being dragged, before blacking out. When Taylor awoke, disorientated and with a throbbing headache, he was alone.
Abandoning his van, he stumbled the short distance to his Livingston home. Taylor’s wife, alarmed by his confused, dishevelled appearance and talk of a “spaceship thing”, called the police and a doctor.
There were grazes on Taylor’s legs and chin, but no other signs of injury, although his heavy work trousers were said to be ripped in “a strange fashion”. Police who accompanied Taylor back to the area found “ladder-shaped marks” and “spiked holes” in the soil.
Over the years, various theories have been posited, from suggestions that Taylor suffered an epileptic seizure, mini-stroke or hallucination after ingesting deadly nightshade berries. Yet, the mystery of what happened that November morning hasn’t ever been truly solved.
Taylor, who died in 2007 aged 88, was a respected war hero and teetotal churchgoer. He never sought publicity or financial gain. And for the rest of his life always stood by every word.
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The tale became woven into local lore, told by youngsters to scare one another (or by parents hoping to deter offspring from sneaking into the woods for nefarious purposes).
Today, you can visit the site of the alleged encounter. There is a plaque and information boards in Dechmont Woods detailing Taylor’s account and the police investigation.
Located on the northern fringes of Livingston, the woodland was once part of the grounds of Old Dechmont House, owned by the 19th-century chemist Edward Meldrum.
If you fancy stretching your legs slightly further, nearby Dechmont Law is one of several volcanic plugs scattered around the West Lothian landscape. Dating from the Carboniferous period, signs of Bronze and Iron Age earthworks can be seen on its slopes.
The trig-marked summit offers stunning panoramas, with views of the Pentland Hills, Forth Bridges and the lion-shaped hump of Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh.