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Yet another set of Abominable Snowman footprints were photographed in the Himalayans this week, shot by a small Japanese team going under the name of Yeti Project Japan. I could almost feel jealous of how close this group came to encountering one of the world's most famous cryptids, but fortunately we in the UK have several of these 'part human, part monster' entities of our own.

High on the mountain of Ben Macdui, the highest mountain of the Cairngorms in Scotland, the Fear Liath Mor lurks. Earlier reports of the Fear Liath Mor make the entity sound more like a phantom man, though more recently cryptozoologists have compared the creature to bigfoot or the yeti. The creature is said to stand almost seven metres tall, covered in grey or brown hair, with oversized arms and a large head. Fortunately for most climbers, sightings are rare. Snowdonia also has its Brenin Llwyd, a grey figure that terrifies dogs, but is scared of any kind of light.

The Wild Man of the Woods, or Woodwose, is common in medieval art.

Tall, hairy creatures are not restricted to mountain ranges. Woodland near Beckermet in Cumbria may be home to a ginger-haired hairy wild man. He was reported in 2005, standing some two metres tall, walking through the middle of the woods. A similar entity, with brown fur or hair, has been reported at woodland around Derbyshire's Ladybower Reservoir.

Not all of the UK's cryptozoological entities are ape-like. Loch Duich, Scotland, is reputedly home to a colony of seal people. These creatures take the form of seals while in the water, but on land transform into humanoid form. A similar family were believed to live on the Orkney Isles; known as selkie-folk, they could peal off their seal skin and come onto land in human form once a year.

Birdmen are perhaps not as uncommon as one may think. A group of teenagers who encountered a winged, headless humanoid in Sandling Part in Hythe fled the area, while teenagers are also the primary witnesses in the Mawnan Owlman reports. This giant owl-like creature has been spotted several times since 1976, and has glowing red eyes and pincers where its feet should have been.

Finally, for now at least, a large, shaggy grey creature with small ears and gleaming eyes was seen along the A1075 in 1986, close to Thetford Forest. The witness that spotted the creature thought it was an animal that had escaped from a nearby wildlife park, until it stood on its hind legs and took an almost human form. If you're tempted to dismiss this out of hand, I have been emailed two reports around the same location from different people at different times... maybe our knowledge of British fauna is of yet incomplete.

Dates for the Paranormal Diary this week...

29 October
The Mermaid Inn, Rye (Sussex)
A pair of ghostly duellers engaged each other with rapiers; after the fight, the victor drags the body of this fallen foe through the hotel and drops it through a trapdoor.

30 October
Area between Todmorden and Mankinholes (Yorkshire)
Wailing at the moon, a pack of black demonic dogs run over both land and water looking for people to terrify.

31 October
Coves of Culzean, Maybole (Ayrshire)
Fairies and other members of the little people are reported to gather here at the coves to discuss their secret plans for the forthcoming twelve months.

Bournemouth Town Hall (Dorset)
A incorporeal First World War soldier appears at the town hall to help himself to a drink of water before vanishing for another year.

Bournemouth Town Hall.

Bonnewells Lane, Bransby (Lincolnshire)
A ghostly pig with several piglets manifests briefly along Bonnewells Lane on Halloween.

Dockyards, North Shields (Northumberland)
The area near the docks is haunted by the ghost of a sailor who was murdered by his parents, who failed to recognise their own son after his many years at sea. The man returns in the form of a large black dog once a year, patrolling the area where the crime was committed.

Crebilly Road area of Ballymena (Ulster)
A robber (or a lover, depending on the story!) escaping from a house on horseback rode into a thin piece of wire tightly pulled between the gateposts here, losing his head in the process. His decapitated shade is either seen or heard around Halloween, still on horseback.

Darren Mann
www.paranormaldatabase.com