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Panic: A Genuine Example In The Old Sense Of The Word?

Cochise said:
Don't think so. Too large for a bobcat or raccoon - although we saw racoons quite often. Might have been a deer, I suppose,

Certainly didn't think so at the time and deer were also pretty common about there - we were familiar with them, as well as with idiot hunters crossing our land in search of them. Like, there are THOUSANDS of acres of forest out there - what are you doing in among houses on a residential street?
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Moose? (I just wanted to say "moose" again.)
 
SimonBurchell said:
I don't think this likely. Any small bird wouldn't take many leaves with it, and would flit off through the undergrowth. Any large bird would probably have been visible. Blackbirds and pigeons will sometimes take dried leaves with them as they take off, but the leaves don't usually get more than a foot or so off the ground.
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I agree- I considered flock of birds carrying leaves up but saw no sign of birds - certainly not in the kind of quantities necessary and as you say I have never seen them carry leaves up to that kind of height (and I have worked in many such plantations) I attach a photo here that I only just realised I had taken of the hill in the distance with the path I followed up visible - I really am at a loss with this one!
 

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BlackPeter said:
I agree- I considered flock of birds carrying leaves up but saw no sign of birds - certainly not in the kind of quantities necessary and as you say I have never seen them carry leaves up to that kind of height (and I have worked in many such plantations) I attach a photo here that I only just realised I had taken of the hill in the distance with the path I followed up visible - I really am at a loss with this one!
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Eep. Right then: I shall file that under "D" for "Don't visit, too spooky".
 
BlackPeter said:
I agree- I considered flock of birds carrying leaves up but saw no sign of birds - certainly not in the kind of quantities necessary and as you say I have never seen them carry leaves up to that kind of height (and I have worked in many such plantations) I attach a photo here that I only just realised I had taken of the hill in the distance with the path I followed up visible - I really am at a loss with this one!
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Hmmm, there's a certain forboding coming off that hill. It positively looms.
 
catseye said:
I'm not getting forboding, it looks inviting to me, but maybe that's living near the North York Moors where hills are really...well, hilly.
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Something about bare hills crowned with a copse does it for me, plenty of them on the South Downs.
 
BlackPeter said:
I agree- I considered flock of birds carrying leaves up but saw no sign of birds - certainly not in the kind of quantities necessary and as you say I have never seen them carry leaves up to that kind of height (and I have worked in many such plantations) I attach a photo here that I only just realised I had taken of the hill in the distance with the path I followed up visible - I really am at a loss with this one!
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As Min has suggested, a dust devil could certainly have enough force to lift leaves, & can appear on an otherwise calm & unwindy day..

See the Weird Weather thread for a recent example in Gateshead.
 
BlackPeter said:
I am writing here about something that happened to me a fortnight ago (I hope it fits with this thread -if any mod feels it doesn't please feel free to move it!) I haven't reported it before partly because I wasn't sure how to frame it and partly because the incident deeply disturbed me. Recently I retired from work and have taken to doing long walks around the local countryside and villages - I live in a rural part of South Derbyshire- on one of these walks I decided to climb up onto a small hill near my village which I had often passed, on top of the hill is a stand of mature trees and as a path led up toward them I assumed you could walk up and through them and possibly down towards the next village. Anyway I followed the path up the quite steep hill where I discovered that in front of the mature wood was a small plantation of smaller trees maybe five or six years old and mostly oak and as oak so often does still had lots of dead leaves from last year. Around this plantation was a fence and hedge, the path I was following came to a stile which led to path into the plantation. I climbed over the stile and attempted to follow the path through the young trees, this is where things started to get odd the path was difficult to follow as the trees were planted far too close to the path and each other (I should say that I worked in forestry for years) managed to force my way through only to find that the wood at the back was inaccessible as it was behind a fence with large ‘Private Property’ signs and the path bizarrely just dead ended at said fence! Walked round the edge of the wood along the hedge/fence to see if there was any other way out ( it was by the way a warm very still day) when I suddenly heard from within the plantation what I can only describe as a very loud rushing rustling noise and a flock of what I initially assumed were birds shot up from one of the trees within the plantation to about fifty feet in the air – it was only when these started drifting back down that I realised these were in fact dead leaves that had shot up into the air over one tree in the centre of the trees on a windless day! Already spooked by the oddity of the place and unable to find the stile, panicked by the incident and unable to find the stile I exited hastily through the hedge scratching myself quite badly in the process. As I say the I found the incident very disturbing – a feeling not improved when I got home and told my partner who said ‘that’s just like that MR James story!
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I've just been thinking BP, about this strange occurrence, and wonder if it was a willie willie that made the noise that you heard, and then drew the leaves up from the ground...


I see that I'm second man, too late. I do agree with the idea that it could've been one of those windy windey things...


Did the leaves go straight up, or was their a helical action to the ascendancy? Had it been a warm day?

We get these willie willies here and the mechanics are due to a warm uprise, affecting a spiral action, with air rushing in to fill the vacuum. The top of the hill is darker in colour than the surrounding area which just might explain a vortex if it was the end of a warm day, and the loose leaves being dragged in at the base of the column to shoot up to a specific height, to where the heat of the updraft loses its warmth which then would cause the gathered leaves to cascade back down to earth.

I have seen a willie willie collapse for no reason, raining dust, bark and leaves in a confined area, after a rather erratic path of travel...either way BP, a rather disconcerting occurrence mate.
 
Themis said:
Moose? (I just wanted to say "moose" again.)
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Cougar. They live closer and closer to people. Their eyes glow. They are very serious individuals indeed.
 
Spudrick68 said:
I've always wanted to visit Chanctonbury Ring. Without checking I'm not sure if it is Surrrey.
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SimonBurchell said:
It's West Sussex, well worth a visit.
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If you do get over there for a visit, let us know what you make of it.

I had a mildly disturbing experience there around 2004/05, and I've since heard some odd stories concerning the hill and the trees there. I'm still trying to find the photos I believe I took that morning - but I'll post something up once I've located them.
 
Quercus said:
If you do get over there for a visit, let us know what you make of it.

I had a mildly disturbing experience there around 2004/05, and I've since heard some odd stories concerning the hill and the trees there. I'm still trying to find the photos I believe I took that morning - but I'll post something up once I've located them.
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I've hiked through, and around it, a number of times and I've never experienced anything odd there, more's the pity...
 
maximus otter said:
Flies gathered on a badger kill.

maximus otter
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Maximus, that is a very interesting link, thank you. The rabbit in question still had its head and paws as well as kidneys, but apart form that it was a very "clean' carcass, no blood or noticeable odour. I did not see any flies, but maybe I disturbed them.
 
BeardSprite said:
@James_H 's story reminds me of not one, but two incidents I had buried in the depths of memory from long, long ago!

The first harks back to 1988, October or November (I recall as I had been into the town centre that afternoon to pick up a specific 'book' (I was, and remain, a colossal nerd :nerd:)).

It was 5-5:30pm, and I was making my way home from Hull (someone has to come from there!) town centre, said book clutched in my clamy hands, walking the 40 mins or so rather than catch the bus, as was my wont. I turned on to the dual carriageway, almost home, crammed with slow moving traffic as it always was at that hour of a weekday. This stretch of road passes between two cemeteries (Western and General).

As I stepped from the pavement to the then cobbled vehicle entrance to the Western Cemetery I was overcome by a feeling of sheer panic. I ran the rest of the way home - only 500 yards or so from that point, at the time, but still a rare endeavour for me, even in my youth!

I have no idea why. One moment plodding along, thinking about what was for tea tonight and happy nerd thoughts related to my purchase, and then suddenly 'RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE BOY!'. The cemetery was a non-issue, passed it many times before, day and night, before and since - sure, I wouldn't go in there alone at night (if only because of the local scrotes and undesirables that would lurk in its murkiest corners!), and the street itself was busy with traffic - people eveywhere.

The second came almost a year later, went away on my first independent holiday with a few friends, down to the Isle of Wight (we were not the most adventurous nor raucous souls, so it suited us just fine. Also, I love that place in all its twee glory!). On this particular day (I think the second Thursday of the fortnight) I decided I had had rather enough company for now, and decided to go wandering some familiar footpaths alone for the day.

We where staying in Shanklin, and I spent the day walking 'round the coast to Ventnor, then on to Steephill Cove. I took my time, noodling about and whatnot, then turned around and made my way back, on foot.

So most of the day was spent walking through country lanes or public footpaths through fairly remote woodland, with plenty of cafes and tourist spots of a very British nature along the way). A very pleasant day.

Until I was almost all the way back. I got to the head of Luccombe Chine (now closed since 2017, the steps and cliffs having eroded and crumbled away). I'd ignored it on my way out, wanting to press on to the 'Devils Chimney' and the Chapel/Church at Bonchurch, but now, on my way back, figured I would nip down to the beach, take a breather before heading back to the holiday flat, see who was around/what they fancied doing for the evening, a day of mostly solitude having restored me to sociability.

As I set off down the path, the wind got up, and the leaves went from the pleasant faint rustle they'd been doing all day to a much more insistent rustling (it was about 4-5pm (August or July, I don't quite recall, so still broad daylight)). I found this slightly unsettling, but carried on. I got to the top of the first set of wooden steps leading down to the beach and I froze.

I have no idea why.

Suddenly I had a very clear sense that I should not proceed, and in fact should leave, right now, quickly. But for some reason, I also had a very serious sense that 'I. MUST. NOT. RUN'.

Again, I couldn't say why, so heart pounding I hustled out of there, back to the main path and on towards Shanklin, as fast as I dare. The sensation did not pass until I got all the way to Luccombe road and off the footpath.

I have no idea what happened on either occasion. Or why I had 'forgotten' about them for so long.

So much for my claim in my introductory post of never having had a strange experience!

Yikes, that got a little long (and I should probably get back to work!), if you made it this far, thanks for reading!

Edits: for typo's. Probably missed a few yet...
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That's very creepy and strange.... Kind of reminds me of the utterly terrifying Whistle, And I'll Come To You film by Jonathan Miller adapted from the equally terrifying story by PD James
 
gojiramonkey said:
That's very creepy and strange.... Kind of reminds me of the utterly terrifying Whistle, And I'll Come To You film by Jonathan Miller adapted from the equally terrifying story by PD James
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!!! I had not heard of this before (note to self: I need to get out more) and so I just watched it on you tube. It is really scary, and I thought a perfect depiction of a lonely, rigid college professor. Thanks, gojiramonkey.
 
bugmum said:
I'll bring the pitchforks if someone else can organise the flaming torches! :hahazebs:
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I came top of my class at agricultural college in castration. Er, not that I'm suggesting we castrate Maximus, but I can keep a bullock quiet so I'm pretty sure I can take Maximus down. You do the swabs.
 
catseye said:
I came top of my class at agricultural college in castration. Er, not that I'm suggesting we castrate Maximus, but I can keep a bullock quiet so I'm pretty sure I can take Maximus down. You do the swabs.
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Its always good to have options. :) Just in case.
 
Only time this ever happened to me was in a restaurant in Paris. was with the former Mrs SHS and we'd done the usual couples thing of wandering around for an hour not being able to agree on where or what to eat or find anywhere with a table. We finally found a small, Italian place that looked a bit tatty but OK. I was fine for the first 5 minutes or so but was suddenly (like, split second change) overcome with an absolute terror of the place. We'd ordered and hadn't yet had the food but I just checked some cash on the table - no idea how much - and bolted. The ex saw the look on my face and didn't argue and I had to almost run to get away from the place. I have absolutely no idea what provoked the reaction, it seemed a completely normal, touristy restaurant. We even went back the next morning and peered through the window and had no ill reaction at all.
 
It would sound like a panic attack after some couple's friction, but I assume you're not prone to panic attacks and hadn't argued?
 
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