The quiet village that has become the UK's UFO hotspot

29 October 2023 , 11:23

1015     0

Bonsall in the Peak District has become the country's unofficial hotspot for UFO sightings (Image: Derby Telegraph)

Visitors to a quiet rural village will be hoping to catch a glimpse of something from another world this Halloween. Bonsall on the edge of the Peak District is the UK's unofficial hotspot for unexplained happenings in the heavens and UFO sightings.

Most people associate extraterrestrial goings on with the USA and Area 51. But you may be surprised to hear that the village has many unexplained tales of its own. It has even caught the attention of NASA.

With quaint stone cottages sat among green rolling hills it may appear on first glance just like any other pretty village. But don't fooled - it’s developed quite the reputation when it comes to other-worldly activities.

From October 2000 there were 19 sightings of UFOs in the area. A former pub landlord is said to have even taken tourists on UFO-spotting tours of the surrounding moorland.

The most famous account is that of resident Sharon Rowlands, who filmed a ‘disk-like object’ in the sky in the early 2000s which she saw flying above the village. NASA officials were reportedly asked to investigate it as it’s said the object was similar to one seen on the STS-75 Columbia Space Shuttle mission in early 1996.

Green comet last seen by Neanderthals 50,000 years ago to fly past earth tonight

Eerily, many sightings have happened near the pub, reports the MEN. In 2016, alanw276 wrote in a review of The Barley Mow pub that he saw a UFO flying above it.

He said: “I saw a UFO fly over the pub!! This pub is now my favourite.“The customers are friendly, the staff are good and the landlord and landlady are great. We were outside on a Friday night and a UFO WENT OVER THE PUB.

“I asked about it and other customers said that this had happened before several times over the years. We are definitely going back with a camera.”

Whether you believe in the idea of life from another planet or not, the village is still a lovely place to visit on an autumn day. The landscape is a popular haunt for hikers and those thirsting for a post-walk pint. One reviewer on TripAdvisor called the pub “the best pub in the country…probably the world."

The quirky pub is also home to Bonsall’s annual hen races which are held in August. It’s a bizarre but much-loved tradition which sees hens racing across a thirty-foot course, with the winning team receiving a trophy.

Liv Clarke