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Windwhistle Hill on the A30 is a hotbed for supernatural sightings, according to one UFO researcher.

Gloria Heather Dixon, from the British UFO Research Association (BUFORA), has uncovered many tales of "strange lights, sounds, figures and shapes, unusual and eerie phenomena" on the stretch of road between Crewkerne and Chard.

She has connected alleged UFO sightings on the mysterious hill, "named very aptly because of the winds whistling through the tall treetops", with the area's history of highwayman, smugglers, a dead witch and even the devil itself.

Mrs Dixon, alongside other researchers at the BUFORA, has investigated the area near Cricket St Thomas, delving into archives and interviewing those who claim to have witnessed strange goings-on.

Mrs Dixon wrote on the BUFORA website: "A book published in the late seventeenth century referred to a number of mystical reports made during the year 1662 by the people of Chard and Crewkerne.

"Reports of strange visions and incidents have continued to date and according to the literature during the seventeenth and eighteenth Century Windwhistle had a history of highwaymen and smugglers in this area.

"The A30 used to be a coaching route from London to the West Country and highwaymen could hide in the beech trees waiting for the carriages with their cargoes of valuables.

"It has been suggested that the Windwhistle Inn near the summit was the central point for these highwaymen, who would use the wells and caves all around the area to hide their treasures and also the bodies of those they had robbed. The story goes that some skeletons have been discovered in these hideouts."

She also notes that Alan Holt, in his book on East Somerset, comments that Windwhistle Hill itself is haunted by a witch, who was allegedly knocked down by a stage coach many decades ago.

However, her research focuses on one particular interview with a local mother, Kate Walker, who was travelling between Yeovil and Chard with her family when she experienced two strange sightings on the same stretch of road.

Mrs Dixon wrote: "As they came to the top of the hill Kate and her family all observed a huge orange

light diffused by cloud, to their left-hand side and at the far end of Windwhistle Hill .

"It seemed to be right beside the road, not very high up, and was partially obscured by cloud, but they did not feel any alarm as there was a power station and pylons further along.

"However, as they drove nearer to the light, it was easier to observe and Kate states it was massive and totally static and very low and bright.

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"She describes it as being cigar shaped and vast in size, maybe 200-300 feet, and she estimates the light to be approximately 800-1000 feet above them.

"As they got closer she noticed that the pub on the right hand side of the road, The Windwhistle Inn , was almost in total darkness, except for a light in a small upstairs window."

Mrs Dixon writes that Kate looked up again at the light, which by that time was almost on top of the family.

It is then said that Mrs Walker "lost" around half an hour, a space of time that was unaccounted for in her memory.

Mrs Dixon writes that just a few days after the "puzzling incident", the family encountered another altogether more chilling experience in virtually the same spot.

They are said to have seen two people in front of them, on the left hand verge, with one appearing to be lying down, and the other standing.

She wrote: "Their initial thoughts were that someone had been injured and went to slow down, when to their astonishment, the person standing took one step out in front of them..one foot remained on the grass verge at the roadside and other foot was right over the centre of the road.

"Kate described the figure as being abnormally tall with legs that were horrendously long and thin.

"Her husband swerved to the far side of the road, and around the figure, and they kept on driving and did not look back, they all agreed that there was no one who could possibly have legs that long."

Mrs Dixon also writes that fellow researcher Robert Moore conducted research into this particular area in order to establish whether similar cases have been documented, and he is said to have uncovered observations of unusual lights and an entity over a ten year period at Cricket Malherbie which is within 3km north west of Windwhistle Hill.

She also recounts four different reports in the Yeovil Weekly News .

One witness told of a strange incident experienced by her husband, grandson and herself in 1991, which involved what they perceived as a tall strange figure, which they claim was looking through the farm window followed a few days later by their observations of a 'saucer-shaped object.

Another witness tells of a similar experience to the Walker family on Windwhistle Hill in 1975, which happened to her mother and father.

A third witness tells of a strange experience on Windwhistle Hill whilst driving a lorry either in 1976 or 1977. He claims that his lorry went out of control as though by some "strange force". He felt as though the lorry was hovering over the road whilst he was experiencing this.

Finally, a fourth witness tells of how she and her husband observed a very large unidentified object,

silver and shaped like a humming top, near Windwhistle Hill in November 1959. They watched it as though 'hypnotised' from about 23.00 to 09.00 hrs the next morning and for some reason felt unable to tell anyone.

Mrs Dixon writes: "It appears that there is a history of odd occurrences in this area and certainly Windwhistle Hill is steeped in the traditional folklore of strange lights, visions and figures with ghostly highwaymen and galloping horses.

"Tantalising stuff, but is there any substance to all of this? Well, none that can be evaluated in order to give any definitive answers."