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Wales is a land steeped in myths and legends.

From the fantastical tales of the Mabinogion to the miracles of Saint David, we have a seemingly endless supply of gripping yarns which have been whispered around the camp fire for centuries.

But not all of these stories have been reported as fiction.

What about the other stories which might - just might - have a hint of truth about them?

We’ve opened up the Welsh X-Files to take a look at 34 places which have all been the scene of some pretty unusual and unexplainable events over the years.

From paranormal activity to the elusive Bigfoot, or miraculous pilgrimage sites and the fabled Welsh dragon itself, they have all been investigated as fact, and most of them remain unsolved.

To (mis)quote Catatonia , these could all be cases for Mulder and Scully.

The truth is out there...

1. The UFO mystery of the Welsh Triangle

In the 1970s, a Welsh seaside village found itself at the heart of one of the biggest UFO media "flaps" of all time.

Broad Haven, on the corner of St Bride's Bay in Pembrokeshire , was the scene of several unexplained sightings of cigar-shaped flying machines. The most widely-reported incident involved 14 children from Broad Haven Primary School, who noticed a space ship parked in a field near their playground. They even sketched the object, as shown in the picture above.

It was dubbed the Broad Church Triangle, the Welsh Triangle, and the Dyfed Triangle by various members of the press, with the Sun running the headline "Spaceman Mystery of the Terror Triangle." One witness claimed to see two "humanoids" inside the strange craft.

The mystery has never been convulsively solved, although theories include local pranksters, that the aliens were local oil workers dressed in protective suits, and that the grounded space ship could have been a sewage tank.

2. In search of Teggie, the Welsh Nessie

(Image: Visit Wales)

We might not have a lake monster to rival the popularity of Loch Ness' elusive Nessie, but we do have one which shares a lot of the same qualities.

It even has a similar nickname - Teggie - taken from the Welsh name of its watery abode, Llyn Tegid.

In the early 20th century, reports began to surface that a creature might be lurking deep in the waters of Bala Lake.

Thought to be an afanc, a creature from Welsh mythology, descriptions of the monster ranged from a long, eel-like creature with humps on its back, to a giant beaver, a dinosaur, a seal, or a crocodile.

The Snowdonia National Park beauty spot has been investigated over the years, with a Japanese film crew conducting a three-day search in 1995.

3. Uncanny visions of the Virgin Mary

The Vision Farm in Capel-y-Ffin, Powys is named after claims that "visions" of the Virgin Mary had been experienced nearby.

In 1869, Father Ignatius of Jesus bought the ruins of Llanthony Priory in order to establish a monastery. Having built Llanthony Tertia, he witnessed a vision at the religious community, and he was not alone. The mother of Jesus was also seen by monks and young farmers in the surrounding area.

The nearby church, which sits in both the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons National Park , was renamed soon after.

4. The secret society of the Welsh Red Dragon

(Image: Julie E. Jones)

Wales does, unsurprisingly, get more than its fair share of dragon sightings. But one of the more unusual reports of giant serpents roaming the land took place in Swansea in 1928.

In an account recalled by A Fortean in the Archives from a 1928 journal called The Stamp Lover, it was noted that a rare stamp had been printed, which featured the red dragon accidentally overprinted on the King's head.

One afternoon, book collector Rhys Evans left his home in Sketty to show a friend a copy of an old Welsh tome which contained a tale of "a secret sect or clan responsible for the guardianship of five sacred dragons." But he never arrived at his destination just a short walk away.

Two days later his wife received a letter - bearing one of the rare dragon stamps - assuring her that her husband was safe and well. It bore his signature, along with the name Trigolion y Ddraig Goch, which means Natives of the Red Dragon.

Five days later, he was discovered sitting by the lake in Brynmill Park, minus his rare book. And while he gave or had no explanation for his absence, he was sure of one thing: "There were dragons in Wales today."

5. The cursed wall of the steelworks

There is said to be a curse hanging over the steelworks in Port Talbot .

And real or not, the workers at Tata Steel certainly aren’t taking any chances.

An 800-year-old wall stands on the grounds in Margam , and, if the legend is to be believed, if it were ever to fall down, then the entire town would fall with it. The story dates back to the 16th Century when an aggrieved Cistercian monk is said to have placed a hex on the remains.

The 20ft long brick structure near the hot rolling mill was fortified in the 1970s with buttresses to ensure that it stayed upright, and a few potentially catastrophic near-misses from vehicles hurtling towards it led to a barrier being assembled for further protection.

6. The mermaid's warning

(Image: Chris Daniels)

A statue of a Mermaid stands by the moorings in the Pembrokeshire village of St Dogmaels, near Glanteifion slipway.

But its history dates back to the 18th Century, when a fisherman in his boat spotted something much larger than a fish moving in the rocks off Cemaes Head.

It turned out to be a mermaid, and as she was so engrossed in brushing her hair, she failed to notice the boat approaching - or the net which was thrown over her. The weeping captive convinced her captor to set her free, and in return she promised to warn him in his hour of greatest need.

True to her word, she resurfaced that summer, imploring him to return to land. He did as instructed, just as a visious storm appeared out of nowhere, with many a fisherman losing their life on the seas that day.

7. The day it rained fish in the valley

Anyone who explores the weird and wonderful owes a great debt of gratitude to the "godfather of the paranormal," American writer and compulsive researcher Charles Fort.

He lends his name to the term "Fortean", which has become a byword for all things unusual, most prominently in the title of long-running magazine Fortean Times. In the first half of the 20th century, he published his research in a series of hugely influential books, during which time he visited and wrote about strange events in Wales.

One of his more famous accounts took place in Mountain Ash , where countless fish - yes, fish - fell from the sky.

In February 1859, the rooftops of the houses in the Cynon Valley town were plastered with a large number of little fish which fell "in a body" with the rain. They were still alive, and there were so many that they covered the streets. One witness, sawyer John Lewis, said that they were "down my neck, on my head, and on my back. I took off my hat, the brim of which was full of them. They were jumping all about."

8. The West Wales Werewolf

Did you know that Wales is the home to the most famous werewolf of them all?

The original big-screen werewolf, Universal Studios' Larry Talbot, is said to hail from Port Talbot .

But in 2010, there were reports of a much more lifelike wolfman stalking the forests.

The " West Wales Wolfman " was said to be living wild in the Carmarthenshire woods, having been spotted by Pantyffynon tips near Ammanford in 2013. It evaded the police, who were responding to the theft of food and clothing from the village at the time.

Most people assumed it was a homeless man who had been living rough through a tough winter. But not everyone agreed.

Gwilym Games, regional representative for Wales for the Centre for Fortean Zoology — an organisation dedicated to the investigation of unknown and out of place animals — said: “There is a long history of werewolves in Wales and even an earlier mention in the Amman valley.”

But his search proved fruitless.

“I turned up very little during my hunt. I did manage to talk to a couple of locals but they dismissed it as just a tramp.”

9. The violent demon

(Image: Wales News Service)

In a report from 2015, a family in living in New Tredegar, in the Rhymney Valley , were said to be terrorised by " the worst type of demon you can get ".

Described as an incubus, the male equivalent of a succubus, the apparition is said to target sleeping people, especially women.

Its activity included "beating up" the lady of the house, "leaving her covered with bruises in the morning," and telling the couple's three children that: "I'm going to slit your parents' throats."

The couple enlisted the help of a specialist to "cleanse" the house, a vicar to bless their home, and a paranormal expert to investigate further. They also claim to have captured the demon on camera, as circled in the photo above.

10. The "most haunted" pub in Wales

Phantom sounds, restless old ladies, clammy undead hands, and even a ghost which smells like "rotten fish" - all have been seen, felt, and smelt, in one of the pubs which has been dubbed "the most haunted pub in Wales" .

In 1982, the Prince of Wales in Kenfig, Bridgend , made headline news following reports that a Sunday school organ, which was locked in the old Town Hall, was being inexplicably played at the dead of night. Ghostly forms were also seen, felt, and smelt.

Some of the noises captured during that period remain a mystery to this day, and one possible explanation for the phenomena was the “Stone Tape theory,” which suggests that salts and rocks in the walls could act as a form of primitive sound recorder, capturing the past and replaying it for all prosperity.

11. The Barmouth sea monster

(Image: Visit Wales)

There have been sightings of a "strange creature" in the waters of Barmouth , Gwynedd, for centuries.

The earliest recorded report dates from 1805, when it was claimed that a ship in the Menai Strait was "attacked by a sea serpent which wrapped itself around the ships mast until the crew fended it off." It then trailed the vessel for days before giving up the chase.

Other reports include spotting a "large sea borne object" speeding though the waves, and the discovery of large footprints in the sands of the Mawddach Estuary and Llanaber.

It has been described as being crocodile-like in appearance, and a group of school girls in 1975 said that it “had a long neck and a square face and a long tail with a flipper at the back and its skin was black and patchy.”

12. The fairies of Frenni Fawr

(Image: Nigel Davies / Frenni Fawr trig pillar / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Frenni Fawr, in the village of Crymych, Pembrokeshire, is home to one of the country's most well-known fairy tales.

The legend-filled summit, which also has ties with The Mabinogion's Macsen Wledig, is where a young shepherd boy is said to have been whisked away by the Tylwyth Teg to their magical land.

In a story from the book Cambrian Superstitions by folklorist William Howells, the little folk were keen for their new friend to stay with them, but on one condition - he could not drink from a specific well. Giving in to temptation, he sipped the forbidden water, and was instantly teleported back to West Wales.

Anyone who goes in search of the fairies' treasure nowadays should keep an eye out for the Bronze Age barrows which line the mountain's footpath, but be warned - they could be guarded.

13. The devil dogs of Nant y Garth pass

(Image: Eric Jones / Wikimedia Commons)

The gwyllgi is a uniquely Welsh form of supernatural creature.

Sharing characteristics with England's Black Shuck, its name translates as wild dog - ci gwyllt - and its appearance matches its name, a fierce hound with glowing red eyes which looks like a giant wolf or black mastiff.

They have been spotted across Wales, from Laugharne in Carmarthenshire to Marchwiel in Wrexham , with Nant y Garth pass near Llandegla in Denbighshire seeming to be one of their favourite haunts.

14. Murder by Witchcraft

Witchcraft is said to be flourishing in Wales right now, but go back a few centuries and it was a much more perilous way of life.

Gwen ferch Ellis from Bettws was not the first unfortunate "witch" to have the finger pointed at them, but she became the first to pay the ultimate price after black witchcraft became a crime of the state.

Accused of "murder by witchcraft" at the end of the 16th Century, the self-confessed healer was condemned by William Hughes, the Bishop of St Asaph. A charm had been found at the home of upstanding member of the community Thomas Mostyn, and it was written backwards, which is said to have the opposite effect of a good charm. The trail led back to Gwen..

The floodgates soon opened, and when seven others accused her of additional charges, including causing madness and the early death of a sick man, her fate was sealed.

She was hanged in Denbigh in 1594.

15. Bigfoot in Wales

(Image: Youtube / Bigfoot Research)

In 2016, footage emerged which claimed to prove that Bigfoot was alive and well - and that he was busy shaking tress in Wales.

Captured by Sasquatch enthusiast Jason Parsons while taking a stroll through Caerphilly Mountain, it was only after arriving home that he noticed the black shape on his footage, as circled in the picture above.

But he already suspected that he might find something in the mountain, having spotted several "x" shaped wooden structures in the days before, which are believed to be used as boundary markers by the ape-like creatures.

Having watched the footage, Adam Bird from the British Bigfoot Research organisation told the Daily Star that this could be the first time Bigfoot had been caught on camera in the UK: "Thus far in the UK, no researcher has caught one of these things on video. But we believe Jason Parsons has captured footage of something quite significant."

You can watch the video on YouTube .

16. The Goblins of Bodfari

Centuries ago, goblins were considered to be "nothing but malevolent" fairies.

In Elias Owen’s Welsh Folk Lore, he recalls a tale from the autobiography of nonconformist minister Rev. Dr. Edward Williams, in which he claimed be was chased by the creatures as a boy.

The incident took place in Cae Caled, in the village of Bodfari in Denbighshire . One summer day, a group of children noticed a gang of "beings" who were dancing in the field with "great briskness." They danced so quickly they had difficulty working out their features and number, but they were dressed in red, in what looked like a military uniform.

As the kids attempted to flee over a nearby stile, one of the creatures came charging towards them at great speed. He lashed out at Edward, but would not follow him over the stile.

18. Cardiff Docks's wave of UFOs

The aliens arrived in the Welsh capital in 1909. Or so it seemed.

It began on May 16, when a stockbroker's clerk came across five suspicious-looking "foreigners" who were taking photographs of the area around Wenallt Hill.

Two days later, Punch and Judy entertainer Mr C Lethbridge was pushing his work cart home on Caerphilly Mountain en route to Roland Street, where he saw: "a long tube-shaped affair on the grass on the roadside, with two men busily engaged with something near by. When they saw me they jumped up and jabbered furiously to each other in a strange lingo. They hurriedly collected something off the ground, and then I was really frightened.

"The long thing on the ground rose up slowly. I was standing still at the time, quite amazed, and when it was hanging a few feet off the ground the men jumped into a kind of little carriage suspended from it, and gradually the whole affair and the men rose in the air in a zigzag fashion. When they had cleared the telegraph wires that pass over the mountain, two lights like electric lamps shone out, and the thing went higher into the air, and sailed away towards Cardiff."

He was not alone in seeing it. Workmen in Cardiff Docks saw the cigar-shaped object flying overhead, as did a railway signalman.

The press investigated, and found evidence that something had landed on the mountain. Some believe that it might have been German spies ahead of the First World War. Others believe it was visitors from another galaxy.

19. The divine healing well

Pilgrims have been flocking to "the Lourdes of Wales" since the 7th Century to visit its healing waters, which are said to be able to cure the sick.

Now a Grade I listed building, the grisly legend surrounding St Winefride's Well Shrine dates from 660 AD, when Saint Winifred was decapitated by spurned suitor Caradoc. The spot where her head is said to have landed is where the magical well now stands.

But the story does have something of a happy ending - her uncle Saint Beuno brought her back from the dead afterwards.

The holy site in Holywell, Flintshire , is also one of the "Seven Wonders of Wales".

20. The scene of a striking dark séance

(Image: Sandra Evans)

In the Victorian era, séances were all the rage.

People across Wales attempted to communicate with the dead through spiritual mediums, and they could do it in theatres, halls, or in the back parlours of residential properties.

For a first-hand account of what happened behind closed doors, we can turn to Mr WH Harrison, who attended a “remarkable séance” in Llanelli in 1874. It took place in Stepney Street, and he described some his experiences in a letter to the press:

“We all sat round the table hitching hands and those of the medium. Musical instruments were played, including bells and a tambourine. A tape was drawn out of my hands; some of the instruments floated in the air above our heads. Many of us were patted on the head and elsewhere by the spirits. A cushion was taken from the sofa and placed upon the table, and left lying across my hands. The hand of a child touched my head, and patted the mouth of another gentleman. Direct spirit voices spoke to me, mentioning my name. There were clear knocks upon the table, and altogether it was a very striking séance.”

21. The flight of the Powys dragon

(Image: Rhodri Carter/Lee Williams)

In 2001, a story emerged of a strange flying creature in the skies of Powys.

As reported by The Cryptozoo-oscity , it began when a naturalist and his companions stood standing on the edge of an unamed woods next to a quarry.

And that's when they saw it - the dragon.

"Measuring 2.5ft or so in length, it resembled a serpentine dragon with four short limbs, but its head was shaped very like that of a sea horse, and it was airborne - undulating and wriggling as it flew about 10 ft above the surface of the quarry in a wide circle."

Interestingly, it was green and had no wings like the traditional Ddraig Goch, but it did have a long tail.

22. The king's stone which can predict the future

Mae'n Ceti, better known as Arthur's Stone in Cefn Bryn, Gower , has quite a fantastical origin story.

In centuries gone by, the great and the good would take detours to Swansea to visit the attraction, which is said to have been thrown over the Loughor Estuary by no less a figure than King Arthur himself. Walking along the Carmartheshire sands, he found a stone in his shoe, and hurled it over the waters. Upon landing, it swelled in size.

It is said to be able to travel at night, when it makes its way down to the water for something to drink.

It was once used by young girls who wanted to discover if their suitor was the right man for them. By leaving gifts for the stone before circling it on their hands and knees three times, if their lover was true, they would appear before them.

23. Abducted and experimented on by aliens

In 1985, the Wales on Sunday published an incredible account of an alien abduction which took place in the Gwynedd town of Pwllheli .

In the terrifying encounter, David Thomas claimed that he's been whisked away into outer space by extra terrestrials, where they examined him, asked him for his eyes, and left him with a warning: "We'll be back."

It all began while walking home at 3am one morning, when he heard a humming noise from a nearby field. Following it to its source, he discovered a "domed disc-shaped object complete with antennae and stabilizers was sitting in the field."

And then he saw the humanoid figures.

By this time it was too late, and he was whisked upwards for his examination. He described them as wearing "octagonal shaped helmets, which were featureless apart from two dim lights positioned where their eyes should have been. They wore grey clothing with gold-coloured belts and straps that looked similar to braces, black knee boots and gloves."

24. The Northern Lights of Wales

The Egryn Lights, which have been lighting up the Gwynedd skies for centuries, are said to be the Welsh equivalent of the more famous Scandinavian Northern Lights.

But the big difference would appear to be in their destructiveness. The balls of flame spotted during the Ergyn Lights are said to have burned down barns and set fire to crops.

In the early 20th Century, the lights became connected with religious Revivalist preacher Mary Jones, and some claimed they only appeared when she preached. This was a short-lived connection, but the phenomena continued, and they later became the focus of UFOlogists.

Other theories for the lights include marsh gas igniting, luminous insects, or ball lightning. Or maybe it's the Aurora Borealis - the Northern Lights - itself, which has been known to extend as far as Wales.

25. The ghost train from the future

(Image: welshbabe / Wikimedia Commons)

In an unusual story from 1864, a farmer from Carmarthenshire was given the fright of his life by a train travelling along a new rail track – but before the track had actually been built.

The reporter covering the story described it as a "ghost train from the future," and believed it to be some form of clairvoyance, noting that "the Welsh are said to be endowed with the power of prophecy."

The farmer had been fishing in the River Taf, which runs past the old Abbey of Whitland . On his way home, he stopped to smoke his pipe, and "became conscious of an indescribable sensation. Strange noises began to issue from the ground, the hill trembled beneath his feet, his pipe dropped from his hand, and he was on the point of running away, when a long whistling shriek, accompanied by the sound of a thousand wheels, burst from the hillside close behind him."

It was only afterwards when the line was completed, the mouth of which opened at the very spot where he experienced the spectral train, that he saw the same scene reneacted for real.

26. Walking with dinosaurs

For evidence of monsters which almost certainly did walk the earth, head to The Bendricks, a coastal stretch with a 220 million year old foreshore between Barry and Sully in the Vale of Glamorgan .

Both a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Geological Conservation Review Site, it is said to be of huge importance to palaeontologists following the discovery of dinosaur footprints.

In 2005, some of the footprints were cut from the stone and stolen, and are now in the care of National Museum Wales .

For the best views of the footprints, would-be dino hunters are advised to go after high tide, when the water level is lowering, and when the shadows are longer.

27. The remains of Merlin's Oak

There's an old prophesy in Carmarthen , said to come from Merlin himself, which goes:

"When Merlin's Oak shall tumble down,

Then shall fall Carmarthen Town."

And fall it did when it was poisoned, or so it is thought, in the 19th Century.

Fortunately, the apocalypse predicted by the Arthurian magician has been held at bay by preserving some of the old tree.

It is stored for safe keeping in Carmarthenshire County Museum, while a fragment is kept within the town itself at Saint Peter's Civic Hall in Nott Square.

28. The glare of the fire demon

(Image: Ceri Thomas)

In the late 19th Century, Thomas Davies was working as a pest controller on the hunt for foxes in Gloddaeth Woods, Llandudno .

Having come across a potential den, he took up a position from which he could lie in wait for his victims to emerge.

As night fell, from his vantage point in the bough of an oak he heared the sound of a man crying out in distress - and it sounded like it was getting nearer.

He could see nothing in the darkness, and as the sound got to within a few yards of him, it stopping as suddenly as it had started.

And then, from out of nowhere, he saw "a nude being with eyes burning like fire, and these glittering balls were directed towards him."

Shaking with fear, he closed his eyes to avoid the gaze of those orbs, until he heard the cock crowing from nearby Penrhyn Farm at 4am.

He opened his eyes, and the night - and the demon - had gone.

29. The Welsh "Roswell incident"

(Image: Creative commons/ Flickr/ ard_flikr)

In 1974, one of Wales' most widely reported UFO sightings took place in the Berwyn Mountains in the village of Llandrillo, Denbighshire.

It began with a deafening noise, followed by a bright light which lit up the evening sky.

It was claimed by some in the UFO community that a spaceship had crash landed, and that the government were covering up its recovery. This theory is very similar to the one surrounding the Roswell incident in New Mexico, where a UFO is also said to have crashed and also been covered up by the government.

A search and rescue team did attend the scene, but it was the Royal Air Force Valley from Anglesey who were doing the hunting, rather than any men in black.

Others have claimed that the events were the result of an earthquake coinciding with a meteor flying through the sky.

30. A deal with the Devil

When the Devil came to Wales in his quest to harvest souls for his fiery underworld, he was ill-prepared to deal with the superior brain power of an elderly Welsh lady.

In one of Wales' best-known legendary locations, The Devil's Bridge, above the River Mynach in Ceredigion , is where Old Nick tried to trick the old dear into giving him her the soul in return for building a bridge for her to cross to retrieve her stranded cow.

Agreeing to the deal that the great horned one could have the first soul to cross the bridge in return, he set about building the crossing. But when it was completed, she threw some food on the bridge for her dog to collect, and with the dog becoming the first living creature to cross the bridge, this left the Devil with the canine's soul as his reward.

The lady had won the day, and dog lovers will be glad to know that the pooch also survived - the Devil declined the pet's soul.

31. The opera singer's haunted mansion

Ghost hunters from around the world have flocked to the Swansea Valley to explore the rooms of Craig-y-Nos Castle.

The hotel, which is the former residence of opera superstar Adelina Patti, is more than happy to let visitors go in search of the paranormal, and even hosts haunted hen parties in the Victorian-Gothic country house.

Of the many restless spirits said to wander its halls are Madame Patti herself, and even her good friend, the Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, who by all accounts never visited Wales, let alone Craig-y-Nos.

But the best place to see some "activity" is said to be a section of the house which was once used as a tuberculosis ward, with strange sights and sounds frequently reported. Another hotspot - or should that be cold spot? - is behind the stage in Patti's personal opera house.

32. The Beast of Baglan

There have been many big cat sightings across Wales over the years, but none have quite captured the imagination, or received such a large response, as the Beast of Baglan .

It was said to be stalking Port Talbot in 2005, after being spotted by an off-duty policeman.

Following an initial report in the South Wales Evening Post, the locals came forward en masse with stories of an animal which had been stalking the area for years.

With detectives on the hunt for a "puma-like creature," which in one account stood at 4ft high at the shoulder, it was spotted as far afield as Tonna and Briton Ferry.

Its current whereabouts are unknown.

33. The curse of the corpse candles

Of all the werid phenomena to be found in Wales, possibly the most uniquely Welsh are the corpse candles.

The eerie lights are said to be a sign of impending death, and have been seen frequently in the forests of Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire over the centuries.

Resembling the flame of a candle, they travel on a fixed route, and are thought to show the path of an upcoming funeral.

Their colour, size, direction and quantities can also affect their meaning.

34. The Valley of the Witch

(Image: Mark Rees)

To finish with, here's one which is actually the opposite of all the other places on this list.

It is not the scene of any paranormal activity that we know of, but it's one that really should be.

Cwmgwrach is a village in the Neath Valley with possibly the most wonderful welcome sign in Wales. Its name translates as Valley of the Witch, and above the words "Croeso i Cwmgwrach" is the silhouette of a sorceress astride her broomstick.

If anyone knows of any witch sightings in the area, let us know...