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Welcome to this new section of VistDelamere.co.uk - Unexplained Delamere and Surrounding Areas. Over the next couple of months we will be adding new stories. If you have a story to share with us then please get in touch by email: info@visitdelamere.co.uk

 

 

Our first story is THE DELAMERE DINOSAUR written by Tom Slemen. Writer of Haunted Liverpool & Haunted Cheshire Books.

 

Delamere Forest is so old, it has scars from ice-age glaciers of 10,000 years ago and its origins go way back into the mists of time. Rumours and reports of strange animals in Delamere Forest can be dated back to the Romans.

 

The Romans cut a straight road through the forest to connect the fortress town of Chester to the salt mines of Northwich. The Romans reported hearing the loud roar of an unknown beast and frequently found deer and wild boars torn apart.

 

There were also stories that some soldiers went missing trying to find the strange animal. At this time, Delamere Forest stretched right up to the southern banks of the Mersey.

 

In the Middle Ages, there were reports of a monster at large in the forest. It was described as a dragon with grey and black scales which ate sheep, deer, wild boar and even some of the locals.

 

Some reports say the creature used to take to the river near what is now Ellesmere Port via a seaside cave.

 

The reports of something at large in Delamere Forest have continued throughout the centuries. In 1882, a solicitor and a Justice of the Peace signed affidavits stating they had seen a lizard-like creature, 200ft in length, swimming through the coastal waters of Liverpool Bay, heading inland. This same year, there were reports of a large animal in the north of the Delamere Forest.

 

In April 1974, six people encountered an enormous animal which looked like a sabretoothed tiger. The official explanation was that it was nothing more than a fox but four of the witnesses were wildlife experts and were insulted by the explanation.

 

One hot summer afternoon in 1985, three people saw something which sent them running for their lives. A Mr and Mrs Taylor, of Halewood, were hiking through the forest when they came upon what looked like an overgrown elephant in a clearing.

 

This animal was in the shade and it gave off a terrible stench. The Taylors suddenly stopped in their tracks when they saw that the animal had a head like a dinosaur.

It just looked like a small Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The thing was asleep and it was breathing slowly, making a snorting sound.

Suddenly, a man came on the scene and shouted: 'Oh my God.' He turned on his heels and ran off.

Mr and Mrs Taylor held on to one another, turned around and walked away, trembling. They heard a thud behind them and started to run. They never looked back once.

They met a park ranger and told him about the incredible encounter - he didn't look at all surprised but just shook his head.

That same month, strange howling noises were heard in the forest and someone or something snapped the trunk of a thick tree in half.

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This article was written by Tom Slemen for a local Newspaper. Re-published with permission. For more stories from Tom, Visit his website by clicking below:-