Dechmont Law is a 66-hectare open space encompassing grassland, woodland and a series of footpaths. However, it is perhaps best known for an incident on 9th November 1979, allegedly involving a UFO! Robert Taylor, a forestry worker was out in the woods doing his job one evening when he came across an unexplained, spherical dome within a woodland clearing. From this dome, emerged two smaller, spiked spheres which, according to Taylor, resembled sea mines. These sea mines reportedly came at Taylor, assaulting him. He soon lost consciousness and woke up a short time later, terrified and unable to move.
Malcom Robinson - UFO Researcher
“Working in the field of UFOlogy, one always comes across a ‘classic case’, something which stands head and shoulders above any other UFO case. Up until the famous A70 UFO Abduction case of 1992, the incident that occurred near Livingston New Town in West Lothian back in November 1979, stood quite easily as Scotland’s most baffling and puzzling UFO incident.”
(UFO Case Files of Scotland, 2017)
Eventually he regained control of his body and slowly staggered home, unable to drive. When his wife saw him, his clothes were torn and he had grazes to his chin and thighs. At first she thought he’d been assaulted, but Taylor said he’d been attacked by a “flying dome” which tried to pull him aboard! Due to his injuries, the police recorded the matter as a common assault and the incident is popularly promoted as the “only example of an alien sighting becoming the subject of a criminal investigation”. In spite of wide-ranging official investigations, the ‘Livingston Incident’, remains a mystery to this day. It’s unlikely that you will witness an extraterrestrial encounter on your visit to Dechmont Law, but it will offer a scenic walking area featuring a variety of environments where you can wander along intriguing footpaths set in open grassland and explore the adjoining woodland.
Where is the site located?
- Free parking at Eastwood Park next to Deans Community High School.
- A number of resting benches situated throughout the site.
- Signposts, map, bins and dog waste bins.
- Closest public toilet at Carmondean Shopping Centre less than 1km away.
- Refreshments available from Carmondean Shopping Centre.
- Orienteering course and numerous cross-country routes.
- Surfaced footpaths have good width but can have some minor gradient in sections.
- Access to Dechmont Law is via very steep unsurfaced footpaths.
