Rendlesham Forest UFO Trail

"I see it too ... it's back again ... it's coming this way ...there's no doubt about it ...this is weird ...it looks like an eye winking at you ... it almost burns your eyes ...he's coming toward us now ... now we're observing what appears to be a beam coming down to the ground ... one object still hovering over Woodbridge base ... beaming down".

Extract from the Film 'Alien Attack' - a Spoof where Martians invaded Earth

These were the words recorded at the time by an airbase commander who observed the phenomena. Is it true or a mis-interpretation of something else, too much to drink or a complete fabrication - there is now a huge amount of publications dating back to the time in the early hours of boxing day 1980 when the incident happened.

It has become a worldwide story - similar in a number of ways to the Rosewell incident in the U.S.A in 1947 which became the centre of a conspiracy theory involving UFOs and extraterrestrials. I won't dwell on what apparently happened at Rendlesham Forest as it is well publicised, but it does set the theme for a good walking trail.

How to get There

Follow the B1084 Woodbridge to Orford road driving through Rendlesham Forest until you come to a signpost on the right directing you to the Forest Visitors Centre. There is a car park charging £2.50 up to 2 hours or £4 for the day. There are also a few small parking areas a few hundred yards before the visitors centre where you can park for free as long as you can find a space. There are a number of walking trails as well as a few cycling trails and it is possible to hire push-bikes on site. Details of the trails can be found here, including the UFO Trail which is well marked.

The U.F.O trail is 3 miles long and takes you through some of the areas connected to the UFO sighting in December 1980. Rendlesham Forest bordered a military airbase – although you will find the base much quieter today than the 1980s during the Cold War as it is now virtually empty. The trail will lead you by a disused road parallel to the air base fence through which you can see some of the old bunkers used to protect the aircraft during the cold war.

Remnants of the Air Base still Remain

A metal sculpture now sits in the clearing where the UFO was supposedly seen nearly forty years ago. The piece is modelled after sketches which are representative of the UFO. The last site to visit on the Trail is where the UFO was believed to have landed. In the intervening years since the sighting, trees have been planted in this clearing however mysteriously they all failed to thrive . . .

U.F.O Sculpture

Various Photographs I Chose to Take in the Forest on the U.F.O Trail

The following images have been generated from photographs taken whilst walking around the U.F.O Trail. I have used a range of techniques to render the photographs to a particular style.

Rendlesham Forest UFO Trail - Late Summer Sun Rendered with Digital Oil Brush

The best time to photograph the forest is early evening before the sun sets as you begin to see wonderful long shadows cast on the ground from the trees and the colours are vibrant with rich shades of efflorescence green.

Creating a 'Fairy Tale' Like Theme Using a Combination of Oil and Smudge Digital Brushes

The above scene was rendered over the original photographic image using a dedicated digital painting package called Coral Painter Essentials. The software allows you to create digital drawings or paintings from scratch or from an existing photograph. A variety of painting styles allow you to create compelling preset driven photo art or you can use the available brushes to create your own paintings and illustrations.

Pine Cones in the Forest

The image above of some pine cones lying on the ground in the forest was created using a Dual-Tone Filter in Photoshop followed by a Texturiser Canvas Filter.

The image above was generated using High Dynamic Range Photographic Techniques plus a digital oil filter. The impression here is to create an image with three dimensional depth giving the impression of being 'part of' or immersed in the scene.

Unfortunately I did not encounter any Aliens on my walk around the trail although it felt like someone or something was watching me all the time. If you decide to do the walk - you never know, so don't forget your camera!

I hope you found this blog useful. Constructive comments always welcome. Please note the photographic images that appear on this blog are not full/high resolution. High resolution images (plus many others) can be purchased as professional quality prints or mounted on various media through my on-line shop.

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