The Tape Library - Archive of the Paranormal & the Unexplained - The Terrifying Mystery of Scotland's Strangest Mountain
Episode Date: July 23, 2026High in the Cairngorms stands Ben Macdui, the second-highest mountain in Britain. But for more than a century, climbers and mountaineers have reported something strange on its slopes. A presence in t...he mist. Footsteps that seem to follow from behind. An overwhelming sense that something is close by, even when there is no one else around. Some have described seeing a towering grey figure moving through the fog. Others have reported a feeling of inexplicable fear and the sensation of being pursued across the mountain. Known as the Grey Man of Ben Macdui, the phenomenon has become one of Scotland's most enduring mountain mysteries. In this episode of The Tape Library, we explore the history of Ben Macdui, the strange experiences reported by those who have ventured onto its summit, and the possible explanations for one of Britain's most unsettling unexplained phenomena. Is there something waiting in the mist? Or can the mystery of Scotland's strangest mountain be explained by the extreme environment, the human mind, and the strange effects of being alone in the wilderness? The mountain is waiting. #TheTapeLibrary #BenMacdui #GreyMan #Paranormal #Scotland Learn more The Big Grey Man of Ben MacDhui by Gray AffleckShort documentary - https://youtu.be/SsEVMQ3mhH8 Support the channel with Patreon - www.patreon.com/thetapelibrary Do you have a supernatural story to share?Drop me an email at thetapelibrary@protonmail.com You can check out The Tape Library in audio form on all of your favourite podcast providers.Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetapelibraryTiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thetapelibrary Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Tape-Library/100094332411836/ Archive of the Paranormal, the strange and the unexplained. Additional footage and audio from Evanto, Artgrid, Epidemic Sounds, Singularity and Pexels. Music includes Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio and the youtube audio library. Additional music by @repulsive1908 All other footage used under fair use. Chapters00:00 The Big Grey Man06:23 Norman Collie09:55 Not Alone18:03 Song of Ghosts21:52 The Psychic Mountain28:42 What Really Happened?38:03 Wrapping Up SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We’re a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions. spectrevisionradio.com linktr.ee/spectrevisionsocial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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to meet with ghosts of times past, to hear their stories, to explore the ancient castles,
the homes of your ancestors, and discover the roots and richness of your Scottish heritage.
Alexander Tunian was a well-respected mountaineer, born and raised in Aberdeenshire.
He was a proud Scotsman who knew the various peaks like the back of his hand.
It was October of 1943 when he decided to set off on an expedition into the Kering Gorms
on his own, a mountain range in the eastern highlands and home to the highest, coldest and
snowiest plateaus in all of Britain, as well as the nation's second highest peak, Ben McDouie.
He had set out on a 10-day hike through the range.
The passes only dipped slightly in places, making it a not too difficult walk through the
various peaks.
He kept his supplies low, instead choosing to bring along a revolver to try and pick up some small
game along the journey.
It had been largely an uneventful few days, but Alexander was happy to be out here alone,
some of Scotland's most beautiful sights, as he conquered the peaks. That was until the afternoon
that he approached the top of Ben McDouy. He looked out across the range, uninterrupted views
for miles all around him. It seemed he was the only one taking this hike on that autumn afternoon,
as he reached the summit though. The weather took a sudden turn. A dense mist seemed to roll in from nowhere. The sky
turned dark and the wind whipped up. Alexander was sure that a storm was about to begin,
so he quickly started to descend down one of the paths. The mist began to envelop him,
and visibility on the path became very narrow. But Alexander was used to conditions like this,
and it didn't really phase him. That was, until he heard it. Alexander was moving,
with quite a quick pace down the path, but he could hear a noise coming from behind him.
It was footsteps. At first he kind of assumed it was the echo of his own, but they were slower.
Out of step with the man's movements. There had been no one else at the top. So who was coming
down the mountain behind him? And the steps were loud, too loud.
Something was wrong.
His mind instantly went to the stories of Ben McDouy.
He had never really taken it seriously, but for years now people had speculated that there was
something wrong with this mountain.
That someone or something resided here, something that wasn't of our world.
It was a silly superstition, Alexander thought.
But still he found himself reaching down to the butt of his gun, feeling a sense of comfort from the weight in his pocket.
The wind was growing stronger, but Alexander stopped for a moment.
The footsteps continued.
It certainly wasn't his.
He turned to look back up the path and there, in the mist, he could just make out the silhouette of what looks like a person.
slowly moving towards him.
But as it grew closer and closer, the silhouette got larger and larger.
This person was tall, far too tall.
The figure stopped.
Alexander called out but with no reply.
And then it unexpectedly charged towards him.
Just this shadow barreling down on him.
Alexander panicked, he warned it to stop, but when it didn't, he pulled out his revolver and fired in the direction of the figure three times.
Alexander couldn't believe it. Each bullet just seemed to pass through it.
The figure in the mist was gaining quickly, still rushing towards him.
Alexander didn't fire again. He turned and ran.
Visibility was poor and he knew one wrong step could lead to him being seriously injured,
if not worse.
But something told him that whatever was in that mist was far more dangerous.
He didn't look back.
He ran for miles, getting down to Glenderry as fast as he could.
It would be over a decade before he shared his story.
He couldn't believe it for the longest time, but after a while it became apparent that Alexander wasn't alone.
Many have claimed to experience something like this before him, and many have claimed it since,
because there is something very strange about Ben McDouy.
What that strangeness is varies from person to person.
For decades, people have debated about what it is, but it is most commonly referred to as the big, grey man.
This one really brings together a whole host of paranormal theories.
It has it all.
So get yourself a warm drink or a cold one if you're as hot as I am right now.
Dim the lights and get comfortable.
It's time to visit the snowy peaks of the Scottish Highlands.
This is the terrifying mystery of Ben McDouie, Scotland's strangest mountain.
We're going to be jumping about quite a bit timeline-wise in this one.
The stories about the grey man have been present for a long time but take on a different flavour at points,
so please bear with me here.
While it might not be the very first sighting, it makes the most sense for us to begin our exploration of this topic
with Professor Norman Colley. This story only became public in 1925, but actually took place in 1891,
and is by far the most famous of all the Grey Man Tales. Colley was a keen mountain
He had traversed everywhere from the Himalayas to the Rockies and most peaks in between.
He was described as a striking figure with a dry manner and he did not suffer fools gladly.
He would often be spotted wearing a battered deer stalker hat with some believing he actually
served as inspiration for the character of Sherlock Holmes.
While mountaineering was his passion, his profession was science.
He served as Professor of Organic Chemistry at University College London, before becoming
head of its chemistry department in 1913.
It was towards the end of his time there that he delivered a speech at the general meeting
of the Cairing Gorm Club in Aberdeen.
It was a cold December evening as Collie stepped up in front of the group after dinner.
He spoke a few words about the evening's events, a little about his experiences walking the
peaks of Scotland.
told fun tales of his adventures, but then he hesitated for a moment, before bringing up the mountain,
Ben McDouie. He said he had experienced something strange up there, something he hasn't experienced
in all his years of mountaineering, something that has stuck with him for decades. He explained
that he had been walking down from the marker that represented the peak of the mountain. A mist
had begun to roll in. However, it was nothing that concerned the man. But as he walked, he heard a
crunch, and then another. At first he assumed it was just the sound of his own footsteps echoing,
but they didn't match up with his own movements, and they seemed to be getting closer. He explained
it felt like someone was walking down from the summit behind him, taking steps that were three or four
times the length of his own. But this was impossible. There was no one else up there with him.
He paused. The footsteps continued. He looked back but he could make out no figure in the mist
approaching him. A little concern now, Collie turned and began walking again. Crunch, crunch,
came the sounds from behind him. Closer and closer.
That was when panic set in and Collie began to run.
He estimated he moved quickly between the boulders for four or five miles
before reaching the Rothmurcus forest. Only then did he dare to look back up towards the peak.
The mist had cleared and there was no one as far as the eye could see.
He stated that he didn't know what he experienced,
but that there was something very strange about the top of Ben McDooie and he would refuse to return.
on his own. While this is the most famously recounted version of Collie sharing his story,
it appears he actually told the odd friend over the years, and his story had previously reached
a man named Dr. A. M. Kellas, a famous Scottish mountaineer, who instantly wrote to Collie
upon hearing his story, because he had his own strange experience up on Ben McDooey. A topped
The mountain was a cane, a stack of stones used to mark the peak.
It had been a June afternoon when Dr. Kellis and his brother Henry had been chipping for crystals
on the mountain.
They were on a slope some distance away from the can.
The afternoon was quickly coming to an end and the pair were resting before beginning
the descent back down.
When Dr. Kellis spotted something further up the mountain where a mist had begun to roll in.
They hadn't seen anyone all day, so it took him a little by surprise when Dr. Kellis spotted someone
further up the mountain, but he assumed this person had just come up one of the other passes.
It was strange.
The person was too far away to make out any clear details.
But as Kellis watched a figure moving past the Ken, he was shocked to see it pass at the same level,
A little concerning as the can measured about ten feet tall.
Surely his eyes must be playing tricks on him, he thought,
as the figure dipped down the path and out of sight from their position.
Kellis asked his brother who that was, but he didn't have an answer either.
Then they suddenly saw the figure reappear just further up the path.
It was moving in their direction, quickly.
And the closer it got, the more its size concerned the two men.
Much like everyone else in our stories so far, fear got the better of them.
And they fled down the mountain as fast as they could.
Both Colley and Kellas's experiences were published in late 1925 and 26, and it quickly became
apparent that they were not alone.
People have been seeing or hearing things on the mountain for a long time.
and people began to believe that there was genuinely something up there, something that quickly
became referred to as the Ben McDooie Ghost, or by others as the Big Grey Man.
Wendy Woods was an artist and political activist, best known as one of the founders of the
National Party of Scotland, which eventually became the SMP.
She was apparently unaware of the stories about the mountain when she found herself hiking it
one day. It had not been an easy walk. The ground was covered in light snow that made the surface
uneven, hiding many of the smaller boulders. So as she reached the entrance to the pass of Lari
Gru, she decided it wasn't worth proceeding any further. She would take a short break here
before retracing her footsteps back down. She was admiring the view when she heard a voice
piercing through the gentle how of the wind, a loud,
echoing voice. She later said it sounded like Gaelic, but it had taken her so by surprise that she
couldn't really recall the exact words. She was terrified, but she tried to reassure herself. Maybe it was
the bark of a deer, echoing along the pass, but then the voice came again. And this time she was sure
it had come from the ground, beneath her feet. Of course, this was sure it was a bit of course, this was a
was impossible, but that was where she was sure it was originating from. This time she was
more sure. It was a human voice. Even if she couldn't understand what was being said,
her mind went to the only logical explanation she could think of. Someone was injured,
fallen in the snow, and crying out for help. She began desperately searching the area, trying
to figure out who it was that was calling out to her. But she could find no other
trace of a human being and she brought her search to an end. She froze. The voice had stopped
and just a gentle wind remained. Chill shot down her spine. Something felt wrong. The sudden anxiety
filled her entire body. She decided to head back to civilization before it got dark. But as she started
her descent, she heard it too. Initially all there had been was the gentle sound of her own steps
in the snow, but then, from somewhere behind her, came the giant echoing footsteps, following her
down the mountain. When she looked there was no one there, but still the sound followed her. She
was terrified and didn't relax until she made it back to Whitewell. Sid Scroogey,
would go on to become a legendary figure in the world of Scottish mountaineering after losing
a leg in his sights in World War II, but continuing his mountaineering through the rest of his life.
In 1942 however, he was a simple soldier based in Avermore as part of a division that was designed
to become the first British mountain troops. On the occasional free evening, he would cycle into the
Rothermachus forest and explore the highlands around the area.
One evening he found himself at Ben McDouy, descending to the shelter stone that overlooked
Locke at Un.
It was a calm, quiet evening.
He smoked and watched the sun begin to set over the lock.
It was then that he noticed he wasn't alone.
Just a little further down he could see someone.
A dark figure stepped out of the darkness of the shadowed end of the lock.
He couldn't make out much of this person.
just that they seemed to be dressed in a dark outfit and seemed tall, very tall.
Scroogey headed down to where he had seen the figure, but there was no one there,
and he couldn't find any footprints either.
Scroogie later speculated that this may have been the infamous big grey man,
but he equally worried it could have been a German agent parachuted in.
although he did state that the figure appeared to not be wearing a backpack of any kind.
It's a creepy little experience given everything else we have heard about the area,
but it's a second story that adds weight to Scroogie's encounter.
Because many years later, a Catherine Allen had been hiking through the area surrounding Locke Ayan,
with her husband, her husband's sister and brother-in-law.
They decided to camp for the night by the Shelterstone.
laying out their sleeping bags under the full moon.
There was no wind, no sounds whatsoever.
But the night was cold, so cold that it was keeping Catherine and her brother-in-law wide awake.
Still they made the most of it and appreciated the beautiful sights of the lock when they began to hear something.
Footsteps.
Someone was walking across the narrow shingle beach at the end of the lock.
The sound was so distinctive
that they could pinpoint exactly where the person was stepping
with each rustle of the shingles
but there was a problem with this
because despite hearing the footsteps
as they looked at the beach that was only two yards away
they could see that there was no one there
so we have these kind of two different stories going on here
some claim to hear strange sounds
stalking them on the mountain, while others physically see a presence that seems to just vanish.
The footsteps in particular have been reported by so many people that we could be here all night
exploring those accounts. But there are those who described the feeling on Ben McDooey as just
fear. Several people have made claims that while on the mountain, they were suddenly overcome
with a sensation of being watched, that they weren't alone.
and that fear drove them from the area quickly. The fear only faded once a certain distance away from the peak.
Many of them, only finding out about the legend of the big grey man after the fact.
Then there are those who hear something different, not voices or footsteps, but in some cases,
music like Hugh Welsh who was actually the president of the Cairn Gorn Club where Collie had shared his story.
Most years Hugh would spend a couple of weeks camping with his brother up on the mountain.
During this time he said he never saw anything that he could attribute to the big grey man.
But on numerous occasions they claim to hear music.
It would come on quiet at first, then build to a crescendo and
fade away, this kind of strange distorted music. At first Hugh simply assumed it was the wind,
or some other unusual atmospheric conditions that were making sound travel strangely. But he experienced
it day and night in good weather and bad. Along with it on several occasions, he also heard voices,
both the sounds of women and men talking, but there was never anyone around.
around at these times, and he could never make out what exactly was being said.
On a few trips they were accompanied by others, but curiously, when Hugh or his brother would
point out the sounds, the others couldn't hear them at all.
That doesn't mean Hugh and his brother were alone in experiencing this specific phenomenon
though.
Others have reported hearing these sounds on separate occasions, which is a strange detail,
though only certain people can hear it. Although some years later, Hugh would also experience
the infamous footsteps following him across the mountain. One other example comes from a 1926
experience from Seton Gordon, who claimed that while hiking the mountain with a friend, his companion
kept asking him who was playing the pipes. Seton couldn't hear anything, but his
His friend was convinced that someone was walking along nearby, playing on a set of pipes.
While Session couldn't hear them, he did state that there was something unsettling about the
atmosphere there.
What I like about the tales of the Big Grey Man is that these stories feel somewhat grounded.
They are odd feelings, brief sightings, unexplained sounds.
But over the years, interesting theories have popped up about the story.
what's going on here because there are a number of people who believe the mountain is somehow
a place of great psychic power and that some people are able to tap into this power. People like
Joan Grant who was an author and someone who believed that she had a kind of psychic awareness
that she had experienced all of her life. One day she found herself hiking through the nearby
Rothermachus forest with her husband.
Their destination was the Cairn Gorms, and they were looking forward to a pleasant Sunday in the mountains.
But after stopping for lunch, they thought the heat was too much on that particular day,
and decided to head towards one of the villages instead.
But before they could leave, Joan was filled with what she could only describe as an intense fear.
She turned and began sprinting along the path.
Her confused husband giving chase, begging to know what was wrong.
She just screamed at him to run.
It was hard to put into words.
But in Joan's mind,
she felt like they were being chased
by something inhuman.
Then suddenly, after running for half a mile,
it felt like she broke through an invisible wall.
And the fear just stopped.
Whatever was after them was gone.
Years later,
was quoted by author Affleck Gray as saying,
I wish I could give you an explanation to my panic,
but I can only presume that I inadvertently tuned into an acute terror
of someone who had a great deal of energy still locked up in that place.
Peter Dencham spent many years surrounding World War II being in charge of airplane rescues in the Cairngorms.
He had two experiences on Ben McDooey that he couldn't explain.
he couldn't explain and brought up a piece of local folklore that few of the other accounts
seem to mention. There are claims that when people are overcome with fear on the mountain,
if they happen to be near a specific spot called Lurcher's Craig, they will attempt to throw themselves
over the edge, with several bodies apparently being found in this area.
Densham found himself alone on the mountain one day in 1945. He had heard some sounds,
that he thought were a little strange, but he simply dismissed them as the sound of rocks expanding
and contracting and continued his walk. At one point he decided to stop to eat some chocolate,
when suddenly he was overcome with the sensation that he wasn't alone, that someone was standing
right next to him. Again he tried to brush this off. Many mountaineers have experienced this sensation,
while alone on the mountain.
It was just the mind playing tricks on them.
But then he felt an odd, cold feeling at the top of his neck,
which soon turned into a kind of pressure.
A little weirded out, Dencham stood up,
and that was when he heard the crunching of footsteps coming from the cane.
He approached the can to see if anyone was there,
but there wasn't.
Initially he was curious, even a little excited.
could he really be having his first experience with the fabled big grey man he thought
But for seemingly no reason that intrigue quickly turned to overwhelming fear
Something deep within him told him he needed to leave and leave quickly
He ran as fast as he could years later he said he counted himself lucky that he was still in control of his senses
Because for a brief moment his mind his mind
had escaped him and as he came back to a sudden consciousness he realized he was running right
towards the edge of Lurchase Craig. He managed to stop himself turning his path before heading over
the edge but he said it was hard as though his body didn't want to change direction. It wanted
to jump into the abyss. He then raced down the rest of the mountain
shaken by what he had experienced.
On another occasion, he was on mountain rescue duty with his friend, Richard Frere, searching
for a plane that had gone down in the area.
It turned out to be a false alarm when the pair rested near the can at the summit of Ben McDooie.
When Dencham noticed that his friend was talking to someone.
He walked around the can to see who was there, but there was no one.
Richard was talking to himself. What made this whole thing even stranger though was that
Dencham then joined the conversation. In his recounting he didn't or couldn't say what they spoke about,
but it was like they were both having a conversation with someone who wasn't really there.
Again they are not alone, one of the most famous accounts from Ben McDowie,
features two men walking through the mist on the mountain,
having a conversation with someone who they thought was a fellow hiker
just a few feet away, only to discover they were alone.
Dencham's friend Richard Frere had another experience where he was alone on the mountain
and was accompanied on his walk by what he described as someone singing
that followed him all day.
He also spoke to numerous others who had experienced odd encounters on the mountain, including
one man who claimed he was camping one night when he was awoken by the feeling that someone
was outside his tent.
He heard the person walk away, and plucking up his courage he went out to take a look, only
to reportedly see a large brown figure, walking off into the distance.
Richard Frere was genuinely unsettled by his experience with the singing.
He knows all of this seems impossible, but he had what I felt was a powerful call to those
who doubt the experiences of those who have encountered the strange of Ben McDooie.
He encouraged them to come with him up the mountain, to stand on it as day begins to fade
into night.
I will quote him directly for these final lines.
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will be acquainted with that fear without a name, that intense dread of the unknown that has pursued
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So what really happened?
We have decades of claims of experiences
with the Big Grey Man we could dissect.
But what struck me is that when I first heard this story,
it was presented much more like a cryptic case,
something similar to Bigfoot.
But actually, reading the accounts,
it does feel like it fits a lot more into the realm of ghosts.
Odd sounds, apparitions, intense feelings.
Only a handful seem to describe the being as a physical creature.
And this is also where it starts to get tricky to dissect,
because it really isn't a singular phenomenon.
These stories are all a little different.
There are recurring themes,
but it's not a set experience that each person has.
Let's look at the skeptical arguments first, before we get into the strange.
The most common idea that is used to debunk the big grey man is the phenomenon known as the broken spectre.
A broken spectre is an optical illusion that occurs when a person stands on a mountain or a high ridge,
with the sun behind them, casting their shadow onto mist or cloud below.
The shadow often appears enormous due to perspective.
perspective.
To someone unfamiliar with a phenomenon, the towering hallowed figure, can appear ghostly
or supernatural, leading to centuries of myths and eerie sightings in mountainous regions.
It is worth noting how many of the grey man's stories feature a mist rolling in.
The broken spectre has certainly terrified many mountaineers and hikers over the years, but often
this fear will disappear once they realise that the giant's
shadowy figure is mimicking the movements of the observer. And that's where this explanation
struggles of it. Because in the few stories where the figure is actually cited, its movements
don't seem to correspond with the movements of the witness. What's more, numerous witnesses stated
that they knew what a Brockinspector was, and what they saw wasn't that. Still, it's hard not
to use this to potentially dismiss some of the claims of a giant figure that resides in the mountains.
When we look at these stories, one thing that keeps popping up is a sudden, unexplainable fear,
and it's hard not to think of infrasound in these circumstances.
Infrasound refers to extremely low frequency sound waves below the range of normal human hearing.
This phenomenon is often associated with machinery and man-made constructions, but it can be produced,
by natural sources such as earthquakes, storms, ocean waves and even strong winds, interacting
with landscapes. On mountains, infrasound can be generated by powerful gusts moving through valleys
and ridges, as well as by rockfalls and shifting weather systems. Some researchers have suggested
that exposure to intense infrasound may contribute to feelings of unease, anxiety, or other
the odd feelings, which has led to speculation about its role in some reports of strange experiences
in remote mountain environments. But infrasound isn't the only possibility here. One possible
explanation is the third man factor, where climbers in extreme conditions report sensing
an unseen presence or companion, often during periods of exhaustion or isolation. This is something
many of you brought up in the comments on my Shepton Mine episode. Other explanations include
hypoxia which can affect judgment and perception or sensory deprivation in the
vast silent landscapes and the body's natural fight or flight response being triggered
by subtle environmental cues for many climbers the irrational fear reported on
mountains may be the brain's response to an environment where isolation and
physical stress combined to create a heightened sense of threat although while
McDoey is a high peak for Britain. It's hard to imagine that some of these mountaineers,
who have experiences in the Himalayas, and on Everest, succumbing to these extreme effects
on this mountain. But of course it is a likely explanation. My thoughts went to the idea that
these factors could cause an intense fear, that, if familiar with the big grey man stories,
merge together into an experience. You feel an inexplicable level of fear, you think about
the stories and you begin to believe that you are having an experience with the big grey
man himself. But where that idea falls down is the many accounts where people claim to not
know the stories or from a time before the tales became widely known. There is, of course,
the possibility that this is all a combination of these factors.
mixed in with the folklore of the area.
But what about the paranormal ideas?
Many with spiritual beliefs seem to believe that Ben McDouye and the surrounding areas hold
some kind of energy.
That these sightings and experiences represent a kind of peak beyond the veil.
That's something that we can't quite understand.
The journalist J.W. Heres wrote in 1949 that there could be something in the nature of
of Ben McDooey itself that had a stimulating effect on the psychic faculty of mankind, an ability
that lies dormant, only being set off under certain conditions and in certain places.
In that same year, there was an undoubtedly religious element added to the big grey man
when Sir Hugh Rankin and Lady Rankin apparently met the big grey man on Ben McDooey.
But rather than being a ghost or some kind of abominable snowman, they believed he was in fact a Bodhisattva.
A Bodhisattva is a figure in Buddhism who has attained the potential for enlightenment, but chooses to delay entering Nirvana in order to help guide and liberate others.
They represent compassion and selflessness, dedicating their experience to easing the suffering of all sentient beings.
Although the couple referred to him as one of the five perfected men, who they say meet each year in the Himalayas,
to control the lives of us all.
When their work is done, the big grey man would seemingly return to Ben McDouy, his regular home.
Then there are the UFOs.
Numerous sightings for strange lights that have been spotted over the mountain over the years.
And a small group believes that the big grey man is actually a being from another world.
that the mountain is a place of great interest for those who come from beyond the stars.
The other idea that I know a number of you will be shouting at me in the comments if I don't bring it up is the Fay.
In many different European cultures throughout history, the fairy folk have been a recurring theme,
and they are said to inhabit places like forests and mountains.
Traditionally, they are not always portrayed as benevolent creatures.
They could be mysterious.
unpredictable and capable of leading travellers astray, creating allusions or causing strange experiences.
Some have suggested that the eerie reports associated with Ben McDouye, including feelings of dread,
the unexplained sounds and encounters with a mysterious presence, could be interpreted through the lens of ancient
and vague beliefs, and it does match up.
The fay angle is the easiest paranormal explanation that would cover the wide range of strange
reports in the mountains, even if you don't actually believe in fairies.
The folklore of them is clearly playing a part in the tone of the claimed sightings.
Fairies don't actually have to be real, for someone to be influenced by the idea of them.
But the idea that stuck with me, as presented by an experienced climber,
called J. A. Parker is that something on this mountain doesn't want the climbers there.
He painted this as the idea a ghost, someone who may have lost their life on the mountain
and is now trying to keep others away. I don't know if I can accept such a specific idea,
but there does seem to be something at play here. Countless people, some of whom are regarded
as widely respected individuals, have said that there is something wrong with this mountain.
there is something up there, even if they couldn't tell you what it was. And that is enough
for me. I can't help but think the next time I find myself hiking up a mountain. If the wind
whistles through the rocks in such a way that the sound bends and distorts, then I won't
think for just a moment. What if that wasn't just a wind? What if? I'm not alone up here.
That's all for this entry into the tape library.
My main source for this one was the Big Grey Man of Ben McDooey by Grey Affleck.
Really, you don't need to look up any other books on this subject.
He spent decades collecting all of these encounters and sharing the stories.
It's genuinely a fantastic book and if you can find a copy, I would strongly recommend checking it out.
If you want to dive into the topic deeper.
If you enjoyed this episode, as always please be sure to click like if you're watching on YouTube
or leave a rating on your podcast platform of choice.
These little interactions really help to keep the show being pushed out to a wider audience,
so it's always appreciated.
I mentioned this in a prior episode,
but releases are going to slow down a bit over the summer.
There will be a bonus going out in August, so I won't be totally gone.
But really, this marks the end of this season of the Tape Library.
It won't be a long break, though.
I'll be back full-time in September.
So if you want to be sure not to miss it,
out, please click subscribe or follow to ensure you get notified when the next deep dive
comes out. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy your summer. And if you really are in
need of some ghost stories, I have a pretty big catalogue these days to keep you busy.
Until next time my friends. Pleasant dreams. As always, this episode would make possible
by my supporters on Patreon, so it's time to read out their credits. First up our
tape library archivist Sapphire Simon Ullas
Agent 355 Dina Compton
Thomas Brown Michelle Nexor EH guillotine
Alex Wiles meshell desnoir
Olsen Wells
Paranormal Phoenix, Toney 10 Meow Mayor
The Laughing Tabby, Surrey's Wells, Alice
Julian M, Yulam
for his blood, Jennifer Shan Harding, Melissa Waldrott
Adam M, Crypta Clyde, Adam Crichton,
the Magic Pumpkin, Lucas Wiles
Yenock, Aurora, Le Borochse-Johnson
Pampmer-M, Pampthephyp Pantherp
The Illusive M, the Bisexual Moon Cult
emulated phoenix jamy long downmate david marcus g martinez
lydia mary sheridan gaffir v g plumblossom gina brydham plumblossom gina
stephen lutman crystal e west virginia vegetable man dawn swan tina sawm
joseph condoella jolly jedi jennina joe the crimson dame dame d'alph sandoval
midi azabine domine dougt the angeles dynodoreg judith hatter eric sallas mirashard adeline
Ashlar's books, Gabrielle and Sandy Lusk.
Then we have our amazing lead archivies.
Cassandra Baker, Summer Chambers, Bunny Gas Mask, Sage,
Dr. Thunderus Phantom PhD, Sandy W, Yvonne Rivers, Jennifer,
Amy Stubblefield, the original dear, Emmy Bartley,
Lady Bet Noir, Rick Dickulous, London Race, Melissa Harrinson,
Emperor Franz, Plague Doctor Is In, Xavier Rangel, Alex O'Neill,
Tyler Michael, Alex Goldberg, Van Yell, Brian Baker,
and 1,000th Ghost, and our insanely generous grand overseers.
Lauren Murray, Zarcastic, Wynne Lewis, the God Emperor of Mankind,
old soul like mine, Harrison the Oglord, Shannon in Seattle, Leah Carmela, Bad Diddle, Katie,
Morning Rain 2619 and Queen of Flatchelance. Thank you so much to all of them,
all of my junior archivists and my members on YouTube. Each and every one of you plays a
huge part in keeping the show going. I really couldn't do this without you. If you want to join,
the archivists, links can be found in the description. It's a really nice community over on Patreon,
and you can even join for free. So come say hi over there. See you all soon.
