I witnessed strange figures in a moon ritual. Was it witchcraft?

Deborah’s story takes us to Skipsea in East Yorkshire - Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

Every week, Sarah Knapton, our Science Editor, and Joe Pinkstone, our Science Correspondent, demystify your supernatural experiences. From ghoulish encounters to bizarre coincidences, there’s always a scientific explanation, and nothing is as strange as it seems.

Today, our duo investigates a bizarre sighting of partying figures...

“Twenty-five years ago, late at night, I went out onto the clifftop of our seaside bungalow at Skipsea in East Yorkshire.

“There was a stunning night sky, and a full moon reflecting across the sea. I wanted to take a photograph with my digital camera. I was distracted by what I saw, about four bungalows down from ours.

“There appeared to be some sort of a party in progress. Intensely bright lights shone out of the bungalow, and I watched in fascination as strange figures moved slowly back and forth around the garden in total silence, passing each other in formation.

“They were tall and slender with very long arms and necks. They all appeared to be carrying something, their arms held forwards. Almost like a religious offering. I pointed my camera towards the scene and pressed the shutter.

“The camera jammed and refused to work. Indeed, it never worked again. The following day I looked up at the same bungalow from the beach. There were no signs of life; it looked empty, as if no one was living there.”

- Deborah

Sarah answers:

The coastline at Skipsea in the East Riding of Yorkshire has a strange, tragic story of its own.

The town sits on soft boulder clay, which is easily eroded by the North Sea, and in stormy years, up to 30ft of the coastline are washed away, with homes and roads claimed by the sea.

Deborah’s story takes us to the epicentre of the destruction – the row of bungalows perched right at the edge of the erosion zone at Skipsea.

Many of the cottages have been abandoned as their gardens slip further over the cliffs each year, while the tide edges ever closer.

In fact, the tiny home where she saw the “strange figures with long arms and necks” has since washed away, taking its secrets into the water.

Lost abodes always carry an air of mystery and intrigue.

On the Suffolk coast, the lost town of Dunwich was once a thriving medieval port with more than 3,000 residents, before storm surges and coastal erosion washed away the harbour and buildings by the 13th century.

Likewise, sand swallowed up Kenfig, between Bridgend and Port Talbot on the South Wales coast, in the 14th and 15th centuries.

The Aberdeenshire village of Rattray was also buried in sand during a storm in the 18th century, while coastal flooding in the 17th and 19th centuries destroyed much of the Norfolk village of Eccles.

Many of the cottages in Skipsea have been abandoned as their gardens slip further over the cliffs each year - Owen Humphreys/PA Archive

Deborah was not quite sure when the incident had happened, but believed it could have been between 1996 and 2005, and sometime in August at the time of the full moon.

It is tempting to think that she witnessed some sort of ritual, perhaps a group of Pagans or a Wiccan coven, who may have been trying to stop the impending destruction.

Sea magic has always been woven into coastal communities, with fishermen blessing nets and carrying talismans and knotted cords to protect against witches.

It was often considered bad luck to do the washing or sweeping when sailors were out to sea, for fear they would be washed overboard, or swept away.

Because of the link between the tides and the moon, sea witchcraft was often practised during the full or new moon, with practitioners believing it enhanced the potency of spells.

Communities also marked the lunar cycles, and would bury protective talismans like hag stones to protect homes from coastal damage, or gifts were offered to the water to appease the sea.

Deborah herself said they appeared to be “passing each other in formation” and “were carrying something, their arms held forwards. Almost like a religious offering”.

Perhaps the fear of the encroaching sea had galvanised a group of Pagans or witches into collective action under the full moon. Groups certainly exist throughout the East Riding.

If Deborah has slightly misremembered her dates, there may be another explanation.

The Bridlington Free Press reported that on Aug 25, 1991, the night of the full moon, there was a break-in at the bungalows between 9pm and 11:30pm.

Dark figures, perhaps wearing balaclavas, and holding their loot, could perhaps explain the stealthy group, although it would be strange for burglars to turn the light on.

A local newspaper reported a burglary on the night of the incident, which might explain the figures Deborah saw

Another possible explanation is the heat. Deborah checked her Filofax to try and narrow down the dates for when she was at the cottage, and said Aug 8, 1998, was a possibility.

Britain was experiencing a heatwave during that time, so perhaps residents of the cottage were out and about in the garden at night trying to cool down.

Moonlight can also alter visual perception and although contrast is high, fine details are blurred or missing, forcing the brain to fill in the gaps, leading to misinterpretation.

Yorkshire is also said to be the haunt of a strange ghostly apparition known as “Moon Man”, who is described as an elongated figure with long limbs, and appears under the full moon.

There are very few recordings of the phenomenon, which is likely to be hikers illuminated by moonlight.

The camera jamming is something that we can not explain. It may just be a coincidence that has taken on undue significance because of the timing of when it occurred.

So this one is tricky. If any readers can think of an alternative explanation, we would love to hear from you. Were you in or around Skipsea between 1996 and 2005 and can shed some light on the matter?

Otherwise we fear the explanation for Deborah’s strange silent neighbours may have disappeared along with their home.

Verdict: Inexplicable

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