British Teens' 1963 UFO Encounter: Strange Creature & Mysterious Footprints in Sandling Park

It's not every day that we come across a truly unique and intriguing cryptid encounter, but the "Bat Beast of Kent" certainly fits the bill. This strange creature was reportedly seen by four British teens back in 1963, and the story has been making the rounds on the YouTube channel I Talk Cryptids. According to the video, the teens were walking home from a party on Sandling Road in the county of Kent when they saw a glowing object descending from the sky. The object, which was described as just a few meters in diameter, hovered above a field before settling into the shadowy foliage of a nearby Woods at Sandling Park. But things were just getting started. Moments after the object landed, the teens noticed a shaking in the brush and a strange, headless creature emerged from the Woods. The creature was reportedly about five feet tall, with webbed feet and wings protruding from its back. One of the teens, Mervyn Hutchinson, described it as looking like a "headless bat" with "huge wings and sparkling like a bar." Understandably, the teens were terrified and ran to the nearest police station to report what they had seen. According to the video, one of the teens, John Flaxton, later said that he felt cold all over during the encounter. Just a few days later, another local resident, Keith Croucher, reported seeing an oddly-shaped craft hovering over a local soccer field. And on November 23rd, John McGoldrick and a friend decided to investigate the area where the teens had their encounter. Once inside the wooded area, McGoldrick claimed that he and his companion discovered three large footprints, each 24 inches long and nine inches across. He also said that they stumbled across an area where the foliage had been flattened, as if by a tremendous weight. The "Bat Beast of Kent" is certainly a strange and intriguing cryptid encounter, and it's one that has captured the imagination of many. If you're interested in learning more, be sure to check out the full video on I Talk Cryptids. And who knows – maybe one day we'll have a definitive answer to the mystery of the "Bat Beast of Kent."