All language subtitles for Ancient.Aliens.S20E09.mysteries.of.scotland.2024

NARRATOR: For thousands of
years, Scotland has been

an epicenter
of otherworldly phenomena.

NICK POPE:
So many high-profile

UFO cases and other mysteries

are centered on Scotland

and actually go back
to the dawn of time.

NARRATOR: It is home to many
mysterious ancient structures...

One of the theories about
the stone circles in Scotland

is that they're energetic.

NARRATOR: ...and is a major
hotspot for UFO sightings.

RYAN SPRAGUE: The volume
of UFO reports in Scotland

compared to the population
is astronomical.

NARRATOR: Could it be that,
throughout its history,

Scotland has been a magnet
for extraterrestrial visitors?

GIORGIO TSOUKALOS: I think
that that particular area

of the world is crucial
in figuring out

the larger picture
that our origins

is not down here on Earth,

but out there.

NARRATOR:
There is a doorway

in the universe.

Beyond it is
the promise of truth.

It demands
we question everything

we have ever been taught.

The evidence is all around us.

The future is
right before our eyes.

We are not alone.

We have never been alone.

NARRATOR:
Scotland.

The most northerly nation
in the British Isles

is a land known
for its stunning geography,

mysterious ancient structures,

and a rich
mythological tradition

that dates back
thousands of years.

PAMELA JAYE SMITH:
Scotland, by its very nature,

is a land of mystery.

It's a land of mists.

It's a land of craggy moors.

It's a land of firths

snaking up between green hills
and mountains.

NEWMAN: There are many mysteries
associated with Scotland

from ancient times

all the way up
into the modern era.

NARRATOR: The mysteries of Scotland
extend even to its very origins.

Some scholars suggest
the country's name is derived

from the Greek word "skotos,"
meaning "darkness and gloom,"

but ancient legends say it comes
from Scotland's true founder,

who was the sister of the famous
Egyptian pharaoh King Tut.

ANDREW COLLINS:
One of the founders

of the Scottish race,
according to ancient tradition,

was a princess or a queen
by the name of Scota.

She actually came
from ancient Egypt,

and Scota can be found
in ancient Egyptian chronicles,

identifying her

as the daughter
of the Pharaoh Akhenaten.

And, according to the story,

she left there
at a time of persecution.

Tutankhamun,
her younger brother, takes over,

and she settled in Scotland
and therefore

her descendants are
the Scottish people of today.

NARRATOR: Researchers say
support for this version

of Scotland's origin story
can be found

in The History of Egypt,

written in 300 BC

by an Egypto-Greek historian
named Manetho.

But very little
was written about Scotland

before Roman soldiers
arrived in the British Isles

in the first century AD.

The Romans saw Britain
as this mysterious island

at literally
the edge of the world.

Now, the Roman legion
is notorious for their might,

but yet, they went
to great lengths

to protect themselves
from the people who lived

to the north to keep them away

from the rest
of the Roman population.

NARRATOR:
In 128 AD,

Roman soldiers built
a massive stone wall

stretching across
the southern border of Scotland

named for the emperor Hadrian.

The imposing
73-mile-long structure

was 12 feet thick
and stood 15 feet high.

One of the most
interesting constructions

in ancient Britain
is Hadrian's Wall.

They were trying to keep out
the invading tribes

coming down from Scotland.

The tribes were a part
of a confederation

called the Picts,

and these people
were remarkable warriors.

They painted themselves blue
with tattoos

all over their bodies,

and they would
attack their enemies,

naked and fearless.

Even up to the 4th century AD,

they were still
coming over the wall,

and, virtually, they kind of
drove the Romans out of Britain.

NARRATOR: Scotland has
maintained its reputation

as a fiercely independent
nation throughout its history,

with heroes like William Wallace

and Robert the Bruce
and their legendary battles

for Scotland's independence
from English rule.

And just as unique and volatile

as Scotland's history
is its landscape.

There is something geologically
special about Scotland.

It's visible with the naked eye

when you drive
through the Highlands,

when you drive through
the Scottish mountains

and you see
the grandeur of the place.

It's obvious when you
come to understand

how much volcanic activity
there was in Scotland,

how many extinct volcanoes
there are all over Scotland,

and that there is
a very specific and powerful

fault structure and system
across Scotland.

There are just some places
in the world

where the earth itself
is powerful,

and Scotland is at
the very, very top of this list.

Scotland is really
overlooked geologically,

in terms of
its seismic activity.

To have greater than
a magnitude five earthquake

is, uh, pretty common.

If you look at what we call
the structure of Scotland,

it's a structure
or an amalgamation

of tectonic activities
going back

hundreds of millions of years

that have really pieced together
this island,

and it's still very active.

These are deep crustal faults.

So, when you consider
the whole configuration of it,

it's a very, very
energetically dynamic place.

NARRATOR:
Scotland's energetic landscape

is of interest
not only to geologists

but also to
ancient astronaut theorists

because they believe
it could have a connection

to another defining
characteristic of Scotland:

its unusually high number of
unidentified aerial phenomena.

HENRY: There's a very
interesting correlation between

UFO sightings and earthquakes
and other underground activity.

In fact,
there are numerous places

around the world where portals
are talked about.

Natives speak of these portals
that are also sites

where there's this
seismic activity.

You think of places
like the Big Island in Hawaii,

Carnac stones in France,

and also Mount Shasta.

You think of Mount Adams
in southern Washington where,

for centuries,
we've been told about this place

as being a gateway
into the inner Earth.

It's actually a dormant volcano.

These are all places
the natives or the locals

speak of UFO activity,
portal activity,

and they also happen to be
sites where there's

extreme seismic activity
as well.

In Scotland, they have
exactly the same thing

involving UFOs
and paranormal phenomena.

POPE:
So many high-profile UFO cases

and other mysteries
are centered on Scotland.

And Scotland
may be at the heart of

a lot of things which might
help us unlock this mystery.

NARRATOR: Could it be that among
the mist-shrouded mountain peaks

and boggy moorlands of Scotland
lurks an otherworldly presence?

One that has been around
for thousands of years?

Perhaps further clues
can be found by examining

a small town in Scotland

known to be one of the most
active UFO hotspots on Earth.

NARRATOR:
Central Scotland.

Situated between
Glasgow and Edinburgh

lies a mysterious region
famous among UFO researchers

as the Falkirk Triangle.

Centered around the small
village of Bonnybridge,

it boasts
the highest concentration

of UFO sightings on Earth.

The volume of UFO reports
that come

within the Falkirk Triangle
in Scotland

compared to the population
of these areas

is astronomical
and immediately shoots it up

to being one of the biggest
UFO hot spots in the world.

You have to say to yourself,
"What-what is it

"that's going on in this area?

Why is this area so special?"

NARRATOR: Since 1992,

approximately 300 UFO sightings

are reported every year
in the Falkirk Triangle.

And for the past 30 years,

this extraordinary statistic
has been well-documented

in recorded images
captured by local residents.

NARRATOR:
Over the years, Craig has filmed

an unprecedented 18 hours
of UFO footage,

much of it from his own backyard
in Bonnybridge.

And neighbors like Steven Bird

have captured
additional footage.

NARRATOR:
While most people cite 1992

as the year the Falkirk Triangle
became a UFO hotspot,

locals say
that mysterious encounters

have been happening
in the area for far longer,

and as evidence point to one of

the most famous UFO incidents
in Scottish history.

In the center
of the Falkirk Triangle,

just 20 miles from Bonnybridge,

Forest service supervisor
Bob Taylor walks

down a wooded path
when he sees something

extraordinary
in the clearing ahead--

a huge object
hovering above the forest floor.

What Bob Taylor came across

was a physical object.

One that appeared to be
disc-like in appearance.

But it would seem to have
these very odd propellers.

NARRATOR: Taylor managed to
stagger the mile and a half

back to his home
and called the police.

As a result,
the Bob Taylor incident

remains one of the only
UFO encounters in history

to be officially investigated
as a criminal matter.

The case was also taken up

by young UFO investigators

Malcolm Robinson
and Andrew Collins,

who were both just 22 years old.

NARRATOR: Now they are
returning to the scene

with researcher Hugh Newman
in search of new evidence

that could shed light
on the 44-year-old mystery.

NEWMAN:
Wow, that's a proper plinth.

Wow. Marking the spot.

Was it just right here?
Is this where it was?

And then you put the word out
to the UFO community.

And this is where Andrew
got involved,

-I believe?
-ROBINSON: That's right.

I came straight up here,
immediately,

because we realized just
how significant this case was.

-And there I met Malcolm for the
first time. -ROBINSON: Yeah.

That being 44 years ago,
almost to the day now.

-Yes. -There were still
a lot of people here

that would still come
in the area investigating it.

And we saw the marks
on the ground.

The marks were
in a circular arrangement.

And there was no way that these
were caused by some kind of

mundane events
such as horses passing through.

You know,
these were very clearly

heavy-duty marks
pushed right into the ground.

NARRATOR: Bob Taylor's account
stands apart from many others

due to the abundance of
physical evidence.

Including the trousers
he was wearing,

which he claimed were
torn by the objects

that tried to pull him
into the craft.

NEWMAN: They are proper
thick, aren't they, as well?

Look at these.

That is unusual.

You can see the way it's being
cut, kind of accurately.

It's not just
like a random branch

or a stone cutting it
if you fall over, is it?

Something quite--
something else going on here.

COLLINS: Just doesn't make
any sense whatsoever.

NARRATOR: Does Bob Taylor's
extraordinary encounter--

supported by physical
evidence and a large-scale

police investigation--
provide the ultimate evidence

of an extraterrestrial presence
in the Falkirk Triangle?

And if so,
is some mysterious force

attracting alien visitors

to this particular location
on Earth?

Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes and suggest

that further evidence
can be found

not by looking to the skies
above Scotland

but by examining
the earth beneath it.

NARRATOR: Billy Buchanan is
elected to represent Bonnybridge

and the neighboring town
of Larbert

on the Falkirk area council.

It is the same year
that hundreds of UFOs

begin to be witnessed
in the region

known as the Falkirk Triangle,

and the locals
come to Councilman Buchanan

in droves to report
their strange encounters.

POPE: Billy Buchanan
lobbied the government,

first the ministry of defense

and then the office
of the prime minister.

And he was calling
for a public inquiry.

And I think

Billy came to view me
as-as one of the bad guys here,

because his central allegation
was that the ministry of defense

knew all about this
and was covering it up.

And, you know,
I don't like to fall back

on the Nuremberg Defense,
but, uh, this was my job

to play down the phenomenon.

But, uh, Billy and the people
of Bonnybridge, I apologize.

There's something going on
in the Falkirk Triangle.

NARRATOR: What could explain why
this area of Scotland experiences

even more UFO sightings
than the rest of the country?

Curiously, geologists have found
that the seismic pressure

beneath the Falkirk Triangle
is particularly intense.

When you look
at that triangular area,

there's a break in seismicity.

And we call that break
a seismic gap.

If you live in a seismic gap,

it's actually more prone

to have a next big earthquake,
because it's locked.

You know, pressures are being
put on it

from what we call
the institute stresses.

And we see the Falkirk Triangle

falls into
one of these seismic gaps,

and I think that's very,
very relevant to the story here.

NARRATOR:
Some researchers have theorized

that aerial phenomena
witnessed throughout Scotland

is connected not only
to seismic activity

but also the country's
geological makeup.

A lot of the country
is made up of igneous rocks

that were produced by volcanoes
across many millions of years.

And this creates

an intense type of geology

involving certain types
of minerals,

such as quartz and tourmaline,

which generates electricity.

So is it possible

that the presence of this

incredibly intense geology here

is producing a portal

into another realm

or another place
in space and time

or indeed, perhaps, even

a higher dimensional reality?

NARRATOR: Could the geology and
seismic activity in Scotland

be creating exotic energy

that attracts
extraterrestrial visitors?

Or even opens portals
to other realms?

Curiously,
a major fault line runs

directly through one of the most
famous sites in Scotland.

Loch Ness.

COLLINS: One of the most
intense geological areas

is Loch Ness.

Because passing along
the entire length

of the loch
immediately beneath it,

is the Great Glen fault line.

NARRATOR:
The rock walls of the chasm

that exists in Loch Ness

contain a high concentration
of quartz,

which is known to be
an efficient conductor

of electricity.

Some researchers have suggested

that quartz,
coupled with the narrowness

and depth of Loch Ness,

creates a perfect storm

of highly charged
electromagnetism

that could generate portals

in space-time

through a process
called the Casimir effect.

The idea is
if I take two metal plates

and stick 'em
in the vacuum of space,

it turns out,
because of quantum fluctuations,

this creates an effective,

attractive force
between the plates.

One can think of this
as a negative energy.

Now, an intriguing idea
that we get

is that this is exactly
the principle we need

to understand, perhaps,
how to stabilize a wormhole.

TSOUKALOS:
Perhaps Loch Ness

creates a window into the past.

And so what if,
because of the Casimir effect--

which, at Loch Ness, is
a physical possibility--

a window in time opened

and the Loch Ness Monster
is witnessed

essentially
almost by coincidence.

NARRATOR: Could it be
that those who witness

the Loch Ness Monster
are actually

looking through
a window in time?

Or is it even possible
that Nessie is an alien entity

that is able
to pass through a wormhole

that exists at Loch Ness?

COLLINS:
If it was only Nessie,

then we could ignore this
as perhaps

being a clue to understanding

the greater importance
of Scotland.

But it's not.

Because what we also find

is that UFOs are regularly seen

either above the loch,

on the shores of the loch.

Sometimes they fly
down the length of the loch.

We have Bigfoot sightings
on the shores of Loch Ness.

We have fairy encounters

in the modern day.

So is this underlying

geological fault

producing the right type

of environment

to allow
the manifestation of UFOs?

NARRATOR:
Is it possible that the geology

and seismic activity in Scotland

creates an energetic environment

that attracts
extraterrestrial visitors?

Or even opens portals
to other realms?

Perhaps further clues
can be found

by examining another
of Scotland's many mysteries:

the ancient stone circles.

NARRATOR:
For more than 2,000 years,

Scotland has maintained
a connection

to its ancient Celtic traditions

of little people and fairy folk.

According to legend,
these magical beings

inhabit stone circles
and standing stones

across the country,

and sometimes even abduct humans

into their realm.

Most scholars regard
such Celtic mythology

as purely fictional.

But to many Scots
and other descendants

of the Celtic people,
stories of fairies

and other non-human entities
are anything

but fantasy.

NARRATOR: Scotland's fairy folk
are often associated

with its rich trove
of stone circles

that date back
more than 4,000 years.

Legends have persisted
for centuries

that these sites
attract otherworldly entities

and serve as portals
to other dimensions.

Scotland does have
a lot of stone circles,

and some of them are...

similar, somewhat, to Stonehenge

in that they are upright stones

of varying size and heights.

And typically, the layout

seems to correlate
with the summer

and winter solstices

and the equinoxes.

Knowing the changing
of the seasons

is really important because

you need to plan
your agriculture around it,

you need to plan your herding
around it.

And some people think
the stone circles might have

a hidden meaning that speak

of a higher connection
to something.

NARRATOR:
One of the first researchers
to document

the strange happenings
witnessed near Scotland's

ancient standing stones
was a 17th century

episcopalian minister
in the Scottish Highlands

named Robert Kirk.

McGOWAN: Robert Kirk
made it his life's work

to document supernatural
activity around Scotland.

And he created a volume
called The Secret Commonwealth.

And Kirk really focused
on the idea that

the fairy folk were guardians

of portal areas,
that there were places

in Scotland where you could slip

in and out
of different dimensions.

NARRATOR:
The accounts Kirk documented

came from his parishioners'
many striking stories

about elves, fairies,

wraiths,
and other mysterious beings.

Kirk believed these stories
constituted strong evidence

that another world
exists parallel to our own.

The fascinating thing
about Robert Kirk

is right before he published
The Secret Commonwealth

he died
and his body disappeared.

And it's believed
to this day that he was taken,

uh, by the fairy folk
into another dimension

through one of the very portals
that he was writing about.

NARRATOR: Could it be
that the fairy folk described

in Scottish folklore
truly exist?

According to some researchers,

the fairy sightings
reported at stone circles

may be connected to
the modern-day UFO phenomenon.

COLLINS:
In the folklore of Scotland,

the fairies became

the inhabitants
of these stone circles.

So how can we relate this
to the UFO phenomena?

Well, we can
in the sense that we know

that these monuments
are associated

with the appearance
of mysterious lights.

This is found
not just in Britain

but also across the world.

In other words,
it's very obvious

that our ancestors
built these monuments

where mysterious lights would
appear on a regular basis.

NARRATOR: Andrew Collins
and Hugh Newman have spent

decades researching
UFO activity associated

with the standing stones
of Scotland.

This is really
a fascinating area.

I mean, Lundin Links is
an incredible megalithic site...

NARRATOR:
In 2023,

they traveled to the northern
edge of the Falkirk Triangle

to investigate Lundin Links,

three ancient monoliths

associated with
mysterious lights

and other phenomena.

These are some
of the tallest standing stones

we get
in the entire British Isles.

These have been compared
to the sites

on Orkney,
like the Stones of Stenness,

but also the Ring of Brodgar
and a few other places.

So, these are just so similar.

They're so outrageously tall
for Britain.

We are in a landscape
that was created

as much as
300 million years ago.

But intruding into that is
this incredible hill behind us,

Largo Law,
as it's known locally.

NEWMAN: That could be
important because we know

that Largo Law
was once a volcano.

So, there could be
a lot of unusual geology,

which could create energies
within the landscape.

Yeah. And those energies
are generated

through the extreme actions
going on below the earth,

through the process
of piezoelectricity.

And through them,
portals might open.

Folklore plays
an incredible role

in the memory of historic UFOs.

They were associated with
the fairies, the little people.

So, what is the relationship

between these megalithic
monuments here

and the UFO phenomena?

Is it possible
that this whole area

is one big UFO hotspot

whereby structured craft
can come through?

Structured craft like
Bob Taylor saw in 1979?

Certainly seems like that
because we are literally

on the edge
of the Falkirk Triangle.

It just seems like there's
something really special

about this place,
and this was marked

by these giant standing stones

that we have here
at Lundin Links.

NARRATOR: Could it be that the
people of ancient Scotland

were instructed
to erect stone circles

by extraterrestrial visitors

in order to harness
the energy of the Earth?

Do the many modern-day
UFO sightings

reported throughout Scotland

point to an alien presence

that remains in this region
of the world even today?

Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes

and suggest the most compelling
evidence of all

has been kept hidden
by the British government

for more than three decades.

NARRATOR:
August 15, 2022.

Newsweek magazine publishes
the provocative headline

"Best UFO Picture Ever,

"the Calvine Photo,
Found After 30 Years Missing."

HENRY: This from the
Calvine Hills in Scotland

is crystal clear.
It's in color.

And it shows this
just magical-looking,

100-foot-long
diamond-shaped craft

that is clear as a bell.

SPRAGUE: Not only that,
we also see Harrier jet

trailing the object.

As soon as this photo
was released to the public,

uh, people went crazy.

It was a big deal.

HOWE: It has been called the
greatest UFO photo ever.

And I agreed.
In fact, I've had a picture

of the Calvine photo on
my wall for the last year.

NARRATOR:
While the image is compelling,

of greater interest
to UFO researchers

was the sudden publication
of the photograph.

It was taken 32 years earlier,

in August 1990,

by two hikers outside
the small village of Calvine.

The identities of the two hikers
have never been revealed,

but according to the story,

they delivered the photos
to Scotland's biggest newspaper,

The Daily Record.

HOWE:
They had six photographs

and they go
to the local newspaper

to have them published.

And for reasons that are
still not clear to this day,

this Scotland newspaper,
instead of immediately

putting these six incredible
photos on the front page,

which is what I would have done
as a reporter,

somebody calls the ministry of
defense in London.

And they are ordered to send
the photos and the negatives

from the newspaper to somebody
in the government.

NARRATOR: The only people
to see the Calvine photos

were the hikers who took them,

a handful of people
at The Daily Record,

and a select group of employees
at the ministry of defense.

Among them was former
ministry of defense

UFO investigator Nick Pope,

who was present for classified
briefings regarding the images.

The photographs and
the negatives went to JARIC,

which is
Joint Air Reconnaissance

and Intelligence Center.

This is part of
the intelligence community

that specializes
in imagery analysis.

Their opinion was that
this was not a fake,

these were genuine pictures.

And they showed
a solid structured craft.

And also critically important,

parts of the countryside
were visible.

So, trees, fields, a fence.

What that meant was that
our ministry of defense experts

could start to make
some calculations

and estimate distance
from the lens,

height above ground,
diameter of craft.

One of the things we were most
interested in

is the apparent lack

of conventional aerospace,
parts and shapes.

No wings, no tail, no fuselage,

uh, no obvious engines.

NARRATOR: While the ministry of
defense claimed the Calvine photos

were returned
to Scotland's Daily Record,

the newspaper said
they never received them.

The images remained a mystery
for the next 30 years,

until former ministry of defense
press officer Craig Lindsay

revealed that he had kept
a copy of one of the photos

and shared it with Newsweek
for publication.

NARRATOR: While it is unknown exactly
what happened to the originals,

some believe
the ministry of defense

secretly took measures
to ensure that the photos

would never be seen
by the public.

POPE: My theory is that
the ministry of defense

bought the photos
and the negatives.

And the witnesses
effectively signed

a nondisclosure agreement.

NARRATOR: Were these photos
hidden by the government

for more than 30 years
because they know

that what was captured is
in fact an alien craft?

Could the Calvine photos provide
the strongest evidence yet

of an otherworldly presence
in Scotland?

According to
ancient astronaut theorists,

the mysteries found in Scotland

extend throughout the entire
region of the British Isles,

and their connection
to extraterrestrials

is well known

to the royal family.

NARRATOR:
Across the United Kingdom,

people gather
to pay their respects

to Queen Elizabeth's husband

Prince Philip,
the Duke of Edinburgh,

who passed away
at the age of 99.

In the months after his death,

reports surface
that Prince Philip

spent more than half of his life

investigating UFO reports.

Over the years,
he allegedly used his influence

to amass a trove
of classified reports

and statements
from the British military.

COLLINS: The late Prince Philip
had this incredible interest

in the subject of ufology
and would follow it avidly.

He would actually
even invite witnesses

to come to Buckingham Palace

to actually discuss
their encounters.

POPE: Using the intermediary
of a royal inquiry,

he actually investigated
a number of cases himself

and had witnesses brought in.

And interestingly,
he was the Duke of Edinburgh.

Edinburgh being
the capital of Scotland.

So, with Prince Philip's
interest in this in mind,

it does pose the intriguing
possibility

that the Royals are aware

not only of Scotland's
ancient mysteries,

but are the ultimate guardians
of the UFO secret.

NARRATOR: The British Isles
account for only 0.2%

of the Earth's surface above sea
level,

but despite their small size,

they are home to many of
the world's greatest mysteries,

like the towering monoliths
of Stonehenge,

the giant Newgrange mound
in Ireland,

the crop circle phenomenon

and Rudloe Manor,

an underground
military installation

where it has been rumored

that the British government
is hiding an alien craft.

Is it possible
that the British Isles

have been a prime destination
for extraterrestrial visitors

dating back thousands of years?

And if so, might the modern
UFO hotspot of Scotland

provide important clues
to understanding why?

McGOWAN: Scotland seems to
have the largest number

of recorded events,

whether it's recorded
in folklore

or recorded in modern times.

Scotland seems to have
more supernatural,

unexplained events
and circumstances

than maybe in any
other place in the world.

TSOUKALOS: To this day, Scotland
has incredible UFO sightings.

And we can see this
also in ancient times.

So I think that

that particular area
of the world

is crucial in figuring out
the larger picture

that our origins
is not down here on Earth,

but out there.

NARRATOR: Is Scotland, with its
long history of unusual phenomena,

a hub of otherworldly activity?

Could it be that
thousands of years ago,

extraterrestrials made
this area a connection point

using megalithic stone circles

to harness the energy
of the Earth?

And does the region's
unique geology

still attract
otherworldly visitors today?

Perhaps solving
the mysteries of Scotland

will provide the key
to reuniting

with our alien ancestors.

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