By Jackie Grant
Mini break pair out walking their dog in woods near Carronbridge were "stunned" to come face to face with unidentified creature
A couple walking in woods near Carronbridge say they came face to face with a mysterious big cat.
Craig Johnstone, 27, and his girlfriend Gillian Kennedy, 26, were staying at Trigony House Hotel near Thornhill last weekend.
They took their dog for a walk on Sunday morning when they came across a “large, black cat” lying down staring at them.
Stunned Craig said: “It was around 50 metres away from us and its head measured approximately one and a half feet from the ground.
“It just stared at us for 30 seconds.
“Gillian panicked and moved away. I went with her but went back after a few seconds to see if I could get a better picture but it was away.”
Craig described the strange creature as being “very stalky, jet black with small rounded ears”.
“It was strange because I’ve always been fascinated with big cats.
“I’ve read in the papers about people spotting them and it interests me but I never thought I’d see one with my own eyes.
“The night before in the hotel, I said to Gillian that the area is well-known for big cat sightings.”
The Paisley couple had just started out on their morning walk when they came across the cat.
And although it was their first time staying in the area, Craig is already looking forward to coming back.
“I can’t say the same about Gillian. She panicked and just wanted to get away but we decided to keep going with our walk.
“I did pick up the biggest boulder I could find and took it with us though – just in case.”
Craig and Gillian aren’t the only people to have spotted big cats in the region.
Last July, 22-year-old Samantha Garden was on her way to work in Lockerbie when she noticed a strange looking creature standing in the middle of the road near Hoddom Bridge.
In January, 2012 Aaron Halliday and Nathan Crosbie spotted a big cat similar to a panther in a field near Dalbeattie.
And in 2011, three mysterious cat sightings were reported in the space of a month.
Dan Alexander, of Dumfries, claimed to have seen a creature on the A75 near Newton Stewart.
Before that, Dumbarton lorry driver John Spence said he saw two big cats dart in front of his vehicle on the same road near Creetown.
And on the same day, Janet Davies spotted an animal near the quarry at Tynron which she called a panther.
According to police, big cat sightings are not uncommon in the area but no creature has ever been traced to verify the claims.
source
Craig Johnstone, 27, and his girlfriend Gillian Kennedy, 26, were staying at Trigony House Hotel near Thornhill last weekend.
They took their dog for a walk on Sunday morning when they came across a “large, black cat” lying down staring at them.
Stunned Craig said: “It was around 50 metres away from us and its head measured approximately one and a half feet from the ground.
“It just stared at us for 30 seconds.
“Gillian panicked and moved away. I went with her but went back after a few seconds to see if I could get a better picture but it was away.”
Craig described the strange creature as being “very stalky, jet black with small rounded ears”.
“It was strange because I’ve always been fascinated with big cats.
“I’ve read in the papers about people spotting them and it interests me but I never thought I’d see one with my own eyes.
“The night before in the hotel, I said to Gillian that the area is well-known for big cat sightings.”
The Paisley couple had just started out on their morning walk when they came across the cat.
And although it was their first time staying in the area, Craig is already looking forward to coming back.
“I can’t say the same about Gillian. She panicked and just wanted to get away but we decided to keep going with our walk.
“I did pick up the biggest boulder I could find and took it with us though – just in case.”
Craig and Gillian aren’t the only people to have spotted big cats in the region.
Last July, 22-year-old Samantha Garden was on her way to work in Lockerbie when she noticed a strange looking creature standing in the middle of the road near Hoddom Bridge.
In January, 2012 Aaron Halliday and Nathan Crosbie spotted a big cat similar to a panther in a field near Dalbeattie.
And in 2011, three mysterious cat sightings were reported in the space of a month.
Dan Alexander, of Dumfries, claimed to have seen a creature on the A75 near Newton Stewart.
Before that, Dumbarton lorry driver John Spence said he saw two big cats dart in front of his vehicle on the same road near Creetown.
And on the same day, Janet Davies spotted an animal near the quarry at Tynron which she called a panther.
According to police, big cat sightings are not uncommon in the area but no creature has ever been traced to verify the claims.
source
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