A VISITOR to Bude from the London area has contacted the Post after coming across some large and mysterious paw prints in woods near Widemouth Bay and, nearby, the dismembered limb from a sheep.

Tom ‘Jack’ Pursey, 41, said that he made the creepy discovery a few weeks ago when he was exploring the woodland paths near the Widemouth Bay Caravan Park and was on a steep path in the valley where the Poundstock Holy Well of St Neot is located. The stone well house and enclosure was built in 1914 and today is a picturesque spot for walkers to visit — even if there are doubts now about whether it was ever really a historic holy-well and whether it ought really to be dedicated to St Winwalloe, as the neighbouring church is now.

There is a stream in the valley path which was muddy at the time Jack was there as there had recently been some heavy rain. As he was negotiating the slippery path he was stunned when he came across the very large paw prints left in the mud. He wondered whatever kind of animal could have made them — and took some photographs comparing the size of the paw prints with the size of his own hand and foot.

Then, some yards further on, he was shocked and rather chilled to come across the dismembered leg of a sheep, part of it bare bone and the rest up from the foot still partially covered with fleece. He couldn’t help wondering if whatever animal left the paw prints could also have been responsible for leaving the remains of the sheep.

Before his visit to Devon and Cornwall Jack had read about alleged sightings at various locations in the Westcountry of big cats such as the famous ‘Beast of Bodmin’. Now that he has had the photographs he took of the paw prints developed and printed he can’t help wondering if it is evidence of the presence of such a creature in the North Cornwall countryside.

Another possibility that occurred to him is that the prints could be from a very large dog — but if so could it have been let off the lead and also have been responsible for leaving the macabre remains of the sheep?

Are any Post readers able to identify what type of animal left the paw prints that Jack came across and photographed?