In reply to Post #91
I got permssion to fish an old French estate lake a few years ago when i worked in France, had a look round during the day, had an old estate house which had fallen into bad repair and nature had started to take hold of it again, looked like it hadnt been lived in for years, walking round it you could see it had taken quite a hammering during the war as all round the granite windows were bullet hole splats. The grounds were also in a right old state, but evidence that it once was a splendid French Chateau. It had a cracking lake and it didnt take long to convince me to fish the place when i saw dark shadows just below the surface, no swims however so i spent a bit of the afternoon clearing an area for later on that evening, funny thing was i had the feeling that i was being watched, but thought nothing of it as i was busy preparing the area, i did take a look and listen in the surrounding wood but saw and heard nothing.

Came back around dusk and set up in the swim i had prepared, got the rods out and a brew on the go, settled back to soak in the atmosphere with a nice bottle of wine and some local cheese. I must have dropped off because i awoke quite suddenly with a strange feeling which seemed to envelpoe the whole bivvy, hairs sticking up on the back of my neck and a coldness you would only get during those winter nights. outside the bivvy was pitch black and deathly silent, no wind no night noise nothing, i stepped outside and had a look around and again felt that i was being watched the same as the afternnon before, mind playing tricks i thought and crept back inside the shelter and thought i would geta brew on the go, out comes the lighter and it wouldnt light just sparks flying from the flint, thats when i saw the face, as i sparked the lighter that initial glow of instant light illuminated a grotesque face which was unmistakenly that of a german soldier as it had the helmet on and what appeared to be a long collared coat, it was peering straight into the door of the bivy, man i thought my heart was going to pop. i launched myself out of that bivvy and legged it back to the lane i had parked the car and off i went no stopping. Returned the next day when the sun was high and as i approached the bivvy i could see that it had been trashed, rods all over the place, stuff rooted about. As i packed up i told myself it must have been an animal Boar or something but as i walked away with my stuff i could feel those eyes watching me from somwhere. Never went back and i later found out the old Chateau had housed a crack german unit which had died to the last man during the invasion of france there bodies burried in the woods surrounding the lake. Never would go back there no way.