20 replies to this topic

[steef]

A few weeks ago I was out with the camera and heading to a beach at a place called Bedruthen Steps near Newquay. When I got there access to the beach (a rather steep and claustrophobic staircase cut through a cliff) was closed, being someone who doesn't like to pay much attention to things like that I climbed over and headed onto the beach. It was a nice day and the beach was the same as it always is, stunning and better for photo's due to being the only person on it. After about an hour the battery on the camera had ran out, annoyingly as I was having fun and thought it had been fully charged so I started to walk back to the steps up to the car. As I walked around a rock I suddenly came face to face with the sea, no dry land to see anywhere other than the patch I had just walked along. I don't mind admitting that panic set in, there is only one way off the beach and while I could see the water was not that deep, say a foot or so I had no idea whether the sand underneath would be stable or what. After a few seconds it dawned on me that staying still wasn't really an option and was only going to make the situation worse so I bit the bullet hoisted my camera equipment above my head and ran into what looked like the shallowest bit as fast as i could hoping that access to the steps would still be possible. After about 100 yards sand came back into view and I can honestly say I don't think I've ever been as happy to see anything in my life once I was back on solid ground I still carried on running until I got onto the steps.

All in all one of the least enjoyable situations I've ever been faced with and certainly a few lessons learned from it but thinking about it it is one of the few times in my adult life that I can remember being genuinely frightened and the thought that I could die definitely went through my mind. Thought it might make an interesting thread for people to share other stories along similar lines.

[JohnM]

Many many years ago in Lancaster Pot ( part of Easdale ) I froze when ascending a 70 ft pitch and had to be half hauled up/half pushed up. You know those sphincter jokes? Well, they are not jokes!

[Wolford6]

In the 1970's I worked in a Bradford building that is now the national Film museum. We had use of a relatively secluded carpark set on the site of a demolished row of houses. I once worked late and was returning to my car when another car pulled onto the carpark. It had four men in it wearing plastic facemasks like in the film "Point Break". I ran to my car and gunned it away as fast as I could.

On refection, I realised that they had no beef with me and were probably having a lark, but, at the time I was scared stiff.

I expect they still have a good laugh about it now.

[Severus]

Thankfully I've never had a moment when I thought my life was in danger. I was coming down from the top of Uluru (Ayers Rock - I know its a bit naughty but a chance of a lifetime) and despite having never had a fear of heights before or since I just froze. I ended up descending the whole way on my backside whereas the missus looked like she was just out for a stroll.

[my missus]

i was once painting the inside of a hallway window frame,when i decided i needed a pee i turned and got halfway up the stairs that where directly behind me when a huge jcb put his bucket through the frame.
5 seconds earlier and i would have been dead.

[Bedford Roughyed]

I know the beach, plenty of little outcrops to get stuck behind.

There are plent of warning signs mind you...

[Wiltshire Rhino]

In my early teens I was cycling down a steep hill, probably breaking the 30mph speed limit. A car pulled out of a side road in plenty of time. No problem! Then I saw it was towing another car and I had no time to stop. The car towing tried to accelerate away while the car being towed slammed on his brakes. I must have been about 3ft away when the rope snapped with a very loud bang!

Still can't believe how close I was to coming a cropper.

[John Rhino]

Many many years ago in Lancaster Pot ( part of Easdale ) I froze when ascending a 70 ft pitch and had to be half hauled up/half pushed up. You know those sphincter jokes? Well, they are not jokes!

That's horribly familiar. The same happened to me in Ireby Fell Cavern, the first big system our club attempted.

I was only terrified once in many years of caving in Ingleborough Cave. We discussed the weather with the (long serving) guardian of the show cave at the start who assured us the light rain forecast posed no danger to the system further in.

Returning several hours later through a very low section called the Wallows it was obvious the water had risen and was still rising. It's not possible to go back and we were all spread out looking for the biggest air pocket below the roof and hoping there was another further along.

We survived, emerged in torrential rain and the guy on the entrance just thought it was funny.

[Saint Billinge]

As a young lad aged nine, I used to accompany by brother in his wagon. He once had the job of taking waste hot shale from a colliery in Leigh to some waste land. As it happened one dark winter's night, the wagon got stuck in some mud. As much as I protested at having to go back to the colliery for assistance, I ended up walking some 300 yards back to the road. Just as I was about to cross the bridge over the canal, someone hiding beneath it came at me. Without hesitation, I ran for all my worth back to the colliery and safety. I was in tears full for fear. I dread to think of might of been!

[Griff9of13]

Where to begin!


Was it cowering in a ditch as a lad while a combine harvester’s blade passed over our heads!

Or was it walking along the beach at the back of Altcar Rifle Range (when I was a kid again) during live firing only to have a ricochet bullet land in a puddle with a hiss of steam at my feet. I really didn’t know how fast I could run until that day!


Or was it when walking home from a late shift working in a pub when someone pulled a carving knife on me in an alleyway. I knew the bloke, and he really was just showing off and trying to scare me. I wrestled it out of his hand in the end and told him where to go. When he had gone my legs turned to complete jelly and it was a real struggle to make it home.

[Bedford Roughyed]

<sub>It was probably that time just outside of Basra.... The locals took an objection to our presence.

Could of gone badly wrong to say the least.</sub>

Edited by Bedford Roughyed, 06 February 2013 - 12:14 PM.

[gingerjon]

<sub>It was probably that time just outside of Basra.... The locals took an objection to our presence.

Could of gone badly wrong to say the least.</sub>

Rochdale fans were they?

[Futtocks]

The second time I abseiled*, I froze, and couldn't do it. The first time, I was fine. Odd.

*on the cliffs above Ilkley.

[Marauder]

1st time after leaving school; I was laid in the gutter of Lagan Street (Markets area) Belfast in driving rain with small arms fire flying all around, I remember looking at the grate about two metres in front of me and thinking If I got hit my blood would go down into the sewer.

[Bedford Roughyed]

Rochdale fans were they?

Weren't that uneducated or ugly...

[Severus]

Sorts of put things into perspective when some of us had a scary moment due to heights and others because there was a possibility of getting shot.

[Bleep1673]

The last time I felt in serious doubt for my life was when I was going out with a Jamaican girl, from college in 1979, and she invited me to meet her Mum & Dad at the Afro-Caribbean club in Moss Side. I didn't know I was the first White guy to be allowed in for 12 years.
When her 6'7" brother opened his full length, leather coat open & showed me his machete hanging inside, & he told me not to mess around with his Sister, I think at 17 I was allowed to wet myself. I Didn't.
He then started laughing & bought me a beer. 5 years later he gets Life inside.

I'm a big guy who knows how to handle & diffuse & avoid scary situations, I don't go looking for trouble. I am now 50, and that's been my worst civilian (non-rugby) situation that I've ever been in, the worst rugby situation involved an Oldham team in the National Cup, where they were a team, of mostly, Pub & Club bouncers who thought it was hilarious to punch our 17 year old scrum half in the head at every opportunity, until we had to take him off to Hope Hospital where he was kept in overnight.

Paul Shovelton. How is he now?

[Steve May]

At the age of 17 my parents, incredibly, allowed me to go to Tanzania on a school trip using the money that they'd set aside for driving lessons.

On that trip I was walking through the bush with a friend and we came face to face with a lion. An actual lion.

So we did *exactly* what you're not supposed to do and ran, harder than I've ever run before or since. Thankfully, the lion didn't follow.

However, as a result of running off the track we were on, we got lost. After recovering from the encounter with the lion, we now faced the African bush with only two litres of water between us.

Thankfully, my companion was a smoker and had a lighter with him. As the night drew in we set up a fire, a very big fire, and sat out the night. We could hear the lions circling us on the edge of the fire light.

We were rescued the next day by a Masai who was part of a search party that had tracked us. We had apparently walked for five or six miles in circles through the featureless landscape before stopping and were only about a mile away from our camp.

Comfortably the most frightening thing I've ever experienced. Although, after the initial flight from the lion, we were both very calm and matter of fact about what we needed to do.

To this day, people don't believe this story. But it is absolutely true.

Incidentally, I've come a lot closer to death than this. A lot closer, but that's another story...

[fieldofclothofgold]

1967 I and a few mates went down to Villa park to watch the fa cup semi final,the crowd was about 65000 and it took ages to get away.Someone asked the driver to stop at a pub for a break and time was getting on for closing time.We stopped on the outskirts of Nottingham and it was about 10.15 ,being an exhuberant young man at the time I was first of the coach and ran straight out round the front of the coach and a car sped past and missed me by inches.When I got home I woke my mam up and told her her she burst into tears.It Was the nearest ive come to death and ive never forgot it

[Steve May]

Having had the occasion to be scared for my daughter's life, I'd pick being scared of losing my own life every single time.