The ‘Beast of Cumbria’ is a long-standing rural legend rooted in decades of reported sightings of large wild cats roaming the county’s fells, forests and farmland.
Witnesses have described creatures resembling black panthers, lynxes, pumas and even caracals often seen slinking through fields, darting across roads or leaping over dry stone walls.
Tim Horton, who has worked in wildlife videography and photography for the past six years, shared his experience as part of Forests, Fells and Fangs – Big Cats Of Britain – a film currently being produced by 18-year-old Kendal College student Harlem Karma.
The documentary, inspired by Harlem’s own sighting in Hawkshead in January 2024, explores decades of reported big cat encounters across Cumbria. Harlem has been interviewing witnesses, setting up trail cameras, and investigating unusual livestock deaths in the region.
READ MORE: New book uncovers the magical folklore of the Lake District and beyond
Tim explained that despite there being an estimated 10 million deer in the UK, most people rarely see them – so it’s not far-fetched to think a small population of big cats could go unnoticed for years.
He argued that just because people don’t often witness certain wildlife, it doesn’t mean it isn’t there, drawing comparisons between elusive deer and the potential presence of big cats in the countryside.
The videographer said he was returning from filming in the mountains near Keswick when he saw something strange near the village of Rydal.
Country road in Rydal, near where Tim reported seeing a large cat slinking along a fence line in a nearby sheep field (Image: Cryptids Britannia) He said: “I was coming back, having filmed in the mountains around the Keswick area, and I was passing through Rydal when I happened to look on my left-hand side along the fence line.
“And there were fields of sheep. And along this fence line, I could see something slinking past the posts.
READ MORE: Police hunt man, 46, wanted on recall to prison with links to Kendal and Liverpool
“Although I only saw it for ten seconds, admittedly, I’d seen loads of dog walkers throughout the day, and I knew as a wildlife videographer and photographer, I can tell the difference between a canid, a dog and a feline like a cat.
“This thing was moving very much like a cat. The shoulders were very narrow, they were arching a lot as it was moving and the tail was curved upwards.”
The wildlife videographer said he’d never had a sighting before but knew of many others in the wildlife field who had.
“I’ve met many other wildlife videographers and photographers who have been in the industry for far longer than me and many of them have had their own sightings of big cats in the UK,” he said.
READ MORE: Kendal man, 22, charged with driving offences as three bikes seized
A photo reportedly showing a caracal spotted in the south of the Lake District in 2020.Harlem’s documentary continues to gather new leads and he’s hoping more people like Tim will come forward with their stories to help build a clearer picture of what might be lurking in the fells and forests of Cumbria.
Subscribe for just £6 for 6 months in our Summer Flash Sale
The full film is set to be released in December. For now, the interview is available on the Cryptids Britannia YouTube channel.