West Country dad stunned after mistaking forest trend for grim 'double murder'
A West Country dad and his young daughter were left in shock after stumbling upon what they initially believed to be two murder victims while out walking in Dartmoor. Ian Lott, from Plymouth, was enjoying a family walk with his partner and daughter at Bellever Forest around 4pm on Sunday when he spotted two backpacks lying a short distance from the footpath.
He recalled: "First we noticed two rucksacks in the forest covering, then noticed two people laying facedown. Honestly, my first first thought was they were dead or unconscious."
"So I approached very carefully so as not to disturb any area around them in case the police needed to do a forensic search of the area and I called out to them and I didn't get any response. I got close up, about 15 ft from them and they popped their heads up, looking all bewildered and said they was feeling the moss and the forest floor.", reports Plymouth Live.
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"I was just so relieved they weren't injured or dead. We carried on up the the path and told other walkers heading the other way about them and not to be worried. "I looked it up afterwards and apparently moss hugging and forest bathing is a thing. They lay down - face down - and send themselves into a trance. That's why they didn't respond to me straight away."
"And there was me thinking I'd stumbled onto the scene of a double-murder! ".
Forestry England provides an explanation of the concept of "forest bathing" on their website. They explain: "This Japanese practice is a process of relaxation; known in Japan as shinrin yoku. The simple method of being calm and quiet amongst the trees, observing nature around you whilst breathing deeply can help both adults and children de-stress and boost health and wellbeing in a natural way."