In the strange world of the unexplained, Scotland is perhaps best known for the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. But more than 30 years ago, the highlands of Scotland was also the scene of an extraordinary close encounter.

On the morning of Nov. 9, 1979, forester Robert Taylor parked his pickup truck on the side of the road near Livingston, Scotland. He worked for the Livingston Development Corp. and was there to check out some saplings in the nearby forest. Taylor could not reach the forest by truck so he and his dog walked along one of the footpaths that wound its way up the side of nearby Dechmont Law Hill, according to a Web site.

Upon entering a clearing, Taylor was startled to see what he later described as a large, circular object, shaped like a sphere and approximately 20 feet in diameter. It was hovering above the forest floor. The weird object had a narrow rim running along its circumference. A series of stems topped with propellers were sticking out of the object along its rim. The UFO's surface seemed to be constructed from a dark metallic material which appeared to be transparent in certain places.

In his report, Taylor said the object's surface had a rough texture like sandpaper. He believed that because it had transparent areas on its surface; the object was attempting to camouflage itself and blend in with its surroundings.

Taylor tried to approach the hovering object. As he did, two smaller spheres about 3 feet in diameter dropped from underneath the larger sphere and began to roll toward him. They appeared to have the same surface as the larger object. Taylor would later describe the smaller spheres as having appendages or antennas, similar to sea mines, according to a Web site.

As the smaller UFOs moved toward him, Taylor heard them make "plopping" noises when their appendages made contact with the ground. The small spheres moved around Taylor and by using their appendages, attached themselves to each side of his pants, just underneath the pockets.

At that moment, Taylor heard a hissing noise coming from the small objects and he started to choke from the strong acrid smell they were giving off. He said it smelled like burning brakes and it made him cough. By that time, Taylor realized he was being dragged along the ground toward the larger UFO. He fell forward onto his face and lost consciousness.

Some time later, Taylor awoke in the forest clearing. The large UFO and the two smaller ones were gone. He realized he could not speak or even stand up. He then crawled back along the forest ground and managed to stagger the rest of the way until he got to his parked truck. He tried to call for help on his truck's two-way radio but he still could not speak. He was starting to get back his ability to stand and walk. Taylor next attempted to drive home in his truck, but it accidentally went off the road because he was in no shape to drive. He then walked the rest of the way home. Later, Taylor was checked out by a doctor and the police recorded the matter as a common assault. By that time, he was able to talk again. One investigator suggested that Taylor actually saw a mirage of Venus and this caused him to have an epileptic fit, hallucinate the whole thing and black out. But Taylor maintained he never had epilepsy either before or after the encounter.

Robert Taylor had a good reputation of always being honest and reliable. He never even tried to profit financially from the weird encounter. He maintained his story up until the day he died in 2007 at the age of 89. He still defended what he had seen on Dechmont Law Hill in Scotland on Nov. 9, 1979.

To this day, a small statue marks the spot in the clearing where Taylor stated he saw the weird object. It has become a popular destination for tourists and UFO enthusiasts.