If you go down to the woods today, you’re in for a big surprise!
Langass Woodland on North Uist may not be home to a teddy bear’s picnic, but it is home to a statue of a very real bear named Hercules who once wandered the woods.
Hercules was born in the Highland Wildlife Park, Kingussie, and adopted by Scottish Commonwealth Games wrestling champion Andy Robin.
“He was like a dog, like a pet,” says TV presenter Jennifer Reoch, who has filmed an upcoming STV documentary on Hercules. “Andy got him when he was a cub and they just bonded. Honestly, it was the most incredible thing.”
After the bear appeared in Robin’s act on the UK wrestling circuit for a number of years, he was approached by Kleenex who wanted to use Hercules in an advert.
Robin agreed, and it was while filming the advert on Benbecula, which lies between North and South Uist, that Hercules escaped and the ensuing search led to the bear becoming famous around the world.
Sightings of the huge animal swimming in the sea or lumbering through the island’s machair were numerous but Hercules eluded trappers for 24 days.
“When he escaped in Benbecula he didn’t hunt anything,” says Reoch.
“In fact, because he was so used to being fed, it wasn’t like he was going to attack anyone. He was just kind of lost.”
Eventually, Hercules was found by a crofter on North Uist and returned home – while his story reverberated through the world’s media.
He would go on to be a star in films including James Bond film Octopussy and become so celebrated in the Outer Hebrides that a statue of him stands in Langass Woodland as a reminder of this incredible story.
Langass, in the south of the island, is a spectacular woodland perfect for walking and reconnecting with nature. A paw print trail lets wee ones follow the adventures of Hercules before walkers come across the bear’s statue and learn all about his story.
When: Open all year round
How Much: Free
Where: Langass Woodland, North Uist, HS6 5HA
Don’t miss: The nearby Barpa Langass, a 5,000-year-old chambered cairn, for a look at the island’s past.
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