SHERLOCK HOLMES VS THE SPECKLED BAND AND THE GIANT RAT OF SUMATRA

My Sherlock Holmes toby jug confronts the Giant Rat of Sumatra! (© Dr Karl Shuker)

When I first opened my Eclectarium, I promised that it would include some Sherlockian exhibits, and I am nothing if not a man of my word.

So now, courtesy of my ShukerNature blog, I have great pleasure in presenting not one but two of the great fictional detective's most daunting foes of the zoological kind. Click here to face the creeping terror that is the dreaded Speckled Band; and click here to encounter the mysterious – and monstrous – Giant Rat of Sumatra.

Artistic representation of the Speckled Band's likely appearance (© Tim Morris)

MY TOP TEN MOST ECCENTRIC FESTIVALS IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND

The straw bear of Whittlesey, 2008 (Kev747/Wikipedia)

What do dwyle flunking, goat crowning, straw bears dancing, a village packed full of human-sized faceless scarecrows, and fireball flinging all have in common? They all feature in some of the most bizarre, eccentric festivals held annually in various parts of the British Isles. I recently penned an article that presented my personal top ten examples, which has just been published by Enterprise Magazine and can be accessed online here. So if you're looking for something out of the ordinary to visit and perhaps even participate in this year, be sure to check it out!