Bodmin Moor at night - anyone actually been to the Beast sightings location?

I've been reading about the Beast of Bodmin Moor for years, and I reckon most of what's written is just folklore and misidentification. But I've never actually been to Bodmin to investigate properly. Has anyone on here done a proper night investigation out there? Not the tourist bits - the actual moorland where the sightings were concentrated.

I'm thinking of doing a trip in late autumn when the weather's properly grim and there's fewer day-trippers about. Got my torch, my phone for recording, and I'm planning to do it with a mate who's got more patience than me. But I want to know what I'm actually walking into. Is it worth the effort or is it just a wild goose chase?

Also: is it accessible? I know it's moorland but I don't want to get lost or arrested for trespassing.

Been there three times over the years. I'll be honest - you'll have a nice walk and possibly see some interesting wildlife, but the "Beast" sightings are almost certainly just big cats (possibly escaped exotics from the 1970s) being misidentified and blown out of proportion by the media and believers. The stories got bigger with each retelling, which is how folklore works.

The best time to go is genuinely at dusk, not full night. Your torch will ruin any night vision and the animals (whatever they are) will absolutely know you're coming. Bring good waterproofs - Bodmin gets absolutely soaked and it's bleaker than you'd think. Bit of an anticlimax if you're expecting supernatural encounters though.

I'm thinking of doing a trip in late autumn when the weather's properly grim and there's fewer day-trippers about.

That's exactly when I went, mate. November, cold, wet, miserable. Perfect conditions to spook yourself absolutely senseless. I swear I heard something large moving through the scrub maybe a quarter mile away. Could've been a deer. Probably was a deer. But in the dark on Bodmin Moor, your imagination does all the work for you.

The whole "Beast" thing is just cryptozoology nonsense. There's no credible evidence a large unknown predator is living on Bodmin. You'll be disappointed. Go bird watching instead.

I've done two investigations there and honestly the weirdest part is how the moor genuinely disorients you. Your sense of direction goes funny. Time feels weird. I'm not saying it's haunted or there's monsters, but there's something about that landscape that puts you on edge. Might be worth the trip just for that experience.