Books Steve Higgins Returns To His UFO Roots With 'My UFO Youth' Higgypop’s Steve Higgins talks about his new book 'My UFO Youth' in this interview, reflecting on UFOs, skywatching and hunting down crop circles in Wiltshire. By Matt Scofield November 16, 2025 After years of exploring ghosts, gadgets and the psychology of belief, Higgypop founder Steve Higgins has turned his attention skyward with his new book. ' My UFO Youth: A Road Trip Through Britain's UFO History ' is available now and sees Steve revisiting the UFO hotspots that first sparked his teenage fascination with the subject. Steve said the idea came as public interest in UFOs — or as they're now often called, UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) — began to grow again. "It's become almost inescapable," he explained. "Even back in the 90s UFOs were a fringe topic, but now UAPs are appearing on the home pages of mainstream news sites like the BBC and the New York Times. The fact they're being talked about in Congress gives the subject a real feeling of credibility that it didn't have before." The renewed interest reminded him of the late nights he once spent skywatching. "Few things beat sitting under a clear sky on a summer's evening staring at the stars," he said. "So I couldn't resist getting back out there." Although the book presents itself as a road trip through Britain's UFO history, Steve explained that it wasn't a single continuous journey but something that unfolded over time. "It was written over about 15 months," he said. "It wasn't a road trip in the sense of setting off and travelling to all these places over a few days. But it was a journey I embarked on over a couple of summers, and a lot of what I did mirrored what I was up to in my teens." Those experiences included sitting beneath the stars in his campervan, flying a drone over crop circles, and going skywatching with long-time UFO enthusiasts. "They're all things teenage me would have been jealous of," he said. Asked where he felt that reconnection most strongly, Steve said it was while exploring Wiltshire. "Being back in that area around Marlborough, Alton Barnes, Horton, and the Vale of Pewsey was where I felt most connected to my past, especially around the Barge Inn and while hunting down crop circles." Although he revisits several well-known UFO hotspots in the book, from Warminster and Knap Hill to Rendlesham Forest, Steve said his biggest surprise came in the Welsh village of Broad Haven. "The town has such a famous UFO story associated with it — multiple witnesses, daylight sighting, decades of debate — yet when I visited I didn't find a single tribute to the event," he said. The Broad Haven incident dates back to 1977, when local schoolchildren and teachers claimed to have seen a silver, cigar-shaped craft and a humanoid figure near the playground. It became one of Britain's best-known UFO cases, but as Steve discovered, its legacy has faded locally. Asked whether he spoke to any locals about it, Steve said he hadn't — but not for lack of interest. "I didn't get the chance," he explained. "It really was such a miserable, wet day. There were severe weather warnings in place, so the coast wasn't the place to be, and the town was almost deserted. With it being the end of the summer season and a Sunday too, a lot of businesses were closed." Advertisement ‐ Content Continues Below. The book also introduces readers to a cast of real people Steve met during his travels. "Oh, Simon, without a doubt," he said, when asked who made the biggest impression. "I just can't believe that anyone could have the nerve to come up to a group of strangers and spout off all the contentious politics and outlandish beliefs that he did. We were stood around on a hill in Wiltshire in the dark, so he couldn't even see our faces, yet he seemed to think we were on the same wavelength." He added, "We were all too polite to argue. I think we were all just willing him to go. I know this because when he left, he said, 'You sound like a really nice bunch of people.' No one returned the compliment." Known for his respectful but questioning approach to the paranormal , Steve explained how he handles conversations with true believers. "When I write about ghosts, I always say that any experience is a valid one," he said. "Whether it's caused by something explainable or something supernatural, it's real to the person who experienced it. Nothing I say will change that, so it's better to accept it than challenge it." That same philosophy extends to UFOs and crop circles. "I don't think for a minute that aliens are visiting Earth, but there have been so many reports of odd things in the sky for so long that governments have had to take notice," he said. "Even if it's not little green men, people are definitely seeing something." Crop circles, he added, remain a mostly manmade mystery. "The elaborate designs we see today are all human creations," he said. "But if you go back centuries, there might have been a few genuine circles caused by weather or some other natural phenomenon — just simple flattened patches of crop, not the intricate patterns we get now." Steve also touches on how UFO research has changed. "In the 90s, we'd go to talks in village halls and community centres," he said. "Now people can just click on a video or podcast from home. Shows like the Joe Rogan Experience get millions of views, so the subject's more accessible than ever." But while that shift has brought new audiences, Steve thinks something has been lost. "It's a shame people aren't getting out there and experiencing things for themselves anymore," he said. "Online, people can still find each other and form communities, but the internet can be an echo chamber. Sometimes it's more about how loudly you say it than what you actually say." Unlike many UFO books, 'My UFO Youth' embraces humour. "It was deliberate to do something different," Steve said. "There are already enough books about government cover-ups and serious case studies. I wanted this to be about people, because when you get out there, you meet some interesting characters with some humorous traits. By being honest about my experiences and the people I met, it naturally takes on a lighter tone." Asked whether the journey changed his view of the teenage believer he once was, Steve said it reminded him of that youthful enthusiasm. "It made me think about that sense of wonder and excitement I got from chasing UFOs as a teen," he said. "But I'm reluctant to say I miss that part of me, because I like the balanced, rational person I've become. In some ways, going out there skywatching as an adult is almost like a form of role play." He went on to explain that he isn't out there hoping to make first contact with an alien race, but to understand why others believe they might. "I'm not doing it because I expect to see a flying saucer. I'm doing it to experience what believers experience, to understand why they believe what they do," he said. Steve added, "In some ways, going out there skywatching as an adult is almost like a form of role play. When you treat it like role play, you put yourself in the right mindset to have the same experiences that make believers believe." So, will there be a sequel? "I think that was my UFO adventure," Steve said. "It's done for me now — unless I get abducted by aliens and end up writing some kind of travelogue about my time aboard a flying saucer." 'My UFO Youth: A Road Trip Through Britain's UFO History' is available now for Kindle , and in paperback and hardback editions from Amazon . About the Author Matt Scofield Paranormal Writer & Urban Explorer Often found at ghost hunting events or writing about hauntings for heritage trusts, Matt explores the strange through urban exploration and weird news. Source: https://www.higgypop.com/news/steve-higgins-returns-to-his-ufo-roots-with-my-ufo-youth/