Father and son spot lynx while driving back to campsite in the Forest of Dean

Gareth Wright, 55, from Yeovil, makes a camping trip with his son to Coleford in the Forest of Dean every year. They enjoy exploring the local wildlife

A father and son were left stunned after they spotted a large cat leaping across the road in front of their car while driving back to their campsite.

The pair were convinced the animal was a lynx and described seeing 'tufts on its ears' and noting that it was 'very muscular'.

Every year, Gareth Wright, 55, from Yeovil, makes a camping trip with his son to Coleford in the Forest of Dean. They enjoy exploring the local wildlife, with a particular interest in spotting birds of prey and the wild boar known to inhabit the area.

During their trip last summer, Gareth and his son had a delightful time observing a variety of wildlife, particularly deer. On one of their walks, they encountered wild boar and even some wild boar piglets, affectionately referred to as 'humbugs'.

Their unexpected sighting occurred while they were driving past a recycling centre in the village on their way back to the campsite. It was an encounter they hadn't anticipated during their wildlife-focused holiday, GloucestershireLive reports.

Gareth shared: "I love to travel across the UK and see the wildlife in its natural habitat, and even visit Scotland to watch the eagles and red squirrels. Over the years I have been able to look pass the hedgerow and further into the woods to be able to see wildlife where as some people do not look much further than what is in front of them, it really is a favourite pastime for my son and I to do together.

"We were on a camping holiday in Coleford for a week in August last year. It is the perfect location to watch deer and see the wild boar and the humbugs. One of the days we were there, we had been out for a good couple of hours and had seen deer and the wild boar and little humbugs, and it got to about 9pm and we decided to head back to the camp site."

Gareth described a surprising sighting near the local recycling centre: "We were driving passed the fenced area by the recycling centre in Coleford and we seen a lynx jump into the road. In one bound it jumped across the road."

Convinced of what he saw, the camper elaborated on the details that led him to identify the animal: "There is no question about it, the animal was clearly a lynx. You could tell by the tufts on its ears, the green eye shine and it was dark tan and tall as a Labrador."

He further detailed the physical attributes of the creature: "The definition of the muscles on the animal as well. It had muscular legs and had no problem leaping eight or ten feet across the road."

With certainty, he stated: "It was a lynx, you could see plain as day."

Gareth, who has previously spotted big cats in the wild, understands the scepticism but stands by his claim. He explained: "In 1996 I was on my way, with my wife, to see friends in Colchester and seen a puma on a road near Colchester Zoo. I think the big cats which are living in the British countryside hear the big cats which are n the zoo and are attracted to the sounds and the noises of the other big cats."

"Another time when I was working as a delivery driver, and I was taking groceries to a house in the middle of nowhere and I seen a puma in the middle of a field. There are more big cats living in the wild in the countryside in England than people realise."

"I am not too sure about leopards or jaguars being out there, however there are plenty of lynx and it is very interesting in how they came to be there. If you're someone who disbelieves big cats are out there, it is unfortunate, however one day you may be able to see one for yourself."

Gareth reached out to lifelong wildlife enthusiast Frank Tunbridge, 76, from Podsmead who shared: "Early last week I was contacted by a man who had a close-up encounter with a lynx near Coleford, in the Forest of Dean. Whilst in the car early evening with his son, they had seen at intervals deer, and wild boar piglets cross the road ahead of them. however all of a sudden a lynx leapt into the road in front of them."

"According to the witness, the animal was unmistakably a lynx. It had long legs, short black tipped tail, fawn and mottled in colouration, and those long tufted ears."

"The man who related this to me said that he spoke to some locals about it, and they said that they knew of their existence, and that the lynx preyed on the 'humbugs', as the piglets are known as ."

"This makes perfect sense as all carnivores are opportunistic, and often waste a lot of time and precious energy pursuing fast adult prey, which often escape most of the time. The young of any prey species offer an easy meal, especially when in groups, or sounders such as wild boar makeup."

"