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From: mrgofor@mmm.UUCP (MKR)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: Electric Brae
Message-ID: <486@mmm.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 10-Feb-86 17:19:44 EST
Article-I.D.: mmm.486
Posted: Mon Feb 10 17:19:44 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Feb-86 06:36:00 EST
References: <736@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Reply-To: mrgofor@mmm.UUCP (MKR)
Distribution: net
Organization: none
Lines: 34
Summary: 

In article <736@brl-smoke.ARPA> stratton@brl-smoke.ARPA (Sue Stratton ) writes:
>
>A friend of mine was in Scotland visiting relatives in December, on
>an island called Ayr.  They took her around sightseeing, and one of
>the interesting places they visited was what the locals referred to
>as "the Electric Brae".  Here's what she writes:
>
>   "My cousins took me to see this neat thing called the 'Electric Brae'.
>    Have you ever heard of it?  A brae is a hill, and this one has a 
>    peculiar property: it defies gravity!  We got over the crest of the
>    hill, and cousin Tom put the car in neutral; now, it should have 
>    rolled down the hill, right?  But no--the car coasted to a stop and
>    then started backing up the hill!  And my cousin's wife said if you're
>    riding a bike down the hill, you have to pedal; if you're on horseback
>    or even on foot, you have to exert extra effort; and if you pour water 
>    on the road it runs up the hill! [Not all the way...but significantly!]
>    They said scientists from many places have come to study it, and no one
>    knows exactly how it works.  Anyway, I was duly impressed."
>
>
>I have been reading The Skeptical Inquirer for the past three years, and
>haven't seen anything on this yet---maybe I should go through the back 
>issues. :-)  Anyway, has anyone ever heard of this?  If so, what theories
>have been put forth to explain this thing?
>
>Sue Stratton
><stratton@amsaa.arpa>

It's an optical illusion. There is a similar place in Florida (I think).
You can also watch water and bowling balls run "uphill" in all sorts of
"magical spots", usually connected to tourist spots that attract gullible
people.

--MKR