Mystery of heavy diggers spotted at work on Harrogate's precious Stray

The part of the town’s cherished public parkland near the Oatlands Drive area is used to hosting outdoors events in the summer.

But, protected by law, by Parliament and, a little more locally, by the Stray Defence Association, it doesn’t often see giant diggers at work amid mounds of earth.

The sight is not quite as unusual at that part of the 200 acres of green located at West Park.

Back in 2019, that particular stretch of the Stay was described by Judy d'Arcy Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association, as looking like "like a battlefield" after it hosted the fan park amid a biblically wet weather system during The UCI Road World Championships.

Fortunately, after substantial replanting, the Stray at West Park was once again covered in grass a year later, rather than dirt and mud.

But that was then.

Today, as captured by the Harrogate Advertiser’s Gerard Binks, something clearly is going on right now on the Stray not far from York Place.

Whether it is a sign that repairs are being made to the beautiful parkland or for some other reason, remains a mystery at the moment.