A paranormal investigator claims the Stray is haunted by spirits of the dead.
CJ Myers from York was near the train line on Stray Rein at 4am earlier this week hunting for spirits when he said his psychic powers led to a phantastic discovery.
He said:
“I have psychic skills so spirits communicate with me. I usually get the answer I’m looking for”.
CJ claimed he saw a ghostly shadow move mysteriously over the turf.
The spirit stopped and communicated to him via his dowsing rods, two metal sticks that move when he asks the apparition questions.
CJ said the spirit had a tragic backstory, but he already knew something was not right as the spirit “smelled of blood”.
He added:
“When he was alive, he was walking across the Stray to commit suicide on the tracks. But as he was walking across, these lads attacked him and disabled him. They badly injured him.”
We feel we should point out there is no scientific evidence of the existence of ghosts.
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The Stray Ferret joined CJ to investigate the phantoms of the Stray on Wednesday afternoon.
Almost as soon as he got out his rods out, he picked up the spirit of a woman sitting on a bench. He ushered the woman to move into the light whilst his rods jumped back and forth.
But isn’t there a perfectly rational explanation for why his dowsing rods move so much on the Stray? There is a body of water underneath the grass after all.
No, says, CJ, as that doesn’t account for the fact he can see them too. Seeing is clearly believing.
He has his own ghostbusting crew, called North Yorkshire Paranormal Investigators. They’ve investigated ghosts at Harrogate Theatre, Spofforth Castle and the Nidd Gorge Viaduct.
They are recruiting for new members and full training is provided.
They even have a TikTok account where they hope to reach a new audience.
CJ says he communicates with spirits daily and claims to have cracked unsolved murders in the USA. He says sometimes the police listen to his tip-offs, sometimes they don’t.
He claims he’s been communicating with spirits for five years, although he said it’s sometimes a frightening experience.
“Once you’ve opened Pandora’s Box it happens every day. I’ve had experiences in our house. I had a picture of a cross on the wall, that flew forwards into the air. One day I found a spirit level laid on the top of the stairs.”
His message to the skeptics who say it’s all made up:
Do you believe in ghosts? There’s a job for you in Ripon…“They have a right to their opinion, but at the end of the day, they can’t do it.”
Do you believe in ghosts? Have a lively sense of humour? Can be a bit spooky? If the answer is yes to these questions then the Ripon Ghost Walking Team want to hear from you.
The group is looking for new volunteers to take the unafraid on evening tours of the city.
The tours cost £3 per person, are held on the last Thursday of the month and all proceeds are donated to Ripon Museums.
Having stopped due to covid, the tours are to resume this month but a few members have retired so the team is looking for new recruits.
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Richard Pratt from the Ripon Ghost Walk Team said:
“We’re looking for someone who is out-going, can talk to people and judge their audience well. The ability to be spooky would be a bonus and you need a good sense of humour.”
The tour starts in the Market Square and takes visitors to the cathedral grounds to hear the story of a keen fisherman who drowned and is seen wandering around the area he is buried. It also encompasses the Workhouse Museum, which Mr Pratt said “was one of the most haunted places in England” given its grim history.
The thoroughly spooked group ends back at Market Square in time to hear the Hornblower at 9pm.
The next tour starts on May 20 at 7.15pm. For more information on the Ripon Ghost Walks and how to apply to be a volunteer visit the Ripon Museums website.
The faint hearted need not apply.
Did you know?
The Stray Ferret and the Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) have worked with historian Malcolm Neesam to produce two fantastic audio tours of Harrogate. Both last about an hour and are easy to do. The first will take you back to the golden age of Harrogate’s Victorian Spa days, the second will take you through the heart of the shopping district, stopping to learn about historic buildings as you go. To take a look click here.