Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair wearing outdoor clothes. She is standing amongst some grass, and there is a big abandoned machine like a crane in the distance behind her.

Meeting Oddball At St. Aidan’s

21st October 2025 - New Experience Number 17.

Jump to 'Try it yourself'

Meeting Oddball had never been on my list of new things to try – mainly because I’d never even heard of it!

In fact, I suspect most people reading this will be wondering what on earth Oddball is.

Well, it’s certainly not everyone’s idea of a fun day out. But when you combine unusual industrial history with a nature reserve, you get something wonderfully unexpected—and a perfect addition to my “52 New Things in 2025.”

A Surprise Day Out Meeting Oddball At St. Aidan’s

The Other Half took me out for a mystery trip. I had no idea where we were going, but he said I’d never been there before, and that I could count it as a new thing. Brilliant!

Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair. She is dressed for the outdoors, and is standing with her arms aloft next to a fence. On the other side of the mesh fence is a giant abandoned excavator
Meeting the machine known as Oddball!

With instructions to wear warm outdoor clothing, we drove just under an hour away from York to St Aidan’s RSPB Nature reserve.

But it turned out we weren’t just there for the birds.

Next to the car park, fenced off like a sleeping giant, stood a ginormous piece of abandoned machinery. This was Oddball – the real reason we had come.

Meeting Oddball - All Because Of An Affectionate Nickname

The Other Half has called me ‘Oddball’ as a term of affection for years. I’m aware that I’m a bit quirky and I find it quite an endearing name.

He’d been watching an episode of Abandoned Engineering and discovered there was another Oddball not too far from where we live. Naturally, he decided it was only right to take me to meet my namesake. He’s a keeper isn’t he?!

Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair. She is dressed for the outdoors, and standing next to a sign on a fence, pointing at the word 'Oddball'
When Oddball met Oddball!

History of St Aidan’s - The Home Of Oddball

St Aidan’s today is a peaceful nature reserve: water, reeds, big skies and multiple shades of green. It’s an expansive habitat for a whole host of wildlife, and wildlife enthusiasts.

It’s hard to imagine the dust, noise, and constant grind that filled the place for decades.

From the 1940s until 2002, the land was used for opencast coal mining—a daily slog of heavy labour that shaped both the landscape and local industry.

Looking across a lake at a green hillside on which there is a large abandoned machine that looks a bit like a crane and a digger. It's daytime and the sky is moody. This is Oddball at St Aidan's
Oddball - a reminder of the history of the nature reserve

So What Exactly Is Oddball?

Oddball is a large walking dragline. If you’re wondering what one of those is, you’re definitely not alone!

It’s a colossal mechanical excavator on giant “feet,” that’s where the walking part comes from. 

Instead of rolling on wheels or tracks, it literally walked, heaving its massive body across the surface a few inches at a time.

Used in opencast mining, it was essentially a humongous scoop which dragged across the surface of the ground, removing  earth covering the rich coal seams which were then exposed for mining. 

Can you imagine how bizarre that must have looked?!

A huge mechanical excavator, known as Oddball, it is a BE 1150 Walking Dragline and the 'feet' are visible.
The 'feet' made it a walking dragline.
Close up of some wheels on a giant excavator. They are starting to rust and look as though they have not worked for years.
Lots of moving parts helped Oddball to work

Why Is It Called Oddball?

Oddball got its name from the fact its power supply was a little unusual.

It was originally built in the US, and set up to run in America on a 60 Hz electrical supply.

The UK has a standard 50 Hz, so when Oddball was brought over to the country in the 1950s there had to be some modifications to get it running. 

Those alterations meant that Oddball worked, but apparently it emitted some very strange noises.

The unusual power set up and bizarre sounds lead to it being nicknamed Oddball, and it stuck!

A BE 1150 Walking Dragline called Oddball. It is a large excavating machine that has been left and is decaying in a nature reserve. It is a cloudy day.
Oddball's unusual electrical set up meant it made eerie sounds across the landscape

Why is Oddball At St Aidan's Of Interest?

I get it. A rusting big machine could very easily be overlooked and forgotten, but Oddball is a fascinating piece of history.

  • It’s the oldest surviving machine of its type in Europe.
  • It was built in Wisconsin, in the United States.
  • The National Coal Board brought it to Europe in 1954.
  • Oddball worked in Pontypool and Cannock before arriving at St Aidan’s.
  • The maximum speed was 0.3 km per hour – it wouldn’t win any races!
  • It weighs 1,200 tons, which is around the same as 2000 cows!
  • It’s the size of 60 double decker buses.
  • The bucket had a capacity of around 20 cubic yards. To put it another way, (into something that I can kind of visualise), it could roughly scoop up 32,315 pints of beer in one go. That would be some party!

It’s even been featured on TV! Yes, I watched the programme when I got home, and it really was incredible seeing the mechanical giant move!

A giant abandoned excavator surrounded by green shrubs and trees. It is a cloudy day and the BE 1150 Walking Dragline looks a little eerie in the nature reserve
There are many reasons Oddball is so fascinating

St Aidan’s Nature Reserve

Although the main reason for our visit was to meet Oddball, we also enjoyed the nature reserve. It’s well worth a visit

Following an easy path around the lake, we saw plenty of water birds, spied a red kite, buzzard, kestrel and even a little owl!

If you’ve got little ones with you, there are trails with questions for them to answer along the way too.

Before heading home, we enjoyed a warming cup of tea and delicious toasted tea cake in the cafe which has fantastic views across the site.

A bird of prey in the air with a backdrop of a cloudy sky.
Spotting birds of prey...
A view through some reeds of 3 moorhens on a lake at a nature reserve
...and the water birds

I Genuinely Enjoyed Meeting Oddball At St. Aidan's!

I was genuinely fascinated by the one-of-a-kind mega machine.

Oddball turned out to be far more than an abandoned structure—it’s a quirky, improbable slice of industrial history sitting in the middle of a thriving wildlife haven. As far as “new things” go, this one was wonderfully odd… and absolutely perfect.

St Aidan’s itself is a wonderful place to visit—the perfect blend of nature, history, and industrial relics. It’s worth a visit! Spotting a little owl was an unexpected bonus.

A sleeping little own on some stacked up wooden rafters.
We enjoyed spotting the Little Owl that was sleeping by Oddball!

Want To Try It Yourself?

Cost Of Experience

  • It’s free to visit Oddball, but you’ll need to pay for parking if you drive there. 
  • Parking costs £4 for a full day.

Recommendations

  • Check the forecast. Oddball is outside so dress for the weather.
  • The parking metres don’t take cash. Don’t forget to take a contactless method of payment with you.
  • Consider your footwear. The trails are pretty good. Trainers are fine, but heels are not really recommended.
  • Keep your eyes peeled. There is a lot of wildlife at the nature park, so take your time to see if you can spot any.
  • Stay refreshed. Take a picnic, or enjoy the on site cafe. 
  • Don’t forget your camera. You might want to get some pictures of the unique structure, and of any wildlife you spot!

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