Since Hay resident Craig Muir discovered the mysterious obelisk atop Hay Bluff, he’s been inundated with press requests from around the world.

From the New York Times to CBS, Craig’s regular walks have turned into a media circus.

Now, Craig has said that he’s enjoyed being able to put Hay on a worldwide map, but is amazed that a flippant remark made about aliens has led for some people to believe the obelisk is of a paranormal nature. “I was talking to a journalist and I made a joke saying it was an alien UFO object, and I said that I touched it at midnight and woke up six hours later, as if I blinked. But that got included in the story and now it’s gone viral.”

Craig says that while he can appreciate the viral aspect, he finds the attention “annoying”.

“I like to keep myself to myself, but it’s gone mental,” he said.

“I go up there every day, and then I noticed it and went to investigate. It was made of shiny metal, looking like stainless steel. When I found it there were no footprints or signs anyone had been around it, so I just shared it online.”

Craig thinks that whoever is responsible has created something positive. “Personally, whoever did it is doing a good thing. The news is always full of doom and gloom and everyone is bored of it. Someone has gone up there to lighten the mood and people can appreciate it.”

But Craig’s experience in building work has created speculation that perhaps he is responsible for the appearance. “I’m a builder, I do work with metal as well, but it is a strong coincidence. BBC Radio 4 talked about the theory I put it there, but I’ve decided to let people run with it. If I said I built people would say I didn’t, and if I said I didn’t, people would say I did, so it doesn’t matter what I say.”

“People can think what they want to think, but I can tell you I didn’t build it,” he said.