Urban Exploration

[bliink]

Has anyone heard of, or tried a bit of "Urban Exploration"? Got any stories to share?

Basically, for those who dont know, it involves finding and then exploring places like steam tunnels, abandoned buildings/bunkers/factories etc as well as maintinance areas for large structures. (usually after hours or when noones around)

Example E-zines/sites:
http://uem.minimanga.com/
http://www.infiltration.org/
http://uel.minimanga.com/missions.html
(check out their links section for more, some really interesting missions there)

I've done a bit before, and its always fun- but you've gotta be careful not to get killed or caught. (thats part of the fun though!)

I just find something really cool about going into some deserted and dilapidated place, or into some weird tunnels and walking around.

For a nice overview, I recommend the synopsis at http://www.infiltration.org/ethics-nodisclaimer.html

 

[CREMATOR666]

These might be useful

 

[Maxi]

I've done this a few times, both times actually during scouting things

First time we were sailing around the finnish archipelago and then we went to this island, we found out that it had been a finnish military base during WWII and it was full with bunkers and concrete towers and stuff, we had this girl who was one of Finlands best mountain climbers with us and she had some gear with her too so we wen't down into some bunkers and had a look around. Shame I didn't have a camera with me it was cool as hell.

This other time me and a few other friends were in this scouting competition where we walk around and do tasks for like 2 days straight. We were walking around a place called Vantaa in Finland when we found this huge ass abandoned factory, it was like crazy huge. We found out it was a factory that produced blocks for buildings (or is that elements?). Anyway it was completely abandoned and we threw some rocks at the windows and stuff. It was cool. Then we moved on and came second in the competition.

 

[bliink]

These might be useful

I've spent many a night browsing those sites... Makes me wish sydney had more places like that (that I know of )

 

[CREMATOR666]

I've spent many a night browsing those sites... Makes me wish sydney had more places like that (that I know of )

I was planning to use some of them as a reference photo for my maps and drawings

 

[bliink]

I was planning to use some of them as a reference photo for my maps and drawings

Alot of those pics would make very good map settings.

 

[Datrix]

Once in downtown Vancouver me and my cousin went into an abandoned warehouse, it was all fun and games untill them homeless people started attacking us.

 

[15357]

Once in downtown Vancouver me and my cousin went into an abandoned warehouse, it was all fun and games untill them homeless people started attacking us.

with what?

baseball bats?

 

[Datrix]

with what?

baseball bats?

Baseball bats...no, popcans... yes.

 

[CREMATOR666]

Baseball bats...no, popcans... yes.

Why? Did you kick them around or somethin? :dozey:

 

[15357]

Why? Did you kick them around or somethin? :dozey:

evil... evil...


typical borgeois(sp?) reaction..

 

[Datrix]

Why? Did you kick them around or somethin? :dozey:

Not that I recall.... we must have invaded their "personal space"
(BTW, yeah 100 posts already )

 

[Mr-Fusion]

I used to journey through water drainage pipes in my ninja turtles re-enactment days. Those pipes are massive and go on for ages!

 

[CREMATOR666]

Not that I recall.... we must have invaded their "personal space"
(BTW, yeah 100 posts already )

Man, that must've been quite an experience :x

 

[h00dlum]

Was a documentary on swedish tv a few weeks ago about UE. Its pretty cool. I used to do it when i was younger, but there are not to many good places here where i live...

 

[ComradeBadger]

I've always wanted to do this

Didn't know you were into this bliinky :O

 

[CrazyHarij]

It's popular here in sweden, but I don't live in the kind of area where I'd find anything special.

The part of sweden where I was born, southeast, is full of marine bases, bunkers and shit all over the place, I'd love to go there and explore. My brothers used to make small action movies on islands full of that stuff, and it looked awesome.

 

[Maxi]

I've always wanted to do this

Didn't know you were into this bliinky :O

She's into everything

 

[Datrix]

Man, that must've been quite an experience :x

It wasn't that bad, because in the words of MC Hammer "You Can't Touch this" :smoking:

 

[The Dark Elf]

Has anyone heard of, or tried a bit of "Urban Exploration"? Got any stories to share?

Basically, for those who dont know, it involves finding and then exploring places like steam tunnels, abandoned buildings/bunkers/factories etc as well as maintinance areas for large structures. (usually after hours or when noones around)

Example E-zines/sites:
http://uem.minimanga.com/
http://www.infiltration.org/
http://uel.minimanga.com/missions.html
(check out their links section for more, some really interesting missions there)

I've done a bit before, and its always fun- but you've gotta be careful not to get killed or caught. (thats part of the fun though!)

I just find something really cool about going into some deserted and dilapidated place, or into some weird tunnels and walking around.

For a nice overview, I recommend the synopsis at http://www.infiltration.org/ethics-nodisclaimer.html

We've loads of places like that around here. We've the waterfront in Leeds with plenty of abandoned area's, further up from that there's all the large weird looking buildings that seem to be just a collection of pipes and valves making up their shapes, and then there's Bradford which has lots of old mills and factories, little streets going off into nowhere. There's an interesting industrial estate near where I live, its right in the middle of residential area's but once your in there its almost like another world. One building, near a railway track, its just that, a big featureless building, and wasteland around it, and because its higher up than the surrounding area it feels like your somewhere else entirely.

A bunch of us used to wander these places a lot. Always seemed to have a police car following us, I dunno how they knew we were there, the places were deserted and no CCTV's.. damn regular patrols


Edit: Actually come to think of it. I found a site a while back, couple of years or something that had a list and directions to all the bunkers in the UK, I think at the time we were looking for filming locations for something, but yeah there's loads of them, some really creepy places, and the fun part is these are mostly open to the public but rarely watched, so you can just head off into them. Some of the photo's looked really spooky.

 

[bliink]

A bunch of us used to wander these places a lot. Always seemed to have a police car following us, I dunno how they knew we were there, the places were deserted and no CCTV's.. damn regular patrols

Security guards are better than cops, 99% of the time they'll just make a basic effort to chase you off and go back to their warm control room. (unless they're really bored, then you might be screwed )

 

[Maxi]

I've never had security guards bug me, only when I try to take pics of certain non-public areas. They are like HEY KID! GET OUT OF HERE WITH THAT CAMERA!

 

[Datrix]

No, don't worry about Security Guards or Cops... worry about the homeless people, trust me.

 

[The Dark Elf]

Security guards are better than cops, 99% of the time they'll just make a basic effort to chase you off and go back to their warm control room. (unless they're really bored, then you might be screwed )

Thiniking about it, I don't think we ever saw a proper security guard in these places, just police, and even then they kinda knew just seeing them roll up in the cars would be enough to scare you off heh. We DID see dogs though.. and the old adage "make sure you've got a friend who can't run as fast as you" really applied.

Something we do have here are lots of wooded area's that you can find strange buildings in the middle of, no actual practical use and even no visible road nearby. Just sat there, overgrown and unused for years. It was right behind a line of houses, you couldn't see it from there, you had to walk right in, then beyond that, more tree's, then your back in the village (this place is just a few minutes down the road from me if that) It's really weird. It's not a substation, and I don't think it was a bunker. We didn't get a chance to explore too much cause of said dog lol.

I asked my dad at the time if he knew what it was, since he's lived in this area all his life, but he didn't even know it existed.

Trivia: Throwing a stick at the dog for it to run off and play catch doesn't work hehehe. (hey I was only young I didn't know! )

 

[ComradeBadger]

Haha

When I go to Lincoln, I'll be doing this

Always wanted to - but mates are never up for it :|

 

[The Dark Elf]

Haha

When I go to Lincoln, I'll be doing this

Always wanted to - but mates are never up for it :|

your mates suck then hehe. It's fun, though nobody I know is interested now, their all too old.. boring gits lol. I wont go alone though.. you really need a much slower friend to distract guard dogs with lol.

Something I'd be up for is going off and exploring all the places around the UK like that, those hidden bunkers n such

 

[Shippi]

I'd love to do something like that, as long as I don't become dog bait

 

[The Dark Elf]

I'd love to do something like that, as long as I don't become dog bait

well with all the paintballing you do, running about n such.. I'd be in danger of being YOUR slower friend

Lets take Harry with us and fix weights to his legs, he can be our slower friend hehe.

 

[ComradeBadger]

Noes :O

Yeah people who I've asked to do it have always said 'It's too dangerous' or 'Why are you prodding me'

;(

 

[short recoil]

Loads of cool places here, there is a fort near me that was originally built in 1780 or something and was used in ww1 and ww2, its on the end of a peninsula sticking into the sea............we went up there and had an airsoft skirmish at night..........its a 6 mile walk each way and about a mile going up hill, my friends were being weak so i ended up carrying over 6 stone of gear in my backpack (guns, gas, ammo and combat gear)

 

[Shippi]

well with all the paintballing you do, running about n such.. I'd be in danger of being YOUR slower friend

Lets take Harry with us and fix weights to his legs, he can be our slower friend hehe.

sounds like a plan

Here badger badger badger..

 

[Jimmeh]

I did something like it in Spain for a school trip. It was last year I think, by the beach was a tunnel. As the tide came in water would rush inside, it went down for miles all around the city. So, one afternoon me and a few mates got bored, and decided to go inside, we had about 5 hours till we had to be in so we figured why not After 5 minutes of walking it was almost pitch black, but we kept on walking and eventually the tunnel split two ways. We went right, then it split again. We went right again. Then we started hearing funny noises, like gates slamming. Obviously being the wusses we are we starting running back laughing, until water starting rushing by our feet. We shat ourselves and legged it back as fast as we could, by the time we could see the light and the end of the tunnel it was up to our knees, and by the time we got out it was at our waists

 

[Datrix]

Old/abandoned Airports are the best places to explore, although there ain't too many of them around. :frown:

 

[The Dark Elf]

Noes :O

Yeah people who I've asked to do it have always said 'It's too dangerous' or 'Why are you prodding me'

;(

A bunch of us UK lot should get together and do it, show bliink and her Australian Commando team how the British do it hehe

sounds like a plan

Here badger badger badger..

lol!

 

[jondy]

Me and various broke into an abandoned MOD base once to check it out. Climbing through the barbed wire at night with maglites and checking out the immense warehouses is something I won't forget for quite a while

 

[short recoil]

Just be careful where you explore, old abandoned buildings seem to attract the wrong type of people.

I had a horrid discovery once when searching around some old buildings in a forest.

 

[Datrix]

Just be careful where you explore, old abandoned buildings seem to attract the wrong type of people.

I had a horrid discovery once when searching around some old buildings in a forest.

Please recall this horrid discovery. I won't be able to sleep untill you tell me. :|

 

[CREMATOR666]

Just be careful where you explore, old abandoned buildings seem to attract the wrong type of people.

I had a horrid discovery once when searching around some old buildings in a forest.

Is it a corpse?! :O

 

[The Dark Elf]

It's a well known fact. That you have more chance finding a corpse while walking your dog around the early mornings of a Sunday, than during urban exploration.

You never hear on the news "an urban explorer discovered the corpse of Sally Jenkins today while out exploring an abandoned building"

you only ever hear "a passerby who was walking his dog, made the horrific discovery of a partially buried decomposing body early on Sunday morning. Police are now investigating the gruesome discovery"

I swear there's some kind of connection between walking a dog and death

 

[CREMATOR666]

It's a well known fact. That you have more chance finding a corpse while walking your dog around the early mornings of a Sunday, than during urban exploration.

You never hear on the news "an urban explorer discovered the corpse of Sally Jenkins today while out exploring an abandoned building"

you only ever hear "a passerby who was walking his dog, made the horrific discovery of a partially buried decomposing body early on Sunday morning. Police are now investigating the gruesome discovery"

I swear there's some kind of connection between walking a dog and death

I better get a cat...:|