My UE Year in Pictures

andym · (#1)

OK, time for a look back on 2008, as it's cold and foggy outside and I've eaten too much chocolate to be bothered to do any real exploring

February - Pickle Factory
A slow start to the year having spent all of January on holiday. A nice easy local explore was just the thing to get back into the swing o'things, even if it was shit.

March - Ivy Bank Mills
In a feat of breathtaking understatement, the local authority describe the condition of this place as 'ruinous' This place made Cheadle Bleachworks look like it had just opened. Highlight was the carding engine stuck between the ceiling beams.

April - Old Lane Mill
Just another empty mill, but access was easy enough so it was rude not to have a look.

May - Huncoat Power Station Admin Block
I've been 3 times but only been in once due to the presence of the Police. Despite that, it's somewhere that had no right to be an enjoyable explore, but somehow was.

June - Astley Green
OK, so not really an explore, but always worth a mooch

July - Winter Hill Mines
My first foray underground with Gibbo and Morrisey. Very hard work, slightly scary but very rewarding.

August - Griffe Mill
Back above ground for a place that's been abandoned since the 1920's!

September - Criggion VLF Station
Visited a couple of Heritage Open Day sites in Shropshire with DCG, and then did a proper explore of the Criggion VLF Station. Lovely setting, not masses to see though. Apart from the random wooden water ski.

October - Victoria Baths
The official NWEX visit as organised by DCG, good to put faces to names and to see some old faces I'd not seen for a while.

November - Grove Rake
A site I'd wanted to visit for some time, and well worth the trek up the M6 and across the moors.

December - nowt
Other than a brief mooch round Westwood Mill that I've not bothered to upload pics for, been too busy for exploring.

Well that's my year, what about everyone else?

Azubi · (#2)

I kick-started the year with a weekend in Leeds back in January with Gorecki and Dweeb. Very hungover (well, I was) we visited Chapel Allerton with it's remaining admin block.

The next day, slightly less hungover, we go to Yorkshire Chemicals and have a mint explore before finally calling it a day and heading home after a brilliant weekend.

At various points throughout the rest of Winter and into Spring, I spent a bit of time in High Royds, seeing it before it finally got locked down. I never did take many photos but the place was amazing.

West Park was definately on the cards one weekend in February when Karl, jobs and myself headed down South.

Cane Hill followed the very early morning after...

28DL Bristol meet! Pixie, jobs and myself headed to the Travelodge in Bristol via an A- and B- road mish through Wales where we had a look around Talgarth Asylum.

In April, I was once again heading to Ukraine where I visited Chernobyl again with a group of fellow explorers.

A couple of days later we hooked up with a Ukrainian explorer and visited some partially finished stuff in he pouring rain but it was still good fun.

After spending many a Sunday slinging bits of plastic at other people at high speeds and extensive use of things that go 'bang' I decided to take a few photos and really look at this mill on it's last day of use before demo began.

Back to Denbigh for pixie's birthday in September.

As part of a massive all nighter with Alley, jobs and assorted others, where we ended up all over the place from High Royds to Fletchers, I didn't get many pics but had a brillant time.

At the end of the year, right up until me leaving for Saudi, I was spending a hell of alot of time in St. Joseph's Seminary. So much so I kept dreaming about the place all the time. It was good to be back as this was an old haunt for me.

Finally, I went to St. Helen's hospital a few days before my flight but due to other commitments I had to leave without seeing the whole place. Still, what I did see was impressive.

As always, there is more but for various reasons I never picked up the camera to document them.