Last Bastion
October 2011
Dark, smelly and not high enough to walk in without stooping, the access to Last Bastion is a five foot diameter sewer pipe which eventually diverts to the Northern Low Level sewer. Upon passing the diversion, there is perhaps fifty metres of ankle deep half sludge, half shit, which is amongst the most unpleasant sections of sewer I’ve had the pleasure of navigating. Read the rest of this entry »
Budapest Metro – Line 4
October 2011
Line 4 of the Budapest Metro has been under construction for over 5 years now, but consistent delays mean that the opening is still not scheduled until 2014. The train manufacturer has apparently failed to produce the break system in line with the instructions, and as such, there are now 10 stations under various states of construction waiting to proceed. Read the rest of this entry »
DIY
September 2011
Sometimes you just gotta try something new. Taken from information kindly provided by Eotech, all we knew of this drain was where it’s infall was. Rolling down a hill in the dark, we found the manhole easily and with a heave, the cobweb covered hole was uncovered. The barred infall was far too tight to squeeze down, but once inside it was spacious enough to walk without stooping.
Boat Party
Much to Otter‘s chagrin, ‘Verticality‘ has entered the vernacular of the current London ‘UE’ Set. Discussed at length on Placehacking, where Brad first coined the concept, it sits alongside ‘Edgework‘ and the much derided ‘Prohobo‘ as a term that wouldn’t neccesarily mean a lot to anybody else, but is in somewhat regular usage among this group of individuals. Read the rest of this entry »
The Soviet Presence
“Whoever does not miss the Soviet Union has no heart. Whoever wants it back has no brain.” (Vladimir Putin, 2000.)
Gotha
Take your eyes off the pothole ridden minor roads of the former DDR and chances are you’ll be looking at something concrete that was built by the Soviets. My introduction to the remains of the Soviet Union came in 2008, with the Beelitz-Heilstätten sanatorium providing an ample opportunity for a day of roaming around the vast, derelict campus, taking photos of the peeling paint and lnely chairs. Although at the time I visited, I understood little of the involvement of the Soviet Union in this complex’s history, my interest has evolved and I’ve learned of the Sanatorium’s footnote as the ultimate destination for the DDR’s president Erich Honecker as his country collapsed into westernisation. Read the rest of this entry »
How to Climb a Crane
September 2011
Wandsworth Riverside Quarter had a couple of cranes set back slightly from the river. Not massive, but substantial enough to justify the moderate amount of effort needed to get to them. Set up in the dug out basement a couple of levels beneath ground, we first had to get onto the site (easy), then into the basement (quite easy). Although this was an unusual hassle, it was made considerably easier by the apparent lack of any human presence on or around the site.
Oslo Drains
August 2011
Oslo wasn’t cold in August, but it sure as hell was expensive. Our bus tickets from Rygge Airport to Oslo cost almost as much as our flights, and groceries we’d normally pay £20 for cost us over £40. Tired from a night of running T-Bane, we decided that to sleep, we’d be best off in the park, so we climbed a rocky hill and bedded down on our airbeds having built a fire. Read the rest of this entry »
Oslo T-Bane
August 2011
John climbed from the graveyard onto the trackside, as the Number 2 sped past towards Østerås. Gary and I followed, and we ran down towards the brightly lit tunnel portal kicking ballast and stumbling across semi-sunk sleepers.
Brad:Pad: LCC’s London Squat.
February – May 2011
When Brad left London in February 2011 he left behind a set of keys and a note. The keys were for his flat in Clapham and the note said to enjoy ourselves. We ended up with almost 4 months of this London base, and enjoy it we did. Read the rest of this entry »
Saltley Gas Towers
August 2011
These were a change affair really, one of those things that just happens. We saw them on our approach to what we believed to be the Moonwalker culvert, but whatever we did in fucking up the identification of the buried river, this sure as hell was a big pair of monster gasometers looming out of the darkness of the night. Read the rest of this entry »