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All photos taken by myself without any form of permission |
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What is Urban Exploring?In simple terms, urban exploration (also known as Urban Exploring, UE or Urbex) is all about accessing locations that are off limits to the general public. When people traverse their cities they often do so without knowing that there are vast, forgotten areas of the urban landscape begging to be rediscovered. Most times these lie behind doors, fences or under our feet and are usually closed off to the public because they are deemed ‘unsafe’. Unfortunately, in this modern age, health and safety regulations censor and govern our lives through blind compliance and fear. When I go to these closed off places I prefer to accept personal responsibility for my own actions. I think urban exploration is really a combination of seeing the unseen, going where people tell us we are not allowed to, allowing us chances to take photos that are otherwise impossible and quite often overcoming challenges when it comes to accessing these fenced off places. This combination of factors makes this probably my favourite hobby. I have had many truly memorable experiences whilst exploring the places that you see here on my web site. Many that I don’t think I’ll ever forget. There are many different types of locations when it comes to urban exploration. Some people only stick to one or two but for me I enjoy all of them. Live sites are the most adrenaline thrilled as the risk of being spotted is much greater but the rewards are often incredible; the feeling once you have made your way out undetected is incredible. But places such as asylums, manor houses and schools have their own rich histories. As such they are a completely different experience; chilled out usually and can often take all day to wander around. "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure." Helen Keller |
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