Now i could write reams and reams of stuff about what went on here but as Mr Cooper has done such a good job already it would be slightly redundant.. What i will talk about however is how unbelievably awsome it is!!!
I've been wanting to go here ever since Ben's first photos but despite getting the maps and information ready on previous trips we always ended up at the easy option.. Ardeer.. However with Ardeer now well covered (and pretty much gone in fact) there was going to be no excuses this year. Luckily the man himself was available to come give us the grand tour, im not the biggest fan of tours but i think here it really was the best option. I cant begin to think we would have seen what we did without it. Indeed the first thing strikes you about the site is its size. I mean we are all used to saying how massive places like Wittingham or Pyestock are but Bishopton is on a whole other level.
We started out at 4am so we could get close to some of the more live areas of the site, the Mortuary and Power station were first, less than 100m away from 'civilisation' as it were. We were not to worried tho as Ben pointed out a glow on the horizon and proclaimed "that glow, that's security" they were indeed camped out on a hill literally a MILE or so from our location instantly giving an idea of the size of site we were dealing with. That's the thing with this place tho really, security should not be underestimated by any means, but it is so vast even with their 4x4s and machine guns its impossible for them to cover even a fraction of it, and of course they choose to cover the important bits rather than the part that's been derelict 10 years. If you stay off the main roads and away from the dogey areas its actually a bit of a stroll in the park.. literally!!
We had a bit of scare near the power plant as a car sped passed but in the dark they had no chance of spotting us. As it started to get light the place really came into its own. We made our way over to the 'Cathedral' and then on around to the second pencil like cooling tower as the sun stated to come up.. Its fair to say i was a tad frustrated at this point, the low light made for poor photos and Ben was pressing on relentlessly past so many amazing looking industrial buildings it was gutting we were not going inside them! Of course as we would later find out there was method to his madness, to go in everything you would be there months!
The next few hours were a blur, credit to our guide, it kept getting better and better as we went culminating at the Nitrocellulose and Gun Cotton plants. Massive complexes that on their own would stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the greatest industrial locations the UK has ever seen! The average flickr geek would wet themselves with at the pealing paint in these buildings alone..
All i can really do is post some pictures.
I've been wanting to go here ever since Ben's first photos but despite getting the maps and information ready on previous trips we always ended up at the easy option.. Ardeer.. However with Ardeer now well covered (and pretty much gone in fact) there was going to be no excuses this year. Luckily the man himself was available to come give us the grand tour, im not the biggest fan of tours but i think here it really was the best option. I cant begin to think we would have seen what we did without it. Indeed the first thing strikes you about the site is its size. I mean we are all used to saying how massive places like Wittingham or Pyestock are but Bishopton is on a whole other level.
We started out at 4am so we could get close to some of the more live areas of the site, the Mortuary and Power station were first, less than 100m away from 'civilisation' as it were. We were not to worried tho as Ben pointed out a glow on the horizon and proclaimed "that glow, that's security" they were indeed camped out on a hill literally a MILE or so from our location instantly giving an idea of the size of site we were dealing with. That's the thing with this place tho really, security should not be underestimated by any means, but it is so vast even with their 4x4s and machine guns its impossible for them to cover even a fraction of it, and of course they choose to cover the important bits rather than the part that's been derelict 10 years. If you stay off the main roads and away from the dogey areas its actually a bit of a stroll in the park.. literally!!
We had a bit of scare near the power plant as a car sped passed but in the dark they had no chance of spotting us. As it started to get light the place really came into its own. We made our way over to the 'Cathedral' and then on around to the second pencil like cooling tower as the sun stated to come up.. Its fair to say i was a tad frustrated at this point, the low light made for poor photos and Ben was pressing on relentlessly past so many amazing looking industrial buildings it was gutting we were not going inside them! Of course as we would later find out there was method to his madness, to go in everything you would be there months!
The next few hours were a blur, credit to our guide, it kept getting better and better as we went culminating at the Nitrocellulose and Gun Cotton plants. Massive complexes that on their own would stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the greatest industrial locations the UK has ever seen! The average flickr geek would wet themselves with at the pealing paint in these buildings alone..
All i can really do is post some pictures.
Powerplant
Picrite Plant and Acid Towers
Shell Presses
Nitroglycerin Plant
Ball Powder Plant
Picrite Plant and Acid Towers
Shell Presses
Nitroglycerin Plant
Ball Powder Plant
