Worst Explores of 2023

[mookster]

Might be a bit of self-deprecating fun, in contrast to the 'best explores' thread. Your worst explores of 2023, the low points, the places you really shouldn't have bothered spending valuable minutes of your life in that you won't get back?

Doesn't have to be five, can be as many or as few as you want.

Some of my low points....

Strathmore House Care Home, Cambridgeshire. I had had this building pinned for years, and finally decided to have a look at it on the way back from a trip to Norfolk. Instantly knew I shouldn't have bothered when I saw the entire front door including the frame pushed inwards like it had been ramraided. It didn't get any better inside, trashed, burned, collapsed, awful. Like Old Rectory but without anything that made that place interesting.

Redmires Water Works, Sheffield - the newer part. What a dump. At least the older part has some character to it.

Oakland Dam Hydroelectric Plant, one of my Stateside wanders, and objectively this one was crap. All that was left that was 'explorable' was an empty industrial building on the surface. I'm glad I got to see it however more because it formed an important part of the area where my best friend grew up.

Nazareth Chapel, South Wales. One of only two minor successes on a pissing awful day in shitty terrible weather where we really should have just gone home, this is the most gutted chapel I've ever seen, and I was gutted as well.

Other low points included battling my way through mosquito and tick infested shoulder height weeds and trees on my own in stupid humidity to try and find a way into a power station in the States, getting bitten to absolute buggery in the process, and then throwing in the towel because it was just stupid. Numerous days at the end of the year which were a big waste of time and money, missing the Van Der Graff machine thing in the Gray Cancer Institute, narrowly avoiding falling into a river trying to get into a mill in Northern Ireland then finding the really easy way in, nearly getting murdered by an angry Welshman protecting what we think was a grow. The point during the totally sleepless trip to Belgium where, at about 6pm on the Saturday, having been awake for over 36 hours, we were on the ferry talking and I answered out loud a conversation I was having with myself in my own head. We all definitely lost our minds on that trip.

It was an eventful year

 

[HughieD]

Redmires Water Works, Sheffield - the newer part - WAS a reasonable explore, but from that pic above, looks like it had been pretty much stripped. Report from back in 2020 HERE

 

[GRONK]

Can't say I've had a particularly bad year for it, the only real disappointment I've had was at Dudley Hippodrome. I've been after this one for along as I've been doing this hobby and we finally found a way in in March only to find out it had been completely stripped ahead of demolition. I didn't even bother getting my camera out in the end and just took a few phone shots.

 

[Wastelandr]

Quite an amusing idea for a thread! We all know that for every success there's about 5 fails, so I'm gonna tell the stories of a few of mine this year. A lot of these are more funny fail stories than actual explores that weren't very good. In fact, I still enjoyed all of them at very least for a few chuckles.

Holywood House, West Park

This one I did only a few days ago with @KismetJ. Went to Cane Hill and West Park to photograph the converted remaining asylum buildings (I quite enjoy this even if it's not truly urbex). Stopped by at this absolute wreckage. Quite funny that I parked in the middle of a grass verge off a busy roundabout, fortunately no problems caused. The place itself was a mere shell and it did very little to get the juices flowing. Still worth an external though. I avoid derps like this in general so I don't have too many particularly grotty places to share.

Hemel Hempsted General Hospital

Went with @Sprackles on a particularly rainy overcast day. Upon arriving it was apparent that this end of the town was a bit of a dive. After getting inside a section of fencing covering my brand new jeans in anti-climb paint, I was presented with a pretty high climb. Sprackles being an absolute ninja managed it, but whilst I was attempting to do so I realised the ground was covered with needles. The large obstacle and the heroin refuse put me off so I tried an easier route, getting me to the other side of where Sprackles had climbed. After trapsing through all sorts of grimy litter, we reached the only hole in the building; a vent into a basement boiler room looking very typically asbestosy. Given that entry involved squeezing against a section of torn lagging against the vent, we sacked it off. The whole ordeal left us feeling a bit dirty. Didn't even take a pic of this.


Hellesdon Hospital

Decided to have a look at this former asylum building which is still used by the NHS whilst exploring Norfolk with @dansgas1000 and @JakeV50. We found our access into the recreation hall, only sometimes used. As Jake took the lead with climbing in, Dan brought to our attention a horrified older woman standing in the window of an office opposite only a few metres away from us. We probably should've given her a wave, but instead we legged it probably reinforcing her belief that we were a gang of aspiring cat burglars. Again no photo.


Bata Shoe Factory

Did this one with two non-forum friends. Didn't expect to get in much really but I wanted to see what we could get away with. After a previous route of attack being fenced, I dragged the boys through a good 50m of overgrown land dense with stinging nettles. We got stung to pieces, and it took as ages to get through. After finally making it inside the complex, it felt risky to wander into far as it's an active industrial estate and there were lights going on and off all over the place, including one strangely inside a parked empty van. I legged it into the open and took a shot of the small on-site power station, which I may return to. We bailed and after this fail, went to East Tilbury Battery which was even more overgrown, and got stung some more to the point where we actually called it a night.

The mini power station


Bethnal Green Hospital

Checked out Goodmayes with a fellow explorer to no avail, but not entirely fruitless. Following this, we drove on to Bethnal Green Hospital. Within seconds of being in the pitch black overgrown yard, I see a torchlight coming round the corner. We start running instantly and next thing we know the bloke is giving chase with considerable vigour. He was shouting stuff and seemed like he would batter us if we didn't get away. We managed to climb the fence with moments to spare and the guard swung a torch at me which hit the top of the hoarding. A lucky escape. A brief exchange was made from either side of the fence before evacuating the area.


Southchurch School

Saw a derelict school building on Google Maps in Southend. Being local I gave @DE-eVOLVED a shout. We first checked out a drain tunnel which transpired to be grated and solidly padlocked. Then arriving at the school, De-evolved kept watch for traffic and after some deliberation I climbed the hoarding with some struggle. Upon getting into the site, I was met with nothing but a flat concrete area where the building had been demolished.

 

[JakeV50]

I've had some proper shit this year. Came back from a trip just today which claimed two pairs of jeans, a pair of shoes and several pairs of socks. Saw both me and dan fall over numerous times, got the car absolutely minging inside and out. Over 700 miles and around 20 hours in the car checking out over 20 places, we visited 2 noteworthy places. The rest were dire and didn't deserve to be photographed.

My most memorable worst explores of 2023 are as follows :

Pilkington Sandwash Plant

I should have really liked this place. It's got pumps and equipment ect, but I really hated it. Dan loved it. Perhaps it's because he spent days bigging it up before we visited. Found it to be incredibly disappointing.

DC Waterworks - Wales

Really didn't know what to expect with this one. In my head, I'd built up a picture of it being a large derelict area with various pumps, pipes and buildings dotted about. Turns out it was actually an active site and had very few buildings around, there was a pretty cool spillway and massive pipe running down the mountain side though. Think I disliked it so much due to being absolutely starving and it being a fair old walk up the hillside.

There are loads of places which obviously I don't have photos from which have been disappointing, anger inducing or just laughably dreadful.

Brenntag Distribution in Norfolk. I worked on the same estate as this place for around 9 years and always wondered what was inside. It sat vacant for ages. I was curious if there was any equipment, forklifts left inside etc. One day I drove past on a test drive and noticed the gate open. Me and Dan had a look that evening and found it the main warehouse to be actually quite small, empty, and dark, with the offices already subject to abuse from the local broccoli head kids.

Suffolk Costal Pump Gala. Back in September time, me and Dan went on a pump finding mission to an area just above Woodbridge in Suffolk. We hit around 6 pins I believe, all of them either active or not actually pump houses. To make things worse, I felt terrible that day, and on the second to last pump, walking back to the car I genuinely thought I was going to die or something. It's the most ill I have ever felt.
We looked at one last station after. "It's only a short walk from the car and we're here anyway" I thought, so I gave it a go. Got to the station, it's active. So I try to hurry back to the car to sit down as I feel like passing out and some old lady spawns in on a ride on lawn mower wanting to chat. Dan being the friendly soul proceeds to converse. Thinking a 30-second conversation would ensue, I wasn't too fussed. But then she turns off the damn mower, and they stand talking for like 15 minutes! I was completely zoned out, trying to focus on keeping vertical. The woman seemed confused at my lack of speech.

Pumping Stations. You only ever see the good pumping stations that are found. But for every one good station, there are about twenty before which are dreadful. Back Reach, White Fen, Green Dyke, Ten Mile Bank, Steele's Drove, George Milner's drainage pump, and so many more not worthy of names, you're all shit and have a place in my heart for wasting my time and energy walking to you lot.

 

[Parky]

I had a few "bad" ones, but one explore in particularly was bad.

Cannon Brewery Reception
I had already been to cannon brewery before plenty of times, but I had never been able to get into the reception area.
After finally finding a suitable way in we had a look around
Turns out many people had already been in, the place was completely trashed
Not much was really left of the place to look at except a few old documents and the reception desk
First we check the cellar, which was just a few brick rooms, one room had this exposed water pipe that was spewing hot water all over the place.
We decided to go upstairs and have a look around
Mainly empty rooms, however one room was closed so we opened its door to have a look inside
We found stacks of asbestos removal bags that were all crammed full
Needless to say, we were out of there
The only photo I got:

(there was another "safe" explore that turned out to have a wobbly penstock that we were having to crawl under, but i wont get into that one )

 

[Wastelandr]

I've had some proper shit this year. Came back from a trip just today which claimed two pairs of jeans, a pair of shoes and several pairs of socks. Saw both me and dan fall over numerous times, got the car absolutely minging inside and out. Over 700 miles and around 20 hours in the car checking out over 20 places, we visited 2 noteworthy places. The rest were dire and didn't deserve to be photographed.

Some nice pictures there regardless it has to be said. It wouldn't be an explore without someone randomly spawning in, the illness whilst the conversation ensued sounded rough

 

[JakeV50]

Some nice pictures there regardless it has to be said. It wouldn't be an explore without someone randomly spawning in, the illness whilst the conversation ensued sounded rough

Looking back now, the photos aren't too bad actually!
Someone always seems to spawn in. Got the mower lady here, old bicycle man at Coventry Stadium when it was on fire, there was a man and dog who stood for ages talking about foxes or some bollocks at Permanite Asphalt. Oh there was an old man at Banham house who was wheeling his wife about in a wheelchair. His mouth was all yellow "you'll have to excuse me, I've eaten too much turmeric” he said. Got talking and apparently his wife's sister died about 15 minutes previously, and they were going for a walk to calm down. He said he's the one who found it on fire too when it was torched.

I try to get photos of the NPCs which spawn in. Coventry Stadium man attached for treat. There is a video of Permanite guy somewhere buried in my phone also. Sadly I forgot to get one of mower lady. I really don't know what was wrong with me that day. I was ruined for about a week.

 

[Wastelandr]

His mouth was all yellow "you'll have to excuse me, I've eaten too much turmeric” he said.

Wow, he has to be part of the simulation

 

[Mikeymutt🐶]

Not really had any bad ones this year. I ain’t that fussy really and like most things I see. This place was dire though, it’s literally around the corner and pass it regularly going to several different woodlands for photography. I stopped for a nosey coming home after photographing the bluebells in the woodlands. It did have a few toilets though inside. Went past a few weeks back after photographing the woods in the frost, and noticed all demolished and ready for building new houses.

 

[KPUrban_]

Newmarket Community Hospital X-Ray Dept.
Theres a lot of crap i could put here but this one is a stand out. Honest never felt so annoyed by a place, bearing in mind it had only closed less than a month prior.

 

[Bikin Glynn]

Might be a bit of self-deprecating fun, in contrast to the 'best explores' thread. Your worst explores of 2023, the low points, the places you really shouldn't have bothered spending valuable minutes of your life in that you won't get back?

Doesn't have to be five, can be as many or as few as you want.

Some of my low points....

Strathmore House Care Home, Cambridgeshire. I had had this building pinned for years, and finally decided to have a look at it on the way back from a trip to Norfolk. Instantly knew I shouldn't have bothered when I saw the entire front door including the frame pushed inwards like it had been ramraided. It didn't get any better inside, trashed, burned, collapsed, awful. Like Old Rectory but without anything that made that place interesting.

Redmires Water Works, Sheffield - the newer part. What a dump. At least the older part has some character to it.

Oakland Dam Hydroelectric Plant, one of my Stateside wanders, and objectively this one was crap. All that was left that was 'explorable' was an empty industrial building on the surface. I'm glad I got to see it however more because it formed an important part of the area where my best friend grew up.

Nazareth Chapel, South Wales. One of only two minor successes on a pissing awful day in shitty terrible weather where we really should have just gone home, this is the most gutted chapel I've ever seen, and I was gutted as well.

Other low points included battling my way through mosquito and tick infested shoulder height weeds and trees on my own in stupid humidity to try and find a way into a power station in the States, getting bitten to absolute buggery in the process, and then throwing in the towel because it was just stupid. Numerous days at the end of the year which were a big waste of time and money, missing the Van Der Graff machine thing in the Gray Cancer Institute, narrowly avoiding falling into a river trying to get into a mill in Northern Ireland then finding the really easy way in, nearly getting murdered by an angry Welshman protecting what we think was a grow. The point during the totally sleepless trip to Belgium where, at about 6pm on the Saturday, having been awake for over 36 hours, we were on the ferry talking and I answered out loud a conversation I was having with myself in my own head. We all definitely lost our minds on that trip.

It was an eventful year

The nazerath chapel is prob one of mine too lol

 

[dansgas1000]

Like Jake said in his comment with every good pumping station we find, about 20 of them or so are either active, empty, or sealed. Here are some of my personal 'favourites':

There are tonnes more empty ones I have found, but for obvious reasons not many get photographed...

 

[Scoobysrt]

Moved to Hereford 12 months ago, barely into 2023 I did a railway tunnel.
Everything I could find on the place said don't go in the south portal.
Yup, I unknowingly went in the South portal, dragged my nephew and his girlfriend (their first explore) through knee deep mud and a river for an hour before we got to the entrance. The other side was of course the easy way in as suggested and we had a long walk back to where I had left the car to dry ourselves out.
Having not grown up here it's a bit difficult not knowing places/areas and had a lot of fails down here this year but got round Talgarth without issue even parked in the grounds lol, go figure.