Question - Staying hyped about casual, smaller explores

[Olkka]

Last summer I transitioned (like many do) from a sparse university schedule and little money in the bank, to a time consuming work schedule and plenty of money in the bank.
Previously where I had (logistically) been largely limited to local, public transport-reachable sites in wherever I was at the time, I know have more resources to go on cross-country expeditions in search of colossal sites you see the 15-year veterans of this forum posting. But, finding the time to harness said resources is proving really tricky.
After tallying a meagre 5-ish big, 'epic' sites that I could talk all day about in the last couple of years, I find myself in a bit of an exploring rut: I just want new sites I visit to be bigger and better than the last.
But that's not always logistically easy, and can get a tad draining for the impatient types from generation Z's unavoidable instant-gratification lifestyle (sadly that might be me).
I love disused environments and just hanging out in them, I really do, but dedicating time to local explores that are nothing to shout about compared to what's really out there doesn't have the same spark it used to. 5 years ago I would be hyped to even see a fenced off multi-story car park from the side of the road, but now even something like Mid Wales, a titanic but thoroughly trashed and rotted asylum, seems like a step in the wrong direction. I'll read reports from Spring Quarry/Burlington on here from 8-10 years ago and think jesus christ, what am I still doing farting around in an old 15m swimming pool just because it's walking distance from me and sentimental?
I want to get that feeling about any old disused man-made thing that I did 5 years ago, but it doesn't feel the same anymore. Needless to say, I doubt this is a unique sentiment explorers encounter as they do it more and more. How does everybody feel about this particular 'growing pain', how did you overcome it, how did it affect decision making when it came to planning new explores etc?

 

[Els]

Yea a similar thing has happened to me tbh. To be fair the scene has really changed in the last few years where we've seen a dwindling number of sites worth a look at. Certainly in the south east the whole hospital explore scene is pretty much over with most of them being converted or demolished, like Cane Hill, West Part, Colindale etc. I don't mind driving a few miles to check something out but work/family commitments make it pretty hard to really get away on a proper road trip. Also once you get beyond the derpy shit you start to want to look at more risky stuff, but that's a non-starter for me as I can't really put myself in dangerous/illegal situations what with a job, children and a brewery dependent on me.

Sozza, dunno tbh mate. I've recently bought an MGB so that's keeping me busy at the moment.

 

[Boomstick84]

I understand where you're coming from.

As time goes on your general day to day commitments and responsibilities naturally change and it ultimately effects how much time you can spend out and about, traveling to locations that are a bit out of the way and generally just dicking around with your mates.

Wait till you have a kid. I went from being out pretty much every Friday night / weekend exploring to basically not having been on an explore in the last two years. As much as it pains me sometimes to miss out on all the amazing shit my mates are still getting up to I've ultimately accepted I won't be as active as I want to be for a while but the ooportunities I do get to go out I'll appreciate a whole lot more.

Also as Els said, once you've seen a few soggy derps they tend to lose their novelty and you start to crave that buzz again. This usually involves upping the ante and doing riskier stuff but this isn't always an option for some so it does mean hitting a bit of a wall after a point if that's the case.

Tough one to answer as everyone's situation is different, just got to take full advantage of the chances you do get I guess!

 

[Olkka]

@Boomstick84 Kid has gotta have priority, absolutely. Respect for that. When they get more independent you'll be back out, maybe a golden age of new UK sites will have emerged by then. Still got a fair few years before I'm at the considering kids stage.
@Els yeah, London and south east scene in general is weak at the moment compared to up north. My favourite place in the south east is actually some rather unrecognisable ruins on some marshland in the Thames estuary, super barren but something about the setting is captivating... http://coub.com/view/nyl0r
Nestle Tower and Cane Hill Chapel got locked up recently... Harperbury is shit, RAF Uxbridge all gone recently too. Even the sauna room and gym room of my lil' swimming pool got demolished last month ;(
I've heard this word derp a lot on this forum, didn't know what it meant until a few weeks ago. I guess everyone's definition will be different no? Threshold of beauty in trashed-up-ness varies for a lot of people. I'd say mine is somewhere in the middle. And then there's what type of stuff satisfies one's historical interests; hospitals, industry, drains... I don't have a particular one. I'm just craving epic at the moment.

 

[Speed]

UE tends to have its ups and downs and we are deffo in a down right now but who knows. Asylums came and we had some glory years followed by some down years then people realised they could get away with dodgy stuff like the tube etc. and it was back to epic every weekend. Then that dried up and not much happened for a bit. Then power stations all started closing and it was epic for a few years, now its back to a dry spell again.. Who knows, something political might happen at some point that closes something cool.. Maybe Corbyn will ditch trident and we can all go mooching around Aldermaston and Faslane. Sounds far fetched now but exploring Burlington or Aldwych used to be as far fetched. Literally just a joke that it would ever happen..

Like i say, you will never get any satisfaction following the tour trail. Find something you like and stick to that. This hobby is way more than just going out at the weekend on an explore, its a full time research mission, a constant hunt for what you like to see. Even the small things can bring satisfaction. Like searching for derelict public toilets or something like that. Doesn't have to be the next epic, just something your interested in. If the place you are going dont float your boat then stop going to them! You wont find me at the latest derp house because i just find them pretty boring. No need to go just because other people have, in fact more of a reason not to bother!

 

[TheTimeChamber]

I know what you mean - I hankered after the Northern asylums whilst at university, but could never quite raise the funds to get up to see them. I was lucky to have the southern ones to play in. Now I am at work and older, I only really have a few weekends and evenings when I can get out an explore. There is some local derp stuff that I haven't bothered with as it doesn't interest me, but a summers evening on the roof a weird office / derp house last summer was a nice way to pass the time. Which brings me to:

Like i say, you will never get any satisfaction following the tour trail. Find something you like and stick to that. This hobby is way more than just going out at the weekend on an explore, its a full time research mission, a constant hunt for what you like to see. Even the small things can bring satisfaction. Like searching for derelict public toilets or something like that. Doesn't have to be the next epic, just something your interested in. If the place you are going dont float your boat then stop going to them! You wont find me at the latest derp house because i just find them pretty boring. No need to go just because other people have, in fact more of a reason not to bother!

There is some satisfaction to be found from the tour trail - I had wanted to see the Leri Tweed mills for years because of the dereliction and colour, and only got round to it last summer as we were in the area. I turned tourist and paid them a visit and enjoyed myself. New undiscovered things are exciting and cool, as is seeing somewhere that you have found online and wanted to visit yourself. The whole tourist trail moans are elitist ramblings from old forum users sick of seeing the same site all the time (West Park 2009, Pyestock 2008 - 2010 etc etc etc).

 

[Exxperious]

Well worth a searching through your local area again. I took 6 months away and there has been a couple of half decent places pop up in that short space. Obviously it depends on what sort of quality you are looking for but I constantly surprise myself with new sites despite thinking I've covered all of them.

 

[m9]

Like i say, you will never get any satisfaction following the tour trail. Find something you like and stick to that. This hobby is way more than just going out at the weekend on an explore, its a full time research mission, a constant hunt for what you like to see.

This.

 

[mookster]

I've been there, done that with interest in regards to losing the buzz and all that comes with it. I don't like exploring something crap just for the sake of exploring 'anything', but I do enjoy casual wanders around ruined factories as I always find something to shoot in them somewhere.

I then discovered how much I enjoy documenting car graveyards, big small and everything in between - and now whenever I'm bored with exploring buildings I try and seek out new examples of them. As @Speed said, find what you are passionate about and spend the time researching that - you will never be bored then because there will always be something to search for.

 

[Speed]

Dont get me wrong ive seen load on the tourist trail and still do but if your going places just for the sake of it, because its the latest place everyone is going, then theres something massively wrong. If you have never been to a certain type of place then go check it out, but if you arnt getting a buzz from it or whatever then dont bother with that kind of thing again. If the latest place is the kind of thing you really like then go and fight off the hordes of others without any shame you will likely get a lot more out of it than they do anyway.

Seems like what your asking is how can i enjoy exploring a bit more. Like i say, it all about getting interested in more than just what you see other people doing and get your own interests and focus on them. All the places you mentioned to me were just the usual stuff but its all about finding your own stuff. It doesn't have to be anything major, just stuff locally or a genre of places that are easy to find. People go take photos of manholes and what not and still enjoy themselves..

 

[Kidney]

In the last few weeks I've done one of the big ones that if I'm honest with you is probably impossible to top personally and another local (but lesser known) smaller explore which both carried a totally differ set of risks RE entry. I will happy say I enjoyed both equally. I agree with Speed, I used to see the latest 'hotspot' come up on groups then go visit myself; it got boring. I felt like I'd seen the place before and was going through the motions taking the same generic shots. I still do the tourist trail from time to time (don't we all) but it's often months, if not years after unless it's something epic that is going to get sealed.

But then again what defines epic???

 

[TheTimeChamber]

Dont get me wrong ive seen load on the tourist trail and still do but if your going places just for the sake of it, because its the latest place everyone is going, then theres something massively wrong. If you have never been to a certain type of place then go check it out, but if you arnt getting a buzz from it or whatever then dont bother with that kind of thing again. If the latest place is the kind of thing you really like then go and fight off the hordes of others without any shame you will likely get a lot more out of it than they do anyway.

Agree with all of this - I misunderstood you last post

 

[mookster]

But then again what defines epic???

Epic is whatever you decide it to be. It might be a rooftop, it might be some sneaky underground, it might be a sprawling factory - that's the best thing about this hobby, everyone has different definitions of what 'epic' is. Even though there is the usual tourist trail that does the rounds everyone is in it for their own different reasons. What might be seen as epic to someone else may not be so to others, but members should never discourage other members for getting out and exploring stuff that may not be epic in their opinion - lord knows I've done my share of absolute dives in my time but every location is unique. Unless it's a ROC Post, they are all the damn same

 

[Olkka]

Yeah I like this Mooks. There's always a unique something-or-other in every dive.
I'm hankering after Cold-War era stuff right now though, I might have to plan a long trip to the CIS unless I learn how to abseil safely.

 

[mookster]

Yeah I like this Mooks. There's always a unique something-or-other in every dive.
I'm hankering after Cold-War era stuff right now though, I might have to plan a long trip to the CIS unless I learn how to abseil safely.

You need to get to Greenham Common and RAF Upper Heyford if you are after the cold war stuff.