Information - Top Explores of 2021

[HughieD]

What were your top explores of 2021? Post your highlights of 2021 below. Can be Top 5, Top 10 etc or just the best place you went in 2021...

Here's mine...

So that was the year that was. Been a weird one. One where we’ve at least been able to get back to exploring, albeit in a slightly different brave new world. Usually, my best explores would be peppered with places overseas, including quirky, lesser-seen sites in Hong Kong, along with the odd European explore. This year, though, with overseas travel being permitted but difficult, while I’ve been able to get out-and-about my main holiday was to North Wales, hence all the explores here are from the UK.

Big shout out to the people I explored with this year. Always a pleasure to meet up with @Bikin Glynn and to explore with my two non-forum member explore buddies Jason and Dale. Also, big up to @Ojay and the forum mods who keep this place running. And all you guys on here that contribute regularly and make this the best urbex website on the web.

I’ve really been getting into mines of recent so a good proportion of my Top 10 are underground. There’s also 4-5 explores that would have made the Top 10 but aren’t included because they needed to be posted in NP or, in some cases, not at all.

Hence here are my Top 10 explores of 2021:

1. Dawson’s Fabrics, Skelmanthorpe, May 2021

Report: HERE

This place is epic. Tried a while back but failed, so very pleased to be finally able to tick it off. It’s got everything you could want from an industrial explore; machines, labs, decay and the bale shoot! Explored with Jason.

2. Rhosydd Slate Mine, Blaenau Ffestiniog, August 2021

Report: PENDING

This was the pick of the Welsh slate mines I did in the Summer. Still not managed to get the report up yet. It’s massive and I only really scratched the surface. It’s a bit of a hike but well worth it, given the extensive over-ground remains and equally impressive underground workings. Solo explore.

3. Holme Bank Mine, Bakewell, Derbyshire, June 2021

Report: HERE

Made two visits to this former chert mine in the space of a couple of weeks in June. It’s all on the level but the maze-like passages keep you on your toes and mean a map of the workings, which are actually two mines, is essential. Plenty on old remnants left and you could literally spend hours in this place. Explored with Jason and then again with Dale.

4. Heanor Grammar School, Derbyshire, August 2021

Report: HERE

A bit of old school old school. Had our eye on this place for a while. Eventually we found a tortuous way in. Pretty empty but some lovely internal features still left plus loads of great decay. We got busted just as we were about to leave and were escorted out by the very reasonable security man. Explored with Dale.

5. RAF Hospital Nocton Hall, Lincolnshire, May 2021

Report: HERE

Permission visit. Never cracked this place in the past so with extensive small-group tours being offered by the enthusiastic Mary, it was a no-brainer. Turned out to be a fantastic tour and got a really good look round this old urbex classic. Who can evert tire of those corridors? Tour with my mate Gazza.

6. Kirklees College, Huddersfield, November 2021

Report: HERE

This place has been around for ages but only really came to my attention when my mate did it. It’s a massive place and is now right and royally trashed. That said, was bowled over by the sheer size of the place and the fantastic decay of the older for infirmary part of the site. A pleasant surprise. Explored with Dale and Jason.

7. Wapping Mine/Cumberland show cavern, Matlock, Derbyshire, November 2021

Report: HERE

This place is absolutely massive and really is a game of two halves: the rough and rocky former lead mine then the manicured show mine section. Explored with @Bikin Glynn . Loads to see here and far more to see than we could manage in the two-or-so hours we were in here. Explored with Bikin.

8. Bontddu Hall, Dolgellau, North Wales, July 2021

Report: HERE

This place became a bit of a Facebook/Goontube hotspot. Luckily managed to get round this place before it got tour-bused. Enjoyable explore but sad to see such a fine building in such a state. Be interested to see what the future holds for this place. Solo explore.

9. Watersaw Mine, Stoney Middleton, Derbyshire, May 2021

Report: HERE

Having done its sister mine the previous year it was time to check out this extensive fluorspar barytes lead mine. Unfortunately, couldn’t explore as much of the mine as we wanted to due to collapses but got to see enough of the place to get a feel for it. Explored with Dale and @ikkdjct

10. George Barnsley’s, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, April 2021

Report: HERE

Familiarity breeds contempt, apparently. Not in the case of GBs. Why am I including this here? Well, yes, it may not be as good as it was back in its heyday, but it was still doable in 2021 and there was still a lot to see. Ultimately, the pictures do the talking and there were plenty of them so again, this old classic makes it into my Top 10. Explored with @Bikin Glynn

OK – goodbye to 2021. Here’s to an exciting 2022. Stay safe and keep exploring.

 

[Mikeymutt]

Some very nice bits there mate. More over ground stuff than I expected. Here are a few of mine from some of the places this year. Not as many as normal this year. The first three months I did none due to a harsh lockdown. But still managed a fair bit over the year, including a lot of finding local stuff to photograph.

Trowse Pumping station. Been here before but always nice to get back in this local Victorian pumping house whilst it was open briefly again.

Barbly munitions, I really enjoyed this Victorian explosive works. Was really up my street and quite complete.

Ridge lea hospital has some beautiful corridors with lovely decay and colours.

Visited this old carpenters workshop numerous times and still enjoy going back. With its old belt driven saw and other retro machinery.

Hempstead mill is a local mill that I have visited before. I thought it was long converted and went to check the bakery near it and was surprised to see it derelict still. And with all the machinery intact still.

Not technically derelict. But over the summer I managed to visit about fifteen disused Norfolk churches that are under the trust. Some of these poor churches are struggling now with low funding.

Maltby school. This heavily visited school was still enjoyable to visit with some nice tiling throughout.

This eye clinic on the old hospital grounds gave us a real traditional hospital explore and was my first explores after lockdown. One that got quite busy later on.

The old convent had the most stunning hall of worship. With some nice residential parts to it.

The old three bridge mill is another lovely example of a mill withintact machinery in it.

I went out looking for old starfish decoy bunker and kq decoy bunkers used to generate fires and lights for fake airfields and cities. I still have some more of these to complete next year

Like Hughie I really enjoyed Dawson's fabrics though I did not get to see it all.

This firmer rail maintenance depot at Ashford offered some stunning large industrial rooms. And a former glimpse into our old rail heritage.

Wyebugs research labs was one of the most unique and interesting places of the year. With a great mixture of stuff to see it was really interesting and not some old greenhouses.

Another local visit what has been around for years. I had been before and just done the extraction pipes and boiler house. So was nice to go back and get in the kilns with the big fans. Then go back a few months later to see inside the main workshop what has always been locked tight

Hope you all have a great year exploring in 2022 of whatever is left out there.

 

[mookster]

I had a somewhat 'average' year, really. I didn't get out nearly as much as I have done for ages, due to work and to be honest losing a lot of the 'get up and go' I once had, I actually really enjoyed spending weekends doing nothing for a change rather than constantly trying to plan stuff. Not being able to go abroad really knocked my enthusiasm a fair bit too, even though I did get out to Spain in September it wasn't an exploring trip and I only had extremely limited free time.

I did, however, spend an awful lot more time in Wales this year than I have any previous year, which was good fun.

Chipping Norton Hospital, finally getting inside a full ten years after it closed was a highlight. It was very swiftly sealed again and is now a pile of rubble.

Rosset Holt Care Home in Tunbridge Wells had probably the best surprise of the year for me. A couple of friends went back a few days after my visit and ran into the very irate Eastern European owners and the car has now been removed.

I finally got the chance to revisit Tonedale Mill a full six years since my first visit, and shortly before the roof of the engine house collapsed. Still the best engine house anywhere (fight me 1v1)

And I finally got to see arguably one of the most beautifully naturally decayed chapels in all of Wales.

Here's hoping 2022 will be a good year for all.

 

[Wally_urbex]

Some good explores there mate :

 

[tumbles]

I’ve not even managed 5 explores

 

[Wevsky]

I went out once. and i cant post any of the pics in here.. sad times to be an ageing explorer

 

[KPUrban_]

I'll jump in with a quick few off the top of my head.

It hasn't really been much of a year in comparison to that of 2019 but I have somehow managed more locations than last. With only a few days remining to kick up the numbers here's a quick run down.
I'd personally put this down to the lack of "getting going" at the start of the year, or as I call it: urbextile dysfunction, with the later half being a little slow. My excuses?
- Trouble organizing
- Work and Training
- Peugeot
A lot of the stuff I/we did cover this year consisted of stuff that had been on the to-do list for a lengthy amount of time.
There is more to show but they can either not really be posted here or I am yet to finish visiting or haven't bothered to begin looking at the photos.

A Quick Top 5

Robert Fletcher's And Son
April 2021
Was good to get this ticked off the list and was a particularly entertaining visit.
Link: Click Here

Everton Library
May 2021
Again, another off the t-do list.
Link: Clicky Here

Wye College Labs
November 2021
Can't go wrong with a load of laboratories can ya? Although I doubt there are many of them left as of now.
Report From Myself Pending: Link to alternate Report

Daltons Fabric
April 2021
The tickets aboard the tourbus were plentiful, although I still had to drive myself.
Report Yet To Be Produced

Houghton Grange - Pirbright Institute
Mid - Late 2021
Yep. It was quite obvious wasn't it?
Mostly all gone now with the grange house starting to revert to her former glory.
Report Link Here?

Worthy Mention
EE Lightning XR725
Not the usual abandoned or derelict stuff posted here but disused never-the-less and one of many aircraft left about the country and one of many drone images.
Historical Reading

That'll be all.
KP_

 

[chills]

My 2021 also lacked for exploring. I still don’t drive and as Mookster said, a lack of get up and go to find things further afield. I only uploaded two reports however a few spots and events did stand out as favourites.

First we have Haddon Tunnel in Derbyshire (report here: https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/haddon-tunnel-bakewell-derbyshire-july-2021.131165/)

This was a great spot purely due to the photogenic natural fauna.

The next lot I haven’t uploaded reports on, but where applicable, I will get something uploaded soon

Next I refer to a report from @scrappy back in 2020 on the Birmingham Municipal Bank. (His report here: https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/birmingham-municipal-bank-jan-20.126412/)

I was lucky enough to get an insight into the now developed site and the bits you normally don’t get to see including the vaults as seen in his report. Now used by the University of Birmingham, many original details remain. I will upload a bit of an update onto Scrappys’ thread with more snaps in the near future.

Next we’re back to Derbyshire for Holme Bank/Chirt Mine.

Slightly closer to home, I ticked off a few more drains and rivers.

And to end my round up, I watched some horror movies at Halloween in the woods with a few of you lot..

Had a party in mine..

And had a party on top of a white cliff..

To 2022, seeing more and meeting more of you, Chills out ✌

 

[tweek]

Tick off list.

 

[Mr.Ziggystardust]

First year of urbex and still finding my feet, and deciding what I like and what's not for me. Probably the opposite of quotes in this thread regards "get up and go", I'm constantly looking for somewhere and try whenever I'm free.
My only rule is if I can't get in with my dog it's a no go.
Did many classics, top 5
RAF Spadeadam

After reading all the reports on this place had to try, was a bit wary of having to go through forests, streams, bogs ect, but when we got there just decided to walk along the path, 4 miles but we'll worth it.

Llanberis bomb store

This was a stopover, whilst visiting other sites in the area, and I loved it, the surrounding area is Erie and the abandoned roads give it that apocalypse feel.

Denbigh asylum

This is the explore that made me wish I'd got into exploring a few years earlier, managed to get into outer site, but then got caught by security, our first "your trespassing" encounter.
Just being near the site was enough it's epic.

Dinorwic

Did this over 2 days, vast beautiful landscape.

Dorothea quarry

One of our first quarry visits, probably on my list because it's so photogenic.

Thanks for looking.

 

[Wevsky]

First year of urbex and still finding my feet, and deciding what I like and what's not for me. Probably the opposite of quotes in this thread regards "get up and go", I'm constantly looking for somewhere and try whenever I'm free.
My only rule is if I can't get in with my dog it's a no go.
Did many classics, top 5
RAF Spadeadam

After reading all the reports on this place had to try, was a bit wary of having to go through forests, streams, bogs ect, but when we got there just decided to walk along the path, 4 miles but we'll worth it.

Llanberis bomb store

This was a stopover, whilst visiting other sites in the area, and I loved it, the surrounding area is Erie and the abandoned roads give it that apocalypse feel.

Denbigh asylum

This is the explore that made me wish I'd got into exploring a few years earlier, managed to get into outer site, but then got caught by security, our first "your trespassing" encounter.
Just being near the site was enough it's epic.

Dinorwic

Did this over 2 days, vast beautiful landscape.

Dorothea quarry

One of our first quarry visits, probably on my list because it's so photogenic.

Thanks for looking.

awesome taking your dogs with you.One very big word of advice/warning. careful where you take them, lots of debris on the floors that will fuck up their paws, old buildings are rife with broken glass and old nails in wooden boards etc