Exploring the UK 2020 – Urbex in the COVID-19 era

Highlights From This Trip

• Local daytrips
• Wild camping in Scotland
• Weekend in Lincolnshire
• Revisits, and success at classic locations
• Social distanced exploring is indeed possible!

COVID-19 strikes – UK in lockdown (twice)

2020 marked dramatic changes for all of us. With the rise of COVID-19, the world changed rapidly. The UK was put into lockdown, everyone had to make sacrifices and do their part to slow the spread. Many things we took for granted were suddenly no longer possible. Simple things, like hanging out with your friends in the pub. Popping over to play video games at a mates house. No nightclub nights and house parties. A beautiful summer that could have seen many group BBQs, had to be enjoyed apart. Even seeing family was no longer possible for many people. We became a nation of isolated households, living in tiny social bubbles.

Exploring in the era of social distancing, social bubbles and local lockdowns

As lockdown was lifted or relaxed, we were permitted to meet friends. Little by little restrictions were relaxed or lifted entirely. Additionally, there was the advent of “social bubbles” and “support bubbles”. In between local lockdown, we were now permitted more freedom to explore as long as care was taken. Then came tiered systems, and Lockdown 2.0. Steps forwards and backwards, waxing and waning with the virus infection statistics.

Initially, I visited local places during the spring/early summer. If the weather was nice I would take a drive out with my camera. Eventually, I was able to meet friends at a location and do a socially distanced exploring. Later in the summer, weekend trips with one person were permitted while still following the guidelines. We visited Lincolnshire and Scotland in groups of two, enjoying the warm summer nights and wild-camping in our individual tents.

One benefit of only being able to explore in the UK is it encouraged me to revisit locations. This included places I had failed at several times before; such as Fallen Empire Theatre and Blue Green Bingo Hall.

Staying positive , focussing on the highlights

• Slept under a Cold War-era radar dish and photographed the stars
• Explored underground air raid shelters, with wonderful artwork
• Six stunning theatres, one about to undergo renovation
• Explored a huge, decaying hospital
• Enjoyed some amazing industrial locations; including a sprawling colliery, a brush factory, cooling towers and a wallpaper factory
• Wondered the halls of a traditional abandoned Tudor mansion
• Explored more of the Staffordshire potteries, including a revisit to Falcon Works Pottery
• First exploration/photography trip to Scotland
• Wild camped next to a Scottish castle
• Explored 6 churches
• A quick trip to East Germany (with 14 days quarantine upon return!)
• Unexpected Victorian greenhouse find!
• Some great car graveyards; a barn of Jaguars, fire engines, burnt out car dealership and Citroen graveyard in the woods