# Popularity of this strange hobby.



## Gromr (Oct 5, 2016)

I recently starting playing with Google Trends seeing what is popular and what not. Anyway, I tried looking up 'Urban Exploration' which is actually listed as a Hobby. Results were interesting.

I always thought it was on a steady incline as interest in urbexing increased. However judging by this, interest has exploded in the last 12 months. 

Curiously, what happen in July 2011? Someone run a front page story it?


----------



## smiler (Oct 5, 2016)

Who the feck are you calling strange and where'd you get my drug test from.


----------



## krela (Oct 5, 2016)

Once upon a time (online at least) it was a very niche past time with a community of maybe 100 people, and everyone knew each other well.

Now it's a tourist trail where you have to queue up to view some places. 

Things change, nothing is ever static.

Such is life.


----------



## krela (Oct 5, 2016)

Also bear in mind that's worldwide trending, the UK is a small part of that. The 2011 spike could be from any country.


----------



## Mikeymutt (Oct 5, 2016)

This is why I now explore places what no one bothers with.or older places what we're in the limelight years ago.and I find that you go back several years after everyone has been the decay has set in more making it far more photogenic.I try to avoid the tourist trail now like the plague


----------



## mookster (Oct 5, 2016)

Mikeymutt said:


> This is why I now explore places what no one bothers with.or older places what we're in the limelight years ago.and I find that you go back several years after everyone has been the decay has set in more making it far more photogenic.I try to avoid the tourist trail now like the plague



Yes, me too. I take great pleasure in going places that have been forgotten, brushed over, or ignored by the 'tourist trail' of popular exploring. Granted I may visit the 'in the limelight' locations myself but I don't restrict myself to only what is currently popular on Instaface.

You have to explore what you want, to get out of the hobby what you want after all.


----------



## SlimJim (Oct 5, 2016)

The infiltration end of things is less busy. Not that I do a huge amount of it. Numpties won't go anywhere near anything where access isn't given to them on a plate and/or there's high chance of there being some unpleasant consequences if they're caught. They'll mostly do whatever locations they can ponce off other people. I do a little bit of everything, but I've gone off the derelícte fetishism type stuff. My love will always be with military stuff and underground places, especially ones that are big and/or mint. I'm sure the hype will die down eventually. I have other hobbies and a few bandwagon kiddies won't put me off getting out in the UK. Interesting to see how the interest has peaked though. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## Sam Haltin (Oct 5, 2016)

Thanks for the interesting information. Well, if you want to get off the tourist trail there's a host of abandoned/derelict hotels in Germany. I'm following one German Urbex explorer and he has come up with some real gems.


----------



## BarryLynch (Oct 6, 2016)

For us it was natural progression and fell into it, were older now and find that going down the town to get boozed is just simply boring, hence why we started looking at old derelict churches and "haunted" sites. I have always heard of urban exploring and when I used to live in Vancouver, I actually did a lot of it without knowing I was "Urban Exploring" in the east downtown & small municipalities but that's because I'm just always intrigued and enjoy older buildings. For us now going to these places and seeing them, plotting how to get in legally and evading security is part of the rush, however its the feeling of knowing that not many people will ever see this and enjoy it is my favourite part of it all.


----------



## brickworx (Oct 8, 2016)

Interesting data...imho I like taking pictures and getting out for the day, I'll visit anywhere, done not done, new old or older.....elitism isn't my thing and if something's enjoyable then why not share the love?


----------



## Conrad (Oct 8, 2016)

Interesting shout to look at the trend on google.

I know I haven't been in this hobby long, so this opinion could be thought of to be a bit presumptuous but..

It's to loud, it's going to reach critical mass if it hasn't already and go to shit. 

If you ask me a million people seeing a youtube exploration video is a problem, good luck to anyone who tries to pull of that explore after that. I briefly bumped into a group of base jumpers a couple of years ago and they were very clear that the exploration hype makes sites much harder to hit. 

Looking at the interactive graph the UK 2011 spike was april the 8th the same day that the media ran the story about Bradley Garret climbing the shard.


----------



## krela (Oct 8, 2016)

Konrad said:


> It's to loud, it's going to reach critical mass if it hasn't already and go to shit.



It hit critical mass and went to shit around 2009 when Facebook took over the world, it's been reasonably consistently bad since then. 

Professor Twatface Attentionwhore certainly didn't help either now you mention it.


----------



## mookster (Oct 8, 2016)

krela said:


> Professor Twatface Attentionwhore certainly didn't help either now you mention it.



It kind of started out the merry band of copycat followers also...


----------



## Cuban B. (Dec 3, 2016)

It's mainstream now. It used to be an underground thing, now you take the family out urbexing on a Sunday afternoon.


----------



## ironsky (Dec 22, 2016)

Perhaps people have realised that so many places are closing for good due to the downturn in the economy. Over the last few years the area where I live has seen some big changes many business that people took for granted and thought they would be around forever have gone many of the buildings that once housed them have become derelict or demolished. Urbex is one way to record them while the chance is their the only problem now is we have so called Urban Explorers who don't follow the rules cause problems for genuine explorers which could see the law changed . I don't think Urbex is now an underground hobby has its entered the mainstream media.


----------



## smiler (Dec 23, 2016)

krela said:


> It hit critical mass and went to shit around 2009 when Facebook took over the world, it's been reasonably consistently bad since then.
> 
> Professor Twatface Attentionwhore certainly didn't help either now you mention it.



Social media hasn't helped but a lot of folks who become enthused by reports and photographs cool off when they find out for themselves that it ain't that easy or straightforward, it flares up once in a while when some eejit talks to the media or posts something for their own ego boost.
The genuine one join a group or online forum dedicated to our hobby, I am genuinely surprised that there hasn't been more fatalities considering how many inexperienced and ill equipped folk chance their luck
Rant Over, I'll have a lie down


----------



## jhluxton (Dec 23, 2016)

I wonder how many stumbled into this as they were previously interested in exploring old railways, old mines etc but they were parts of another hobby? I was probably around 4 or 5 when my parents would stop off at old mine sites when we were on family holidays in Cornwall and by the age of 6 my parents had taken me to various accessible locations on old railway tracks. 

Whilst I joined the web in the early days of the mid 1990s I only probably discovered the urbex sites and forums 10 years or so ago when I was looking up information on the history of a particular site - at the time I considered what I was doing to be Industrial Archaeology.


----------



## MD (Dec 23, 2016)

Too many media whores now instagram etc 

its all spolit it


----------



## Goldie87 (Dec 23, 2016)

ironsky said:


> only problem now is we have so called Urban Explorers who don't follow the rules cause problems for genuine explorers which could see the law changed



What rules? The high council must have failed to notify me of those 

There's been hordes of people trying to do the umbex for years, difference was years ago a lot of people had a genuine interest in history, or climbing, or underground stuff etc etc. What has ruined it is Social
Media and all the like hungry goons just doing stuff to try and make a name for themselves.


----------



## smiler (Dec 23, 2016)

MD said:


> Too many media whores now instagram etc
> 
> its all spolit it



Nah it isn't MD, look at all posts just this site gets in a month, all good stuff and the only reward they get or want is the thanks of their peers and they far outnumber the, :media whores:


----------



## Mikeymutt (Dec 23, 2016)

jhluxton said:


> I wonder how many stumbled into this as they were previously interested in exploring old railways, old mines etc but they were parts of another hobby? I was probably around 4 or 5 when my parents would stop off at old mine sites when we were on family holidays in Cornwall and by the age of 6 my parents had taken me to various accessible locations on old railway tracks.
> 
> Whilst I joined the web in the early days of the mid 1990s I only probably discovered the urbex sites and forums 10 years or so ago when I was looking up information on the history of a particular site - at the time I considered what I was doing to be Industrial Archaeology.




Funny you say that.i have an interest in World War Two.and was googling norfolk war stuff.came across this forum.and that was it.thats how it snowballed.but I have always tried to stay true to my roots.history has always been a big thing for me.


----------



## MD (Dec 23, 2016)

smiler said:


> Nah it isn't MD, look at all posts just this site gets in a month, all good stuff and the only reward they get or want is the thanks of their peers and they far outnumber the, :media shores:



you dont get what i mean, its easier to post pictures on to FB than make a report 
plus people actually buy likes for their photography pages 
its all quite sad, i like forums so long as your links stay up there will always be a record of the site you visited 
FB you pictures get pushed down and forgotten by the next goon..


----------



## smiler (Dec 23, 2016)

MD said:


> you dont get what i mean, its easier to post pictures on to FB than make a report
> plus people actually buy likes for their photography pages
> its all quite sad, i like forums so long as your links stay up there will always be a record of the site you visited
> FB you pictures get pushed down and forgotten by the next goon..



I don't use Facebook, I may get my nosing about second-hand but I ain't sunk that low


----------



## Gromr (Dec 23, 2016)

I have to confess I have posted a set of my pictures from one explore on the 28DL facebook page to see what would happen, and got a reasonable amount of responses too(Most of them asking for a location mind you). 

The thing about it is that it feels more like a popularity contest rather than an appreciation of the historical aspects. Sure a lot of people love digging into the history and understanding the significance of somewhere. But for others i feel like its one big dick measuring contest about who did the 'coolest' explore and who is the most 'credible'. 

Personally I love the photographic side of it. Urbex is certainly the major driver of my photography hobby, but I get to combine it with the thrill of exploring and learning new bits of history as I go. 

It's a shame idiots are ruining it for everyone.


----------



## SlimJim (Dec 25, 2016)

I think there are a fair few glory hunters about, no doubt. These people will always be around, but you don't have to take any notice of them. Every hobby has it's elite, self entitled types, I've seen it in many communities and on many forums. I'm not interested in keeping up with them or locking horns, it's more about pushing my own personal boundaries and putting together great trips with my mates. Saying that, there are a great many talented and well organised explorers out there. I admire them for their persistence and the lengths they'll go to, to have an ace experience and get some great shots...even if they are sometimes a bit twattish. The hobby can be a great amalgamation of things: photography, travel, camping, rope stuff, etc. More recently though it's been a couple of hours mooch on a Sunday for me - no time and no one to go out with. Generally the UK scene is pretty "loud" as Konrad said. I can see myself hitting more of Europe from time to time. Exploring is whatever you want it to be and whatever you make of it really.


----------



## jhluxton (Jan 14, 2017)

I just thought I would share this photograph of myself in my early exploration days - 1965/6 taken at Giew Mine, Cornwall.





i was aged 5 or 6 the year either 1965 / 1966 taken by my mother on her Kodak 127 Brownie and extensively tweaked with Photoshop. 

At the time I had wanted her to just photograph the Mine Engine House for me - but she insisted I had to be included so as "not to waste the photograph!". 

It was to be at least 10 years before i was to learn the term "Industrial Archaeology" and probably 40 odd years before I was aware of "Urban Exploration"!

John


----------



## gervansimon (Jan 14, 2017)

jhluxton said:


> I just thought I would share this photograph of myself in my early exploration days - 1965/6 taken at Giew Mine, Cornwall.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


HAHAHA! 'Not to waste the photograph' That made me laugh- so typical of that generation 

Sent from my Y635-L01 using Tapatalk


----------



## jhluxton (Jan 14, 2017)

gervansimon said:


> HAHAHA! 'Not to waste the photograph' That made me laugh- so typical of that generation
> 
> Sent from my Y635-L01 using Tapatalk



Yes it was so typical - how many interesting photos could have been taken of a variety of subjects if the "household authorities" had not objected to one taking photos of non - human subjects! Fortunately within a year or so I was to be given my own Kodak 127 Brownie which was better than my mothers - it actually shot square images and produced 12 images rather than the 8 per roll as was the case with my mother's camera. My Brownie also had film advance / shutter setting which my mother's older camera lacked which had resulted in many images being wasted by unintentional double or even triple exposures!

However, getting my own camera didn't free me up entirely from restrictions as parents still controlled the purse strings - but fewer people appeared in my photos after that. Around 10 years later when my grandfather lent me his 35mm camera I never looked back and film / processing worked out much cheaper too with 36 shots on a roll!

John


----------



## Scattergun (Jan 15, 2017)

Cuban B. said:


> It's mainstream now. It used to be an underground thing, now you take the family out urbexing on a Sunday afternoon.



That'll be the new tagline. Couldn't be any truer.


----------

