Tonight, we thought we’d take a closer look at a phenomenon known as urban exploration (or urbex).

Urbex is the practice of gaining access to places the public don’t normally get to see, then exploring and often photographing them.

There is a whole world of high places, subterranean labyrinths and abandoned buildings that most of us have never experienced.


From half-built skyscrapers to storm drains to derelict asylums, urban explorers are devoted to finding, accessing and documenting these sites.

For some it’s a hobby, for others it’s a way of life.

So what is it that’s so seductive about these places? What compels these people to jump fences, evade security and brave often hazardous structures that are otherwise ignored, neglected, even vandalised?

This is a difficult question – each explorer would probably give you a different answer. Being an urban explorer is kind of like being a historian, an artist and a ninja all at once.

It’s about entering the unknown, experiencing and capturing the unique atmosphere and beauty of a decaying or empty space, and the physical challenge of getting in and out without being caught.

The unofficial but often-quoted urbex motto is “Take only pictures, leave only footprints.” This symbolises a philosophy that’s based on a respect for the architecture and the history within (but good luck telling that to the 17 stone security gorilla who’s just caught you on his site!)

There are a few ‘holy grails’ for urban explorers, such as the Catacombs in Paris and the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in Ukraine, but new places are being discovered all the time.

People have also been known to infiltrate live sites, simply for the views, the thrills and the incredible photos these places yield.

These guys often get a pretty bad press, but are they really doing anyone any harm?

We’re not condoning trespassing or putting yourselves in dangerous situations, but it’s hard not to be amazed by some of the shots urban explorers have captured. We’ve included a few here, but get on Google and you’ll find plenty more, along with a big online community of urbex enthusiasts.

We’ll leave you with this video of some explorers fooling about in the partially-demolished Inverkip Power Station in Scotland: