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Tuesday 28 August 2012

Baron Hill Estate, Beaumaris

Down in the jungle where nobody goes.
There's a great big elephant washing his clothes.
With a rub-a-dub here and a rub-a-rub there.
That's the way he washes his clothes.
A tiddley- I-Tie A boogey woogey woogey A tiddley- I-Tiea boogey woogey wooge.
That's the way he washes his clothes.

Well that's how the song goes and as explores go this was fun, Boys Own stuff - mud, brambles, nettles, more mud, climbing over fallen trees blocking our path, more mud.

This was the jungle of, errrr Wales.

Originally built in 1618, reconstructed 1776, used as a billet for Polish soldiers during World War 2 who "accidently" set fire to the building.

The property is now a shell slowly being enveloped  by the plant life - despite being cut back in recent years the triffids are rapidly taking over !!!

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It was a picture of the above lodge house that sparked my interest in this place, it sits on one of the old driveway bridges on route to the house. However the pictures I'd seen showed a clear path, our route was overgrown and full of fallen trees which needed climbing over to continue our journey.

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Welcome to the jungle !!!

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- Visited with Jdub, as the Urban Spaceman was otherwise engaged in his shed.

Monday 27 August 2012

Kiwie at the Duke of Lancaster

Turns out the artist KIWIE is the master of the work at the Duke of Lancaster

Duke of Lancaster

The renowned Latvian artist worked under the watchful eye of the onsite security over a number of days.




What next, the story continues....

A Return to the Duke of Lancaster - August 2012

Anyone who regularly reads my blog knows I have a soft spot for the Duke of Lancaster, the ghost ship of Mostyn, North Wales - take a look at my aerial shots.

Having seen heard the rumours, seen the artists website, Jdub and I jumped in the car for a noisey.

The artists webpage Dudug, makes out that they beat security and they are counting down to something special happening on the night of  27th August.

We arrived early Sunday morning and nice artwork, but it was obvious it was done with agreement of the owners of the ship, given the height of the artwork and the new notices posted around the site (printed on plastic).

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hmmmmm, anyway on with the proper pics

 Duke of Lancaster

Duke of Lancaster

Duke of Lancaster

Duke of Lancaster

Duke of Lancaster

Duke of Lancaster

Duke of Lancaster

It was at this time security turned by, but given that we were on a public footpath he shouted to us "do you like it !?"

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Continuing to the "beach" we walked across the rocks, the tide was out and the security razor wire ended, so rightly or wrongly we wandered to the bow of the ship - as you would...

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It was at this point the security guard turned up and told us we were trespassing and told us to leave, not sure if we were or not, it was borderline in my mind, we didn't argue.

- Dear owners if your now courting publicity (as it would seem) put some new security wire up on the beach, to avoid any confusion.

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The saga continues.....


Tuesday 21 August 2012

The Ghost Ship Duke of Lancaster - hit by graf artists

The Ghost Ship of North Wales has been painted by graffiti artists.

Beached at Llanerch-y-Mor, The Duke of Lancaster is known locally at the Fun Ship.

Ghost Ship - Duke of Lancaster

Duke of Lancaster



Full details of the work/attack and photos can be found at DuDug

- Its currently thought this may possibly be a publicity stunt by the owners, as despite the video above, painting was also spotted during daylight hours with a scaffolding tower on site.

A brief report also can be found in the local newspaper The Leader

- further info on this Welsh curiosity can by found with my blog, Ghost Ship and then my return by air.

The Challenge of Aerial Photography


First off if your looking for a “how to do it guide” your reading the wrong blog, to be honest I’m learning by trial and error, and I suppose this is a bit of waffle is to show case the pictures that didn’t make it and you wouldn’t normally get to see – the outtakes.

A bit of background, the pilot Captain Pugwash is a similar age to myself, I’ve known him most of my life and I trust him explicitly with my life (which helps).

The plane, a CTSW by Flight Design is compact and modern in design.

 Flight Design CTSW Microlight

If you read up on aerial photography they always say Cessna or use a helicopter with the door open (sorry you can count me out from dangling from a bloody helicopter) so with this in mind I asked Pugwash why he chose the CTSW over a Cessna.

“Costs about £20 per hour in fuel (then there's finance, insurance, hangarage, maintenance costs etc) whereas a two seat Cessna would probably be something around £80 per hour in fuel.

My CT is cheaper to maintain than a Cessna. More economical. Newer. Better equipped. Doesn't guzzle oil. Plus I reckon it looks a bit sexier than a Cessna.”

So there you have it cheap and sexy, just how he likes his women.

The thing about aerial photography is I find it is very hit and miss, your cramped, your surrounded by shining plexiglass and to be honest you just waste so many shots (or I do) fighting against haze or sunlight.

Generally you can spin the plane round to get another few shots, but this set of The Needles taken on the Round Britain Rally couldn’t be retaken as every minute counted, Pugwash was racing against the clock and the adverse weather that chased us at every turn and threw the plane around.

Needles - reject 

Map !!!! reflections !!! - That's my shoe you can see in the water

Needles - reject

Needles - reject

Needles - reject

Needles - reject

But in the end we get got a cracker !!!

Needles

 



Sunday 19 August 2012

The Bus Graveyard, Lancashire

I'd seen the reports, I'd spotted it from the plane - It was on my doorstep, I just couldn't find it.....

Bus Graveyard, Bolton


Roll on 7 months and Urban Spaceman phones to say he has figured out the exact spot and off we went on another Sunday mooch.

Nice little place this, we had a chat with the farmer and swapped business cards and agreed to take some pictures of his new project in exchange for a mooch round his collection of decaying buses.

The buses are donor buses for a local preservation society and have slowly reduced in numbers over the years.

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 Thanks for looking, this place was full of wildlife and the farmer would prefer you ask to mooch as he has a number of wildlife projects in hand.

 URBEXERS AGAINST 
VANDALISM