TRIP 1

Having seen something on the news about this place, I wondered whether it would be possible. I was discussing it with Oxygen Thief at Pyestock when a security guard interrupted the conversation. I then did a reccie of the site looking for possible breach points. I discovered one, and came back the following night.

As one might imagine, the security at the site is top notch, well, pretty top notch. I sat in a darkened spot where I couldn't be seen, and waited until a security van on the outside of the perimeter finally drove off. I then plucked up the courage and went for it. With each movement I expected to be caught or trigger some alarm. But no, a quick hop hear and there and I was in an old building that'd been gutted.

The upper floor of the building

I gave it a quick explore, admiring the iron work that was exposed. I then worked my way as much in the shadows as I could to the energy centre. Popping up to the roof to get some bearings. 

As I was there I heard voices and footsteps of several people, panicking I hid behind some pipes. They seemed to go straight past me down below. A sneaky check showed they were rail workers walking along the tracks outside the fence.

I hoped to climb the energy tower, and shuffled across for a look, however no joy, as there was no way up, other than shinnying up the frame, which I didn't fancy and would have been quite visible.

On leaving the energy centre, I sat off across in the direction of the Stadium, keeping to shadows wherever possible. A security car drove up to a security hut, with it's orange light flashing on the roof. I was well away, so not worried. I passed a large collection of site offices, and then a concrete mixing plant.

Another of the Olympic buildings under construction. Only two years to go people, chop chop!

I crept along avoiding where possible the security cars driving about, cctv posts etc. While working around a large dump truck, I managed to wander into some quicksand like substance and went in up to my knee. I worked my way out, and around a large pile of gravel mix or something. I could clearly see the bridge to the stadium, however there was a stack of admin cabins with lights on inside and out. I backed up and hoped across the road, crawling beside the large blocks lining the road. I got to the bank of the canal that had the stadium on the other side.

I was looking to get to the bridge, when some security people starting pointing torches along the bank where I was. There was little cover other than some pipes, so I tried to get behind them the best I could. After they walked off, I got back to the other side of the road, and worked my way back out. As I walked from the canal a security car pulled up with the engine running. I didn't stop to look and the person in the car didn't get out.

Trip 2 to come

TRIP 2 - March 2010

Following my first trip into the Olympic Park, several things had happened on the 28DL Urbex forum. Firstly an explorer called Za_Gringo had put up a report in the members section, but it was quickly taken down by the poster. Secondly I had very dumbly bragged about getting into the Olympic Park to Oxygen Thief (owner of 28DL Forum) & Alias (annoying keyboard warrior with dwarfism). I had been talking to Oxygen Thief about doing it back when we were nabbed at Pyestock. Then, a week after I'd originally got in, Alias, Siologen, Snappel, Rooks & Zero, got into the Stadium itself. Which, not something I wanted to admit at the time, was the main goal for the site. Although one could add the roof of the Aqua centre. Then Alias posted up his report, first in private and later in public to extract as much glory as possible from his one explore of the year. I do like digging my own holes!

N.B. **It should be noted that i'd recently bought a Canon 7D for this trip, and had no idea about ISO speeds. I knew that 100 was good, and noise increases with each increase. My Canon 40D only went up to 800, and you would have to force it for up to 1600. For a night exposure i used to just put it on 'P' mode and shoot. When I did it at Olympic Park, the Canon 7D without asking, just shot at 3200ISO. Hence why the pics are worse than usual.**

Less than a week later, and I pull up near Rotherhithe Tube station. The Brunel tunnel under the Thames is open to the public. I'm here to meet Kevin Arnold. We'd talked about doing something for a while, and I said I wanted to go back to the Olympic Park, and he was up for it. And so, just like John Lennon meeting Paul McCartney at the Woolton Fete in Liverpool, Kevin and I had unknowingly began one of the most successful exploring duos on the London Explore scene. We would go on to explore so much of London, and never got caught. I don’t know why he chose Kevin Arnold as a nickname, and oddly, I never asked. He was Polish for a start!

Sadly, we hadn't realised you were supposed to pre-book the Brunel Tunnel, so after a quick wander around, we hopped on the scooter to Bow/Stratford.

On arriving I parked up near the main Stratford Station. I had originally entered on the Western side of the site, but after reading the report Za_Gringo had put up, I realised that the entrance was going to be easier on the other side. There was mention of going in near the Aqua Centre. We started to walk along the roads near the perimeter. There were train tracks criss-crossing the area, and I was concerned access would have involved crossing them. Something I wasn't keen or likely to do. So we kept moving on around. I found a dirty looking warehouse building that I thought may contain something. We walked around the back, but no joy, we also found we weren't alone, and quickly tip-toed out.

We came to an area with lots of new buildings being worked on in various stages of completion. We also came to a canal which ended our progress. Next to it was a stripped building. We popped inside for a better look around the area. We could see a security post with a bored security guard inside it, we could also see a way into the site. However right next to us was a block of apartments looking down onto the area we'd have to cross. We decided to wait a bit longer and let people go to bed and things become quieter. As we did, we heard footsteps coming up the stairwell. It being a stripped building there wasn't anywhere to hide, so we stood behind the stairwell where it bulges into the room. We were then confronted by 3 distinctly East European looking transients, carrying cheap booze and using a mobile phone light to guide them. A brief exchange in bad English looking for cigarettes, and off they went. We later found them joking and drinking on the ground floor, before settling down for the night.

After some brief shut eye on the top floor, it was time for action. We left the building and ran around to hop into the site. I went to see if access was possible along the canal side to clear a bridge, but no joy. So we crept along under a bridge, where not far away a truck was idling. After a while of anxiously looking around for the truck driver/s, we decided they weren't, and climbed up to the bridge above us. It was a bit open, but sometimes you have to take the risks. From the top we could see the path before us and the canals and roads cutting up said path. The brown canal runs diagonally through the site in the pic below. As do the well-lit bridges, making stealth tricky. This was going to be fun!

Another place i'd like to visit, even at this hour was still being worked on unfortunately, the Aqua centre. Allegedly Downfallen had made it to the roof.

Kev was keen to go left here, so we walked not far from the perimeter fence around the site, until we were closer to the stadium. We then followed a narrow man made ditch most of the way to the site. This involved quickly crossing open ground, ducking under bridges, avoiding annoying a group of ducks, and getting to a road. All this way, there had been ambient light from the many lights on the site. We could have been spotted relatively easily at any point. Roads were a bit different, as from previous experience, I knew that the security patrol cars drove around at a fair old pace, and it wouldn't be good to be seen crossing the brightly lit road. There was also some kind of small worker hut suitable for one person. We weren't sure if it was occupied. So tried to view it from different angles. It seemed empty, so we bolted across the road into an unlit area of open muddy ground, divided up by fencing. A gate left open made things easier.

Finally, we were within one canal of the stadium. It meant crossing a bridge only lit by ambient light. Kev spotted a single dome cam sat off to the side of the bridge and between the bridge and the stadium. There was nothing for it but to crawl across the outer bridge, leaving a 50cms high concrete wall to hide us from the camera. We got dirty, and I ravaged my knees on that crawl. We finally got to the end of the bridge, and were 25m from the stadium. Just that pesky dome cam. I legged it first to the stadium, crouching the first 15m behind various traffic dividing blocks lying about. The last 10m I just legged it. I was then in the shadows under the stadium. I looked about and signalled to Kev to come. We were now under the seating of the stadium, all the supports built up around us.

Kev whipped up the stairs, and we were in the stadium itself. Another problem now arose. Although there was no seating, there was the bright creamy white concrete sections that the seats would go on. We were wearing dark ninja sty-lee colours. Queue lightning fast run up the steps to the top of the stadium after checking there was no movement in the darkened stadium. Even when we got to the top, there was no real cover. We had to put some panels up which meant we could lie down and wouldn't be seen. Kev took some photos first while I kept an eye out, and then we swapped over duties. Looking down from the top of the stadium. Not all of the light gantries have been put up, and some sat in the middle of the stadium.

I have to say, from the top it didn't look that big. What was big, was my excitement at making it here, but luckily a sign was able to cover that up.

I also grabbed a shot of the view over the site towards the Aqua centre.

We then looked up, and saw the observation gallery that rings the stadium above the stands. A quick climb up some noisy metal steps, and we were up. It was here that the obvious 'ooh look what I done' photos would have to be taken.

Myself in front, Kev behind. The stands running to the centre of the stadium below.

After we got down, we were quickly descending to our entry point, when Kev spotted some black dots moving on the far side of the stadium. We hid behind the back of an audience entry point low wall, and watched. The 2 guys in black just seemed to run into the stadium, and 15 seconds later run out again. Relieved, we quickly went down the entry ramp. I wanted to see more of the stadium and get to the running track. Kev was concerned about being caught, so stayed near the audience entrance stairs in the dark.

Before me were the tiny steps of the lower stands, the seat rails already in place.

After constant checking and creeping about, I got onto the track via a ditch. I set up the 10second timer on the camera and assumed the appropriate position. The lit up area behind me is the commentary and VIP booths.

A quick shot up the stadium from the bottom of the lower tier, and time to re-join Kev for the exit. The white concrete band in the centre of the pic is the end of the top tier of stands.

We then reversed the way we'd come, caring a bit less about being seen, but still no desire to be caught. It felt good to come down from the bridge, and be within striking distance of the exit. The truck had finally been moved by someone. I'd stopped to get some photos from the bridge, so Kev was ahead of me on exiting. I came out from the last bridge and was walking on the inside of the hoarding when I became aware a site security car was on the other side. I ran to the access point and stumbled through, making more noise than I’d have liked. I found Kev inside the stripped building, and we kept low for a bit.

The security van was slowly backing up and was near the window we were trying to spy from. We decided it was time to leave and left the building and walked up the road as calmly as possible. The security car slowly followed us, and then stopped at the crossroads. We didn't look back and walked off through a housing estate on footpaths. Back over the tube line, and near my Vespa, we were able to breathe a sigh of relief. It was a brilliant infiltration and our first successful explore together. Many more were to follow.