Willington Power Station - May 2014

Visited with the Judderman, on a lovely hot day.

Having wanted to visit this place for ages, it didn't disappoint and it simply is what it is - bloody great cooling towers.

Not many cooling towers left around the UK any more, so it had to be done.







Should add these are disused cooling towers - and that is cloud above, not steam.
 







Is what it says on the tin - 9/10.

Moorcock Inn Hotel - May 2014

Solo mooch - the usual suspects tending to goats, once again decanting fine port and the Mystery Inc boys shaking their heads at weather forecasts whilst pointing repeatedly at the clouds.

I bring you The Moorcock Inn Hotel in Waddington, not to be confused with other fine establishments of a similar name, if in doubt use Tripadvisor not a derp blog you muppet !

Up on the wiley,windy moors in Lancashire overlooking Pendle we have The Moorcock Inn Hotel, having closed in late 2010 this place sits in development hell with the local council recently refusing planning permission for demolition and the building of houses.

I'm not really a fan of these kind of places, I'm more of an industrial site moocher and well its kind of reflected in the shit pictures - also the constant sound of gunfire was a little off-putting.

 

As way of an introduction, each hotel room info pack had a little warning of business uncertainty which is fucking marketing genius.


 

Many rooms benefited from classic views of Lancashire.


Welcome to the oak paneled bar area and ballroom, as still currently advertised online....









Anyway that was that really, it didn't rain but it just was a little bit shit.

- This place is still being advertised on the net, despite closing down years ago, so beware and please note that pets are by prior arrangement only.



 

Meh !!! 3/10 (that is with one whole extra point for not seeing a drop of rain the whole day).

Holdings Pottery, Lancashire - May 2014

A wrong turn, pressure to the brake pedal, reverse gear - well after all I had been meaning to visit for years would be rude not to stop and take a quick peek.

Sadly I arrived a few years late and oh my !! what a mess, this place really does seem to have rapidly gone down hill over the last 12 months.

My tour guide was Urban Spaceman, this had been one of his first explores years ago and he bumped into owner at the time of his last visit.




 

What can I say, a few interesting bits about the place, but my pics make it look better than it is and that is an overstatement !



 













Anyway it was time to march on.



5/10

Brindle Service Reservoir - May 2014

Not to be confused with the now demolished Clayton Le Woods reservoir, visited this one with Urban Spaceman, Tin Dog was otherwise engaged decanting port.

A thanks to Mr Powers who confirmed to Urban Spacman my map reading was correct, who needs Google Maps when you have a good old fashioned Ordnance Survey foldy paper thing to pour over.

- I do normally get it wrong - but I seem to be getting a lot better of late...
 

 

What we have here is by all accounts Lancashire's last remaining brick vaulted Victorian Service Reservoir.

A rather small, a little muddy and  rather wonderful hole in the ground.

On with some pics.
 



 



 



 

Rather like this place 6/10.

Coronation Street - April 2014

School holidays, time out from derping for a quick drive to Salford with Mrs Hunter and the Fraglets.
 

Well what can I say, first off I haven't watched Corrie for years, secondly I rather enjoyed it as did the rest of the gang.

A 45 minute tour of some of the old interior sets, make up areas and the dressing rooms followed by an as long as you want to potter around the cobbles of the famous street.

 

- The street itself is not very big and with the crowds you do have to have the patience of a saint to get your clear shots.

 

 





Took me 15 minutes to get this clear-ish shot.



 

Over all I would have give it 7/10 for a trip out, but given how much Mrs Hunter and the Fraglets loved it giving me some major Brownie Points, the final points come in at 10/10.

Selby Coalfield - April 2014

The fall of the the UK coal industry is well documented and perhaps now a little shortsighted in light of Mr Putin and his tightening his grip on the energy supply across Europe.

- With Russia having the caused the little issues of Chernobyl, Balakovo and Chlelyabinsk we obviously have nothing to worry about the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom building a cluster of nuclear power stations across the UK, ignoring any possible issues with the events currently bubbling over from the slowly creeping invasion of the Ukraine.

Anyway that aside and the impending power shortages, we, the UK used to have a massive coal industry, with the Selby setup producing over 121 million tonnes in its relatively short lifespan.

The Selby Superpit was made up of Wistow Mine, Stillingfleet Mine, Riccall Mine, North Selby Mine, Whitemoor Mine with all the coal being brought to the surface at Gascoigne Mill.

Finally closing in 2004, 2014 and we, Judderman and myself visited the two of the sites this sunny Easter Weekend,  being of modern construction, a little bland and well the pictures say it all, enjoy.

First off Wistow Mine, which sadly has very few redeeming features being of breeze block construction and pretty is featureless.
 







Back to the cars and on to North Selby Mine, more of the same, with many of the buildings again having been demolished.

Thankfully North Selby does have a few interesting little bits left, but again not the most exciting of places.

 









 


Big thanks to Judderman for his planning resulting in a very enjoyable day of pottering around the Yorkshire countryside, a beautiful part of the country with lots of hidden surprises.....