Another one Previously visited in 2009, but with bare feet, 1 torch between 3 and Lucy taking a tumble in the very fresh outfall we turned back after 100 yards. This time we got a bit further! The drain was of mainly stone construction with small sections almost entirely in brick and terracotta tiles. From the smell and the steam it was very obviously being used as a sanitary sewer for the part of south Florence we now found our selves underneath.
Onward with the draining!

With the recent rain and snow the outfall was very flooded, but with a small amount of perseverance and a small wader leak, we were in. The fresh was very strong and i never quite got used to the slight stingy feeling in my nostrils for the entire trip. With some very mean looking spiders and the creepiest collection of webs and roots dangling from the roof, it was the closest to a real life tomb raider film i think i will get for a while!
The size of the drain we beginning to thin down as we came to some flooded sections and eventually a set of 3 water falls and another flooded section that would have led to a breach of waders from everyone regardless of leaks. It had been a good run but we decided to turn back and head to a place to sleep for the night.

After braving the snowy mountain passes we finally made our way down into flourence. This drain was the first on the hit list, originally found in 2009 when only the first quarter mile was walked, the plan on the return was the explore the entire drain and name it proper!

The first thing that strikes you about this drain is the beautiful square cobble stones on the floor polished from years of mountain water. The drain, (actually a culvert) runs from about 2 miles from one edge of Florence fed from a mountain stream down to its outfall at the River Arno. There are lots of small features through out this drain, mainly the varying tunnel construction, from smooth curved red brick arches, more angular yellow and red brick arches to stone and even modern concrete sections.

One from 2010, Amo l'Italia

Cut the hype heres the pictures...

Two visits, a lot of stairs and one snow storm, some very cold fingers and 360miles for a 360° view of London!

February 2012 was a fun month...

I had heard that the latest high-rise construction site had been done, and i didn't want to miss this boat!
Finally finding an evening when i could leave work early, when i had the day off the next day (just encase the boys in blue didn't like what i had planned for the evening) i took the two hour drive to London again to meet up with Keitei near the planned objective.
What we found was the most stupidly easy access and crane to climb i had ever seen on a central London construction site, all that was needed to do was run up the 535ft to the cab of the crane without passers by, security or police seeing you!
Before long we were joined up there by a well know base jumper Dan Witchalls, long story short, you guessed it! he jumped off, from our view point it looked like he narrowly missed a passing car on his way down the the ground. Seeing this we thought it would be a good plan to get our shots and get the hell down before the police turned up to see what Dan had been up to.

So we quickly snapped some pictures, vowing to come back another day... Mistake, now anybody trying this one will find it alot harder to get the the roof and impossible to not have a visit from the 50 either way! And its yet another trip i will have to settle with the images i got on the first go!