Question - Crane UK

[Gigiifreedom]

I am Gigi and would like to climb a crane in the UK. What recommendations are there?

 

[raisinwing]

Would suggest finding one close to where you live, and basically just go climb it if you can...

 

[Seffy]

On the skyline of pretty much every major city! Best way to figure it out is to choose your city then go and suss out the situation on a case-by-case basis. Thankfully cranes are not hard to locate

 

[mookster]

Just be aware that many crane companies and site contractors have got a lot better at securing them in recent times, no thanks to the likes of James Kingston, Ally Law etc spaffing them all over Youtube and Instagram. Pretty much gone are the days you could hop a fence and walk up to a crane that didn't even have so much as a hoarding around the base of it.

 

[Midnight Odyssey]

It really is as simple as scanning the horizon for a crane, travelling to the location, scouting it out to see the best way to gain entrance unseen, then (I recommend) coming back a couple of days later and just going for it. You can go for it same day but I like to scope a place's perimeter a few times before I send it just so I can ensure I know where cameras are / identify any potential patterns in terms of security presence etc. You'll have a decision to make when you're at the fence, let your excitement turn into fight instead of flight and climb! Once you're over the fence just execute your plan and don't deviate unless you're spotted.

If the crane is locked (they generally are thanks to Ally Law and James Kingston and dickheads like that) then if all you want to do is climb and be high up, most construction sites have these matrix pillar structures on the outside that you can climb. I've climbed a few of them when I've been disappointed by a locked crane. But they're harder / more dangerous and if you don't have the right leg length you'll find it hard. Pic below is example cus I didn't really explain it well. The thing on the right, you can't miss them.

 

[Gigiifreedom]

Would suggest finding one close to where you live, and basically just go climb it if you can...

The thing is I come from Switzerland and here there are no cranes like in the UK

 

[Scoobysrt]

You'll have to travel by the sounds of it. Wrong time of year IMHO, you need warm dry weather certainly for your first climbs, wet or even damp steel work is not fun.

 

[mookster]

You'll have to travel by the sounds of it. Wrong time of year IMHO, you need warm dry weather certainly for your first climbs, wet or even damp steel work is not fun.

The only one I ever did I did in January with no gloves, that was...cold.

 

[Adders]

It really is as simple as scanning the horizon for a crane, travelling to the location, scouting it out to see the best way to gain entrance unseen, then (I recommend) coming back a couple of days later and just going for it. You can go for it same day but I like to scope a place's perimeter a few times before I send it just so I can ensure I know where cameras are / identify any potential patterns in terms of security presence etc. You'll have a decision to make when you're at the fence, let your excitement turn into fight instead of flight and climb! Once you're over the fence just execute your plan and don't deviate unless you're spotted.

If the crane is locked (they generally are thanks to Ally Law and James Kingston and dickheads like that) then if all you want to do is climb and be high up, most construction sites have these matrix pillar structures on the outside that you can climb. I've climbed a few of them when I've been disappointed by a locked crane. But they're harder / more dangerous and if you don't have the right leg length you'll find it hard. Pic below is example cus I didn't really explain it well. The thing on the right, you can't miss them.

Also worth pointing out not to use camera flash whilst at the top of anything high... kinda gives the game away. 😅

 

[Midnight Odyssey]

Also worth pointing out not to use camera flash whilst at the top of anything high... kinda gives the game away. 😅

I did that at the top of one of my favourite construction sites right next to Temple Meads Station (the one I posted a pic of above), literally the day after getting my first DSLR camera. I wanted to do a long exposure shot of trains coming in and people milling about, fucking lit up with the light of 1000 suns and saw a bunch of heads turn towards me and point lol, spent the next half an hour on the other side of the site hoping nobody ratted me out! Great night.

 

[Adders]

If cranes or scaffold are your thing, and you don't wanna fuck about with a tripod, get one of these and a tripod head.

 

[Midnight Odyssey]

If cranes or scaffold are your thing, and you don't wanna fuck about with a tripod, get one of these and a tripod head.

Great idea, because I usually go at night I tend to take long exposure shots (and cus they look cooler), so this is actually a quality suggestion - will be purchasing one for when I convince myself to take the plunge and buy another camera!