Dare you enter?

Exploring forbidden territory can land you in hot water. But for those who take the plunge there is a hidden world to explore. Turn the page and trespass at your peril, writes Ellie Fazan…

This interview had to be conducted by email. The man behind this lens wouldn’t see me, meet me, or even talk on the phone. Why? Because he spends his time exploring the dark and cavernous spaces of London’s underbelly. The parts the rest of us don’t see. And while his hobby is not illegal, it’s not exactly legal either: ‘I’m under no illusion,’ he writes.

‘The authorities likely know who I am, where I live and what my favourite snack is, but if you don’t mind, I’d rather not advertise my identity any further.’

Urban Exploration, brought to the fore when dramatic pictures from the top of the Shard made their way into the national press, is a growing movement of people who push the boundaries of their city by infiltrating the places the rest of us don’t dare to go: the hidden city beneath our feet, abandoned buildings, unfinished skyscrapers. Asked about his exploits on the Shard, our man ‘Otter’ says casually, ‘I just climbed it for the view.’

Because, as his pseudonym suggests, Otter has far more interest in exploring what’s underground: sewers, gas tunnels, the transit system. ‘I find it’s more exciting exploring something that cannot be easily seen, what most people are unaware of.’