Its been a while since i last ventured under london, the last time being the epic night of the drain meet. There is also the problem that the part of me that cant be bothered to stumble and fall down small diameter drains is increasing even more. (sorry ddt).

In a word i've being spoiled a bit. With the massive boom of the UK drain scene recently there has been new monster juggernauts, culverted rivers and strange miscreants being found everyday. I don't know about you but more often then not i feel bigger is better, but now im not so sure.

Our journey today takes us down one of the three or four "London Bridge Sewers". Ill state this now, the following is my interpretation of what things might be, but in all honestly im just guessing as there were so many different tunnels, side-pipes and random disused tunnel that i cant say 100% im right or not.

Waders?, check. Torches?, check. Camera?, check. We popped the cover and down we went. We emerged into a 5ft egg shaped tunnel with a fair amount of flow going through it. We could just about stand up and could hear a rumbling in the distance. We discussed our options for a while and decided we had nothing better to do, so off we set.

Being a sewer it was far more maze like then any other drains i had visited with many side-pipes, although the ones that connected in were either the same or smaller in size to the one we were in. After a few hundred meters all of the additional flow coming in from other tunnels was causing the flow to rise considerably, the pipe had to grow bigger eventually, right?.

In the distance we could see a spray coming out of another side pipe and causing a considerable amount of noise presumably a drop shaft. As we grew closes a set of stairs rose up out of the water and around to the top. At the top was another two sewers, again 5ft in diameter flowing in two different directions before dropping down together into the tunnel we just walked along. One of the tunnels had light streaming in at several points, being as it was nighttime we went to have a look,. It appeared to be someone's basement and although there was a hatch there was no ladder to climb up to it. Wierd. We took a few pictures before continuing on.

Now almost knee deep in water progress was slow. More side-pipes, more flow. We passed one pipe that seemed to be spewing milk, mmmm. Another hundred meters and we came to a section we called the "water works". Damaged brickwork has caused hundreds of jets of water to come streaming into the tunnel. Similar to the lower sections of stoops limit but 100 times worse. There was no chance of sneakily ducking out of the way of any of these, like a laser grid system even the more elite of ninjas wouldn't be able to get past unscathed. Armed with our bin-bag armor we headed forth. And it didn't work, at all!!!!!. Within 10 seconds i was already getting wet, this wasn't going to work i ditched the bag and charged as fast i could through the jets. 20 meters, 10 meters, safe, well out of the danger area anyway.

Now sloshing about and weighed down by wet clothes we continued on for 100 meters or so and after a few more side-pipes we finally got a break. The entire flow of the sewer was dumped down a set of stairs into the low level sewer. 30 meters on from there we hit the jackpot. We stood at the top of a long flight of stairs and at the bottom the tunnel opened up to a 10ft egg shaped pipe.

We headed down into the tunnel and came to another junction with a another unexplored london bridge sewer. Just round the corner we came to what is possibly the coolest sewer entrance i have ever seen. A large brick shaft shaped like a cocoon heading up with a series of walkways and old hooks and supports for possible lowering tools? before finishing in a dome roof with 2 tunnels heading off at the top, one to the manhole and one heading back down to a large vent for the low level.

Round the corner from this we came to another side-pipe around 8ft in diameter, changing from a circular concrete shape to brick egg to brick circle, concrete oval then ending in what i think is a diverting wall, possibly the lower reaches of stoops limit? where its flow is sent into the low level via a drop shaft. This pipe is not without its own wonders. Large bullet shaped shafts almost 20 meters high with pipes heading off at the top. Thankfully at the time they were dry or we would have been in trouble. Another two elaborate passageways stretched off from this pipe leading to other sewers and exits.

We continued back down the main tunnel before coming to my favorite feature the quad junction. Four side pipes one dropping in via stairs, one by a ladder and the other two being bricked up a little way in. We spent a little bit of time here taking pictures here and there before heading to the end of the tunnel. A small slope took the flow down into a pool were it is eventually dropped into another low level sewer. A big flap sits behind to take the flow in a storm.

I hate flaps. You never know its it is holding any secrets behind or not. We managed to push it open just far enough to hold it open with a torch. The other side consisted of a foot of silt and another 10ft egg shaped pipe. We decided i would go through and see if it was worth bringing the gear. Down i squeezed on my knees before falling down a hidden step, my wader submerged into the sludge and started to fill. I jerked up banging my head on the flap. Dammit!. turns out it was just another 200 meters of tunnel ending in a wooden planked outfall. oh well no fleet style end chamber again.

While site took pictures of the end chamber i went for a quick solo expedition down one of the side pipes. A rat infested maze of smaller sewers and mini overflows. On the way back i did however see a piece of concrete on the wall of the main tunnel with the date 14/12/88, but was that 1988? or 1888?.

Back down to regroup i could have sworn the end chamber was louder then before, as i got closer and had a chat with site his torch shone over the flap. Water was bubbling out from under the flap at an alarming rate. With the sewer pool now starting to backfill up the tunnel we decided to call time on our adventure. We headed back to the nearest manhole and popped out, right next to a sleeping hobo, and i mean right next to!. He looked at us bemused and dazed as we told our spiel about how we "work" in sewers before we left back to the car.

Overall if you enjoy scouting hundreds of tunnels and don"t care for the size this ones for you, but at the same time its got enough for any size crazed drainer too!.