I recently climbed the roof of the O2 arena in London. This is no mean feat considering I am petrified of heights. However my husband loves heights. He often climbs alone , the Shard was an example of when I stayed on Terra firma.
Anyway he convinced me to try this one and I’m really pleased I did. We booked in advance and took the opportunity to get a one night stay in the nearby Ibis Docklands and cheap return train fare’s from Manchester in the Virgin sale.
We booked for an afternoon climb. I had researched it beforehand by watching Youtube footage so that I could be prepared.
It was a dry day on the day of the climb. I had fallen the week before and had limited movement in my arm but even though it needs 2 arms to climb I thought I’d be able to do it – XRays did not show any fractures of my humerus or wrist! We were given a safety talk first and provided with a gillet, shoes and a safety harness.
A guide accompany’s the group – ours was very informative and knowledgeable. The walk is along a canvas walkway – it starts with stairs before getting on the canvas. There is an uphill climb – and |I’,m ashamed I’m not as fit as I could be but it wasn’t as strenuous as it looks. The views from the top are really good – you can see the Greenwich Observatory, Canary Wharf -even the London Stadium – ex Olympic stadium. After spending plenty of time on top to take photographs and admire the views we descended. It is advisable to come down sideways as it is much steeper to descend. There aren’t any stairs on the descent and you walk all the way to the ground.
As I said I am terrified of heights and have had some scary moments in the past but this was quite comfortable for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it is well worth the effort. The cost is around £35 per person.
Afterwards we spent some time in the bars and eateries inside the O2. There are many to chose from but they are a bit pricey- well the alcohol is anyway! I enjoyed a celebratory G&T.
As an end note to this – the next day my arm felt quite painful – when I returned home later that day there was a letter waiting recalling me to the hospital – my follow up appointment revealed the reason for the pain following the climb – I had in fact fractured the neck of my humerus!! Oh well it’s healing now and I still think it was worth the climb.
