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What's Katie Doing?

Gin Travel Food

July 1, 2018

Up at the O2 – walking across the London Landmark

Have you ever been to the O2 arena (formally known as the Millennium Dome)? I’ve been there for several concerts (Tina Turner, a family favourite) and some tennis (ATP tour) on the inside… but I’ve never been up and over the top. As a Londoner I felt that it was remise of me not having done this, I jumped at the chance to go Up at the O2!

As I work and live in London it was easy for me to get to the O2 on the tube. However if you are coming from further afield or seeing a show that ends late in the arena, then you might want to stay in the area. Click here for hotels near the O2 for all budgets.

Sunset from the top of the O2 arena

Such a gorgeous view at sunset!

*Full disclosure, as this post is sponsored by Hotels.com, I received my tickets for free, all opinions are my own*

 

Up at the O2 – walking across the London Landmark

Instructions & kitting up

When you check in you have to sign your life away with the disclaimer.

The briefing notes for Up at the O2

Our briefing notes

Then they brief you on what you are wearing, any potential issues and the kit you need to wear. In the summer you get a gillet type jacket, the harness and the obligatory walking boots. In winter they kit you up in a whole jump suit!

Note that you can’t take anything that doesn’t fit into your gillet pockets – so for me that was a camera and my phone. Any other ‘stuff’ you have and your shoes go into individual boxes that are locked into a flight case. They bring this around to the exit so you can change and yes you can bring a small bag (e.g. I came straight from work so had a backpack with my laptop in it).

Katie and friend posing with kit on

My friend Antonia and I all kitted up and ready to go with our carabineers

You can also decide to make your walk a special one with a glass of bubbly at the top (but note that you shouldn’t be under the influence of alcohol before you go up).

Our special wristbands for the glass of bubbles at the top

Our special wristbands for the glass of bubbles at the top

Once we had all stepped into our harnesses and been tightened up, a special carabineer is attached that will remain on the guide line for the entire walk. Mind out with this, it’s very good at knee capping you if you don’t hold it!

Shot looking down at Katie's feet with the carabineer dangling

Here’s my carabineer dangling at the top – but you can see it would be pretty lethal!

Going up

Suited and booted we headed out to the stairs right next to the main entrance to the O2 arena. Going up 2 flights of stairs there was the chance to pose for a professional photo with the dome roof behind you. Cheesy smiles obligatory!

 

The O2 arena from ground level

That’s where we were going up!

Then it was time to get clipped on to the guide line – a thin wire that our carabineers were slid onto. You need to keep your hands on the carabineer at all times to guide it – especially where there was a transition to another section. The staff show you how to do this and how to transfer between sections smoothly, but you can still snag!

View of the O2 domed roof from ground level

Can you see the people at the very top of the dome? That’s where we were headed!

We all slotted onto the line in a row – the aim is to keep at least an arms length behind the person in front in case they fall (otherwise there would be a domino situation occurring!). We started the hike up – it really felt like a hike as it’s step! Up to 28 degrees I think… You don’t get to see too much on the way up and you are not meant to take photos (in case you drop your camera/phone), so we headed to the top.

 

At the top

https://whatskatiedoing.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_0718.mp4

When at the top you come off the guide wire and are free to move around the whole top area. This gives you a 360 degree view of East London. As we did the sunset climb, we got to see the sunset and the beautiful colour of the sky afterwards.

No filter needed! . I highly recommend walking the O2 at sunset to see this spectacular view from the top! . #upattheo2 #londonsunset #o2sunset #londonlife #londonview #lovelondon #instalondon #mylondon #londonbylondoners #londonblogger #igerslondon #london2do #london4all #thisislondon #mysecretlondon

A post shared by Gin?| Travel✈️| Food? (@whatskatiedoing) on Jun 29, 2018 at 11:13pm PDT

As we decided to get the glass of bubbly at the top we wandered around juggling the carabineer and cameras with champagne glasses!

Selfie at the top with champagne glass

Posing with glasses etc – Antonia drank hers quickly lol!

A full review of the view showed us city airport and the planes landing there:

Plane flying overhead on its way to City airport

And here was the view out of the airplane the weekend before!

VIew of the O2 from my airplane window

City airport has the best views on landing!

Canary Wharf

View towards Canary Wharf's high rise buildings

Canary Wharf (where I used to work!) in the background

All too soon the champagne was gone and it was time for a final photo and then to head back down.

Sunset colours in the sky

Glorious sunset!

Looking down the path to return to the bottom

The way back down

 

Coming back down

We clipped back in for the way back down. Each section down got steeper and steeper! So guides were on hand to help us transition to the steep parts. It was a bit of an adrenaline rush to get down with out slipping over and sliding down on your butt!

https://whatskatiedoing.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_0727.mp4

Once at the bottom there was a final chance to pose in front of a poster board and then review your professional photos.

Posing in front of the bliiboard at the bottom

Posing at the bottom

Antonia and I decided not to purchase ours. Changing out of our gear and collecting our shoes and bags we were all done. Then you just have to walk around the entire O2 to get back to where you started!

The Verdict

I really enjoyed the Up at the O2 experience – a combination of a small work out with great views and a different perspective of this area was great! It would be a fab add on to a special trip to London, especially with the extra glass of bubbly.

The Up at the O2 experience runs all day, whether rain or shine (they only close it in high winds). The cost of the climb depends on the timing of when you go up, starting from £30 per person. You can book at the Up at the O2 website. Let me know if you decide to do it!

Up at the O2 - walking over the O2 Arena

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Filed Under: London, travel, UK Tagged With: London, Up at the O2

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ana says

    July 14, 2018 at 11:57 am

    Such an awesome and unique experience! Looks really fun and the views are incredible 🙂

    Reply
    • Katie Hughes says

      July 14, 2018 at 12:10 pm

      They totally are Ana!

      Reply
  2. Namra says

    July 14, 2018 at 9:14 pm

    What a loveley view from the roof top!

    When you first started telling about going up O2 I just assumed it was a building where you went up on the roof to see a view or something, but this is far more exciting and a little nerve wrecking, especially the signing your life away part.

    It seemed like you and your friend had a really good time, I think I would be to clumsy for this activity, haha, like my knees would probably med capped 😛

    Reply
    • Katie Hughes says

      July 15, 2018 at 11:56 am

      Haha the signing your life away part is a joke Namra! But they do make sure everything is safe, so I’m sure you could do it too!

      Reply
  3. Julia Dent says

    July 15, 2018 at 12:20 am

    Those views are awesome! I’ll have to check this out when I go to London soon!

    Reply
    • Katie Hughes says

      July 15, 2018 at 11:56 am

      Excellent stuff Julia – let me know if you do it!

      Reply
  4. Followingtherivera says

    July 15, 2018 at 8:59 am

    This looks like so much fun! I bet the views are pretty great from the top, and would love to try this one day for myself. Well done for getting to the top, it’s quite an achievement!

    Reply
    • Katie Hughes says

      July 15, 2018 at 11:57 am

      Thanks! The actual climb bit was steeper than I expected!

      Reply
  5. Simone says

    July 15, 2018 at 6:58 pm

    Next time i’ll get to London i’ll definitely try this experience. And as big fan of the London architecture taking photos from there must be amazing!

    Reply
  6. federica says

    July 16, 2018 at 10:42 am

    Such a lovely experience. i live in London too and even if I have been to the O2 arena for several concerts I have never heard of this possibility of climbing on it before. I truly enjoyed your photos

    Reply
    • Katie Hughes says

      July 16, 2018 at 10:45 am

      Thanks Federica! I hope you get to do it yourself next time you visit

      Reply
  7. All She Things says

    July 16, 2018 at 7:55 pm

    I am definitely trying this whenever I get to go to London! It looks like a pretty interesting experience!

    Reply
    • Katie Hughes says

      July 16, 2018 at 9:05 pm

      Excellent stuff!

      Reply

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