What I liked about Up at The O2
- The climb is enjoyable with some steep sections, but it’s all part of the challenge!
- The feeling of accomplishment when you reach the top and are rewarded with incredible 360-degree views.
- It’s a completely unique experience to London and an activity that everyone can enjoy.
As I'm always up for a challenge and love to try London's unique experiences, I just had to climb Up at The O2. Here's everything you need to know about climbing the world-famous entertainment venue.
It was a beautiful day in London, as I arrived at North Greenwich Station on the Jubilee line to climb the roof of the world's most popular entertainment venue. Up at The O2 was up at the top of my London bucket list because I really enjoy a sporting challenge and a scenic view. As a lover of rooftop venues, I try to go to the highest point I can in every city.
The iconic O2 Arena is a unique structure and world-famous landmark, constructed in 1996 and opened to the public on 1 January 2000. Compared to other famous London landmarks, the viewing platform at Up at The O2 is the same height as the top of Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square at 52 metres (170 ft), lower than the Gherkin, which stands at 180 metres (591 ft), and tiny compared to the 310-metre (1016 ft) Shard.
Base Camp briefing
Ready for my adventure, I joined my colleagues and checked into “Base Camp”. I felt a bit nervous as I looked up at the dome we had to scale but once briefed by our friendly instructor and kitted out in climbing gear, I was feeling ready to conquer the summit of The O2 and reach new heights!
The ascent to the top
With any sporting activity, it’s all about technique... I began my ascent on the 380-metre-long bouncy fabric walkway by attaching the safety lines to the rail and pulling myself along while moving part of the harness through metal bars which the ropes are attached to. After a few goes, you soon get the hang of it!
Key things to note for avid climbers: there’s a 30-degree incline at the steepest point of the ascent and descent. If you are afraid of heights don’t worry, all you can see from either side of the walkway is the roof of The O2 Arena a few metres below, so you don’t experience the sensation of how high up you are.
Mobile phones aren’t allowed during the climb; but a professional photographer is on hand to capture all the climbing action. It's usually unheard of for me to be without my phone for more than 10 minutes, but being without it let me really take in the climb.
Reaching the summit
As the quote goes: “Every mountain top is within your reach if you just keep climbing…” And, after 20 minutes of climbing, we conquered the summit of The O2 Arena and it’s a spectacular view to behold. Key attractions and visible landmarks, such as the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf, historic Greenwich and the Olympic Park, were all around us.
Safety ropes off, we had 20 minutes of free time to walk around the central viewing platform. Now is the perfect time to capture the moment on your camera or phone. It was fascinating to get such a close-up view of The O2 Arena itself and see planes take off in the distance from City Airport.
A thrilling decent
Putting all those new climbing skills into practice, it was all too quickly time to descend. We reattached ourselves to the guide rail for the walk down and with a longer steep section to ground level, some of us opted for an exhilarating abseil of this trickier section.
As a small group, we took a leisurely 60 minutes in total to do the climb so we could really make the most out of our journey – though I could've spent hours more up there admiring the views!
The final verdict
Full of adrenaline and with a renewed love of outdoor activities, I came away feeling like I’d not only ticked off one of my top bucket list activities, but had also done something pretty cool and unique, and we all had a great time.
I could’ve climbed The O2 twice or more that day, with the highlight being reaching the summit and enjoying the views. It gave me a sense of accomplishment and is now one of my favourite London activities. Above all else, climbing to the top of a world-famous landmark is truly an unforgettable experience.
Book your own adventure with Up at The O2 now.