Up at The O2 — Attraction in London

A superb and unforgettable experience enjoyed on UP AT THE 02 ROOF CLIMB'. My youngest God- daughter accompanied me for the daytime climb ( midday 14/10/23) ...one of the very best most memorable birthday gifts I've ever had ! We were approximately 1 hour 30mins in total including preparation time from begining to end. The climb has a strong PVC fabric walk surface, with just a slight undulating bounce experienced when walked on, but the straight walkway is suspended just above the Domes main outer roof with robust reliable guide ropes either side of the stairway. This being coupled with a strong steel central safety guideline cable to hold onto too. A sliding clip attached your harness and provided jacket, you clip onto the innermost guide cable on the walkway as shown by the guide. In essence, both your equipment and guide cable attached together in tandem with the climb. The climb begins from the main south side entrance of the 02 Millenium Dome, from a south to north direction. Fantastic and exhilarating in a gentle cool dry breeze. Athough part cloudy, clear sunny spells prevailed which made the event brilliant more so special. Yes, a certain amount of physical fitness and sturdiness walking is required. We were in a group of around 20 who made the route to the central highest viewing reservation platform ( 52 metres high) at the centre of the Dome's roof. A full 360 degree view all directions can be seen over London, primarily the Canary Wharf complex dominates the skyline to the west and the Olympic park to the north. All of docklands (London City Airport) seen east along the River Thames. Many other landmarks (some 15 miles range) can be viewed from the centre viewing reservation area ie. the Crystal Palace TV transmitter mast and nearby Shooters Hill in South / South-East London. Our brilliant guide...thank you MARTIN, was very kind, helpful, knowledgeable, and reassured our safety 'every step of the way' during the climb. A video briefing was shown before you start, and appropriate clothing, footwear, and safety kit harness guide clips provided. You can take your mobile 📱 phone with you but it must securely fastened 'zipped up' within your jacket due to safety reasons! All other belongings are kept securely locked away in strong plastic blue boxes/ lockers in custody of the staff... and of course you collect on return from your climb. Photos are taken of you during the climb, a keepsake souvenir if you buy them. The first stage of climb has a short 30 degree angle, but eventually spans out gradually in the ascent to top. Downside a little more steeper in gradient but rest assured 'SAFE,' I found all the time! Im age 65, I voluntarily went first 'up the roof' with the group following, stopping with given instruction from our guide at various points. This enables you to enjoy the view and also to regain your breathing. No problem this aspect. Our informative guide told us that the 02 Millenium Dome has twelve yellow steel support masts that give support to the structure roof, apparently each latticed mast represents a month of the year ( 12 masts- 12 months). Also the highest central point to the viewing platform is 52 metres high - representing 52 weeks to a calendar year. Just short though are the 360 degrees viewing... for 365 days in a year? Afterall, this iconic London tourist landmark, first built in 1997, significantly sits proudly on the GMT MERIDIAN LINE, Greenwich peninsula. The shape and design of this unique architectural splendour reminds me of a large coronet, beautifully lit of a night too. All the same, this futuristic jewel in London's crown 👑 is there for all to enjoy and visit. I highly recommend the 02 roof climb, all be it daytime, or a sunset walk too if you prefer. Plus personal events, family, anniversary, birthday etc. at request. A LONDON MUST ON ONE'S LIST! Best to enquire and book in advance. Thanks to my lovely youngest God-daughter, and we thank you Martin for the guide to the top of this famous roof. Experience and rating - A1,...

Great afternoon climb with the kid! I had done the climb years ago as a team building event and wanted to finally bring my daughter now that she’s over the age plus the fact that she’s been nagging me to do it😅. The check-in process was pretty quick and smooth. The staff was also flexible too. They asked some of us if we wanted to grab the earlier slot. “Sadly” we couldn’t as we forgot to complete the waiver before arriving. We were then called in on time for our climb, watched a 4min safety video and then got our gear for the climb (climbing shoes, harness and light zip jacket to secure my phone). We were asked to drop our stuff into crates which would be transferred to the other side of the O2 ready for us to collect at the end. Our climbing crew (Sara and Karl) were really nice. They helped us securing the equipment and provided us with information throughout the climb. The beginning of the ascent is quite steep (30 degrees angle) but gets easier as you climb up. Once up there you have about 10 mins to soak in the views, take pictures or have a drink (which needs to be pre-purchased). Surprisingly, the descent was harder. It’s not as easy at it looks and some people decided to walk backwards to make it easier.

Overall a great afternoon out.

Things to consider: From the time you arrive till the end, you need at least 90mins. You’re not allowed to bring anything with you except phone/camera which must be secured in a zipped pocket. If you don’t, they’ll provide you with a winter/summer jacket You need to wear shoes with good grip. If you don’t, you’ll need to take theirs Gloves are also available though we didn’t need it Since you can’t take drinks with you, I definitely recommend pre-purchasing one. Prices were really reasonable (£1.5 for water) Pictures can be bought at the end. Their most expensive package is £30 which includes all of your digital pictures, 3 printed ones, a video, a key ring and magnet. Again pretty reasonable.

Side Note: Unlike many places where waivers are required and where they tend to bombard you with pre-emails to complete it, I found that here it wasn’t super obvious. Not a big deal, just...

An interesting experience for the money!

I had an eve climb, but before that we watched a video and had a safety lesson with an amazing and funny guide.

Unique experience for people that want to try something new, but a bit boring for proactive people or experienced climbers. It wasn’t scary at all, the climbing area was easy to climb, deffo not a challenge, anyone can do it!

I thought it would be just me with my friend, but we had around 15 people in a row. It was pretty annoying, as omw up I was first and the fastest, but omw back I was in the middle, which was a hell. You should wait for everyone in front of you to take a step, after what you can continue your way. It would be more pleasant if the group was of 1-3 people. Then more expensive price would be worth the climb.

On the top platform was so beautiful in the night, pretty windy, but their jackets and shoes saved us. And, ofc, you could have Champagne while enjoying the view.

Worth the money and spent time, but be ready to wait for people that are scared / take more time in front of you. I was in situation when I was doing one step and then waiting another minute for a person to figure out the safety system.

But the view? Worth it.

P.S. They take some professional photos of you but in their shop everything is so overpriced. You can’t get a digital copy without printing a photo. So, I paid £25 to get 2 printed copies: one for me and one for my friend. And with all of this, we still couldn’t get all the photos to be sent in digital format. We could choose only 2 of them for digital access.

Why are 2 photos almost the same price as the climb? And why can’t we buy photos in digital format only, without printing any?? Meanwhile, photos on the top platform...