One of the things I really wanted to do when we visited London in November - apart from avoiding a lethal dose of lead poisoning from a trigger-happy sniper protecting George Dubya on his recent, almost private, state visit - was take a spin on the Eye...or to give it its Sunday name, The BRITISH AIRWAYS LONDON EYE.
Now, if you're not familiar with this attraction, let me explain right now that we're not talking about a visit to the the Museum of Anatomy, or even a specialist opticians, but a giant, revolving wheel handily adorned with viewing capsules, each of which can accommodate up to 25 people.
OK, that's what it is, here's where it is......
THE LONDON EYE sits on the South Bank of the River Thames, almost directly opposite Big Ben and between Hungerford Bridge and Westminster Bridge.
Waterloo Tube Station and Westminster Tube Station are the closest, around five minutes walking following signs for The South Bank.
Waterloo Rail Station is also around five minutes walk, and Charing Cross Station is about 15 minutes distant.
Buses to the London Eye include the 211, 24 and 11. Most London sightseeing bus tours also pass by.
Thinking of taking the car? - Don't!
It's possible to book a 'flight' in several different ways. (BA like to call a trip on the Eye a 'flight' - I expect it's because they'd like to think of themselves as some sort of airline business - but it doesn't seem like the smartest terminology to me. When I'm spinning around in a glass box high above the Thames, I like to think the said box is firmly welded onto the superstructure and under no circumstances will I be 'flying' anywhere.) You can book on-line, by automatic phone-line, or at County Hall - the building adjacent to The Eye. They recommend that you arrive 30 minutes before your 'flight' to allow time for boarding and security searches etc.
Prices are £11.00 for adults and children pay £5.50. There are concessions for disabled, seniors etc.
There are also many different tickets, such as: a combination 'flight' and river cruise, champagne 'flight', private capsule, and many, many others. Obviously, prices vary for these options.
But enough of all this prittle-prattle, you can find out all that, and much, much more by simply visiting their website.
http://www.ba-londoneye.com
We didn't pre-book our tickets - although at busy, holiday periods, this is strongly advised - but we like to live on the edge. One of the reasons we didn't book was because we wanted to be flexible in our plans, and the other was because, due to the uncertainty of the British weather, we didn't want to be forced into boarding The Eye in misty or cloudy conditions. After all, if the visibility is impaired, there's not a great deal of point in risking the chance - however small - of plunging to a watery grave in the murky and insalubrious depths of the River Thames just to see a bit of fog.....is there?
On our way down to London it seemed like we had made the correct decision, as the weather was absolutely dreadful, but the next couple of days cleared up and we managed to have our 'flight' in near-perfect conditions.
Arriving at the site suitably equipped with camera and tingly anticipation, we noticed that it didn't seem to be all that busy - there were no more than 30-40 people queuing.
We quickly made our way into County Hall (wondering as we did so, which county it was the hall of) and, as there was no queue, we bought our tickets almost immediately. It's in this building that you'll find the Gift Shop where you can conveniently purchase such essential items as cameras, film and batteries; snacks and soft drinks, and all manner of related souvenirs. (There's also a Costa Coffee outlet inside the building as well as one outside.) This is where you can purchase The London Eye In-flight mini guide which I highly recommend buying. It has panoramic photos/maps from each direction of the capsule and it labels all the main landmarks of London that are visible....which is pretty much them all. It wasn't expensive (£3) and certainly enhanced the experience.
As soon as we had our tickets in our grubby little mitts, we nonchalantly strolled over to the ramp which leads up to the boarding platform. A quick frisk by the security people and a look inside Mrs P's bag (brave man) and we were ready for take off. As it wasn't all that busy, they tended not to cram as many people as possible into each capsule and instead, spread the weight around more evenly. I think there were 6 others in our capsule, leaving plenty of space to move around freely.
During opening hours - which vary considerably but you can find the exact times on the website - The Eye almost never stops revolving. Because it moves so slowly, there is enough time as it passes the boarding platform for the people who have completed the trip to disembark, security to give it a quick, electronic sweep, and the next consignment of passengers to alight. However, nice, thoughtful people that they are, it IS stopped to allow disabled access.
In all, the journey takes 30 minutes - plenty of time to see all the landmarks. Because it revolves so slowly, you have no sensation of movement and it's very smooth and gentle.
The panoramic views over Central London are spectacular and it's great to be able to look down on The Houses of Parliament, Whitehall and all the conglomeration of buildings concerning the British Government and the Establishment.....talk about role reversal! One of the good things about The Eye is that because it's constantly changing height, the perspective is continually changing, as are the views. Having said that, once you reach the highest point and begin the descent, it's all a bit downhill (no pun intended) as you've already seen everything. Thirty minutes is probably long enough.
Just before reaching the end of the 'flight', or to use the technical term, landing, a photo with the backdrop of Big Ben is taken as a souvenir (extra charge). We didn't bother as we already have a collecton of photos where I resemble a startled meercat.
In conclusion, I was reasonably impressed. The views over the city were pretty good but £11 for a 'wee hauf-'oor birl ower' London seemed a bit excessive. Of course, as it's British Airways who own it, competitive prices is hardly going to be part of the equation!
Would I 'fly' it again? - Well, some would say it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I'd have to agree, once-in-a-lifetime is plenty.
very helpful
