How to get there

The Logo

So living just a couple of miles away I decided to take my cameras on a "flight" across the Thames.

Where is it? East London, a part of London with very few crossings, well apart from 2 traffic and 2 foot tunnels that is.

This one however has a view, unlike the other tunnels, (which of course if you have a thing for the inside of tunnels might be heaven for you)

How to find it? well it's here, right by this, the 02 Arena (was millenium dome), known locally as "That waste of our money"

It's easy to spot from the 02, in fact you can't really miss it, it's 52m at it's highest point.

 Looks like it's a popular way to Cross the Thames judging by the line at the North Greenwich terminal.

You can Q for a ticket if you like, those "in the know" use their Oyster cards and zip straight through.

 Once you are through the ticket barriers there is only a short wait in a line for the next car, there are 36 of them that each hold 10 people, so you really don't wait long

It's really easy to get onto the cars, the cars arent actually on the cable at this point, as they land they come off the cable onto a track which slows them down so that people can get on, very clever indeed.

 Room inside for 10 adults, and they are at the time of writing, brand new and all shiny with clean windows, a photographers dream.

 Don't forgot to wave at the people waiting

 Right, up we go to the first Pylon, it's a steep climb

As you look back, you realise just how high you are climbing

Then you swing out over the Thames, time to get those cameras out, this is a new view of London not seen by many yet

 The views I think are terrific, to one side you have East London, Canary Wharf & the 02.

 To the other side, Woolwich and the Thames flood barrier

Halfway there

 Looking back at South East London, my house is there somewhere by the treeline on the horizon

 Now we descend towards the Royal Docks

I love that the Rotyal Docks station is built out into the Royal Victoria Dock

 Well I hope you enjoyed the "flight" as much a s I did, well maybe not, you see I was born and bred in East London, not very far away from the Royal Docks at all.

When I was a kid growing up this whole area was one big bomb site, it was the 60's and London was still rebuilding after the war, and the docks, especially this area were devastated.

Building this here is urban regeneration at it's very best.

BTW, this isn't a "tourist attraction" as such, it's public transport, however I predict this will become as iconic of London as the Eye is.

More coming as soon as I have processed the pictures

All of the above ^^^ images were taken with my Fuji HS30EXR, all the following images were taken with my Canon EOS Rebel T3i (600D) DSLR.

I don't wander around with 2 cameras hanging round my neck, I only live a couple of miles away from this so I went up again the next day with my kids and took these