How To Climb The O2 Arena
Up At The O2 Accessible Review
How do you climb the O2? Up at The O2 is an exhilarating 90-minute experience that takes you on a guided expedition over the roof of The O2 via a fabric walkway. Suspended 2m above the surface of The O2 roof, the walkway is 52m above ground level and 380m long. At its steepest point, the walkway has an incline of 28° on the way up and 30° on the way back down and has a slight bounce to it to mirror the surface of the tent.
Before you climb, you’ll meet your Climb Guide who’ll take you through everything you need to know and give you a climb suit, shoes and a safety harness. At the summit, there is an observation platform where you can take in spectacular views of London.
Is up at The O2 accessible?
The O2 Arena is accessible, as a general rule the Up at The O2 climb is accessible if you are able to walk but they also do accessible climbs for wheelchair users which you will need to book in advance to make sure there is enough staff to accommodate your climb.
Climb The O2: How to get to Up at The O2
Tube and bus
Accessible features at North Greenwich station:
- low-level ticket machines and a gate to the right of the ticket barriers for wheelchair access
- an induction loop
- step-free access to all platforms with lifts
- step-free bus stops
- accessible toilets
- assistance dogs are welcome
Get more details on accessible public transport in London from tfl.gov.uk.
Up at the O2 uses what three words to help you navigate to the right entrance. The O2 uses what3words to help you locate the exact entrance or facility that you are visiting.Â
What did I think of the Up at The O2 climb as a blind person?
Before I lost my sight I was petrified of heights and although I love conquering new adventures I did let my fear hold me back. After going blind, however, I could no longer see the devilish heights that my brain would tell me I would fall to my untimely death, so now I punch fear in the face and try all the things I’ve wanted to do for years, and Up at the O2 was one of those challenges.
What made it more special is the climb itself wasn’t just an exhilaration for kicks, I was doing it with my friend Lauren to raise money for Guide Dogs UK. The climb itself was pretty easy going even for my arthritic body until we got to the 28-degree incline. At one point I thought I was going to end up on my backside and use the Up at the O2 as a slide all the way down. Don’t worry, no such luck happened: that’s the beauty of being harnessed in and using a swish safety line. In fact, Lauren and I were the first disabled people to use the new system and we thought it was great.
Our climbing instructor Ross was amazing: Lauren and I were fortunate to have him to ourselves and he went at our pace, giving us encouragement and telling us cool facts about the climb and the surrounding North Greenwich areas. When we reached the platform Ross not only gave us audio descriptions of our view but took a few snaps for us too.
Our Up at The O2 climb was loads of fun, Lauren and I boldly stated that it wasn’t scary and even easier than we anticipated; I guess you can thank blindness for the nonchalance! We were super proud of ourselves and with thanks to the many donations, we raised just over £1100 for Guide Dogs UK!
I would definitely recommend trying the Up at The O2 climb yourself if you get the chance, not only is it a unique experience but if you are sighted then you’ll get a beautiful view as well. Have you ever done the Up at The O2 climb? If so, what did you think?
