Wednesday 13th July - Greenwich, The Thames & the London Eye

Off to London today, the first time we have visited the capital on this trip.  In fact we are travelling to Greenwich which is in the South East of Greater London.  Our destination is the Royal Observatory and then into Greenwich before taking a boat to Westminster.

The day was quite cool and it was good to have a sweater handy as there was a wind blowing that added to the autumnal feel!  We had a very good trip up to Blackheath and Greenwich and we were in the park by the Observatory for a short presentation before entering the museum that charts the rise of time and its effects on longitude.

                                                     Listening patiently in the Park

The Royal Observatory dates from the 17th century and has seen some of the most magnificent scientific research into astronomy and the quest for accurate time-keeping, especially at sea. From the first Astronomer Royal, John Flamstead, in the 17th century to the present day, Greenwich has played an important part in scientific research.

There is much activity in Greenwich Park as the Olympic 3 Day Eventing competition will be held here. They have just done a trial run for the event and there is plenty of construction traffic around as we walk through the park and into Greenwich.

                   Greenwich Park looking at the Queen's House, with Canary Wharf in the background

After the Observatory we move down into Greenwich and discover the covered market.  Soon it is time to board the City Cruises boat and head up to The London Eye.

                                     John Harrison's H4 clock                             Taking a moment in the Observatory garden

     The journey from Greenwich Pier to Westminster Pier shows off some of London's great monuments as well as showing us some smaller details . It seems to be very busy here today but the ride up the River Thames is worthy of the wait.  You get a great view of the docklands area that once made the River Thames the busiest river in the world. The warehouses are now long gone but have been replaced by apartments and businesses.   Throughout the river trip we get a commentary pointing out some of the famous landmarks.

                                                      Views from the River Thames

                                                         The Tower of London

The journey is soon over and we are struggling through the crowds across Westminster Bridge to get on the London Eye.

The Eye is amazing and the views are wonderful.  We are spread over several pods and we get to see London from above - a fantastic carpet of history laid out before us.  After the 25 minute ride we get on the coaches and head back to Charterhouse.  A  great day had by all.