We decided to use the “Emirates Air Line”, more usefully known as the cable car, from Royal Docks to North Greenwich as part of our journey home today.

Online research showed that we could spend £3.50 with a contactless card at the barrier and avoid the £10-£20 “fleece the tourists” experiences heavily advertised at the entrance.

It wasn’t very busy, so we were ‘allowed’ a car to ourselves. The views over docklands and the river were great, though the sun (and windows) got in the way of some of the photos!

We then had a quick look at the busy retail park surrounding the O2 dome, then headed home for a cup of tea:

While we were in London, we decided to visit the new Crossrail station at Canary Wharf (due to get trains later this year). Part of the top level is a partially enclosed roof garden:

Well worth a visit; I’m looking forward to using Crossrail trains to get there!

We decided to visit the Brunel Museum today. It’s in Rotherhithe, traditionally not the nicest area in London, but it’s now really pleasant and quiet. The museum is a short walk from Rotherhithe station:

This is the entrance shaft for the Thames Tunnel, the first tunnel dug under a navigable waterway in the world. The tunnel was originally designed for horse and carts. Later it was used for the Underground, and today it’s used for Overground trains:

Inside the adjacent house, there is a small gallery with a documentary about Brunel and various models and displays relating to the tunnel construction.

The Grand Entrance Hall (inside the entrance shaft) was made accessible in 2016 and is now used as a ‘performance space’:

There are various benches outside based on some of Brunel’s more famous bridges:


An interesting small museum.