the shard london

the shard london

This weekend, The View from the Shard will be opened to the public for visitors to experience what it’s like to see London from Western Europe’s tallest building, The Shard.

The 95-storey skyscraper will offer visitors a whole new perspective on the capital, and once more England will have succeeded in thinking big. In celebration of all things great and not so small, VisitEngland takes a look up at some of the nation’s tallest attractions that are putting this country on top of the world.

The View from The Shard, London (224 meters tall)Image courtesy of maschoismtango, Flickr

The View from the Shard takes visitors up 224 meters to the viewing platform on Level 69, the only place you can see all of London, all at once. Twice the height of any other viewing platform in the capital, the 360 degree view extends more than 40 miles (64 km) out to the coast and Windsor Castle on a clear day.

Closer to the building are some of London’s most famous landmarks including Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, the London Eye and Westminster. Before entering lifts to ascend the Shard, visitors pass through a multi-media experience that gives background information on London’s history. Once up on Level 69, visitors can use Tell:scopes to learn more about the city. These high-tech, interactive telescopes can be used to zoom in on the view in real time, or to find out more about the city and its history.

Those who dare can further their experience with a climb to Level 72, the highest habitable point of The Shard, to stand in the open air above ground. Tickets must be pre-booked - costing £24.95 for adults and £18.95 for children.

ArcelorMittal Orbit, Olympic Park, London (115 meters tall)Image courtesy of Mr Moss, Flickr

130,000 visitors, three proposals and one queen… Rising over the Olympic site, the ArcelorMittal Orbit, a bold statement of public art, presented a new perspective of London life during the Games. Literally lighting up London’s East End the UK's tallest sculpture took 18 months to construct and required 560 metres of tubular red steel to form the sculpture’s lattice superstructure. 

A total of 2,000 tonnes of steel has been used to build the ArcelorMittal Orbit, equivalent to the weight of 1,136 London black cabs. Anish Kapoor’s creation will open again to the public at the end of March as part of a new programme of tours designed to showcase the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Scafell Pike, Lake District (978 meters tall)

Did you know that this country has over 200 mountains? Of all the peaks of England, the majority can be found in the Lake District. These include Scafell Pike, England’s highest mountain, which sits majestically just waiting to be tackled and once described as “every inch a mountain” by legendary guidebook author Alfred Wainwright Characterised by crags and jaw-dropping views, Scafell Pike is no walk in the park.

Pack a picnic and climb to the summit for an exhilarating sense of achievement. If you’re considering the challenge, visiting www.scafellpike.org.uk is the best place to start. After all that hard work why not relax at the Cuckoo Brow Inn, Ambleside. Enjoy a two-night winter getaway for £119 per person, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast (offer valid until the end of February).

Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth (170 meters tall)

Soaring 170 metres above Portsmouth Harbour and the Solent, the Spinnaker Tower is taller than the London Eye and Big Ben and has already established itself as a national icon. Situated on the waterfront at Gunwharf Quays, it offers panoramic views of Portsmouth Harbour, the south coast and out to the Isle of Wight, with views stretching for up to 23 miles - breath-taking by day and a glittering sea of lights by night.

View Deck 1 boasts a glass floor, where visitors of all ages can dare to ‘walk on air’; View Deck 2 is home to a Café in the Clouds, while View Deck 3 – The Crow’s Nest – is open to the elements, enabling visitors to feel the wind in their hair. Tickets cost £8.25 for adults and £6.55 for children.

Big One, Blackpool Pleasure Beach (72 meters tall)

Brace yourself for the Big One, the UK’s tallest roller coaster. Feel the adrenaline rush as you climb to a nail biting height of 72 meters over Blackpool Pleasure beach. The attraction’s first drop boasts an incline angle of 65 degrees and at speeds of up to 87mph – this roller coaster is an experience like no other!

The Big One is also one of the longest rollercoasters, measuring over a mile in length. An unlimited rides wristband for Blackpool Pleasure Beach costs £17.50 for adults and £15 for children.

Weymouth SEA LIFE Tower, Dorset (53 meters tall)Image courtesy of Jim Linwood, Flickr

Weymouth Bay is part of England’s most scenic coastland. It’s also home to some of the country’s best sailing waters, and hosted the Olympic and Paralympic sailing events last summer. Soaring high above the resort, Weymouth SEA LIFE Tower provides stunning panoramic views of the Jurassic coastline – England’s first natural World Heritage Site - and out over Weymouth Bay, Chesil Beach and Portland.

Turning through a full 360 degrees and climbing to over 170 feet above sea level, this is an experience not to be missed! Tickets cost from £13 per person.

Up at the O2, London (53 meters tall)

Ever climbed an icon?  Now’s your chance! This breath-taking attraction combines an exhilarating active outdoor challenge with a completely unique perspective on the capital. The unforgettable 90-minute experience takes visitors on an uplifting guided expedition across the roof of The O2 via a tensile fabric walkway suspended 53 meters above ground level.

An observation platform at the summit will enable climbers to take in spectacular 360 degree views of the city and its many landmarks, including the Olympic Park, Thames Barrier, The Shard, Historic Royal Greenwich and Canary Wharf, before descending back to base. Tickets start at £22 for adults and children.

Angel of the North, NewcastleGateshead (20 meters tall)Image courtesy of craigbooth, Flickr 

Up in Gateshead, Anthony Gormley’s The Angel of the North spreads its iron wings to 54 meters wide. After a controversial start in 1998, ‘The Angel of the North’ is now almost universally loved, and it seems the feeling is mutual; the sculpture’s wings are angled forward 3.5 degrees to create, in Gormley’s words, “a sense of embrace”. Free to view.

To discover more of England’s iconic attractions, checkout www.visitengland.com

For great hotel deals in the UK click here to visit lowcostholidays.com

What are your favourite tall attractions in England? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @FemaleFirst_UK

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