I hadn’t really thought about whether I would be fine with dangling over the Thames in a glass box until I arrived.
From what I can remember, heights have never really bothered me, but under questioning at the safety briefing, I’m now not convinced.
This also isn’t going to be your typical ride at the IFS Cloud Cable Car. I’m taking the journey to the Docklands and back in one of the brand new glass floor cabins.
Originally opened in 2012, the cable car has attracted a regular stream of tourists over the subsequent decade, with passenger numbers reaching a record 1.5 million last year.
Never a hit with commuters (TfL pushed back weekday opening hours from 7am until 8am this year due to poor uptake), the operator is keen to cement the cable car’s status as a key London attraction.
“The glass floor experience will create a buzz,” Josh Crompton, TfL’s cable car boss tells me.
“The market that we’re looking at is tourists and leisure-users. It’s going to get people out of Westminster, and into Greenwich and the Royal Docks.”
Only two of the 34 cabins that circle the line now feature a glass floor, and passengers have to pay a premium.
Off-peak round-trip tickets, which come with ‘fast-track’ perks, cost £25, almost twice the price of a journey in a regular cabin.
Those wanting the glass floor experience at weekends and school holidays will have to pay an additional £10.
At the time of day that I rode the cable car, there was not much need for a ‘fast-track’ ticket – the only other people at the terminal seemed to be French teenagers on a school trip.
But demand increases in the evenings, when tourists hope to catch a bird’s-eye view of the sun setting over the Thames.
Even in the middle of the day, the cityscape looks spectacular. As the cabin inches away from the Greenwich peninsula, passengers are treated to uninterrupted views of the O2 arena.
The river meanders below in both directions, and, from 90 metres above ground, the DLR trains look like toy miniatures as they trundle through the Docklands.
The glass floor is a nice touch, and certainly adds to the ‘360-degree’ panorama experience.
There is a definite thrill when you look down and see your feet floating above the river, even if the murky water isn’t a particularly inspiring sight.
The ride itself is very peaceful – the day was still when I visited, and there was no noticeable swaying.
Even with the extra glass, the cabin wasn’t stifling, although apparently operators increase the speed of the cable car when temperatures exceed 25 degrees to limit overheating for passengers.
The journey takes ten minutes in each direction – I travelled back to Greenwich, but the Royal Docks terminal is just a short walk from City Hall and Royal Victoria DLR station.
It was honestly all very zen – although I had the benefit of an almost empty cabin, so was spared any screaming children or nervous riders.
And, as I walked back to North Greenwich Tube station after my cable car adventure, I could reassure myself of two things – I don’t have vertigo, and I left a lot less anxious than when I arrived.
