Climbing the O2 Arena in the Rain with My Son

Before I arrived for my third time visiting London, I heard about people climbing over the O2 Arena. If you’re not familiar with the O2, it is a large indoor arena that plays the biggest musical acts and major sports. It also houses a huge mall.

When I was deciding which kid to take with me to London (I have 4 with 3 still living in the home), I decided on my 11-year-old. Mainly because my 7-year-old is too young to climb the outside of the O2 and my 16-year-old isn’t the “climbing over arenas” type. When I showed him images of people climbing over the O2, he was as excited as I was.

We decided to climb the O2 on our first day in London. In the morning, we went on a speedboat ride down the Thames to help us get over our jetlag. And I scheduled the O2 in the afternoon to keep our energy up. It was the right move.

We took the Underground Jubilee line to get there, which wasn’t far from where we were staying. We had some time to kill before our climb, so we walked around the mall and had coffee at Starbucks. Once it was time, we headed to the climbing base where we signed waivers and picked up our gear. The O2 offers boots to wear if you don’t have good traction. Both my son and I didn’t have good threads on our soles, so we picked up a pair of boots. A tour guide showed us how to use the harness and went over the correct way to climb and descend.

There was a large group that went up with us and my son and I got in line close to the front. It was a good thing, because we moved a little faster than the people in the back. Going up was a steep incline, but it wasn’t too much work. Some people were struggling a little, but everyone made it to the top. As we approached the summit of the O2, the winds picked up. I was thankful I took a coat that was offered at the base. Once at the top, we took out our cameras and phones. The guide showed us what the nearby buildings were and talked about new construction going up in the neighborhood and how the views would be changing.

While we were taking pictures, a London rain rolled in and it dumped on us. We cut our time short at the top and made our way down. The rain poured, and the wind caused our hands to freeze. I had wished we brought gloves. My son and I laughed loudly and often as we walked backwards slowly down the O2. It was a joyful, rainy moment.

Before the trip, I envisioned the climb to be thrilling. It was everything I hoped it to be. The rain added to the thrill. I would have loved to have climbed on a bright sunny day, but I hear those are hard to predict in London.

I would definitely climb the O2 again and maybe I’ll be able to convince my other kids to climb on the next trip.

My advice to those planning on climbing: wear shoes with good soles if you can. If you can’t, you’ll still be able to borrow. Dress warm during cold months and take a rain jacket. Gloves will come in handy.

To book your tickets for Up at the O2, click here.

@onegooddad

We climbed the O2 Arena in the rain. My son and I had a great time and laughed so much. A cold, rainy, and windy day didnt damper our mood. #upattheo2 #o2 #o2arena #london #travel #traveltiktok #travelblogger #fyp #dadsoftiktok #dadlife #vacation

♬ Puzzled Climb – DJ BAI

Disclaimer: I partnered with Climb at the O2 for this post. The story and thoughts are my own.