A new perspective

Having lived in the Capital for too many years to count, it’s not often that we get to do the touristy things. Like most Londoners, it’s usually heads down, elbows out and at all costs, STAND ON THE RIGHT, WALK ON THE LEFT! But when this opportunity popped into our inbox, well, who could blame us for jumping at the chance to take the mother of all London sight-seeing trips, not by open top bus, not even by bright yellow duck-shaped boat, but rather glamorously, by helicopter. (We don’t like to do things by halves and if we are going to be a tourist, we’re going to do it in style, no?)

The London Helicopter is a new service that gives passengers a view of our sprawling city like no other. Starting at Battersea and zipping down the river to Greenwich and back, we were treated to an otherworldly experience, looking down on London’s famous landmarks in miniature.

The views were breathtaking; the weather perfect and it was only slightly scary when, fully life-jacketted up, we were told we’d be first on and up front, next to the pilot, who reassured us with his  hilarious in-flight humour: “First time in a helicopter?” “Yes.” “Me too!”.

We peeked straight through the top of the Battersea Power Station (there is no roof – who knew?), we flew around the top of the Shard as she glimmered beautifully in the late summer sunshine and we felt very smug looking down on those not-so-high-up London Eye losers passengers.

Flights from Battersea cost £199 per seat and for a once-in-a-lifetime experience like this, we think they’re worth every penny.