Stratford's ArcelorMittal Orbit

Since hearing they were going to be opening a slide at the ArcelorMittal Orbit in the Olympic Park Stratford, the adrenalin junkie within me has been waiting to try it out.  I was lucky enough to open a ticket for the slide at Christmas and so the wait came to an end last weekend when I headed to Stratford to check it out.  

Already having my ticket, I was directed to the lift to take me to the viewing platform.  I love London so seeing the view from a different angle was great.

You can't take any belongings onto the slide with you so I had to go back down to the ground to use the lockers onsite.  The lockers are a really good size and cost £1 which is returned to you when you fetch your belongings at the end, so if you are going to visit make sure you have a pound coin on you. 

Back into the lift and up to the slide I was feeling so excited to try it out.  You are given some rather fetching safety gear to wear, elbow pads and a very attractive helmet, which personally seemed a bit health and safety gone mad to me.  However, on going down the slide I completely get it.  Wow that thing was fast! 

You know when you queue for a ride for about an hour and then you finally get on it for it to be over within seconds, well I had prepared myself for this to be the case.  Although there was no queue which was a bonus, the allotted time slots definitely help to prevent this from happening.  Once on the slide, I turned a fair few corners where I expected to find myself at the bottom, only it just kept on going (not that I am complaining).  It was bloody brilliant.  I loved every second and would definitely do it again. 

If it is something you have been meaning to do yourself or if you have a visit planned to London and are looking for something a little different to do while you are there then I would recommend heading to Stratford to try it out.  Do try and book your tickets before you go though as it does get booked up pretty quickly. 

~ Gem x