Thames Rockets Take to the Sky!

We have lift off!!! That's right Thames Rockets have now gone airborne. Well, to be more precise, we were over 1000 feet above London in the 105th tallest building in the world with a view of over 40 miles (on a clear day!). That's right, we rocketed up the 95 floors to the View from the Shard (needless to say we did not take the stairs!). We were invited up to see our friends at the Shard to celebrate our 'Highest, Fastest Experience' partnership, and to see what life is like up amongst the clouds! As the early morning low cloud began to dissipate we thought we could spy HMS Belfast and Old Billingsgate Market far below. Great to see the new look London Bridge coming into shape! We spied a few familiar faces, usually we're zipping under Tower Bridge rather than spying her from afar... There's no roof! It really is amazing at the very top of the Shard - completely open to the elements! We couldn't help but start getting a little arty, clearly the thinner air having an effect... On the top level we were most certainly sky high! On the top level we were most certainly sky high! It was amazing to see the clouds gently passing by the windows. Our 23 Shard Facts.

• The Shard is 309.6 metres (1,016ft) high.
• The building reached its top height on 19 June.
• It has 11,000 glass panels.
• The area of the glass façade is 56,000 sq metres (602,779 sq ft), which equals eight football pitches.
• There are 44 lifts, including double-decker lifts.
• There are 306 flights of stairs.
• The total floor space is 11 hectares (27 acres).
• 95% of the construction materials are recycled.
• 20% of the steelwork is from recycled sources.
• The design was influenced by the irregular nature of the site.
• Each facet forms a shard, a plane of glass gently inclined inwards, rising towards the top.
• The corners of the development are open and the shards do not touch, allowing the building to "breathe".
• There are 72 €˜habitable' floors. (Apartments and such).
• A further 15 levels will make up the "spire". Six have the potential to be used, while another nine are exposed to the elements.
• The ground-floor Shard Plaza is be a public area with seating and plants.
• The second floor is a 460 sq metre retail space with retail units opening out onto the concourse of London Bridge Station.
• The fourth to 28th floors have 55,000 sq metres of offices and winter gardens.
• The 31st to 33rd floors are 2,700 sq metres of international restaurants, centred on a triple-height atrium.
• The 34th to 52nd floors house the Shangri-La Hotel and Spa, with 200 luxury rooms across 18,000 sq metres.
• The 53rd to 65th floors are home to 10 exclusive residences with 360-degree views across London over a total of 5,800 sq metres.
• The 68th to 72nd floors are the public observation galleries. The 1,400-sq-metre View from the Shard has been open since February 2013.
• The Shard is the tallest building in Northern Europe.
• It is the 105th tallest building in the world, around 2.7 times shorter than the tallest, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which is 828 metres high. Click here for the full list!
• You can enjoy the highest coffee you'll ever have, without flying, while at The View from the Shard.

Interested in booking our 'Highest, Fastest' adventure? Click here for details! You will experience our all-speed blast from Tower Bridge to the Thames Barrier, before heading to The Shard to see even more of London! Make 2017 your year of new adventures!