What would you photograph if you got the chance to float low over London?
Answer: everything.
I was recently given a flight over London in the Goodyear blimp. I am aware how lucky I am. It was a stunning day, and I took something like 200 photographs of the capital from a privileged vantage point just a little higher than the Shard.
I presented some of my best shots in the article linked above, but the opportunity provided so many golden moments that I thought I'd share another 15 images in a fresh article. So here we go...
1. A shadow falls over Bexley
As we chugged westwards, the blimp cast a sizeable shadow on the streets below. Here, we're flying over Bexley, with the shadow spanning the gap between Brampton Road and Mayfair Avenue. I would look down wondering if passing motorists and pedestrians would notice the sudden eclipse and look up, though I never saw this happen.
2. A look at the cabin
A few people have asked what the flight cabin was like. As you can see, we were provided with exceptionally large windows through which to gawp at the passing scenery. The cabin is not pressurised; indeed, two of the windows were partially open. About 15 people can ascend. Seatbelts are worn only at take-off and landing, and we were free to move about at all other times. It is a gentle ride. Note the word Zeppelin on the ceiling. The blimps are still built by the Zeppelin company in Germany.
3. Bostall woods
It's tempting to include only the well-known sights of central London, but I wanted to share a couple from south-east London. Here, we're looking towards the river, with the bosky Bostall Woods and Plumstead Cemetery in the centre of shot.
4. Parched Blackheath
We're part-way through the heatwave, and Blackheath is already looking like it could use a downpour. With the grass turning to straw, we can more readily see the various paths and desire lines that criss-cross this historic landscape.
5. Above a classic view
I didn't quite time this one right — the top is a little cut-off — but my intention was to capture the classic view from Greenwich Hill, but from 300 metres higher. In the foreground is the Queen's House and National Maritime Museum, followed by the Old Naval College. Across the water, most of the Isle of Dogs is visible, with its great barrier of skyscrapers.
6. Greenland Dock
Rotherhithe is among the most-changed areas of London over the past half century. Before the 1980s, large swathes were given over to docks and connecting channels. Today, only a handful remain, including Greenland Dock and South Dock, shown here. Meanwhile, the new towers of Canada Water rise in the background.
7. Canary Wharf
As we passed the Wharf, it felt almost as though I could reach out and stroke the passing 'scrapers. This view shows the main cluster, looking east towards the Royal Docks and City Airport.
8. Limehouse Basin
Note the colour change between the Thames water and that in Limehouse Basin. Something similar can be seen in the Greenland Dock photo. This is the sort of thing you can only notice from height.
9. What's the time?
I was startled to find that I could read the time by looking down. This is London's largest clock, dubbed 'Big Benzene' because it tops the former Shell building on the North Bank. It was indeed just after 11am as we flew overhead.
10. Spying on the MoD
Having once ventured into the basement of the Ministry of Defence building (a story for another day), it was a pleasure to see their hulking headquarters from above. Good to see so many solar panels lining that colossal roof.
11. A shadow falls over Parliament
I managed to time this photograph just as the blimp's shadow passed over the House of Commons Chamber. Sadly, this was taken at 11:04, a full 26 minutes before Hansard records the daily session opening... so probably nobody was in there.
12. Changing the Guard
As a Londoner rather than a tourist, I don't think I've ever been to see the Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace before. My first experience of the event, then, is to witness it from 300 metres in the air.
13. The pilots' view
The blimp flew west as far as Nine Elms, giving us epic views of the tower cluster and Battersea Power Station beyond. Here's the scene from the cockpit, which is not screened off from the passenger cabin. The co-pilot seems to be checking her phone, which isn't a problem up here as the blimp is fitted with Starlink. That said, I had a decent 5G signal for much of the ride.
14. Rear-view window
On the way back, I thought I'd give the rear seats a go. Here, wraparound views of the capital are possible. In this shot, we see the Isle of Dogs and O2 dome.
15. Bluewater
With time to kill before we were due back at the aerodrome, the pilot decided to circle the Thames in extreme east London. This offered splendid views of the QEII Bridge and Tilbury Docks, but also the gigantic shopping centres of Lakeside (Essex) and Bluewater (Kent). You can tell we're not in London any more from the quite stupendous number of parking spaces.
16. Matt beside the window
And a farewell from me. As previously mentioned, a couple of the windows were left open, allowing us to take photographs without glare (oh so very carefully, as a dropped camera from this height could be fatal).
Thanks for reading, and see the original article about my flight here.
