Abi & I had a long weekend in London in February 2026.
We caught the train from Alton to Waterloo on Friday morning and checked straight into the our Travelodge. After a quick lunch, we caught a double decker bus to:
The Postal Museum
LongPlayer, the 1,000 year symphony
Saturday morning began with a trip on the Jubilee Line to Canning Town. From here we walked over the red pedestrian bridge to London City Island and went to visit LongPlayer at Trinity Buoy Wharf. What a cool part of town this is, there were loads of unusual sculptures, and even a black taxi cab with a big tree growing out of it all sitting on top of a cafe!
LongPlayer is a piece of music that began on the eve of the millennium and is programmed to play uninterrupted and without repetition until the end of the year 2999. The composer, Jem Finer (founding member of The Pogues) used a 66ft wide orchestral instrument to create the individual notes used. The piece is generated from six simple musical themes played on Tibetan singing bowls. Although mostly played by a computer, it can (and sometimes is) performed live by people.
LongPlayer itself is inside London’s only lighthouse. From the upper floor there are great views across the River Thames of The O2 and city skyline.
IFS Cloud Cable Car
We walked back to Canning Town station and took the Docklands Light Railway to Victoria Dock and hopped on the IFS Cloud, (London Cable Car) over to North Greenwich.
This was fantastic, definitely worth a trip.
The Tower Bridge Experience
After a quick bite for lunch outside The O2 we took the tube back to London Bridge.
We had a 1:30 booking for the Tower Bridge Experience.
We walked between the north and south towers on the upper walkway, with glass floor. Also included was a tour of the Engine Room.
HMS Belfast
Our final stop of the day was HMS Belfast.
The Science Museum
Sunday morning we went to the Science Museum.
There is much to see here and it’s free entry. However, most of the interactive sections have a cost associated.
Abi was delighted to finally be one of the chosen volunteers to appear on stage during the Space Show.
The Natural History Museum
Sunday afternoon we visited the Natural History Museum. Then we ended up racing back to the Science Museum after we realised we didn’t have Abi’s Rainbow Dash Equestria Doll! Thankfully, she’d left it in the gift shop and it had been handed into lost property so all was well in the world again.
