Aside from the affected sectors served by the DLR replacement bus Service A, the rest of the line from Canary Wharf is operating as per normal and I could continue my journey from there. Down south to Greenwich, it was still easier to get on the remaining parts of the DLR in service as there are no other straightforward convenient links from Tower Hill to Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich.
My incoming train bound for Lewisham.
The empty interior of the DLR.
There are transverse bays of seats in the middle of the car which may make for a more comfortable ride.
However, the best seat on the DLR is definitely with this view.
I’m not sure if there was manual driving before Canary Wharf but the driver’s console was open with DLR staff on it sounding the horn when approaching Heron Quays.
After the staff closed up the console and disembarked at Heron Quays, I managed to get myself the elusive front seat.
Approaching South Quay.
Crossing with an opposing DLR train at South Quay.
Crossing with another opposing DLR train at Mudchute.
Entering the tunnel after Mudchute to slowly head under the River Thames.
Approaching Island Gardens.
Heading for Greenwich under the Thames.
Arriving at Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich. As this station has short platforms and I am on a 3-car train, the front two doors (half of the front car) and the last two doors (half of the end car) will not open as it exceeds the platforms. The platforms can only fit a 2-car train.
Disembarking from the rear door of the front car, which I have prepared myself to walk to since I’ve actually been here before on a 3-car train 4 years ago.
Here, it’s a short walk to Greenwich Park for Royal Observatory Greenwich and the Prime Meridian.
The view of Queen’s House and National Maritime Museum from the top of Greenwich Park.
Standing outside the closed Royal Observatory Greenwich since it was night time already.
The Shepherd Gate Clock mounted on the wall outside Royal Observatory Greenwich, the first clock to publicly display the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). It’s also a little harder to read as it is a 24-hour clock where 1 rotation of the hour hand makes up 24 hours and the clock face has 24 hour points on it.
The clock also features the Public Standards of Length, with lengths of 1 yard, 2 feet, 1 foot, 6 inches, and 3 inches available. If you need something even more accurate than a ruler that you can buy from a bookshop, bring your own very straight stick or rod and cut it precisely here using the units provided so that it fits perfectly within the pins provided.
I was here for one picture that I forgot to take 4 years ago as I didn’t know you could do it without buying a ticket into the Royal Observatory.
Heading down this “secret” passageway hidden behind the folding gate.
Behind the gate is the Greenwich Prime Meridian available for public access, without the need to buy a ticket into the Royal Observatory.
The stainless steel (formerly brass) strip marks the Greenwich Prime Meridian that splits the Eastern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere.
Standing precisely on the Greenwich Prime Meridian.
Greenwich trip goal: completed.
Unfortunately, as I tried to capture the GPS longitude on my phone, and a quick Google search thinking that my phone’s GPS is wonky, I realised that the Greenwich Prime Meridian is not precisely 0° 00′ 00.00″ but is actually still on the Western Hemisphere. The real modern IERS Reference Meridian is about 102 meters east of Royal Observatory Greenwich. Oh well. It’s comparable to the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia at Sentosa maybe?
The fence surrounding the Royal Observatory has a different design for the exact point on the Greenwich Prime Meridian.
As there are a bunch of other tourists here too, you may have to wait your turn before snapping your own photo of the Greenwich Prime Meridian.
If you’re feeling rich, you can use the MBNA Thames Clippers for the River Bus services on the River Thames to get back to the City of London. Contrary to popular belief, this is actual public transport and not a tour boat – though I don’t think most would take it as public transport unless they were claimable but I may be wrong or poor. You can check out their fares here.
If you’re really feeling broke or just enjoy lots of walking, you can use the Greenwich Foot Tunnel to cross under the River Thames on foot for free. However, as I’ve probably already hit my daily cap on my Oyster, I didn’t have to resort to walking.
The Cutty Sark, the namesake of the DLR station which I’m getting back to, is a restored British clipper ship now serving as a museum ship on Greenwich’s dry land.