Must Come Down

Well, I managed to make it to the top of the building and not come back down the same way (via lift) for my sponsored abseil. Getting kitted up in our climbing harnesses and helmets before clambering up the utility ladder to the roof gave us less time to contemplate backing out once standing at the top.

The final group of four, we stood gazing at the grand vista of London doused in dusk with streetlife far below us, waiting to be called up in turn to step to the edge. The last to go, it was dark by the time I was clipped to the abseil and safety ropes at close to 1800. My instructor sat me down on the low ledge and went through the procedure of standing, toes on the edge with heels hanging in space and the lean-out before the planting of the feet on the face of the building. This was the main hurdle, overcoming the natural instinct of not wanting to lean backwards towards a 200ft drop and giving trust to the ropes before full tension.

Once past the angle of no return when gravity took over I placed my feet one after the other onto the building's face, finally lowering down into position and I was set to go. I walked the first 20ft getting used to the speed of the rope through my hand and with confidence mounting as the harness took my full weight, I pushed off from the wall and let the rope through steadily faster as I descended past office windows and one or two office workers still at their computers!

The feeling of being so high up and dropping in open air with all of London lit up around me was exhilarating and before long a voice called from below telling me I was already halfway (a quick look told me there was still some way to go!). A final shout let me know I was reaching the bottom where I landed and was congratulated by the safety marshall who said I'd obviously done it before! It was a great experience and I wanted to go straight back up and do it again; something which I will definitely repeat at some point.