REVIEW: THAMES ROCKETS

AG
Jun 17
2 min read

Updated: Jun 22

We Tear Up The Thames on London’s Newest, Biggest and Fastest Speedboat

We leap aboard the Rocket Rebel, Thames Rockets’ biggest, fastest and most eco-friendly new sightseeing speedboat to tear up the Thames.

We find the gleaming, red beast bobbing on the water in front of the London Eye, and after life jackets and a safety briefing, we’re strapped into our seats on the capital’s first ever 26-seater speedboat.

Our entertaining guide plays a medley of singalong anthems during the 60-minute adventure, and explains that once we’ve enjoyed a gentle saunter under London Bridge and Tower Bridge, sh*t will get real, when the 880 horsepower engines rev up to catapult us up to speeds of 35 miles per hour.

As we enjoy panoramic views of the capital’s most famous landmarks, from Houses of Parliament, Somerset House, and Shakespeare’s Globe, he fires facts at us.

The 32 pods on the London Eye represent the 32 London boroughs. There were only six deaths in the Great Fire of London. And perhaps most surprisingly, The Thames was declared biologically dead 50 years ago, but its now regarded as the cleanest metropolitan river in the world.

The blue sky reappears as we bob beneath Tower Bridge, waving at tourists above us. As promised, the engine kicks in and we’re off, slicing through the Thames in a firework of white froth.

My daughter squeals in delight as the boat plunges from left to right, zigzagging past sights like Cleopatra’s Needle, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London.

It’s a euphoric sensation, with the boat belting out Mr Blue Sky as the sun beats down on us, while we see the most beautiful parts of our city from a whole new angle.

We wave at Mudlarkers, scavenging the river banks, which look like beaches; and giggle as we’re bounced up and down past Wapping, which could be Venice from our vantage point, with grand old buildings reflected in the water.

Our daughter doesn’t want it to end - the diverse and grinning age group on our boat is testament to its wide appeal.

But finally, we’re back at Tower Bridge, where we catch our collective breath and gently zip back past HMS Belfast and Tate Modern, to the London Eye.

The glorious lovechild of a tour and rollercoaster, its easy to see why they’ve held the #1 spot as TripAdvisor’s best London tour for the past decade, and with their swish new boat, twice as many people can now enjoy even faster paced thrills.

Thames Rockets, Rocket Rebel, The London Eye Pier, Boarding Gate 1, SE1 7PB. Adults £69.95 pp. Kids £59.95 pp