Like the crackle of a campfire or the patter of rain when safely sheltered, witnessing the reappearance of the sun prompts an atavistic joy in most people. It is as though we are still vulnerable hunter-gatherers on the ancient planes, thankful to have survived the dangers of the darkness. Or perhaps it’s just the smug feeling of being up and active while our fellow citizens slumber on. Who knows? In any case, London can be a magical place to watch the rising sun. All you need to do is look up the hour, then find a place with a relatively clear view to the east.
You needn’t be a virtuous early bird to watch this quotidian marvel. Sunrise in London can be as late as 8.06am in December and January. On the other hand, you’ll need to be in place as early as 4.43am to catch it around the Summer Solstice in June. Although this section is nominally set at 5am, the following ideas relate to the time of sunrise rather than that specific hour.
The classic option is to ascend Primrose Hill, the highest natural point close to central London. The park opens at 5am all year round, so you can be upon the summit for dawn at any time other than high summer.
Central London is more problematic, with so many buildings cluttering the horizon. Your best bet is to choose one of the bridges along the Thames. Decent eastward views can be gained from Waterloo, Blackfriars, Millennium and London Bridges. The latter must surely be the pick of the bunch, as it offers golden silhouette views of Tower Bridge.
The highest sunrise vantage point of all, and perhaps most expensive, is the 24-hour Duck & Waffle restaurant in the Heron Tower. You may need to prebook, especially if you want to request an east-facing window. I once turned up at 5.30am on a Sunday to find the place almost full. I’ve lied. Twice. There’s another option at both greater altitude and greater cost. A dawn balloon flight over London is utterly magical and serene. Adventure Balloons offers morning flights from April to August on weekdays. They last about an hour and cost £200. This is by far the most memorable way to watch a London dawn, but it comes with its own frustrations (and not just the cost). Balloons are temperamental things and flights are often cancelled on the day because of unfavourable weather conditions.
Other activities suggest themselves at this auroral hour. Sunup is associated with birdsong – the dawn chorus – one of the few overt natural phenomena to permeate the city, as it does the countryside. You can hear it anywhere, but large open spaces like the banks of the Thames or Blackheath might offer a particularly melodious experience.
Of course, being out when everybody else is asleep also presents a unique opportunity for photography. Much fun can be had walking around the normally bustling West End tourist sites and snapping them when devoid of people. One company, Cities At Dawn (www.citiesatdawn.com) even offers professional workshops on how to take the best photographs in the early morning light. Meeting times range between 4am and 6am depending on the time of year.
AT THIS HOUR:
One of London’s ghost trains departs central London at 05.31. The service between Liverpool Street and Enfield Town operates just one train per week (Saturdays), with no return service. The irregularity means the train often leaves without a single passenger, so you can consider the driver your personal chauffeur. This, and several other services in London, are known as Parliamentary trains – routes that continue minimal operations to avoid the costs of formal closure. Other examples include the daily 11.36 Paddington to West Ruislip service, and the 06.18 from Battersea Park to Highbury and Islington.
