More tours of HMS Ocean announced

If you missed out on the chance to visit the Royal Navy's largest warship, currently doing Olympian security duties in Greenwich, then it has been announced that it will be open to the public again during the August Bank Holiday.

The unexpected and welcome Olympic Legacy

And so it is over. Today, the athletes. the trainers, the sponsors and their assorted lackeys pack up their bags and leave the party. Years of expectation and effort concentrated into a single moment. Would people turn up, would they…

The Olympic Water Chariots slash their prices

The hideously overpriced canal boat service (link removed, dead link) taking people from Limehouse to nearish to the Olympic Park seems to have finally bowed the inevitability of their reportedly near-empty boats...

Get in early with your Olympic souvenir hunting

Sitting inside the Olympic Park is a “megastore” packed with Olympic branded goodies. Some garish, some surprisingly tasteful, including the canvas bags with 1948 posters on them – alas, a plastic style print transfer that wouldn’t last very long, and…

How Green Was Our Olympic Park

When London's bid for the 2012 Olympics was presented, part of the arguments would be centered on its eco-credentials. It would be a public transport based Olympics, energy would be renewable. Well, some of it would be.

An unusual train movement on the London Underground

Earlier this morning, something happened that hasn't been seen for over 65 years - a tube train left Waterloo and arrived at Bank, carrying passengers.

Photos of the (almost) deserted Olympic Park

A sight that the Olympics organisers hope to never see is an empty Olympic Park, but for me it was too good a chance to miss.

A double-decker bus doing push-ups in Islington

It's an art thing, but quite a fun one. A red double-decker bus is doing muscular push-ups outside the Business Design Centre in Islington.

Cultural food and drink events during the Olympics

A number of countries in addition to sending athletes to London for the Olympics, have also chosen to set up cultural hubs in the city as well.

Confusing email about Olympic changes to Canary Wharf

I just received a rather badly worded email from TfL laying out what they will do at Canary Wharf tube station during the Olympics, which leaves more questions than it answers.

A look around HMS Ocean at Greenwich

On Friday evening, the Royal Navy's largest ship, HMS Ocean squeezed its way through the gaps in the Thames Barrier and moored by Greenwich for a few weeks of securing the area for the Olympics -- and on Sunday let us non-military sorts have a look around a bit of it.

Tall Towers Appear in Docklands and Greenwich

Regular users of Millwall Park at the bottom end of the Isle of Dogs may have been surprised to see a tall lattice tower suddenly arrive over the past few days and spring upwards.

A second cable car at Greenwich?

A warning message to ships on the Thames, that three cables are be carried across the river to link Greenwich to the Isle of Dogs in a manner very similar to that used for the locked onto a river pier…

In photos – Raising the Olympic Rings to the top of Tower Bridge

If you had been willing to get up at an ungodly hour, then you could have seen a rather impressive bit of civil engineering take place, as a large set of Olympic Rings was hoisted up to the top of Tower Bridge to herald the forthcoming sporting event.

How Typhoon jets will intercept unexpected planes during the Olympics

As part of the ongoing militarisation of London in preparation for the Olympics, we are probably aware that there will be missiles stationed in various locations around the venues, and that fighter jets will be on standby to intercept unexpected…

Another Olympics related “exclusive pop-up experience”

Visitors to this summer's Olympic games who are looking for that exclusive experience to remember the games by might have been tempted by the opportunity to take a canal cruise into the Olympic venue itself.

Olympic sized security exercises on the Thames next month

A notice for mariners to look out for high speed boats whizzing up and down the river, and a very big Royal Navy ship has been distributed.

How TfL is planning for the Olympics traffic deluge

Later this summer, the transport will/won't be thrown into chaos as unlimited hordes of people visit the city during the Olympics, and it is interesting to ponder how we will all cope with the dramatic changes.

How will the Olympics change transport habits – in the future

There is a lot of news fluff about the new transport maps indicating expected areas of high traffic and pronouncements of doom and gloom from some quarters — including an emailed request for my own predictions of doom and gloom…

A garish smorgasbord of 2012 memorabilia in John Lewis

One of the so-called "anchor tenants" within the gargantuan shopping centre next to the Olympic Park is John Lewis, and they have set aside part of their new department store as a 2012 shop and viewing area.

Booking opens today for tours of the BT Tower

A few left overs from last week’s mad rush to book tickets for the London Open House Weekend, as booking opens today for the tours of the BT Tower and also bus-tours of the Olympic Park. BT Tower Tours on…

A canal boat tour of the Olympic Park

One of the nicer aspects of the Olympic Park is that they have retained the old canals within the grounds of the park to break the space up and provide much needed "canalside frontage" to the luxury houses that will pay for the regeneration afterwards.

A museum for the Emergency Services?

Reading this morning that the hanger sized grey monolith that will become the media centre for the Olympic games in 2012 faces an uncertain future got me pondering an idea I had some time ago. On my visit to the…

London 2012 Game Makers – Disabled people need not apply

I am about to be a total and utter hypocrite*. In my previous, and to a limited degree in my current, jobs – I was a mild drum-beater for making websites accessible for those who have problems with their eyesight …