Cutty Sark

Growing up in a northern shipping town, Cutty Sark ticked all the right boxes for me from the start. It’s a  beautiful ship with a history of tea at its heart: the quintessentially British clipper is definitely worth a visit – look at this hull!

Cutty Sark is one for shipping and historical enthusiasts alike, and includes a timeline of tea, (the only timeline I ever need to know about). As you explore each deck there are videos to watch and interactive games to take part in, great for kids (and me) to have a go.

However, if history isn’t your cup of tea (har har), Cutty Sark, simply put, is breathtakingly beautiful. Making my way through the belly of the ship, I got a taster of what it was like aboard during its prime, with the best definitely saved till last, when I got on deck.

There’s an elegant muddle of white guide ropes, masts that reach to the sky, and sun bleached decking. If you look in any direction you can imagine being on the ship when it was in dock during the Victorian era, with Greenwich’s beautiful cobbled streets and old buildings giving you a helping hand to feel perfectly picturesque.

Standing on the wooden deck in the sunshine is delightful. Look straight to the bow of the clipper and you can see the buildings of Canary Wharf in the distance. A  truly unique experience aboard the ship whose voyages were as long as a journey to the moon and back twice – a fun fact that I now cannot stop quoting.

– By Alison Grice. Alison is our guest blogger for September.