Something to crow about: climbing the rig of the Cutty Sark

The world’s most famous tea clipper launches a new rig climb experience on Saturday. We shin up for a sneak preview and fantastic views of London

I am clinging to a rope ladder, 20 metres above the ground, in a howling gale. “Now imagine you’ve got no shoes on, never mind a harness and a helmet – and the ship is pitching and rolling,” shouts my instructor. Wow. It’s a miracle that any 19th-century sailor made it home alive. (Many didn’t.)

The Cutty Sark, one of the world’s last surviving tea clippers, is launching a new rig climb experience on Saturday, and I was having a sneak preview. Royal Museums Greenwich has teamed up with Wire & Sky, the adventure company behind the O2 rooftop climb and the London Abseil. Its mission is to give visitors a taste of life at sea and a unique view of London – and no doubt to help recoup the losses incurred during the pandemic.