Our  BIG Belfast Wheel -

I believe it was only supposed to visit for a few months, but the Big Wheel beside the City Hall has been here for over a year now and has almost become part of the fixtures.

Some thought the idea was borne from the London Eye. Well maybe that raised the issue but in actual fact the idea of a Big Wheel came about as a marketing tool to promote the Belfast Streets Ahead programme. Streets Ahead is  programme that is underway to improve Belfast Streets and public spaces to make them more accessible and attractive to everyone.

Morning noon or night our Big Wheel always looks its best. An impressive sight that dwarfs its landlord, the City Hall. I’m sure I am not the first to ask, ‘how does that thing stay up there?’ If you have never been for a spin on the  Wheel then you have got to try it. What you see is nothing new. But you see it all from a different perspective.

Not being a great one for heights myself, I arrived hoping there would be a queue of people waiting to go on and thankfully there were a few. It gave me more time to compose myself. There were nervous conversations from those who were probably making a similar debut. Sweating up like thoroughbreds before a big race. They didn’t know what to expect either.

My fears were all but put to rest as I watched each pod fill up with its temporary residents. It wasn’t a thrill ride I was going on. Good job as I wasn’t in the mood. This was one of 42 observation capsules that were going to afford me the opportunity to see my city from a totally different angle. In I go into one of the 42 observation capsules that was going to afford me the opportunity to see the city from a totally different angle. Very very slowly as if not moving at all. Move a few feet, then stop to let some more people into the next pod. You get used to the gradual increase in height as the people below you become smaller and the light around you gets brighter.  

Gradually my pod climbed towards the 60 metre maximum height and Wow!. How can anyone not appreciate this view. Cavehill, Harland and Wolfe, The docks, Divis Mountain, Odessey Arena. The list is endless. You just want to stay up there for ages. The height problem had temporarily disappeared as I viewed everything there was to behold for the short time that I had left at the highest point.

On the return journey it’s all checking photos, and remembering the wonderful site over the rooftops of Belfast. For the technically minded the engineering that put this machine together is fascinating. The network of bars and joints and lights that bring the wheel to life at night is amazing. I even wondered who the crash test dummies were who tested it on its maiden voyage shortly after it was installed at the side of the City Hall.

It’s almost 13 minutes since I entered this starship enterprise. I was now coming in to land. It wasn’t a particularly busy day for the Big Wheel but then again its just you 7 other people and the rest of the world in your little pod.

I am awaiting confirmation, but the latest word is that the wheel, according to the Belfast City Council website, is here to stay until January 09. There are a few rumours though that it may be relocated somewhere else in the City for a period of time.

If you haven’t managed to get onto the wheel yet, don’t miss out. It is on the move for most of the day. More details are available on the Big Wheel website.