British Airways i360

The British Airways i360 is a vertical cable car that rises to 138 metres above Brighton's seafront, offering panoramic views of the Channel, the South Downs, and the city spread below. The glass pod holds up to 200 passengers and takes about 20 minutes for the round trip. It stands next to the ruins of the West Pier.

On a clear day the views extend to the Isle of Wight to the west and the white cliffs beyond Eastbourne to the east. The bar at the base of the tower sells local wines and spirits, and a small bar operates in the pod during ascent. Tickets are not cheap but the views are genuine. It's a better option in clear weather, obviously; low cloud or sea haze limits the payoff considerably.

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The i360 was designed by the same engineers who built the London Eye — Marks Barfield Architects. It opened in 2016 as the world's tallest moving observation tower, which sounds impressive until you realise the bar is low because most towers don't move. The pod rises to 138 metres, significantly lower than the London Eye's 135-metre apex, though it gives a different view: from directly above the seafront rather than from a fixed point on the South Bank.