Nick whacks a mallet and sinks a few

I’ve been taken up the Shard before, oh yes. I have tried all the restaurants and admired the view, but I’ve never been taken all the way to The View from the Shard, the highest public-accessible point.

The way in is dramatic, moody and the lift up swift and smooth and then, when the final doors open, there is The View. Absolutely fantastic.

And the wind, I hadn’t realised that the View is open topped so that you actually feel the air and the breeze, something most high city views don’t offer. And today, there is grass.

Pimm’s Cider Cup has taken over the space until 21st July as a pop up, to celebrate 165 years of Pimm’s and Croquet. A croquet field fitted out with Jaques of London mallets and hoops and trained stewards to take you through the rules.

They’ve teamed up with the great-grandson of the game’s inventor, Joe Jaques and launched the Pimm’s Cider Croquet Cup to help reinvigorate the game. And to help us appreciate the range of Pimm’s Cider Cup, Pimm’s No 1 Cup blended with British Summer Fruits, Mango & Passion Fruit, Strawberry & Cucumber and Plum & Red Apple.

We had a great time having a go, whacking the mallet and jumping through hoops and PImm’s Drinks hit the spot in the sunshine. The various flavours are all good, but my preference was the mango and passion fruit as it was a bit sharper

If you’ve never seen the View from the Shard then this is the ideal time to get the clearest skies and to have some fun too.

You can turn up and wait a turn or confirm a time by purchasing a Pimm’s Cider Cup and Croquet ticket in advance £29.95 which includes a bottle of any of the variants at www.theviewfromtheshard.com