Photo TR: M&Ds

Hey gang,

So it's been a while since I was last on here, but if times haven't changed y'all still like a good trip review, right?

To begin with, I'm usually based in London (UK), but I've been shipped off to Edinburgh with work the last 6 weeks. I decided that, seeing as I was spending so much time up here, I'd take a weekend to explore the area rather than work my butt off. After a tiny bit of research, I discovered Scotland has it's own theme park a few miles away!

So off, I went on a freezing cold, cloudy morning that'd make The North from GoT seem warm. I had no idea where I was going, so going alone was probably not the best idea. I managed to make it within an hour of the park opening, so I was pretty happy. It also suddenly got sunny and warm, so I braved the water rides too!

The park isn't as much a theme park as a Rollercoaster Tycoon 1 creation I used to make as a teenager - the rides are all bog standard off-the-shelf style rides with absolutely no theming bar the odd strip light here and there.

The queues for the rides were roughly 20 minutes, and all roller coasters operated one train. It was surreal and so laid back - they didn't care if the train had empty seats or anything - it was a world away from Alton Towers and Thorpe Park!

Anywho, on with the pictures!

First ride of the day - Pinfari Invert. The first drop was better than expected and overall a fairly fun ride. Brake run was pretty harsh though

Second ride was the classic Magic Carpet. After being on Quantum at Thorpe Park I was dreading this, but this one was really smooth and I kept losing my stomach before the ride moved

Third ride was this awful contraption. This was another Pinfari and I was surprised to see the height restriction. The warning said "fast and furious" - they weren't wrong about the furious bit. Fairly sure this is why I have a headache 3 days later

Best bit was sitting at the back and being yanked through these loops - so much g-force!

Third ride was this awful contraption. This was another Pinfari and I was surprised to see the height restriction. The warning said "fast and furious" - they weren't wrong about the furious bit. Fairly sure this is why I have a headache 3 days later

After getting battered and bruised, I decided that a nice water slide would be the next best bet. Got through all of these in about an hour *dies*

As I was wet already, I decided I could just get the wet rides over and done with. Got an entire log on Log Flume 1 to myself

As I was now thoroughly wet and cold, I decided to go to Amazonia, their indoor tropical paradise! *incoming animal overload*

Couldn't get a clear picture, but this parrot was trying to be spiderman

After drying off, I tried to get on this. It broke down soon after. Missed out on a credit

Decided to go on this instead. These coasters really throw you about a lot. I've never had to brace so much my entire life!

Nowhere near completed yet :c

Teeeny advert for a Europe's First. Wonder why they're not bragging so much about it. Have a feeling this is like one of the thrill rides from RCT3

Classic ride galore!

Even had a kiddie credit! (I didn't go on - I got weird looks for taking a photo...)

Tiny little freefall ride

Here's their Giant Wheel. You could spin the pods as quick as you wanted. Queue for this was massive though

So photogenic (and big!)

Another classic ride - Dodgems!

Queue for this was pretty hefty too

Bonus prize: hidden classic carousel!

Didn't Tornado also have a corkscrew?

Didn't Tornado also have a corkscrew?

I've no idea - this is the first and probably the last time I go to the park lol

Didn't Tornado also have a corkscrew?

That is correct, up until 2006 (RCDB). I have heard nothing but horror stories about this ride!

Didn't Tornado also have a corkscrew?

 

That is correct, up until 2006 (RCDB). I have heard nothing but horror stories about this ride!

Have another: the turn right after the loops jerks so much you can see everyones heads jerk in the movement. From the back row, it looked and felt like the coaster in FD3 haha

Thanks for posting. Love these reports from parks that aren't visited very often.

Tornado looks like a Chinese jknock off of a Schwarzkopf coaster lol.

That Pinfari Invert looks like the worst thing ever, I'm surprised to hear it's relatively enjoyable.

I'm so, so sorry.

I'm sure that some Scotch whiskey would make this park even more enjoyable.

The only Condor ride in Europe?? I thought they had a few still around. We still still do here in the US.

I'm sure that some Scotch whiskey would make this park even more enjoyable.

The only Condor ride in Europe?? I thought they had a few still around. We still still do here in the US.

I've not heard of one in the UK, not sure about the rest of Europe. I personally thought this ride is like the Zipper rides - US only haha

Tornado is by far the worst ride I have ever been on. Rode it both with and without the corkscrew. The corkscrew was brutal. Even my camera blacked out when filming a POV !! It is slightly better now, but I still would not put myself through it again.

I visited Scotland and spent a few days in Edinburgh back in 2004, but had no idea this park existed. (Well, we were kind of busy with other stuff.)

The park is over on the West side of Scotland (just outside Glasgow). But our little country is so small that its only around 35-40 miles from Edinburgh to Glasgow (East to West)!! In all honesty, its not that well advertised, especially if you are in Edinburgh. In the winter when the park closes, they do take some of the rides on tour. Its quite heavily advertised on TV when that happens, as its around Christmas/New Year time.

Glasgow also had another park, Loudoun Castle. I always preferred this park as they had a pretty decent S&S tower and a Schwarzkopf Looping Star that was relocated from Dreamland in Margate. Unfortunately, Loudoun has now closed

M&D's is OK if you are in the area, but IMO its not the kind of park you would go out of your way to visit.

^Thanks for the clarification regard the park's location. My brother and I spent some time in Edinburgh, St. Andrews, and Glasgow during that trip.

This park reminds me of Belmont Park in San Diego, which is only noteworthy for its surfing lessons, the fact that it still uses tickets, and the classic (and miserably rough) ACE landmark Giant Dipper woodie, which opened in the 1920s. Also, it has some flats that are very similar to the ones at M&Ds. Little, sketchy amusement parks must think alike

I'm 99% sure that I rode the Control Freak @Belmont, which sounds like the same ride as Giant Wheel. Also, they have a smaller (enclosed) magic carpet ride called the "Submarine", and one of those baby drop towers. The big attraction there was an inwards-facing Giant Frisbee, although I don't think M&Ds has one of those...

Great Trip Report, by the way, really worth the read!

I guess I'm not the only one who gets weird looks for photographing kiddie coasters...

^Thanks for the clarification regard the park's location. My brother and I spent some time in Edinburgh, St. Andrews, and Glasgow during that trip.

Ah right. You would have missed out on both parks then, as Loudoun Castle was open in 2004. You now have something else to look forward to the next time you visit

No certifiedcoastergeek, M&D's does not have a inwards-facing Giant Frisbee. But there is a travelling fare in Glasgow Green every firework night that has one. Its pretty intense as well

Thanks for the report. My local park. It's on the road south from Glasgow and the joke if we were ever going to Blackpool or Alton Towers was 'why don't we just go to M and D's instead?'

Tornado is truly brutal and I still don't ride it even though it is one of very few Scottish coasters. The invert is a bit better. Was on it last year and it was better than I remembered. Generally take my 4 year old to go on kiddie rides and he likes watching the coasters.

From what I remember from one of Robb's previous reports from Nigloland, the Pinfair inverts are actual rather fun and smooth, if not overly thrilling. On the other hand, from what I've seen, Tornado may be, without question, one of the most awful rides ever created. It even appeared dangerously rough back when it had the corkscrew - I'm willing to wager that the corkscrew wasn't removed solely for maintenance reasons...

After all these years...I've found Princess Leia!

(o;

^She has not aged well.

I'm sure that some Scotch whiskey would make this park even more enjoyable.

^Post of the year.

It definitely looks like Scotland could use some theme park lovin'...but at least they have Belle & Sebastian to fall back on.