Photo TR: Thorpe Park UK 21st June 2007

[Adelleywelley]

Hi everyone, I'm a long time reader but first time poster so please excuse me if I do anything wrong - I think I've read all the rules correctly

 

Without further ado, this is a brief description of our trip to Thorpe Park today and a few thoughts I had. I haven't been to Thorpe Park for years, despite living about 20 miles away, it never really had any pulling power until Stealth arrived. When I used to visit as a kid it was a childrens park, with kiddie rides, a farm and a boat ride. They all seem to have disappeared and now they are going for the big rides. I'm a bit sad that the farm has gone as we found ourselves at a loose end come 3pm and a nice stroll up to the farm would have been nice.

 

We got to the park at around 10am (would have been earlier if it wasn't for the M25 traffic, grrr!) and there was a bit of a queue to get in, but nothing huge. We headed straight for Stealth and as luck would have it, there was only a 5 min wait so that was brilliant. As for Stealth, wow, it was amazing. The acceleration of that ride is so intense it knocks the breath out of you, then when you reach the top you get a certain calm and can see for miles before plunging down head first. I loved every minute of it. It was a such a pain to try and get a photo of because the launch is so fast

 

Next we hit Nemesis Inferno, again with a 5 minute wait and I was really impressed. I think Alton Towers's Nemesis wins on theming but Inferno's ride was much nicer, some lovely inversions and airtime, I really liked it. Then we hit Colossus, oh dear me, that ride has not aged well. It's probably the only coaster I actually couldn't wait to get off because my head was banging more than at a concert...it hurt! Then we hit X:\ No Way Out, like a really bad film, I quite liked it purely because it was so bad.

 

After the big rides were done, we grabbed some food and took pictures and just strolled around. One thing that got me was the cost of everything, it was so expensive. Luckily I had a voucher for free entry so we only paid £32 for another adult, but it would have been £64 for two of us. Then they wanted 50p for a map, I remember when they were free! (Please note: You can print off the PDF from their website so do this before you go!). And once inside the park, the cash machines charged you £1.75 to withdraw cash and it was £5 for 10 donuts which was a ripoff!

 

However, I really really really enjoyed myself. We were supposed to go on holiday this week, but our roof leaked so it hasn't been the best of weeks so this really gave us a lift in mood and brought smiles back to our faces. Anyway, enough from me, all those who have read so far I hope I didn't ramble too much...and now on to the things you really want to see....

 

I present Thorpe Park...

 

The welcome gate - it's looking kinda cloudy and they say it's going to rain but typical English weather dictated that it was sunny all day!

 

We headed straight to Stealth when we got through the gates and only had a 5 minute wait...awesome!

 

Cliche Stealth shot alert! Me and the Mr were debating what the rope hanging down from the top is for - if the ride did get stuck up there would you have to abseil down it?

 

I tried so hard to get an "action shot" with the train whizzing by, but this was the best I could do (after about 10 attempts).

 

I SO wanted a rollback, but the darn train went right over

 

Ooooh almost in the middle...almost!

 

Next up was Nemesis Inferno, I loved this ride even more than Alton's. And arghhh took the pic just a millisecond too quick.

 

I loved the start of Nemesis, you were whizzing through mist even before reaching the lift hill.

 

Despite the absent train in this pic, I found the track looked quite intimidating.

 

Colossus says "Hi Derek!" - shame it's rougher than Paris Hilton.

 

I wasn't keen on this part of Colossus, my restraint wasn't so tight so I was popping out of my seat through every single turn.

 

Awww Tidal Wave - had it been warmer I'd have definitely ridden this, but with the threat of rain and a cool breeze I didn't ride for reasons that will become clear four pictures down...

 

Woooo....

 

Hoooo....

 

Seriously, look at how wet they are?!?

 

Aww my lovely weird X:\ , so bad it's actually comically good.

 

How's this for theming mismatch - the teacup ride in the middle of 50's America...I'm sorry but you can't get anything more quintessentially English than a ride based on a cuppa tea?! Go figure

 

And finally, I bring the perils of being a coaster enthusiast, the camera strap got in the way of my sunburn...I mean "tan"

 

As an aside, I'd love some feedback on how I can use my camera to get some good shots. You guys make it look so easy capturing rides but I found it really hard, I guess it comes with practice. I've just bought a Canon A640 and I'm still getting used to all of it's functionality so would appreciate any feedback you have.

 

Thanks for reading my first Photo TR

[Janster]

Nice little TR from a park with some fine roller coasters. Do you really prefer Nemesis Inferno over Nemesis?

 

I can't give you any technical feedback on your photo's, since I'm not that much of a photographer myself. I do agree with you that some people on this website make it look easy to capture all their rides.

 

And yep, Thorpe was expensive. Last year I paid 28 pounds for an entry ticket and another 7 pounds for a fast pass. Charging extra money for a park map...? That's a rip off. Shame on you THorpe!

[Adelleywelley]

Nice little TR from a park with some fine roller coasters. Do you really prefer Nemesis Inferno over Nemesis?

 

Thank you and yeah I think I do, although I haven't been to Alton Towers for a good 10 years so maybe my mind is a bit hazy - time to plan another trip! Alton wins on theming definitely, can't get enough of the red water, but on the actual ride experience I think Inferno was brilliant.

[EmBy]

 

Owch that sunburn looks sore....

 

Nice TR Adelleywelley, I enjoyed reading it, and great photos.

 

Yeah I found Thorpe expensive too, I suppose its located in London so everything is dearer then the rest of the UK.

 

I see you didn't like the inline rolls on Colossus, join the club, most seem to think this. They really messed up this section.

[Adelleywelley]

Thanks EmBy

 

The sunburn's not too bad now, it's an occupational hazard of being a fair skinned, red head and the fact Loggers Leap probably washed my sun lotion off.

 

Regarding Colossus, the paint job on it was a real mess too and it just didn't look cared for, which is a shame because it can't be more than 5 years old surely? I don't know what they can do about the roughness of the ride, but a lick of paint would have made it look nicer.

[EmBy]

You are welcome, hope the sunburn is okay for you now, ends up happening to me too, you think you are covered up enough and then the next day it really kicks in.

 

Yeah Colossus just past 5 years now. I like the colour scheme on it , but like what you said, now its just looking like one colour now all faded especially on the tracks. Might just need a good scrub.