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Photo TR: AndyUK's UK Tour 2010


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Hi Peeps,

 

Due to Tesco Clubcard Points I have managed to get enough for this whole trip to cost me only the fuel/hotels and food

 

Starting on the 8th April, I am taking an 8 day tour itinerary below, apart from this being where I will post the TR, am trying to find out if any TPR members are free those days for a meet up, I don't mind riding solo, but as always, the more the merrier!!

 

Thursday 8th April - Legoland (Below)

Friday 9th April - Thorpe Park

Saturday 10th April - Chessington WOA

Sunday 11th April - Oakwood Leisure Park

Monday 12th April AM - Camelot

Monday 12th April PM - Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Tuesday 13th April - Lightwater Valley

Wednesday 14th April - Fantasy Island

Thursday 15th April - Drayton Manor Park

 

Can anyone give me advice on Oakwood/Drayton & Lightwater as to how busy they will be (I know it is the official Easter Holidays, but I have limited holiday this year, so will make do!)

 

I know Alton is missing, but due to running issues with Thirteen and I know how busy Alton gets during holidays I am going in May with a few friends, so don't mind waiting a month to ride Thirteen Midweek with No Queues!

 

So, anyone fancy meeting up on any of the above days?

 

 

EDIT - added new dates for my tour.

Edited by andyuk200523
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  • 4 weeks later...

Its all starting Thursday guys, so if anyone fancies definately meeting at any of the parks PM me and we can sort out meetups, times etc.....

 

Will be posting continuous Photo TR Updates whilst away dependent on WiFi access at Hotels. If not will do the total update when I get home.

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Well, Day 1 is now complete!!!

 

Legoland, Windsor,

 

Gorgeous weather, very busy day at Legoland, only managed to do Dragon Coaster, but managed to get one or two photos for Larry and the Park Index. I will let the photos do the talking primarily, as I am pretty tired!

 

Quick Round-up

 

Dragon Coaster - Quite a fun little ride, love the themeing (but then again, who cannot love Lego!!!!)

 

Pirates Landing - Small area, but loving the themeing again, quite impressed by the Pirate Ships themeing, although surprised that I saw in the 10 minutes I was nearby 1 shut-down and maintenance call.....come on! Its a Pirate Ship, what can go wrong!!! (Although all of the Cannons were attached all day from what I saw)

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Welcome to a world were everything is made of plastic!!

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Gate Prices FYI

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Pirate Falls, had a massive queue today, I did not go on for a ride as any wetness today would have been unacceptable!

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If you want to be a Pirate, then you must eat here!

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Dragons Apprentice - Just for you Larry

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Most of the ride area

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Station Shot

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Unfortunately, the only photo I took of The Dragon Coaster

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The New for 2010 Pirate Ship with added Blue Chips for Water Effect......

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Good fun Fabbri Water Rapids

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The only thing I am not too keen about these rapids is the fact that they are placed high above the ground, kinda ruins the whole "Rapids" effect

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The real reason your all reading this.....LEGO!

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Loving the detail in all the Lego Buildings, lets take a wander through London shall we...

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I personally think the London Eye is one of the most impressive models here, the detail is awesome!

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Does anyone know the time?

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Downing Street, I am sure this is an important road, can't think why though.......oh thats right, they decide how much tax to charge the public here!

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Maybe its Time for Legoland to replace the Old Wembley with the New One.....

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I will leave you for today with a nice shot of the Space Shuttle, wonder what will happen to this model once the shuttles are drawn out of service? Answers on a postcard please....

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It's nice to see Legoland again- I used to live in London and would go quite a bit. Now I've moved it doesn't seem worth the travel somehow as I remember the queues being horrendous! Maybe I'll get back when the hotel opens.

I was at Drayton Manor on Tuesday and it wasn't that crowded at all. Most stuff was pretty much a walk on or a 2/3 car wait (Troublesome Trucks is popular) The Rapids had the longest wait- no idea why- and Stormforce was a walk on, due to wetness perhaps? GForce was down most of the day with people out walking the tracks.

It was the first time I'd been in years and it was a lot nicer than I remembered. I liked Pirates of the West Midlands in particular!

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Day 2 - Thorpe Park

 

Arrived at Thorpe at 8am to drop my mate off so he could get on with his work for the day (that's gotta suck to be at work whilst your mate is having a blast in the park!) Managed to get about 4 people away from the front for the season pass-holders entrance.

 

Saw: The Ride - After a brisk (can't be bothered to run any more, too unfit I think) walk over to Saw, managed to get on probably the 5th loaded train of the day, still love this ride, I like how even though it is spread out over an area larger than that of an average Eurofighter, it still manages to feel compact and twisty (remember, twisty twisty twisty is good....). Only downside of Saw was for me the fact that with my new reactions glasses, I couldn't see any of the interior of the ride as I wasn't inside long enough for them to go clear again! (not a major problem, been there done it before and all that).

 

Colossus - Went straight into Colossus' queue after Saw as I know on a busy day this queue can easily reach past the 1hr point, managed to get on and off within 10 minutes, and that was whilst they were running 2 trains but only loading 1 (think they were still running the required morning tests on the 2nd train), in all honesty, it isn't that bad of a ride, granted the trains are quite compact and restrictive (I usually feel like I am going to headbutt the headrest in front of me), but I actually had an alright ride on this, didn't get off thinking my spine needed realigning for a change!

 

Rush - My No.1 flat ride in the world, I love these Screaming Swings, so full of AirTime! Unfortunately, due to the forecast for the day being busy, Thorpe were only running it on a 9 swing cycle which only gives 2 maximum height swings before stopping, on quieter days they tend to run it on the 11 swing cycle I believe which gives a good amount of AirTime! Managed to only wait for 2 ride cycles before on, so about a 5-10 minute wait.

 

Detonator - Nice forceful freefall on this little Fabbri tower ride, although I noticed this season it is not playing the countdown music, whether this is a fault or something they have decided to do I do not know however. Again I waited no more than 3-4 minutes for this.

 

Nemesis Inferno - 5 minute queue, there really isn't much to say about Nemmie II, other than an enjoyable ride is always had, nice to see the mist in the tunnel working well.

 

Stealth - Managed 5 rides in 20 minutes (with a quick break after the 4th ride), I love single rider lines, I could have whored Stealth up for at least an hour, but considering I had done all of these rides in the first hour on park, I needed a sit down!!!!

 

Didn't ride anything else all day, just got the rides I wanted to do out of the way early, then chilled for the rest of the day and wandered round taking photos and relaxing (long week ahead of me....and a night filled with Alcohol tonight too!)

 

Queues in the park for the major rides were reaching well over 90 minutes at around lunch time, it was a pretty busy day on park with approx 13,000 people in attendance. (mainly due to the freakish good weather we are currently experiencing!)

 

Anyway, onto the photos, I have played around with a few of them just to give a bit of effect, let me know if you like what you see!

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Welcome to Thorpe Park

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I see you Saw, I'll get there in a minute

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I do like this entry to a park

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Yay for Intamin goodness

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One of my favourite places to sit....

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Nemesis, not so much Bad Nemesis, but not quite what it says on the tin Nemesis.

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Rush.......it definately is!

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Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

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Vortex, real stomach churner

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Colossus Through The Trees!!!!!

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Airtime!!!

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Different View

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Mmmmmm, Intamin.....

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Thorpe have really upped their Security this year.....you've been warned...

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Waited to try and get Colossus and Saw in the same picture.....it was never going to happen.....dammit!

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From the Canada Creek Railway you get some great views of Saw

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Mmmmmm BBQ Goodness

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Never gonna happen, I will never ever put myself through the pain that this ride looks like it gives! (Plus, I like to keep all my spare change in my pockets thank you!)

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Now I'm confused, I didn't think Thorpe was THAT far away?!?!

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Saw: Alive building, unfortunately I missed it in the morning in my crazy rush to get some of the bigger rides done, and later in the day it had a 45 minute queue, I will wait till later in the season to try this one.

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More Intamin goodness, check out your sexy curves......

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Stealth, without a doubt, one of Intamins finest Rocket Coasters

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Happy Riders

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Arty Shot

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3, 2, 1, Go Go Go!!!!!

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Is this an Acceptable Amount of Wetness?

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I shall leave you for today with this question....What is the Worst That could happen if you Stand Here?

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Awesome TR thanks

 

 

I haven't actually visited Thorpe yet this year due to preffering Chessington and Alton and also after having some diabolical trips last year, some time I'm going to have to pull myself away from the other 2.

 

Great pictures by the way!

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Looks like you are having a blast; would love to do so many parks in turn - I'd have gone for Flamingoland in preference to Lightwater Valley. Flamingoland seems to be on the up were Lightwater these days tends to depend on organised school trips and the like to keep any reasonable attendance figures - shame really.

 

Anyhow looks like you will be increasing your coaster count no problem - have a great time and look forward to seeing further updates.

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Chessington World of Adventure - Day 3

 

First things first - I had a major hangover this morning, so didn't get to the park till mid-day.

 

The park looks amazing, they have done a great job this year with the addition of the new Asia area, and as per usual the themeing in the rest of the park is first class, I have always had a fondness for Chessington as it is just a fun place to be, it isn't about getting to the next major thrill ride and the park isn't full of testosterone filled teenagers trying to prove they are manly by spitting, swearing and generally annoying everyone around them.

 

Had to purchase Fast-track ticket for the day for the major rides as most of the queues were topping 1 hour and there was loads to

get done!

 

Rattlesnake - Themed Maurer Sohne Wild Mouse

 

Good Themeing, typical mouse ride though, which as we all know means.......BRAKES! Still a fun ride though, but am always careful for the final brake run!

 

Kobra - Giant Zamperla Disko "Coaster"

 

Great ride, and probably my new favourite ride in the park, love these little Disko coasters, and with the addition of the extra hill in the middle which does provide a small pop of airtime depending where you are sitting this makes a great ride, and of course the themeing on it is simply stunning, congratulations Merlin on a great addition, and everyone who was on the ride seemed to really enjoy it (sustained 70 minute queue all day also seems to confirm this!)

 

Monkey Swinger - Standard Waveswinger with additional water!

 

I used to love this when it was Billy's Whizzer in the old Beanoland, with the new themeing it just looks great, really suits the Asian themeing, the addition of water jets which soak the outermost seats when at full spin as well provides some great laughs.

 

Dragons Fury - Maurer Sohne Custom Spinner

 

Without a doubt the best version of this modern classic spinner, a decent amount of speed and loads of spinning if the car is loaded right....Note to Self...Not a great Hangover Cure!

 

Vampire - Arrow Suspended Coaster with Vekoma Trains

 

Still a good solid fun ride with a bite! love the swinging sensation, but still feel if this ride is to have much of a longer future at Chessington they need to do some retracking just before the second lift, always jars my back, they were running full capacity with 3 trains which was great for throughput, however they did suffer a few problems with the restraints unlocking on one of the trains, which put a halt to the good throughput every once in a while. Highlight is and always will be the tunnel during the last section of the ride.

 

Bubbleworks - Mack Water Ride

 

Always enjoy a trip round the bubbleworks, not for the annoying duck sounds, but for the finale fountain room, although I think the jet sprays are getting clogged up by limescale possibly as instead of getting a small splash from the jets I seemed to be getting continually rained upon which I am sure is not how it used to be (unless my memory of last year is too hazy).

 

Tomb Blaster

 

Managed to beat my mate by quite a few thousand points so was happy with this , can't really think of anything else to put about Tomb Blaster, its just a good family ride which completely kills your trigger finger!!

 

Peeking Heights

 

Great for views over the park, even managed to see as far as Canary Wharf in central London.

 

I will let my pictures do the talking now....enjoy!

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There is a World of Adventure in There!

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Gate Prices FYI

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The New "South" Entrance looks great, attention to detail everywhere, this is now called the Explorer Gate.

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Don't upset the Dragon......

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He's gonna spin you silly

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Best part of the ride

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Dragons Fury.....Through the Trees......and the Structure, aren't you all lucky!

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Vampire......Take The Tunnel!

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Love The Transylvania Area

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Although the Vekoma Trains are comfy, I do miss the originals

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Flying above the rooftops.....like a bat apparently

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Bubbleworks, its all about the Bubbles

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What is it with UK Parks being centred around a castle/mansion?!

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Rameses Revenge, the staff were very good on this today, giving people extra special soakings too

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Here's your proof!!! I Think I'll pass for today

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Rattlesnake, probably the most awkward wild mouse in the world to photograph!

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Dinner Time!

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Runaway Mine Train, John Wardleys first creation for Tussauds

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Same Layout as Flying Fish at Thorpe, but slightly better themed, although there is no Cool Fish telling you your a Dude when the ride is over..........is that a bad thing?

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A Quick Wander back past Rameses...Good job the weather was ok!

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Snorkel Provided.........

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Tomb Blaster, always good for a bit of Friendly Competition....especially when you beat your mate by 3000 points!

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Time for some Aerial Shots of the Park thanks to Peeking Heights

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Originally at Thorpe Park, I think this is a better park and location for it....btw...Nerd Shot Warning.....

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Told you

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Dragons Fury nice stretched out layout.

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Most of the layout squeezed in.

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Rattlesnake

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Rameses Revenge

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More of Dragons Fury

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Dragon Falls, great flume ride

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Gives you an idea of the view into London

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Spllllaaassshhhhhhh Wetness definately unacceptable!

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Wild Asia - New for 2010

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Welcome to The Kobra, Themeing is incredible

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Mmmm, Spinnnnnney!!!!

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Here it comes......

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Vertical!!! (well almost......)

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Hiisssssssss

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Monkey Spinners, caution - contains bearable amount of wetness

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Amazing Themed Waveswinger

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New Theme for Bumper Cars, like the idea, unfortunately, there are no photos of the actual ride as they were cleaning up an "accident" and I did not want to subject you all to that sight!!

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Nooodles, I have a feeling TPR will be visiting this in June..

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A Final photo of Kobra to leave you all with on Day 3 of my tour

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Day 4 Oakwood Theme Park

 

Started off the day with a mega drive from London to Oakwood, managed to arrive at the park at 11am, it was dead!

 

This was my first visit to Oakwood and I have to say I was very impressed with the place, there isn't much of a Theme, but the atmosphere was great and the selection of rides rivals some bigger named parks in the country, operations were down to a minimum due to the amount of people on park today (most rides were running 1 train operation....even Speed, which surprised me, would have thought at least 2 trains due to only 8 riders a time, but what do I know?!!)

 

Lets start off with the ride I was looking forward to most.....

 

Megaphobia - CCI Woodie

My first ride was in the back row which I was thinking due to my lack of experience with wooden coasters would provide me with manic airtime and a good ride......WRONG, not quite sure what was going on, but Ow Ow Ow the pain! I thought I would give it another few chances, so I hopped in the front row and was totally blown away, smooth as silk (well maybe not, but enjoyably vicious ) and still a lot of airtime, I am in love!!

Managed 5 rides total before I headed off to other areas of the park, definately a front row ride, middle is pretty good too, but after the 3 rides I had in the front row I know where i'll be headed next time i'm there!

 

Bounce - Huss Shot 'n' Drop

Grabbed 2 rides on this tower ride during the day and I was quite impressed, I enjoyed the first launch, however after that I feel that the ride dies down completely, the downwards launch section of the ride really does little for me. One of the things I especially like about Bounce is that it immediately launches you upwards, rather than weighing the carriage first like S&S Tower rides.

 

Speed - Custom Gerstlauer Eurofighter

Great ride! Not quite as intense as Saw, but miles better than Rage at Adventure Island, love the vertical loop....HangTime!!! I was quite disappointed with the loading system on this ride though, I would have thought they could have managed the batching better than the way they currently do it (whether this was just due to the quietness of the park or not I could not comment).

 

Treetops Coaster - Zierer Family Coaster

Identical ride to Ladybird/Rattlesnake/Snake in the Grass at Pleasurewood Hills in Suffolk, so I knew exactly what to expect, managed to Jar my back at some point during this, probably due to the fact I can never get comfortable in these cars (Obviously I am not in the rides target age bracket ) Much better experience than its doppelganger though due to its location in the trees, had to duck one or two times due to tree branches!

 

Plane Crazy (aka Flying Scooters)

First time I had experienced this type of ride, great fun and now I am experienced in getting the best ride! Got some serious swinging action!

 

Bobsled - Downhill Bobsled Track

Great fun if a little short, I did think I was going to tip my cart at one point though due to not realising quite how tight one of the curves was, but love it, just wish there was a backrest to the cart, that lift hill is a long one if your body is not used to supporting itself in that position without a backrest!

 

Hydro - Waters Revenge - Intamin Giant Flume

I have never quite had the same ride experience on another water ride! I was a bit unsure whether to ride or not even though the weather was pretty nice with blue skys and 16 degrees centigrade temperatures, deepest Wales is an incredibly unusual location for such an aweinspiring ride, even though it is 8 years old this year people still are drawn to it to watch this mammoth in operation.

I took the plunge......(it wasn't a perilous one (I'm really sorry, I had to!)) The ride in itself is great, however the temperature of the water in the splash pool is not!!!!!!!!! My god was that cold, I swear I couldn't breathe after the drop due to shock, it did feel refreshing after the initial shock had finished though, then I started to reflect whilst drying out.

Hydro is a brilliant ride, but has one major flaw, due to the unforseen and saddening events just a few years into operation the loading and safety systems on this ride are so restrictive the throughput of the ride suffers terribly, they only run 1 boat most of the time (One of my friends was here 2 years ago during peak season and they were still only running 1 boat) on average I was seeing 1 boat going round the circuit every 6-7 minutes, more often than not this was longer too, the longest I waited for a photo op was 15 minutes. I can only imagine what the queues for this would be like during the heights of Summer. Especially as they only run the ride from 2pm onwards.

All credit to the staff on the ride though, even though they are having to be extra safety conscious, they were still having a laugh with the riders.

Final note on Hydro - next time I'm bringing swimming shorts! Awesome ride.

 

 

In conclusion, this was a day of new rides for me, and I had a blast, Oakwood is a great park with a great Atmosphere, I never saw a ride operator messing around, they were all very attentive and polite. Congratulations Oakwood!

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Welcome To Deepest Wales

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Gate Prices FYI

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I've waited 14 Years to ride this......am I expecting too much.....lets find out!

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At this point, my hands went up and they never went back down (same can be said for my ass!!

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Intense, but fun....thats how a ride should be.....

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More happy riders leaving the station

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This coaster is just so photogenic!

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Through the Trees!

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Time to Bounce

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Decent Height, was a fun ride

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Bounce Bounce Bounce Bounce

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Treetops Rollercoaster

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Crazy Ride, after witnessing a few people completely losing it and falling in, I decided against riding this, another day I will definately be on top of that tower, just not today....

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Only shot I got of The Bobsleigh....there needs to be more of these in the world, little hidden treasure!

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Can't remember the name of this ride....anyone?

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90 degrees!!! (hang on, thats not right!)

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Love the in-line twist, taken at a good speed

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Coaster Track Shadow.....you can't get a better shadow

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I liked this loop, it was.....well......loopy!

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Eventually we will get used to seeing Vertical lifts on coasters in Theme Parks, but I think they still look odd....

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Compact Eurofighter Car

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Don't Look Dow.........hang on, wrong park...

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Final Break Run Entry...

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More Loopiness

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Biiiiiiig Loop

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Loved this ride, good family fun, can imagine a TPR takeover on this....

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Plane Crazy

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My New Wallpaper :)

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Hydro - Waters Revenge

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Its nice to know we have the only other version of this ride in the world second to Knotts

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Would have liked to have ridden with the Lap-Bars, but the Overheads made it more of a wet ride as you couldn't cover yourself enough!

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Wiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!

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Is this an acceptable amount of wetness??

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Not sure if they would think so

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Its actually quite a good ride for photos, just a shame you have to wait 5+ minutes for each boat to take a picture!

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Splashdown Finale gets you soaked.....

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Looking at Chessington, it's funny how European/Asian parks like to theme to American themes, like the wild west.

 

Then in America we like to theme to Europe.

 

Nobody is ever happy with where they live I guess.

 

Great PTR's dude.

 

Also, your opinion of Megaphobia is pretty much mine of the two Hurler's. Ride in the front, for great air and fun. Ride in the back if you want a disjointed spine.

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Ha I think that's more because if in an American park they theme it to "America" it'd be a bit of an easy way out

 

 

Anyway, fantastic pictures! I went to Chessington last year and was thoroughly impressed and at the moment, In my opinion it is leading the way in terms of the UK parks. (Out of Thorpe, Alton and Chessington) With Alton a very close second.

 

The theming of Wild Asia is unbelievable and like you say the whole park looks great even if a few do need a good re-paint.

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Sorry for being a day late on the updates guys....wanted some drinking time with a friend last night

 

Day 5 - Camelot

 

After car problems in the morning, I eventually turned up at approximately 11:00am ready for yet another day of coastering (and coaster whoring )

 

First ride of the day was actually Junior Dragon Coaster, met up with a few friends and their children so managed to get this credit....I was a happy man! It is actually quite a fun little ride, 4 laps to get maximum ride entertainment, great for the kids.

 

Next was the most important ride at the park and also the main reason I was here....

 

Knightmare - Schwarzkopf Steel

Great ride!! Managed 3 rides in total due to time constraints, but as ever I have never ridden a rough Schwarzkopf, it knocks a bit on some of the transitions, but other than that, awesome entertainment on every lap!

 

Whirlwind - Maurer Sohne Extended SC2000 Spinner

Good fun, however the first drop has a nasty streak in it, if you are not prepared for it, it will fling you sideways into either the side of the car or your riding partner depending where you sit, however once the car is unlocked and starts spinning, it is a good fun layout, nice addition if not looking a bit weathered now.

 

Unfortunately the Dragon coaster was closed today so I didn't get the diesel coaster credit, which I was a little disappointed about.

 

The park as a whole is certainly a good family theme park, however I think the layout is very confusing, the main path to get to the back of the park for Knightmare and Whirlwind is hidden unless you have been there before, also if they are not careful it will start to look like a massive amusements arcade rather than a theme park, from what I saw of the Jousting competition for 5 minutes it looked good fun for families.

 

I just hope that the liquidators that are running the park don't just run it into the ground rather than at least keeping it going, wish I had been to this park back in its heyday when Tower of Terror was running, I can imagine the atmosphere would have been very vibrant and fun back in the day, whereas now it just didn't give me a feeling of any atmosphere at all.

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Entrance Gates

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Landmark Castle

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Just for Larry! Junior Dragon Coaster Sign

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Overview of the B Shaped Track

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And away they go!

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Mmmm....Knightmare

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Carousel

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Knightmare Station

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Mmmmm, its all Schwarzkopfy :)

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Ride Sign

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Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

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And its all over....shame, just rejoin the queue and do it all over again!

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Its all in there somewhere, including Schwarzkopf's signature dive.

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Whirlwind

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Standard stuff

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I believe the phrase is.... twisty!

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Day 5 - Blackpool Pleasure Beach

 

I arrived at about 1:30pm and discovered that the ride close (during peak season) was going to be 5pm, I was a little disappointed, but thought I better crack on getting the rides done that were most important!

 

Before I review each of the rides I sampled during my whistlestop trip, I must make a comment about ride operations at Blackpool

 

Every ride was running 1 Train....thats right, peak season, 1 train! Now I understand that with Revolution, they can't run any more than one (See what I did there ) But on everything else they should have had 2 trains at least, this seriously effected the amount of rides possible to get even though crowds were reasonably quiet for the time, on average wait times were 25-30 minutes.

 

Staff attitude, I have never seen more miserable staff so early in the season! Not one happy employee welcomed me to a ride or asked if I had enjoyed my ride etc..... Most of the time they were all just chatting to each other. In my opinion this park has gone downhill majorly in the last few years and I was disappointed with this.

 

Pepsi Max Big One - Arrow Hypercoaster

Ow Ow Ow is all I can use to describe this, I was one car from the back and although wasn't expecting a smooth as silk ride, I was expecting something better than the ride achieved!! PMBO is all about the first drop and the final section, I just found everything painful, not how I remembered it from 4 years ago at all.

 

Grand National - Racing Wooden Coaster

I remember this ride fondly from years ago, full of fun forces and filled with airtime on the first double down.....how things have changed, since the PTC trains have been added after the fire, this ride has lost all of its fun, the racing aspect is still there and that is great for taking your mind of the violence which is being experienced, things were not looking good for my trip at BPB at the moment, I was hoping things would get better with the next ride....

 

Ice Blast - S&S Space Shot 210ft

I thought I would grab a quick ride on this as I always love a space shot, as per usual it was great fun, so I was feeling a bit better about my afternoon!

 

Wild Mouse

I dearly love this ride and riding alone is something needing to be experienced!!!! Enough said!

 

Infusion

SLC stands for PAIN in my book from my previous experience, however I was surprised, it was smooth!!! I cannot believe how each of these SLC's can be totally different, the added benefit of water was fun, made a good experience overall, definately will reride!

 

That was all I managed at BPB this afternoon, I feel with more efficient park operations this park would have been a lot more fun, I could have easily doubled that ride count, oh well, maybe next time!

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Welcome to Blackpool

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Launch!!

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I do love Space Shots, but I feel they are not very re-rideable, they lose their fun after 2-3 rides in a day

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Valhalla - not today!

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Still looks very very wet....ooo errr

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Mmmmm, my personal favourite eatery in BPB

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I quite like the new universal signage around the park (It may not be that new, but it was different last time I visited!)

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Classic Carousel

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Its time for some racing

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Classic Art Deco style station.

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Getting ready for race time

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And the winner is.......

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Rollercoaster - yay, one of my personal favourites at the Beach

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D'oh, its closed today.....

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Not going to be riding you today I'm afraid ;)

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Loopy.....

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Great ride, not quite as good as Thunderlooper was though i'm afraid

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Pop Quiz....name the ride

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Still not got it?

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Pepsi Max Big One of Course!

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I respect it for the height, but not for the ride quality at the moment! Might have something to do with them stopping the train a few laps before I rode to perform "Routine Maintenance" on the train....any ideas?

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Time for a look around I think.

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Walking towards Infusion

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At this point, normally, you would start praying

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It really is a good ride, and a brilliant addition to BPB

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I'm sorry, there is no sex in the Champagne Room tonight.

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Big Dipper, classic, although I didn't get a ride in today.

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Probably the most fun ride in BPB

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I think I am the only person in the world to have taken this photo, I am so proud!

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I shall leave you for the day with TPR's favourite ride at BPB! So long for now!

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Day 6 - Lightwater Valley

 

Its Raining...............

 

This was my first thought this morning, but I have had some amazing weather this week so far, so I suppose I was due a bad day!

 

Arrived at the park at about 11am ready to get started, met up with a member of another park forum so I would at least have a ride partner for the day and someone to talk to so I don't send myself insane in the queue lines!

 

The Ultimate - Wooden Support Steel Coaster

 

I remember this ride from 1992 when it opened with Overhead Restraints, I was not quite tall enough to ride but my dad told me to tip-toe so I could get on, I hated every moment of it (anyone with a photo of the original restraints...my head was directly in the middle of them!) So I was a little bit cautious about riding it this time, so we plucked for the middle of the train, I started off surprised! The first half actually had Airtime!!! The second half of the coaster however I can only talk about in terms of pain...OW, it needs some serious retracking work doing! I was glad to have ridden it (total of 2 rides during the day) but I don't think I will be running back to ride it again soon.

 

Raptor Attack

 

Formally Rat Ride, I remember this fondly from 92, I still have my on-ride photo from that day, I was very intrigued about the changes that have been made since, however it was shut!!! I was gutted, then when I thought all was lost, it opened about 2pm and we went straight there, at this point the queue was already 30 minutes, the throughput of the ride has serious problems and would never last in a major park, but due to the numbers of guests Lightwater get, it fits in very well.

 

Great ride, the themeing is brilliant, there was an entertainer in the queue that was doing magic tricks and generally making time pass quickly, he was excellent, it helped pass the time. The entrance has changed slightly to the tunnels, the ride is the same apart from new trains, and there is some surprises inside the ride (I won't ruin it for anyone going this year )

 

Other than that, the rest of the park was just relaxing, a good selection of rides for a family park, I was a bit gutted I missed out on Whirlwind as it is not due to open till May, but I have ridden Top Scans before, so it was not the end of the world.

 

Had a good day overall, the weather picked up and we got some good rides done, now onto the photos.

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Welcome to Lightwater Valley

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I believe this is the way to the Theme Park

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A Nice example of a Ferris Wheel

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Black Widows Web

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Woah, Slow Down!

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The Wave....some Park Index Loving for Larry

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Ride Sign

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Let the Coaster Whoring commence!

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2nd Smoothest Coaster in the Park

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Overall Layout

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With a good first drop

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It is time to relive an experience from my younger days....

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Looking good to start with

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My whole body was broken at this point....

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Mmmm, Eagles Claw, fun ride!

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Unfortunately not opening till may...sad face..

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Eagles Claw Ride Sign

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White Water Rapids is a great little ride, bit too cold and wet to be riding today though.

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Twister - fun ride, but broke down towards the end of the day so only got one ride.

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Standard Layout

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Raptor Attack - New For 2010

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Queues were about 30-45 minutes from 2pm till park close (Queue was shut at 4:30pm)

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The Re-themed Entrance

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Day 7 - Fantasy Island

 

Started the day not too badly, the weather looked good, and was looking forward to riding some good coasters.......

 

Arrived at about 11:30, rides were opening at 12, however not a lot looked like it was testing, which concerned me slightly!

 

Millennium Coaster - Vekoma Custom Multi-Looper

 

Prepared myself for the worst, boy did I get the biggest surprise ever.....it was glass smooth! Literally one of the smoothest coasters I have ever ridden, I actually loved it, bought £6 worth of tickets to sample it to start off with, after loving it, stumped up for a wristband......managed 3 rides in total then it shut down due to wind....D'oh

 

Jubilee Odyssey - Vekoma Custom SLC

 

Was Shut.....enough said, not sure whether it was down to the weather, as I understand it will not run if the wind is higher than 12mph, and it certainly felt windy, however there were engineers on the platform most of the time I was there, disappointed, was looking forward to it.

 

Fantasy Mouse - Reverchon Spinning Mouse

 

Surprisingly fun! I was riding solo, so for the final part of the ride I managed some serious spinning, so much so I was still spinning wildly when entering the station....good fun!

 

Volcanic Eruption - S&S Space Shot

 

Standard 200ft Space Shot really, although I really did think I was going to lose my legs on the top of the volcano, that is way too close for my liking!!!

 

Overall, I am not a major fan of the actual park as a whole, however there is a good choice of rides (when they are all running (Amazing Confusion was not running, also The Beast had one pod removed and not running also) I think if I am up this was again I will stop in for a ride on my new top 10 steel coaster, however I will not be making a special journey to visit Fantasy Island again, I just think there is not enough for a full day.

 

Of note though, Fantasy Islands ride crews were up there with some of the best I have experienced on this tour, the Millennium Coaster operators were having a good laugh with everyone, and the ops on Volcanic Eruption crew were doing a good job also!

 

Unfortunately I did not take my camera out of its bag today (not entirely sure why!

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Millennium Coaster - Surprise Coaster of the Trip!

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Day 8 - Drayton Manor Park

 

Managed to get to the park just as the gates were opening, so had almost an hour to wander round and check the park out, haven't seen it since 2001 so was nice to see Thomas Land (which without a doubt is one of the best Children's Themed areas in the UK) and some of the other new additions since my last visit.

 

Shockwave - Intamin Stand-Up Coaster

 

I must admit even though this is the only Stand Up I have ever ridden I actually find it quite fun.....as long as the restraint is adjusted correctly! One my first ride I was sat on the cycle seat whilst I was on tip-toes on the floor, it was not the most pleasant ride of my life I will admit!! Second ride though it was correctly adjusted and I loved it!

 

Maelstrom - Intamin Spinning Frisbee Type Flat Ride

 

I loved this ride back in 2001 and I still love it to this day, it is a fine example of a flat ride that can disorientate enough but still remain fun....also full of airtime (the important one!)

 

G-Force - Maurer Sohne X Coaster

 

This was a new credit for me and one I have been anticipating for a few years now...............What The Hell was that!!!! Was the only thing I could say to explain the ride, the lift hill is interesting, felt comfortable, the rest of the ride though didn't do anything particularily amazing and did not feel special in any way (which is a shame, because the ride looks pretty fun!) The only downside to this ride for me was the restraint, I was plastered into the seat in the station which felt tight, but not overly, somehow though during the ride the restraint managed to lock even tighter thus enabling me not to breathe during the final stages of the ride.

I have to say that whilst I enjoyed G-Force, it wasn't a ride that made me want to run back round and join the queue again (although loved the music in the queue).

 

Apocalypse - Intamin Giant Drop

 

Every time I ride this ride I love it more and more, the sit down side didn't really provide me with the thrill it once did (probably due to riding many more since) however the stand up floorless side still made me think twice whilst going up, one of the best flat ride sensations in the UK (provided that you are prepared for the braking!)

 

Gold Nuggets - Dark Ride/Interactive Shooting Ride

 

Still a fun ride, although my gun didn't seem to be working properly seeing how I normally get pretty good scores on Duel and Tomb Blaster, but only managed 2000 on this!

 

Pirates Adventure - Pirates of the Caribbean ripoff

 

Themeing in this is actually pretty good, if all of the effects were to be working this would be an even better ride, was a fun few minutes relaxing looking at the detail in the buildings.

 

Overall had a really good day, met up with mwm1444 for the day and I feel we had an enjoyable day, the atmosphere in the park is pretty good although I didn't feel there was much guest/employee interaction, otherwise this would be a 5 star park in my opinion.

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Welcome to Drayton Manor Park

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Gate Prices FYI

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First Up, lets look into Thomas Land - KidTums is going to love this in June I think.

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Troublesome Trucks - a Gerstlauer kiddie coaster

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There was a bit of a queue for this all day, proving to be popular

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Quite a nicely themed Kiddie Coaster, makes a change from the usual Kiddie Themeing

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A Nice Alternative to a Frog Hopper - TPR Takeover anyone?

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Pretty standard kiddie ride, but nice themeing

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Nicely themed Rockin' Tug

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Next Up Maelstrom!

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One of my favourite flat rides.

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Ride the Storm

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Shockwave - Europe's Only Stand-Up Coaster

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and one of the only rides I have ever ridden that specifies the ride will be stopped and you will be ejected from the park if you scream! Although didn't see this being inforced.

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Standing Room Only

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For a ride that is 16 years old this year, it is pretty smooth.

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The corkscrews are one of the best sections of the ride.

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G-Force, words cannot describe this ride, so I will let the next few photos describe it for you!

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Apocalypse

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Best freefall experience in the UK - Damn Right!

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Stormforce 10 Pre Water being Turned On

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A View across the lake of Stormforce 10 and Shockwave

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Nicely Positioned Pirate Ship

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Shockwave In Action

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Too Wet to Ride Today, maybe Another Day

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Definately an unacceptable amount of wetness!

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Stormforce about to send another boatful to their watery demise

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Pandemonium - Great name for a Flat Ride

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And the award for slowest coaster in the world goes to..............Buffalo

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Ferris Wheel Enthusiasts Rejoice - Geek Shot!

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Views from the Ferris Wheel

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Have a Safe Journey Everyone!

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