3rd June 2026: Blackpool Pleasure Beach Today, I returned to a UK park I hadn’t yet visited this season; Blackpool Pleasure Beach! I was going to wait until September to visit Blackpool, but with Aviktas having just opened and gained rave reviews and me still being at a loose end, I thought I’d bump my visit forward a little to catch a midweek visit before the school trips and summer crowds start to descend! Aviktas or not, I do always like a visit to Blackpool, not least to get back on Icon, one of my favourite coasters in the country! My day started at quite a leisurely pace, as I’d travelled up to Blackpool yesterday and the park didn’t open until 11am. I got up at 8am, had breakfast in Wetherspoons, went back to my hotel room for a bit, strolled along the promenade for a bit, went into the casino building coffee shop for a chocolate muffin and then took my position outside the park entrance ready for opening at around 10:30am: Now I should say that when I booked the trip, I was anticipating nice weather, with it being June, but in the days leading up to the trip, the weather forecast worsened to the extent where high winds and rain were forecast on the day of my visit. I was disappointed, but seeing as this is the North and my last two visits to Blackpool were in absolutely gorgeous weather, I was probably overdue a dreary weather visit! The weather forecast made me a little twitchy, so any usual strategy I would have attacked Blackpool with went out the window as I attempted to get my main draws in early in case dire ride availability struck later on! With this in mind, I decided to start my day on the big new addition that everyone’s been talking about… Aviktas With Aviktas being the main new addition to Blackpool since my last trip in 2025, I decided to get it done early. I was one of about 6 people in the general area, so I comfortably managed to get onto the first cycle of the day; I can never moan about that! So, how was the ride? Well, while Aviktas has been very strongly hyped, I myself was slightly sceptical about whether it would live up to the hype for me personally. Prior to today, I had been unconvinced by the hype for gyroswings as a ride type; while they’ve grown on me since I first rode one, I would still say I much prefer the non-spinning pendulum rides, such as Screamin’ Swings, as a general rule. With all of that said, I have to admit that Aviktas did pleasantly surprise me; it’s very, very good! Of the ones I’ve ridden, it’s quite easily my favourite; the restraints are lovely, there’s less spinning and nausea than on the smaller models (I would say Aviktas mildly rotates rather than spins), and with there being less spinning, the focus shifts more to the speed and airtime, which I favour. And with Aviktas being absolutely huge, swinging up to 140ft, it delivers speed and airtime by the bucketload! Compared to the others I’ve ridden, I think these sensations are heavily enhanced on Aviktas by the raw size of the thing; at the peaks, the ride delivers absolutely sublime sustained airtime that had me flying out of my seat for seconds and seconds, and the speed in the troughs is superb! For raw speed and airtime, it’s probably up there with the excellent Serengeti Flyer at Busch Gardens Tampa for me, and while I think I do still marginally favour that one overall due to it being non-spinning, there’s not much in it and I do have to credit Aviktas with being the first gyroswing to impress me. It’s very, very good, even for me who’s not an enormous flat ride fan: After getting off Aviktas, I decided to head for a notoriously wind-sensitive headliner… The Big One The Big One is known for being sensitive to wind, and by all accounts, it is one of Blackpool’s main headliners, so I decided to get it out of the way early. It was running 1 train and only 3/5 cars of this train were loading guests, so I waited around 10-15 minutes for my ride. But how was it? Well, I was seated in row 9, and The Big One is an interesting one for me. When I first rode it back in 2018, I wasn’t a fan at all and was incredibly disappointed… but it’s grown on me with time to the point where I’d now say I do rather like it, even if it’s never going to be a top coaster for me! Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the smoothest of things (although not nearly as hideously rough as I made out in 2018), and the layout, given its length, is largely redundant in terms of g-forces after the first drop, with it petering out drastically as it goes on… but that first drop is brilliant, with an awesome rush of speed and a forceful whip around, and there is something about rushing up those triangles at speed with the sea air blowing in your face that I find quite scintillating! It’s by some margin my least favourite coaster over 200ft tall, and it’s not quite making my UK top 10 or overall top quartile, but I think it’s one of those coasters that is more than the sum of its parts for me; there’s something about it that I find oddly charming, and I have grown to really quite like it with time! It’s proof that while many might argue that stats aren’t everything, a big, fast coaster is usually inherently quite likeable, in my book: After getting off The Big One, I headed for a favourite of mine… Icon Icon was right there next to The Big One, and I always love a ride on there, so I decided to give it a go. The queue was short, and I was in row 7 within 10 minutes; I can never moan about that! So, how was the ride? Well, I’ve historically been a rather outspoken fan of Icon, and that’s a stance I stand by; I do absolutely love the thing! Don’t get me wrong, VelociCoaster it isn’t as far as multi-launch coasters go and Hyperia it isn’t as far as UK Macks go, but I just find Icon such great fun! It has some awesome moments of airtime; that top hat is brilliant, the dive into the second launch is a great surprising airtime moment, there’s a surprisingly good drop halfway through the second half, the two inversions provide nice moments of hangtime, and there are some other great moments of mild floatiness in the turns and undulations! The ride is also incredibly smooth and comfortable, nice and twisty, and overall very rerideable; it’s definitely my favourite coaster on park by a good margin, and one of my favourites in the country! As I ride more, though, I do think Icon’s flaws maybe become slightly more apparent; compared to some of my other 10/10 tier coasters, I think it lacks some real standout “WOW” moments, it possibly has more “padding” than other coasters in the tier, and I do also think that it’s more “absolutely tremendous fun” overall rather than overly impactful like VelociCoaster or something that will just have you creased with laughter hitting the brake run like Hagrid’s or Wicker Man. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, and I do still think it’s wonderful enough that it deserves to be in that 10/10 tier, but I think it’s definitely a contender for my lowest ranking 10/10 tier coaster now (perhaps Ice Breaker might be lower, but I do think I’d give Wicker Man a slight edge over Icon). Even still, I do absolutely love it and think it’s a sublime coaster; it was so good to get back on there: After getting off Icon, I actually briefly headed out of the park back to my hotel, and I should probably provide some context as to why. As anyone who has multiple devices on the same Apple ID might know, Find my iPhone is very sensitive and loves to send you notifications whenever you get separated from a device. I normally ignore these, as they state the obvious of me having left my iPad at home whenever I leave the house… but today, I received an alert saying that my iPad had been left in Wetherspoons, which spooked me a little given that I hadn’t taken it to Wetherspoons. A look at Find My iPhone showed that it was in Wetherspoons a few minutes ago, but while the app was open, it then seemed to put it back in the broad vicinity of my hotel. I became 99% sure this wasn’t an issue, but 1% of me was nervous that it had been stolen (my mum, being somewhat sceptical of both Travelodge and Blackpool, warned me that it might get stolen if I left it in the room, and I was fearing she would be proven right), so as my hotel was merely yards from the entrance, I briefly popped back to check that everything was OK. Thankfully, though, it was just Apple having a funny 5 minutes and being inaccurate with its geomarkers, as my iPad was exactly where I’d left it… peeved with both myself and Apple at having unnecessarily wasted 10-15 minutes of riding time, I then headed back into the park, where they had to use a fluorescent torch to scan my hand stamp (I’ve never seen that before!). After my brief detour, I headed to another “new” draw since my last visit… Launch Pad Launch Pad was near the entrance and technically “new” since my last visit, so I decided to take a ride on there. The queue was short, and I got on there within 5 minutes, which I can never moan about! Now I discovered after my last visit that Launch Pad had actually had technical rehearsals on the day of my visit that I’d missed, so I was keen to get on there today after so narrowly missing it last time! But how was it? Well, I did ride Ice Blast on my first visit to the park in 2018 (it was actually my first ever Blackpool ride!), and at the time, I remembered it being quite a weak shot tower with very little force. The refurbishment, however, has rejuvenated it wonderfully; the launch is really punchy, and the airtime at the top is absolutely superb, truly throwing you out of the seat! As much as a traditional drop tower is my preference, I always like an S&S shot tower, and Launch Pad is now a very good one! All in all, then, I thoroughly enjoyed Launch Pad; the refurbishment has made it much better, in my view: After getting off Launch Pad, I went to ride a coaster that I hadn’t ridden since 2019… Nickelodeon Streak Nickelodeon Streak was open and on a near non-existent queue, so as it had been closed on my last visit to Blackpool in 2025, I decided to take a ride on there. I thought I’d best get on it quickly if I wanted to, as I noticed that the ride shut at 2pm; I do think this is quite poor, even on a weekday, and there were quite a few staggered openings and closings around the park of a similar vein. As the queue was so short, I got on within less than 5 minutes; I can never complain about that! So, how was Nickelodeon Streak after 7 years since my last ride? Well, I was seated in row 6, and it was largely as I remembered it. It’s quite a nippy little thing, and it has the character of a vintage woodie without being overly rough, but it is definitely on the gentler side, with no notable airtime and quite mild forces; it’s more of a family wooden coaster than much of a thrill ride. Nonetheless, it was good fun for what it is and definitely a charming ride: After getting off Nickelodeon Streak, I headed for another woodie… Big Dipper Big Dipper had now opened and was on a very short-looking queue, so I decided to take a ride on there. I was on within 5 minutes, which I can never moan about! But how was the ride? Well, I’d remembered Dipper being pretty rough on my last go, but I was seated in row 6, and I have to say that it was running very well and was really quite enjoyable today! Like Nickelodeon Streak, Big Dipper has the charm of a vintage woodie without being overly rough, but I also think Dipper ratchets up the thrills a peg compared to Streak, with the ride generally packing more speed, threatening airtime in numerous spots and also having a fair degree of lateral g-forces that are fun without being excessive! All in all, then, I really enjoyed Big Dipper today; it may not be the most earth-shattering woodie out there by modern standards, but it was charming, good fun and definitely put a smile on my face today: After Big Dipper, I decided to spice things up with a dark ride… Wallace and Gromit’s Thrill-O-Matic Wallace and Gromit was on a walk-on queue, so I decided to give it a go. After having done a lot of coasters and thrill rides up to this point, I thought I’d space things out with something slightly gentler! So, how was Wallace and Gromit? Well, as someone who’s always liked the Wallace and Gromit films, I’ve always had a soft spot for this ride! I like the scenes showing different bits of the franchise, and while there are quite a few dark spots, I think the whole thing has a very nice feel-good charm about it, as well as feeling quite uniquely British! Overall, then, I enjoyed my ride on Wallace and Gromit; as a gentle diversion from the coasters, it always puts a smile on my face: After Wallace and Gromit, I headed for another coaster that I always feel obliged to ride even though I’m not a huge fan… Infusion Infusion was on a walk-on queue, so as I hadn’t ridden it yet today, I decided to take a ride on there. I am not a fan of Infusion at all, but I feel obliged to give it a go when I visit Blackpool if it’s on a short queue in case my tastes change or it surprises me one day. A bit like how my mum occasionally tries sausages to see if she still hates them, I felt like I should give Infusion a go on a non-existent queue, and with me having ridden Odyssey just over a month ago, I was mildly interested to see how Infusion compared. So, how was Infusion? With me being in a surprisingly positive mood towards many Blackpool attractions today, would Infusion continue the trend of growing on me over time? In short, not in a million years! I was seated in row 5, and Infusion remains an utterly abysmal contraption, with severe headbanging throughout the ride that severely limited enjoyment and left me with very sore ears; I remain staggered at how the second newest coaster in a park filled with rides approaching 100 years old is one of its roughest! As for how it compared to Odyssey… having ridden Infusion today, I do not think Odyssey is notably better, and I remain staggered that Odyssey is rated so highly in comparison. The only things Odyssey does notably better are size and uniqueness; they’re both absolutely terrible to ride!: After getting off Infusion, I went for a reride on Aviktas, waiting 15-20 minutes for the privilege. The ride was once again excellent, with superb speed and airtime, but it had started raining somewhat on this ride, meaning that I got an experience somewhat reminiscent of my 2025 waterboarding on Cyclonator at Paultons Park and the raindrops were absolutely piercing!: After getting off Aviktas, I headed to a coaster I hadn’t yet ridden today… Avalanche I hadn’t yet been on Avalanche, so I thought I’d give it a go. The queue wasn’t hugely out of the station, but similarly to on my last visit, the ride was only running one train, meaning that I waited around 20 minutes all in. But how was the ride? Well, as much as it might not be the coaster many think of when they think of Blackpool, I do have a soft spot for Avalanche! I find that it picks up surprising speed during its downward slalom layout; some of those corners are really quite forceful, and towards the end of the ride, there’s one twist that is forceful enough to threaten airtime! All in all, then, I enjoyed my ride on Avalanche; I do like a good bobsled coaster, and I’ll be interested to try Trace du Hourra at Parc Asterix at the end of the month: After getting off Avalanche, I noticed that the one credit (note the word “credit”) that eludes me at Blackpool was running, so I decided to go and ride… Steeplechase Steeplechase was walk-on, so as I still needed the central credit and I could quite clearly see it running, I decided to have a go on there. I’ve collected the left and right sides of Steeplechase on previous visits, but never the central side, and for the first time ever on any of my visits, they were running all three sides, so while all three were walk-on, I thought I’d dive for the central credit to get the full Steeplechase trifecta into my count! But how was the ride experience? Well, I may have ragged on Infusion above… but that at least has some thrilling output from its headbanging. I, perhaps controversially, rank the three Steeplechases as Blackpool’s three weakest coasters, and the reason for that is simple; in my view, the rides accomplish absolutely nothing aside from being uncomfortable, piercing me painfully in the hip bone every time the horse turns and jolting me forward painfully with Heimlich manoeuvre braking. The riding position just isn’t comfortable to begin with, and the fact that the rides are very painful and pain is the sole sensation they provide makes them completely unenjoyable for me. I get that Steeplechase is unique, but now that I have all 3 credits, I would quite happily never ride any of them again; they’re easily my 3 least favourite credits at Blackpool, and 3 of only 5 credits worldwide to hit my rock bottom 1/10 tier. In my Google Sheet that ranks and rates my credits, Blackpool’s overall average rating is unfairly dragged down by the fact that their most dire contraption is replicated 3 times: After getting off Steeplechase, I took a reride on The Big One on a near walk-on queue. This time, I managed to score the very front row; I don’t think I’ve ever ridden the very front of The Big One before! The ride was once again enjoyable, but unlike some hypers where the front enhances the sense of speed, enhances certain forces or provides different, equally good forces (on the B&Ms, for example, I often find that the front provides a strong sensation of being pushed into the airtime hills that differs from the pulling sensation provided in the back), I don’t think The Big One massively benefits from being ridden in the front; I do think I favour riding a bit further back for the full effect of that first drop: After getting off The Big One, I had not one, not two, but three walk-on rerides on Icon. I rode in row 4, the front row and row 6 respectively, and all three were absolutely sublime and such tremendous fun once again, although like with The Big One, I would say that having ridden the front row, I definitely favour a ride towards the back of the train on Icon: After my three rerides on Icon, I went back on The Big One for another reride. I was seated in row 9 this time, and it was once again enjoyable, although this was an interesting ride in that we got delayed for a good bit before we dispatched due to wind (which you could certainly feel on the ride!). The mechanic was also doing something under the train while it was sat on the brake run, with the riders before me moving gradually along it while they worked on the different cars. Can anyone provide any insight into what they might have been doing? I’ve never seen mechanics work on a ride train with passengers in it before! After getting off The Big One, I noticed that the final main thrill coaster I hadn’t yet ridden (Grand National aside, as I knew that would be closed beforehand) had finally opened for the day, so I went to ride it… Revolution Revolution was on a short queue, so I decided to take a ride on there. I initially dithered a little and pondered a reride on Icon instead, as it looked as though Revolution had stopped due to wind, but Icon itself went down for a temporary delay as I approached it and I quickly saw Revolution resume operation, so I joined the queue and got on within 10 minutes. But how was the ride? Well, I was seated in row 3, and I’m in two minds on it after this ride. I can’t deny that it packs a lot into a short track length; the ejector airtime in both the forward and reverse directions is surprisingly fierce, and the forward loop is forceful… but I’ll admit I don’t go overly mad for the loop backwards. It always makes me feel a little bit funny. Unlike other rides at Blackpool, Revolution is perhaps one I’ve grown to like slightly less with time. I can’t deny, though, that that airtime is surprisingly good, and definitely gives it a few additional brownie points! On a side note, the automated announcements on this always make me chuckle; the incredibly monotone “You are about to experience the ride of your life!” is quite funny, but the best one is probably the one at the reverse launch, where the same incredibly monotone voice tells you that “you are about to experience the 360 degree looping coaster… backwards.”. This drew a few sarcastic “Ooh!”s on my train: After getting off Revolution, I went for a reride on Big Dipper on a walk-on queue. I was seated in row 11 this time, and it was possibly even better than the first ride; this was really good fun, with some nice woodie charm without being overly rough and again threatening airtime in numerous spots! Big Dipper has definitely gone up in my estimations after today, and I think either it or The Big One is probably my second favourite coaster on park behind Icon now! This ride was also where the rain really started to hit; it rained quite hard while I was on there, to the point where I heard another rider exclaim “Who needs Valhalla after that?”: After getting off Big Dipper, I went for another reride on Aviktas. I was initially very pleased, as the queue looked practically walk-on… but I was less pleased when the heavens opened extraordinarily as I entered the queue. I grew even less pleased when I was secured in the ride ready to go and we were held due to the wind speed being too high… and the heavens suddenly opened even more extraordinarily in an almost America-calibre rain shower, meaning that I and my co-riders got absolutely soaked for what must have been a good 10 minutes. The staff eventually sent us back into the queue to wait out the closure, and I waited it out for a bit, but after having wasted around 30 minutes in the area overall, I eventually bailed, which later proved a prudent choice as the ride didn’t reopen: After bailing on Aviktas, I headed for a reride on Icon. The ride had unfortunately dropped to 1 train by this point and was now attaining under 300pph, meaning that the queue had lengthened and took 20 minutes. I was in row 6 this time and the ride was once again absolutely fantastic; the wind really intensified the feeling of speed!: After getting off Icon, I decided to go for a ride on something slightly more weatherproof… Ghost Train Ghost Train was open and had a short-looking queue, so as the weather was taking a turn, I thought I’d take a ride on there. I was on within 5 minutes, which I can never moan about! So, how was it? Well, it was a nice dark ride; it has lots of nice scenes and effects, and while I do not personally consider it a coaster credit, I also think the drop in the middle offers a fun little touch! They do like their sirens on here, though, don’t they? All in all, then, Ghost Train was good fun, and it was interesting to get on another dark ride: After getting off Ghost Train, I finished off the day with a reride on Launch Pad, on a near walk-on queue. This was absolutely awesome once again; as a big fan of a good tower ride, I’m so glad that Blackpool have restored this ride to its former glory, as it’s a brilliant ride now in a way I definitely don’t remember it being in 2018! Incidentally, this was the first ride I’ve had on it where I’ve faced towards the park rather than the promenade and the tower, and it was interesting to ride it with that view: After getting off Launch Pad, the weather was deteriorating and it was very near to the 5pm park close, so I decided to call it quits there and head back to my hotel: So, that wraps up my day at Blackpool Pleasure Beach! I was fearing the worst given the weather forecast, but I was very happy with the outcome overall; 21 rides, including 5 on Icon, 3 on The Big One and 2 on Aviktas, is not a bad tally at all given the weather, in my view! I had an excellent day overall; Aviktas is a brilliant addition to the park, and I loved getting on that, I loved getting back on Icon, and in general, I just really enjoyed getting back to the park! Having grown up in the south and not visited until I was older, Blackpool still feels like quite a special park for me to visit; today was still only my 4th ever visit, despite how widely talked about the park is in UK enthusiast circles! I do favour Alton Towers and possibly Thorpe Park overall, but those parks feel slightly less special and unusual to me because I’ve visited them loads over the years, whereas a visit to Blackpool still has an air of “specialness” about it to me because I live far away and haven’t been all that much. I always love a visit, and it closes out my top 3 UK parks (Alton/Thorpe/Blackpool; no Paultons for me!) very nicely; as much as the overall ride lineup (particularly coaster-wise) is perhaps slightly less to my personal taste than that of the parks further south, I’m glad to have a park that contrasts so strongly with Towers and Thorpe in the UK, and I think many of Blackpool’s attractions offer something really unique and valuable and are more than the sum of their parts. I do think the place is perhaps a little rough around the edges operationally, more so than the parks further south, but I still find it a really charming park with a lot to offer, and I rarely fail to enjoy a visit! My last two Blackpool trips have been great fun; I’m wondering if it should become a new annual tradition? Thanks for reading; I hope you’ve enjoyed this report! My next report will likely see me finally leave the UK for the first time since 2024, as it will very likely be from Parc Asterix at the end of the month! I can’t wait to see that park, and get on Toutatis for the first time!
3rd June 2026: Blackpool Pleasure Beach Today, I returned to a UK park I hadn’t yet visited this season; Blackpool Pleasure Beach! I was going to wait until September to visit Blackpool, but with Aviktas having just opened and gained rave reviews and me still being at a loose end, I thought I’d bump my visit forward a little to catch a midweek visit before the school trips and summer crowds start to descend! Aviktas or not, I do always like a visit to Blackpool, not least to get back on Icon, one of my favourite coasters in the country! My day started at quite a leisurely pace, as I’d travelled up to Blackpool yesterday and the park didn’t open until 11am. I got up at 8am, had breakfast in Wetherspoons, went back to my hotel room for a bit, strolled along the promenade for a bit, went into the casino building coffee shop for a chocolate muffin and then took my position outside the park entrance ready for opening at around 10:30am: Now I should say that when I booked the trip, I was anticipating nice weather, with it being June, but in the days leading up to the trip, the weather forecast worsened to the extent where high winds and rain were forecast on the day of my visit. I was disappointed, but seeing as this is the North and my last two visits to Blackpool were in absolutely gorgeous weather, I was probably overdue a dreary weather visit! The weather forecast made me a little twitchy, so any usual strategy I would have attacked Blackpool with went out the window as I attempted to get my main draws in early in case dire ride availability struck later on! With this in mind, I decided to start my day on the big new addition that everyone’s been talking about… Aviktas With Aviktas being the main new addition to Blackpool since my last trip in 2025, I decided to get it done early. I was one of about 6 people in the general area, so I comfortably managed to get onto the first cycle of the day; I can never moan about that! So, how was the ride? Well, while Aviktas has been very strongly hyped, I myself was slightly sceptical about whether it would live up to the hype for me personally. Prior to today, I had been unconvinced by the hype for gyroswings as a ride type; while they’ve grown on me since I first rode one, I would still say I much prefer the non-spinning pendulum rides, such as Screamin’ Swings, as a general rule. With all of that said, I have to admit that Aviktas did pleasantly surprise me; it’s very, very good! Of the ones I’ve ridden, it’s quite easily my favourite; the restraints are lovely, there’s less spinning and nausea than on the smaller models (I would say Aviktas mildly rotates rather than spins), and with there being less spinning, the focus shifts more to the speed and airtime, which I favour. And with Aviktas being absolutely huge, swinging up to 140ft, it delivers speed and airtime by the bucketload! Compared to the others I’ve ridden, I think these sensations are heavily enhanced on Aviktas by the raw size of the thing; at the peaks, the ride delivers absolutely sublime sustained airtime that had me flying out of my seat for seconds and seconds, and the speed in the troughs is superb! For raw speed and airtime, it’s probably up there with the excellent Serengeti Flyer at Busch Gardens Tampa for me, and while I think I do still marginally favour that one overall due to it being non-spinning, there’s not much in it and I do have to credit Aviktas with being the first gyroswing to impress me. It’s very, very good, even for me who’s not an enormous flat ride fan: After getting off Aviktas, I decided to head for a notoriously wind-sensitive headliner… The Big One The Big One is known for being sensitive to wind, and by all accounts, it is one of Blackpool’s main headliners, so I decided to get it out of the way early. It was running 1 train and only 3/5 cars of this train were loading guests, so I waited around 10-15 minutes for my ride. But how was it? Well, I was seated in row 9, and The Big One is an interesting one for me. When I first rode it back in 2018, I wasn’t a fan at all and was incredibly disappointed… but it’s grown on me with time to the point where I’d now say I do rather like it, even if it’s never going to be a top coaster for me! Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the smoothest of things (although not nearly as hideously rough as I made out in 2018), and the layout, given its length, is largely redundant in terms of g-forces after the first drop, with it petering out drastically as it goes on… but that first drop is brilliant, with an awesome rush of speed and a forceful whip around, and there is something about rushing up those triangles at speed with the sea air blowing in your face that I find quite scintillating! It’s by some margin my least favourite coaster over 200ft tall, and it’s not quite making my UK top 10 or overall top quartile, but I think it’s one of those coasters that is more than the sum of its parts for me; there’s something about it that I find oddly charming, and I have grown to really quite like it with time! It’s proof that while many might argue that stats aren’t everything, a big, fast coaster is usually inherently quite likeable, in my book: After getting off The Big One, I headed for a favourite of mine… Icon Icon was right there next to The Big One, and I always love a ride on there, so I decided to give it a go. The queue was short, and I was in row 7 within 10 minutes; I can never moan about that! So, how was the ride? Well, I’ve historically been a rather outspoken fan of Icon, and that’s a stance I stand by; I do absolutely love the thing! Don’t get me wrong, VelociCoaster it isn’t as far as multi-launch coasters go and Hyperia it isn’t as far as UK Macks go, but I just find Icon such great fun! It has some awesome moments of airtime; that top hat is brilliant, the dive into the second launch is a great surprising airtime moment, there’s a surprisingly good drop halfway through the second half, the two inversions provide nice moments of hangtime, and there are some other great moments of mild floatiness in the turns and undulations! The ride is also incredibly smooth and comfortable, nice and twisty, and overall very rerideable; it’s definitely my favourite coaster on park by a good margin, and one of my favourites in the country! As I ride more, though, I do think Icon’s flaws maybe become slightly more apparent; compared to some of my other 10/10 tier coasters, I think it lacks some real standout “WOW” moments, it possibly has more “padding” than other coasters in the tier, and I do also think that it’s more “absolutely tremendous fun” overall rather than overly impactful like VelociCoaster or something that will just have you creased with laughter hitting the brake run like Hagrid’s or Wicker Man. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, and I do still think it’s wonderful enough that it deserves to be in that 10/10 tier, but I think it’s definitely a contender for my lowest ranking 10/10 tier coaster now (perhaps Ice Breaker might be lower, but I do think I’d give Wicker Man a slight edge over Icon). Even still, I do absolutely love it and think it’s a sublime coaster; it was so good to get back on there: After getting off Icon, I actually briefly headed out of the park back to my hotel, and I should probably provide some context as to why. As anyone who has multiple devices on the same Apple ID might know, Find my iPhone is very sensitive and loves to send you notifications whenever you get separated from a device. I normally ignore these, as they state the obvious of me having left my iPad at home whenever I leave the house… but today, I received an alert saying that my iPad had been left in Wetherspoons, which spooked me a little given that I hadn’t taken it to Wetherspoons. A look at Find My iPhone showed that it was in Wetherspoons a few minutes ago, but while the app was open, it then seemed to put it back in the broad vicinity of my hotel. I became 99% sure this wasn’t an issue, but 1% of me was nervous that it had been stolen (my mum, being somewhat sceptical of both Travelodge and Blackpool, warned me that it might get stolen if I left it in the room, and I was fearing she would be proven right), so as my hotel was merely yards from the entrance, I briefly popped back to check that everything was OK. Thankfully, though, it was just Apple having a funny 5 minutes and being inaccurate with its geomarkers, as my iPad was exactly where I’d left it… peeved with both myself and Apple at having unnecessarily wasted 10-15 minutes of riding time, I then headed back into the park, where they had to use a fluorescent torch to scan my hand stamp (I’ve never seen that before!). After my brief detour, I headed to another “new” draw since my last visit… Launch Pad Launch Pad was near the entrance and technically “new” since my last visit, so I decided to take a ride on there. The queue was short, and I got on there within 5 minutes, which I can never moan about! Now I discovered after my last visit that Launch Pad had actually had technical rehearsals on the day of my visit that I’d missed, so I was keen to get on there today after so narrowly missing it last time! But how was it? Well, I did ride Ice Blast on my first visit to the park in 2018 (it was actually my first ever Blackpool ride!), and at the time, I remembered it being quite a weak shot tower with very little force. The refurbishment, however, has rejuvenated it wonderfully; the launch is really punchy, and the airtime at the top is absolutely superb, truly throwing you out of the seat! As much as a traditional drop tower is my preference, I always like an S&S shot tower, and Launch Pad is now a very good one! All in all, then, I thoroughly enjoyed Launch Pad; the refurbishment has made it much better, in my view: After getting off Launch Pad, I went to ride a coaster that I hadn’t ridden since 2019… Nickelodeon Streak Nickelodeon Streak was open and on a near non-existent queue, so as it had been closed on my last visit to Blackpool in 2025, I decided to take a ride on there. I thought I’d best get on it quickly if I wanted to, as I noticed that the ride shut at 2pm; I do think this is quite poor, even on a weekday, and there were quite a few staggered openings and closings around the park of a similar vein. As the queue was so short, I got on within less than 5 minutes; I can never complain about that! So, how was Nickelodeon Streak after 7 years since my last ride? Well, I was seated in row 6, and it was largely as I remembered it. It’s quite a nippy little thing, and it has the character of a vintage woodie without being overly rough, but it is definitely on the gentler side, with no notable airtime and quite mild forces; it’s more of a family wooden coaster than much of a thrill ride. Nonetheless, it was good fun for what it is and definitely a charming ride: After getting off Nickelodeon Streak, I headed for another woodie… Big Dipper Big Dipper had now opened and was on a very short-looking queue, so I decided to take a ride on there. I was on within 5 minutes, which I can never moan about! But how was the ride? Well, I’d remembered Dipper being pretty rough on my last go, but I was seated in row 6, and I have to say that it was running very well and was really quite enjoyable today! Like Nickelodeon Streak, Big Dipper has the charm of a vintage woodie without being overly rough, but I also think Dipper ratchets up the thrills a peg compared to Streak, with the ride generally packing more speed, threatening airtime in numerous spots and also having a fair degree of lateral g-forces that are fun without being excessive! All in all, then, I really enjoyed Big Dipper today; it may not be the most earth-shattering woodie out there by modern standards, but it was charming, good fun and definitely put a smile on my face today: After Big Dipper, I decided to spice things up with a dark ride… Wallace and Gromit’s Thrill-O-Matic Wallace and Gromit was on a walk-on queue, so I decided to give it a go. After having done a lot of coasters and thrill rides up to this point, I thought I’d space things out with something slightly gentler! So, how was Wallace and Gromit? Well, as someone who’s always liked the Wallace and Gromit films, I’ve always had a soft spot for this ride! I like the scenes showing different bits of the franchise, and while there are quite a few dark spots, I think the whole thing has a very nice feel-good charm about it, as well as feeling quite uniquely British! Overall, then, I enjoyed my ride on Wallace and Gromit; as a gentle diversion from the coasters, it always puts a smile on my face: After Wallace and Gromit, I headed for another coaster that I always feel obliged to ride even though I’m not a huge fan… Infusion Infusion was on a walk-on queue, so as I hadn’t ridden it yet today, I decided to take a ride on there. I am not a fan of Infusion at all, but I feel obliged to give it a go when I visit Blackpool if it’s on a short queue in case my tastes change or it surprises me one day. A bit like how my mum occasionally tries sausages to see if she still hates them, I felt like I should give Infusion a go on a non-existent queue, and with me having ridden Odyssey just over a month ago, I was mildly interested to see how Infusion compared. So, how was Infusion? With me being in a surprisingly positive mood towards many Blackpool attractions today, would Infusion continue the trend of growing on me over time? In short, not in a million years! I was seated in row 5, and Infusion remains an utterly abysmal contraption, with severe headbanging throughout the ride that severely limited enjoyment and left me with very sore ears; I remain staggered at how the second newest coaster in a park filled with rides approaching 100 years old is one of its roughest! As for how it compared to Odyssey… having ridden Infusion today, I do not think Odyssey is notably better, and I remain staggered that Odyssey is rated so highly in comparison. The only things Odyssey does notably better are size and uniqueness; they’re both absolutely terrible to ride!: After getting off Infusion, I went for a reride on Aviktas, waiting 15-20 minutes for the privilege. The ride was once again excellent, with superb speed and airtime, but it had started raining somewhat on this ride, meaning that I got an experience somewhat reminiscent of my 2025 waterboarding on Cyclonator at Paultons Park and the raindrops were absolutely piercing!: After getting off Aviktas, I headed to a coaster I hadn’t yet ridden today… Avalanche I hadn’t yet been on Avalanche, so I thought I’d give it a go. The queue wasn’t hugely out of the station, but similarly to on my last visit, the ride was only running one train, meaning that I waited around 20 minutes all in. But how was the ride? Well, as much as it might not be the coaster many think of when they think of Blackpool, I do have a soft spot for Avalanche! I find that it picks up surprising speed during its downward slalom layout; some of those corners are really quite forceful, and towards the end of the ride, there’s one twist that is forceful enough to threaten airtime! All in all, then, I enjoyed my ride on Avalanche; I do like a good bobsled coaster, and I’ll be interested to try Trace du Hourra at Parc Asterix at the end of the month: After getting off Avalanche, I noticed that the one credit (note the word “credit”) that eludes me at Blackpool was running, so I decided to go and ride… Steeplechase Steeplechase was walk-on, so as I still needed the central credit and I could quite clearly see it running, I decided to have a go on there. I’ve collected the left and right sides of Steeplechase on previous visits, but never the central side, and for the first time ever on any of my visits, they were running all three sides, so while all three were walk-on, I thought I’d dive for the central credit to get the full Steeplechase trifecta into my count! But how was the ride experience? Well, I may have ragged on Infusion above… but that at least has some thrilling output from its headbanging. I, perhaps controversially, rank the three Steeplechases as Blackpool’s three weakest coasters, and the reason for that is simple; in my view, the rides accomplish absolutely nothing aside from being uncomfortable, piercing me painfully in the hip bone every time the horse turns and jolting me forward painfully with Heimlich manoeuvre braking. The riding position just isn’t comfortable to begin with, and the fact that the rides are very painful and pain is the sole sensation they provide makes them completely unenjoyable for me. I get that Steeplechase is unique, but now that I have all 3 credits, I would quite happily never ride any of them again; they’re easily my 3 least favourite credits at Blackpool, and 3 of only 5 credits worldwide to hit my rock bottom 1/10 tier. In my Google Sheet that ranks and rates my credits, Blackpool’s overall average rating is unfairly dragged down by the fact that their most dire contraption is replicated 3 times: After getting off Steeplechase, I took a reride on The Big One on a near walk-on queue. This time, I managed to score the very front row; I don’t think I’ve ever ridden the very front of The Big One before! The ride was once again enjoyable, but unlike some hypers where the front enhances the sense of speed, enhances certain forces or provides different, equally good forces (on the B&Ms, for example, I often find that the front provides a strong sensation of being pushed into the airtime hills that differs from the pulling sensation provided in the back), I don’t think The Big One massively benefits from being ridden in the front; I do think I favour riding a bit further back for the full effect of that first drop: After getting off The Big One, I had not one, not two, but three walk-on rerides on Icon. I rode in row 4, the front row and row 6 respectively, and all three were absolutely sublime and such tremendous fun once again, although like with The Big One, I would say that having ridden the front row, I definitely favour a ride towards the back of the train on Icon: After my three rerides on Icon, I went back on The Big One for another reride. I was seated in row 9 this time, and it was once again enjoyable, although this was an interesting ride in that we got delayed for a good bit before we dispatched due to wind (which you could certainly feel on the ride!). The mechanic was also doing something under the train while it was sat on the brake run, with the riders before me moving gradually along it while they worked on the different cars. Can anyone provide any insight into what they might have been doing? I’ve never seen mechanics work on a ride train with passengers in it before! After getting off The Big One, I noticed that the final main thrill coaster I hadn’t yet ridden (Grand National aside, as I knew that would be closed beforehand) had finally opened for the day, so I went to ride it… Revolution Revolution was on a short queue, so I decided to take a ride on there. I initially dithered a little and pondered a reride on Icon instead, as it looked as though Revolution had stopped due to wind, but Icon itself went down for a temporary delay as I approached it and I quickly saw Revolution resume operation, so I joined the queue and got on within 10 minutes. But how was the ride? Well, I was seated in row 3, and I’m in two minds on it after this ride. I can’t deny that it packs a lot into a short track length; the ejector airtime in both the forward and reverse directions is surprisingly fierce, and the forward loop is forceful… but I’ll admit I don’t go overly mad for the loop backwards. It always makes me feel a little bit funny. Unlike other rides at Blackpool, Revolution is perhaps one I’ve grown to like slightly less with time. I can’t deny, though, that that airtime is surprisingly good, and definitely gives it a few additional brownie points! On a side note, the automated announcements on this always make me chuckle; the incredibly monotone “You are about to experience the ride of your life!” is quite funny, but the best one is probably the one at the reverse launch, where the same incredibly monotone voice tells you that “you are about to experience the 360 degree looping coaster… backwards.”. This drew a few sarcastic “Ooh!”s on my train: After getting off Revolution, I went for a reride on Big Dipper on a walk-on queue. I was seated in row 11 this time, and it was possibly even better than the first ride; this was really good fun, with some nice woodie charm without being overly rough and again threatening airtime in numerous spots! Big Dipper has definitely gone up in my estimations after today, and I think either it or The Big One is probably my second favourite coaster on park behind Icon now! This ride was also where the rain really started to hit; it rained quite hard while I was on there, to the point where I heard another rider exclaim “Who needs Valhalla after that?”: After getting off Big Dipper, I went for another reride on Aviktas. I was initially very pleased, as the queue looked practically walk-on… but I was less pleased when the heavens opened extraordinarily as I entered the queue. I grew even less pleased when I was secured in the ride ready to go and we were held due to the wind speed being too high… and the heavens suddenly opened even more extraordinarily in an almost America-calibre rain shower, meaning that I and my co-riders got absolutely soaked for what must have been a good 10 minutes. The staff eventually sent us back into the queue to wait out the closure, and I waited it out for a bit, but after having wasted around 30 minutes in the area overall, I eventually bailed, which later proved a prudent choice as the ride didn’t reopen: After bailing on Aviktas, I headed for a reride on Icon. The ride had unfortunately dropped to 1 train by this point and was now attaining under 300pph, meaning that the queue had lengthened and took 20 minutes. I was in row 6 this time and the ride was once again absolutely fantastic; the wind really intensified the feeling of speed!: After getting off Icon, I decided to go for a ride on something slightly more weatherproof… Ghost Train Ghost Train was open and had a short-looking queue, so as the weather was taking a turn, I thought I’d take a ride on there. I was on within 5 minutes, which I can never moan about! So, how was it? Well, it was a nice dark ride; it has lots of nice scenes and effects, and while I do not personally consider it a coaster credit, I also think the drop in the middle offers a fun little touch! They do like their sirens on here, though, don’t they? All in all, then, Ghost Train was good fun, and it was interesting to get on another dark ride: After getting off Ghost Train, I finished off the day with a reride on Launch Pad, on a near walk-on queue. This was absolutely awesome once again; as a big fan of a good tower ride, I’m so glad that Blackpool have restored this ride to its former glory, as it’s a brilliant ride now in a way I definitely don’t remember it being in 2018! Incidentally, this was the first ride I’ve had on it where I’ve faced towards the park rather than the promenade and the tower, and it was interesting to ride it with that view: After getting off Launch Pad, the weather was deteriorating and it was very near to the 5pm park close, so I decided to call it quits there and head back to my hotel: So, that wraps up my day at Blackpool Pleasure Beach! I was fearing the worst given the weather forecast, but I was very happy with the outcome overall; 21 rides, including 5 on Icon, 3 on The Big One and 2 on Aviktas, is not a bad tally at all given the weather, in my view! I had an excellent day overall; Aviktas is a brilliant addition to the park, and I loved getting on that, I loved getting back on Icon, and in general, I just really enjoyed getting back to the park! Having grown up in the south and not visited until I was older, Blackpool still feels like quite a special park for me to visit; today was still only my 4th ever visit, despite how widely talked about the park is in UK enthusiast circles! I do favour Alton Towers and possibly Thorpe Park overall, but those parks feel slightly less special and unusual to me because I’ve visited them loads over the years, whereas a visit to Blackpool still has an air of “specialness” about it to me because I live far away and haven’t been all that much. I always love a visit, and it closes out my top 3 UK parks (Alton/Thorpe/Blackpool; no Paultons for me!) very nicely; as much as the overall ride lineup (particularly coaster-wise) is perhaps slightly less to my personal taste than that of the parks further south, I’m glad to have a park that contrasts so strongly with Towers and Thorpe in the UK, and I think many of Blackpool’s attractions offer something really unique and valuable and are more than the sum of their parts. I do think the place is perhaps a little rough around the edges operationally, more so than the parks further south, but I still find it a really charming park with a lot to offer, and I rarely fail to enjoy a visit! My last two Blackpool trips have been great fun; I’m wondering if it should become a new annual tradition? Thanks for reading; I hope you’ve enjoyed this report! My next report will likely see me finally leave the UK for the first time since 2024, as it will very likely be from Parc Asterix at the end of the month! I can’t wait to see that park, and get on Toutatis for the first time!
Walibi Belgium has come on leaps and bounds over the last decade. I remember my first visit (coincidentally, just over a decade ago). I actually didn't mind it as a park, but it was clearly missing a lot and needed some love. There was big restrictions on the park, and lots of jokes about them only being able to build Boomerang-style coasters. The near-total transformation is incredible to witness, and every part of the park oozes with quality. Kondaa is a fabulous headline attraction. They've got a solid support line up of coasters, and an RMC will add to the top-tier headliner, and great dark and water rides. I'm a bit disappointed they chose to RMC Loup-Garou, since I really like it and think it would have just benefitted from a retrack. But at the same time, the quality of an RMC is largely undeniable. Now if only they can rip out Vampire and put something good in its place....thumb.png.ae62487961fbf986a4aaa917b0aa3016.png)
has anyone heard any rumours about the door at thorpe park? I have and it goes like this door, door! noise, noise! door... BBBBBBBBBBBAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!
Love Walibi Belgium. Its a great park with such a good mix of rides. Solid water rides, dark rides, a drop tower, flats, Kondaaa. And a new RMC for 2028 is finally official now too... Walibi Belgium gets world-class rollercoaster: wooden roller coaster is converted - higher, faster and longer than Untamed - Looopings Can't wait for this. I've never been a huge fan Loup Garou, and having anther headline coaster to go with Konda is going to make the park even better. I thought it would use a lot of the same structure and expected similar to Untamed, so quite surprised to see they've gone for 160 ft. Not complaining though!
Visited the park for first time in over a decade. Would you believe things are very different? The ride lineup has markedly improved. Mediocrity was king, and now Kondaa, Mecaladon and Tiki-Waka help to have rideable coasters (ok Turbine was and still is fab). Mecaladon in particular is a great family coaster. That the kid can ride that and Calamity Mine (just!) but Runaway Mine Train at Towers is too much is hilarious to me. Kondaaaaaaaaaaaaaa is a great coaster too. #600 for me after some recent hectic visits to Gullivers parks to boost that cred count. Certainly preferred it to Hyperia, helped by it having a decent layout and using the height (though smaller than I realised) well. The bunny hops at the end in back row are also nonsense. Low end of the top 10 for me. Pulsar is fab. Need more of these in existence. That boat should lumber along but instead it zooms along. Unfortunately only got to do it once as it died a death later on and needed to get the train home. Apparently Vampire and Loup-Garou were running terribly. Fortunately I didn't have to ride them. The park itself looks nice with the recent area spruce ups, though a few rides are in conflicting areas (Silverton the worst offender) which might get fixed soon maybe. Yeah, good day and a solid cred count boost. Helped by the park being utterly dead even with a few school groups about so still 5-10 minute queues for everything.
How has the launchpad been since it opened? I haven’t seen it yet, but from the photos I was expecting a lot more seating, making it a place people could go to around lunchtime etc. It also seems very exposed with little shade or rain cover. Interested to see how the update has been
monty joined the community
Closed all day today, hope nothing serious has happened. Failed to launch 3 times yesterday, mostly due to the drive tyres in the station failing to work properly. Hopefully back up again soon!
Oh. I'm not technical at all, but was it really not possible to resync it back to the last restraint closing trigger with the new PLC?!
Why not fill in the gap at the start to fit with the rest, with this: Please adhere, the journey will soon dispose. Your ride on Colossus is about to begin. Please keep your arms inside the train, your feet on the floor. And brace yourselves at all times. Once again, your ride on Colossus is about to begin. Please keep your arms inside the train, your feet on the floor. And brace yourselves at all times.
I really wish they could drop the “place your heads back and brace your selves” from the inferno dispatch announcement and have it back to how it was with the thuds as they pressed dispatch before it went into the music, I know a few years ago they went through and added pre dispatch safety announcements to all rides but since then Hyperia has opened and didn’t seem to need one so would be nice if Inferno could have the same!
The app is showing that the park was open until 9pm tonight. Is that normal for a bank holiday?
Presumably the only reason it isn't splashing those standing at the end of the drop, is because the water I isn't filled to the usual level?
On Stealth today and a guy next to me announced that he first rode it twenty-five years ago. What large sticker is on the front of each train? 20 years old. He must have had heat stroke.
