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I'm really impressed by the ride teams at Thorpe. We really take for granted how hard they work to keep the rides moving so efficiently. It's really telling how good we have it, The Swarm probably had the worst ops but they were still only stacking trains for about 10 seconds per cycle (and that is an exaggeration). The Hyperia team must have been chosen by the goddess themselves, because they run that ride so well, never stacking, always dispatching as soon as they can. Also shout out to Inferno's team who were doing a great job. They need a batcher though as lots of trains going out with two empty seats next to each other. And finally, the older I get the more I see myself preferring Thorpe's coaster line up to Altons. As much as I like Nemesis Reborn, I think the rest of the line up is either gimmicky nonsense, run awfully or just dull. Whereas Inferno is running the best Ive seen it (honestly, it's so good right now), Stealth and the Swarm are just so much fun, Hyperia manages to be open ( ) and I still love hanging out around Colossus and hearing that music. In general Thorpe is just a better experience all round. Better hours, better rides, better food, better operations. I would have never said that 20 years ago, but now, to me, Thorpe is in a different league.

Colossus being closed would improve my visit 😉

There was a post on LinkedIn from an BALPA event hosted at Thorpe Park. This graph shows the direction they want Thorpe Park to take. It’s quite simple and fairly obvious but also I’m glad they are taking that direction in becoming the thrill park, nothing else. The graph also shows the way they want to improve revenue and the way they’ve done it. A few things: 2021-2023 it says “event led strategy” and in 2025+ it says “event development” to me it suggest Thorpe management want to and the plan is to bring back events. It was never the plan to drop them from Thorpe’s side. Also they state multiple times how they are keen to remove IP. I hope the management outlasts the cuts as when funding does come back, we need them to push forward with these goals as ultimately this is the correct way forward.

Just a general observation/thought. I find my enthusiasm & excitement for Thorpe Park/ Merlin parks muted this year. It’s just simply “open”, no new things to do, no events to change things up every few months, no dramas or issues. No 2025 TV advert, no real advertisement. No communication from parks e.g passholder page. Simply there’s nothing going on and nothing going to happen in the near future (excluding fright nights). There’s no evolving, it’s a difficult one as we had a period of investment and events. To simply going back to basics and providing what they have already. This is my first season since becoming a passholder which there has been no events or new attraction to keep it entertaining. I suppose what I’m asking, is this normal? Down periods in years gone by, with not much happening.

The push for digital only ORPs. That said they're still about and have 2 physical ones that I've purchased since 2023. Can I change it to things you now see all the time? Because vloggers. And (especially at Towers) cosplayers are just everywhere. Saw someone last weekend in full Phalanx get up complete with name badge and box with fake egg of Nemesis creature in it. It’s weird to me.

In a nice, but admittedly very random, addition, Colossus now has a smoke effect! https://x.com/ThorpeParkMania/status/1936799436602065404?t=uY0MNotqAIdP5sGeIsb4tA&s=19

I get the reference however.. The only thing worse than people moaning about Christmas stuff in shops in August is forums talking about halloween.

Depends on the park for me, especially if such place has x amount of rides that requires a minimum number of people to ride in order for it to operate. some parks when quiet feel pleasant to visit, enabling numerous re-rides and getting lots done, assuming they don’t have silly operating hours (glares at Towers). But then again, with empty paths, areas, fewer or no entertainment (depending on the park), it can definitely impact atmosphere and environment. Making it feel more flat and empty as a result. Not sure where everyone else is on this, but I find parks on average the most enjoyable when they are between the busier end of quiet and the busier event of lively. But that might just be me.

It's an interesting question. I have spent too much of my life waiting so I don't like queuing and when it comes to riding, I do take it into account. It depends also on the people around you, and any themeing, this particularly relates to whether one is alone. The chatter amongst a group can be enjoyable, if you're included. The atmosphere can be affected, especially if the Park is "dead".

Thorpe have certainly done a lot right the last couple years and its great to see. It was great to see an American enthusiast group so enthusiastic about Thorpe are Hyperia in particular on twitter. Believe Hyperia got its record throughput of 54 trains in an hour on their ERT too. I used to love Nemesis but have never liked reborn as much as the original. Inferno seems to get better and better every year, can't beat an old school B&M.

Stealth's station audio has made a soft return, with the revving and pre-launch message now playing again!

Ok there are plenty of jokes to be had with this one, but I’ve got a few observations of things that have quietly disappeared from theme parks over the last decade or so. Park branded Ponchos This is a weird one for me. Seemingly overnight about 10 years ago these all just vanished out of thin air. These used to be everywhere. On all the water rides there would always be people wearing them, and when it rained there were ponchos galore! Although I know it was a waste of plastic, I almost miss seeing these. I remember being in Florida years ago and spotting countless UK park ponchos around. The iconic “don’t wet yourself” Thorpe ones were everywhere. Cigarette smoke As someone who’s always lived in a non smoking house, growing up I always associated the smell of smoke with theme parks! It’s a sign of the times I suppose, but the smell of smoke has all but disappeared from theme parks (replaced by those toilet air fresheners that people suck on now). Wasps Another sign of the times I think. Many of the fizzy drinks are now sugar free by default. The queue lines across the UK were always dreadful for wasps during the summer time. Remember those horrible wasp catchers they used to hang in the trees that were always full to the brim with dead ones? On ride photos What happened to these? You used to see countless people wandering around with ORPs at the parks! They seem to have faded away!

Thank you everyone for your help and advice! We all had a blast - great little park with the good and unique rides! Some key takeaways that took me by surprise however… The merch is HYSTERICALLY expensive. Frankly it’s no wonder Merlin are in a financial state. It’s clear that nobody ever buys anything any more from seeing the evidence - dust on a lot of the ridiculously priced novelty mugs- which priced far higher than better quality ones at DLP. Most of the restaurants and coffee shops today were closed, including the fish and chip place, burger kitchen, and the chicken shop. I poked my head in to Pizza Pasta to see the prices, and most tables were vacant at lunch time, which I’m not surprised about given it’s £22.something pp…. Clearly Merlin’s pricing strategy is not working if they can’t even half fill the only open restaurant at lunchtime… There is evidence that Merlin are struggling - the area where the show was is very out of place now, and there are bits around the park that show signs that the company isn’t doing well - the rapids sat abandoned, a lot of decor falling in to disrepair, etc. the car parks are also not staffed at all, causing chaos with cars going in all directions due to conflicting signage etc. single staffed cafe in heartlake as well was not good for anyone involved. Also many rides stayed closed throughout the day. HOWEVER - it’s a great little park. Plenty of people having a great time! The railway is a fantastic attraction! Lots of interaction on the way round, and brilliant team working there! the new duelling coasters are excellent and seem to be going down extremely well. (ignoring the dreadful landscaping and plastic sheeting on the fences?!?!) another high capacity ride somewhere in the park would be very welcome I think. I really like some of the finer details around - like the slides on the hill down to the main park, and the little rivers down the paths. Really adds to the experience for the little ones. When they build something on Viking River Splash, it’s a huge plot in a great location. Hopefully something good coming here soon! Overall, impressed. Certainly an expensive day out now, and I think Merlin need to be careful not to let the experience slip any further as it’s borderline at the moment….. but still on the right side of quality vs price at the moment I think.

Visited Thorpe Park for the first time in a couple of years on Saturday - arrived for opening and left just before closing. I was really surprised at how quiet the park was, and it seemed even more quiet judging by the queue times on the app yesterday. How are they performing against their expected visitors this year, are numbers significantly down or did the hot weather maybe just deter people from visiting over the weekend? I'm wondering if maybe the prices are just too high to justify for some people now. Anyway - had a fantastic day, the park was clean and the touch ups that were done for Hyperia (things like the old school Samurai paint job etc.) were noticeable. Hyperia is great - managed to get on it twice before we left.

Sounds like the discourse over Nemmie Rebs atm. Saturday didn’t feel much in the way of roughness at all. Way people go on about it makes it sound like riding an old school Vekoma.

Rode it twice today. Dunno what all this discourse is about it being rough. It's fine. There are vibrations present, and you can notably see the train shift during the stall. But it doesn't negatively affect the ride experience for me. There are significantly worse rides out there, even in the park itself. I will say it is more vibratey than say this time last year though, and it does make me fear for how the ride will age. But yeah, for now, I'd love to ride it with someone who is calling this rough and see what on earth is going on. Because if that's rough, then....

They just need to scrap it now. It does nothing for anyone, it's costly, it has a terrible atmosphere with ride hosts shouting down the PA and down megaphones all the time. It's also an awful ride that barely gets you wet. Opening 3 hours after park opening? Get rid. Not worth the effort.

Credit to DigitialDan on Twitter. I mean, that's one way to fix the screen - put a massive sign in front of it. AI is not the one though, look at those Hyperia wings 🙃

Noticed on a few visits this season after the cycle has finished on Rush there is a wait of nearly 2 minutes until the restraints are released, which is really awkward and leaves a lot of people very confused and questioning whats going on. I know it has to wait for air pressure to build up after the cycle before restraints are released, but the time it takes to do this has significantly increased. Its also running particularity poor, hardly reaching full height. I believe Rush goes through a more extensive winter maintenance program once every 3 years which includes having the top come off which I believe is this closed season. Hopefully it gets the work it needs to get running well again as its running pretty poor at the moment.

It's strange because the rest of the park received new TVs which are basically always on and working. So is Swarm just cursed with other issues, or is there another reason why it doesn't work. The effects situation is a crying shame. It's easy to forget that when the train goes through the tower before the station fly over, it used to (/ is still meant to?) trigger the Swarm 'noise'. I can't remember when I last heard that. There's definitely a disparity between creative and operations. I find it hard to believe that Thorpe would actively have wanted the water effect on Hyperia given the way Swarm's has gone down, and how quickly it stopped working. Hopefully they can stabilise and streamline that process in the future.

It’s such a shame isn’t it. Thorpe does have a lot of cool features around, but they’re mostly abandoned. Hyperia’s one minute wonder water effect being one of the worst offenders ever. The screens feel to me like another casualty of the cutbacks. I suppose they’re running on the bare minimum staff now, meaning maintenance will be prioritised to essential stuff first. 🤷‍♂️

Has anyone seen any of the queueline TVs on this year? Very strange decision to invest time and money getting them working again last year for them to be switched off a month later? I have a lot to praise about Thorpe in recent years, but their upkeep of any kind of effects has always been shocking. Not a single effect working on Swarm Island. The water by the fire engine is currently green and they haven't even bothered to fill up the area by the helicopter with water this year. No Inferno mist effects or Stealth smoke effects on Sunday too. How hard is it to keep a smoke machine going 🤣

Hi guys. On paper, everyone’s dream theme park visit is one with no queues. Queues are the bane of everyone’s existence when it comes to theme parks, so to not have them sounds like a dream… right? After a recent visit to Paultons Park on 5th June that was particularly deserted, as well as some ensuing discussion with people off the back of that, I’ve been pondering this notion. With this in mind, I’d be interested to know; in your view, can a theme park ever be too quiet? Is the theoretical ideal of a park with no queues and no crowds really such an ideal in reality? Personally, I’m actually somewhat undecided on this. From my own perspective, a large part of me would say no. A quiet park means all the more rides for you, and as a person who doesn’t mind doing a good number of rerides on things I enjoy, that suits me down to the ground! There are very few things better than a nice riding marathon, in my view, and depending on the park, some of my best memories in theme parks have been from times where I’ve just been able to ride over and over (a 30-ride day at Thorpe Park in September 2023 sticks particularly fondly in my mind)! On the other hand, though, some might argue that depending on your own tolerance for reriding, queues are almost necessary to lengthen the day and break up the rides a bit. There’s also the argument about atmosphere that I can see; I had a brilliant day, but at points, my Paultons visit was almost quite surreal due to the sheer lack of crowds. When you’re the only person within visible eyeshot at points, it is certainly quite an odd experience! So on balance, I would probably lean towards no, but I can see some of the arguments for yes. I can also see that the answer might differ depending on the park; I’ve certainly found riding lots of rides easier and more enjoyable in some parks on a quiet day than in others! But I’d be keen to know; do you think a theme park can ever be too quiet?

Ooh interesting one! I think yes, a park can definitely be too quiet. Thorpe is by far my most visited park, and back when I had an annual pass I’d frequently visit on quieter days. The trouble is, it was occasionally possible to have everything, and I mean literally everything, done by lunchtime with ease. Fantastic for re-rides etc, but it didn’t feel like a “full day out” if you know what I mean, and it certainly lacked the atmosphere and that buzz you get from a bustling theme park. I remember going to a very quiet fright nights one year, having arrived at opening time. We had ridden and re-ridden everything all day, and then when the mazes opened we went through all of them several times, to the point that we weren’t fussed about doing Asylum anymore that night even though it was literally “walk on” with hours to go - unheard of these days for a maze. Don't get me wrong - I look back on those visits with fond memories, and LOVED the amount of rides we could get on, but overall I think it’s a better overall experience when the queue times are around 10 minutes for things. Queueing a little definitely helps space the day out nicely, especially in smaller parks like Thorpe. It also builds up that anticipation a bit, and forces you to take in the atmosphere and theming around you. Staying with the fright nights as an example - my favourite ever FN was the year Cabin in the Woods opened. The atmosphere around the park really added to the experience, particularly around Cabin where we spoke to several strangers around the park about the different routes etc that could be taken. There was a real buzz about it that could only be felt because so many people were sharing the enjoyment. So yeah, as much as I adore a re-riding marathon, I really do enjoy experiencing a park that is alive and visibly thriving. The perfect balance for me would probably be no queue exceeding 20 - 30 mins all day, but the last hour or so having walk ons. 👌🏼 best of both worlds!

It's true, really. Sat on Stealth today, waiting for launch, person next to me (adult).... "What's that wire going to the top?" Me: "That's so if the train gets stuck at the top , they pull that cable which pulls out a valve at the top causing the whole frame to deflate, lowering everybody safely to the ground!" My co-rider looked up to the top and declared, "makes sense"!

Since you are going midweek it should hopefully be quiet although it is school trip season. I visited Sunday just gone and it was quite manic but if you get there early enough you can easily get in 2-3 rides before the queues build up. I would suggest taking a packed lunch as I find food at Legoland pretty vile - although I did buy quite a nice iced latte at the end of the day which wasn’t bad. If you want to visit the shop don’t go at the end of the day as it gets big queues - though hopefully not as bad as weekends. Hill train at the end of the day is a god send. I’ve only used it a couple of times but Sunday my back was killing me and you also get a lovely view of Viking River Splash (RIP) from the train. And speaking of - the rapids pathways are all blocked off so you can’t go past it in either direction. We did Dragon and the log flume very early and both were almost walk on which was good - I think the Duplo area gets queues quick as it’s one of the first areas you get to so going further back could work in your favour

5th June 2025: Paultons Park Hi guys. Today was an exciting day; in the words of our former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, “I went, as we all must, to Peppa Pig World”… yes, I returned to Paultons Park in Hampshire! I hadn’t been to the park since 2021, but I felt that the addition of Ghostly Manor, a unique new interactive dark ride, was the perfect excuse for me to return! The day started at around 6:45am, with a 30 minute drive across the Welsh border to Severn Tunnel Junction railway station in Wales to catch my train. I took a Great Western Railway service down to Romsey, and it was a journey of two distinct sections. Up to Bristol Temple Meads, the train was hideously overcrowded like few I’d ever seen before (the only comparable trains I’ve seen were trains to Cheltenham during Cheltenham Festival week… I was stood rubbing shoulder to shoulder with people in the foyer!). However, there was a mass exodus at Temple Meads and I managed to bag a window seat for the remaining trek down to Romsey, and the remainder of the journey was a wonderfully quiet, pleasant and scenic train ride down through the West Country. The journey time was roughly 2 hours, and I ended up reaching Romsey on time at just before 10am: After getting off the train, I took a taxi from the station to Paultons Park. This was prompt, and allowed me to make good time for entry at around 10:10am: If it isn’t apparent from the pictures, it was raining a fair amount when I entered the park, and as none of the rides on the Lost Kingdom side were open, I initially decided to head to Ghostly Manor to take refuge from the rain. I waited in the indoor queue for around 5 minutes ahead of a terribly irritating Year 6 school group who would not stop shouting and screaming, but unfortunately, the ride went down and the queue was evacuated: As such, I decided to start my day on a coaster… Storm Chaser Storm Chaser was open and completely deserted, so I went for a spin on there. I was the first rider of the day, apparently, despite the park having been open for at least 20 minutes at this point! I was swiftly joined by 1 or 2 other people, and then the train was sent. So, how was the ride? Well, I was seated in the front row, and my memories from 2021 of it being a fun and enjoyable family coaster were reaffirmed. It was a fun ride; it packs a surprising amount of speed, is smooth, and also has some pretty intense and thrilling moments for a family coaster. That low helix in particular is surprisingly forceful! As someone who isn’t a huge lover of things that spin excessively, I also find that the ride offers a good spin without being excessive; I found the spin level tolerable and fun! Overall, then, I thoroughly enjoyed my first ride of the day on Storm Chaser; it was a really good way to start off the day: After my ride on Storm Chaser, there was no one waiting to get on, so as was encouraged by the ride staff I decided to stay on and go around for another highly enjoyable lap (although technically, my row had reverted to row 2 due to the car switching direction)! After my second ride on Storm Chaser, I scouted out Tornado Springs to see what was open. I was, rather eerily, the only person I could see in the area, so it was hard to tell! As it turned out, Farmyard Flyer and Cyclonator did not open until 12pm, but despite it being deserted, a Tornado Springs ride I hadn’t previously tried was open, so I decided to give that a try… Windmill Towers Windmill Towers was open despite its deserted appearance, so as I hadn’t previously done it, I decided to give it a try. I’d been told that these towers were “more forceful than Magma” before trying them, so as someone who loves a good drop tower, I was naturally curious! So, how was the ride? Well, I have to say that it was really good fun! Don’t get me wrong, it is not some intense, world-beating drop tower extravaganza by any means, but there were some very fun tickles of airtime that really made me chuckle! It has a surprisingly long cycle as well, so you get plenty of giggly airtime pops for your money! All in all, then, I thought Windmill Towers was a good, fun drop tower; I definitely enjoyed giving it a go: After my ride on Windmill Towers, I was unsure whether the Lost Kingdom side coasters had opened yet and I wanted to give Ghostly Manor a little time to reopen, so I firstly decided to reride Storm Chaser while in Tornado Springs. I was the only person in the area, so I bagged not one, but two consecutive back row rides! These were once again very good fun; it felt like the ride packed a bit more speed at the back! After my rerides on Storm Chaser, I decided to head to another coaster in the near(ish) vicinity… Cat-O-Pillar Cat-O-Pillar was open and, like pretty much everything else I’d encountered so far, walk-on, so I decided to take a ride while I was in the area. Unlike Windmill Towers and the previous two rides on Storm Chaser, however, there were people on the train, so I waltzed into row 4 to take my ride. So, how was it? Well, as smaller family coasters go, I do often quite like a Zierer Tivoli, and Cat-O-Pillar wasn’t riding badly! I always find it really quirky how you seem to speed up going uphill when you sit towards the front of these coasters, and Cat-O-Pillar was showing this off quite nicely, with some fun helixes! The ride was also smooth, which I was glad of after the surprisingly jolty Egg-Spress at Pleasurewood Hills last year; this was certainly more enjoyable! Overall, then, I enjoyed my ride on Cat-O-Pillar, and thought it provided a perfectly fine Tivoli experience: After my ride on Cat-O-Pillar, the new ride had reopened, so I decided to head to… Ghostly Manor Ghostly Manor was on an advertised 5 minute queue, so I decided to give it a go. This queue time was if anything overstated, as only one group were ahead of me and I got on very promptly! So, how was the ride? Well, I have to say that it was really good fun! There’s some really cool theming on there, with some of the scenes having a really nice blend of screens and physical set pieces and animatronics! The queue line also has some really nice theming, and while the ride is more “shooting gallery” like in style, I think it works without feeling monotonous. I’ll do a longer review, as I do have some minor nitpicky critiques to suggest, but overall, I think it’s a really cool addition to the park and works well! Incidentally, my score on the first ride was 43,600; given that I'm not typically very good at shooting dark rides, I wasn't displeased with this: After Ghostly Manor, some of the Lost Kingdom side coasters had opened, so I headed for my first ride of the day on… Flight of the Pterosaur Flight of the Pterosaur was walk on, so I decided to hop on there and take a ride. The station was very quiet, with only one other group up front, so I hopped on the back. But how was the ride? Well, I’d remembered Pterosaur being great fun in 2021, and the ride was if anything better than I’d remembered; this thing is such good fun! I like a good inverted coaster, and while this is more of a family ride, it still packs a good sense of speed for its intended scale, with some of the drops feeling good and fast! There are also some surprisingly forceful moments; that ending helix in particular is absolutely awesome, and almost reminds me of a family version of Nemesis’ helix! It’s also really smooth and comfortable (those restraints are wonderful!), and all in all, I just find it really enjoyable! If I were to rank, I’d say that this is probably my favourite coaster in the park; as fun as Storm Chaser is, Pterosaur is a little more my thing. Simply put, I think I’d take an inverted coaster over a spinning coaster 9 times out of 10: After I got off Pterosaur, I headed for the other coaster in the area… Velociraptor Velociraptor was absolutely deserted, so I decided to give it a go. I was the only person in the queue or the station, and the host looked somewhat surprised to see me, so as with some of the other rides I’d done today, I ended up having the ride entirely to myself! So, how was it? Well, it had been a few years since I’d ridden Velociraptor, but I remembered it being a relatively strong example of a family shuttle coaster, and that view was reaffirmed; if anything, it was slightly better than I’d remembered! The forward portion of the layout is smooth, fun, and keeps quite a good sense of speed, even packing a mild pop of airtime! I’ll admit that I don’t like the backwards portion as much, and family shuttle coasters aren’t a ride style I tend to go nuts for in general, but I think Velociraptor is probably the strongest I’ve ridden, narrowly beating Accelerator and the two sides of Minifigure Speedway. It was a fun ride overall: After my ride on Velociraptor, I decided to bring out my slightly more shameless side and grab a new credit… Dino Chase Some of you may know that I often don’t ride kiddie coasters, but as there was no one in the queue or on the ride and I had just seen a group of 3 who definitely weren’t children get off it, I decided to put aside my kiddie coaster reservations and nab a credit that I didn’t get in 2021 on Dino Chase. The host was friendly and didn’t draw any attention to me not being a child, I sat discreetly in the front row, and there was no one in the area; it was possibly the least embarrassing kiddie coaster ride I’ve ever had, and I got a solo ride to boot! So, how was the ride itself? Well, Dino Chase is what it is, really. The ride did pack surprising vigour in places for something so small, but it is ultimately an oval-shaped layout designed for children, so it’s not ever going to hit any top coaster lists. I was glad to tick off the credit (#136 in the count!) and overcome my kiddie coaster embarrassment with such an inoffensive experience, though: After Dino Chase, I headed for two back-to-back rerides on Flight of the Pterosaur. I had one in the front and one in the back, and they were once again great fun with some great forces. And I also had the whole train to myself on both rides! I then had two back-to-back rerides on Velociraptor. Both of these were on the back row, and were good fun; I think I preferred the back to the front, as the ride packed more speed through the fun forwards portion! This was then followed by two further back-to-back Flight of the Pterosaur rerides on the back row. Once again, these were great fun! I then headed onto another attraction I’d never done before… Dinosaur Tour Co Dinosaur Tour Co was absolutely deserted, so I decided to give it a go. I hadn’t done this on my 2021 visit and it looked as though it might have some nice animatronics (and I honestly wondered if I should pace myself with something slower given that this was my 17th ride and it wasn’t even 12pm…). I walked straight onto the ride and was off in no time at all! But how was the ride? Well, I have to say it was quite charming! The voiceover and dinosaur animatronics were really sweet, and the indoor scene was an unexpected surprise, particularly the effect at the end! I will say, though, that this had very tight legroom; if you are somewhat on the taller side (I’m 5’10”, for reference), it might be worth keeping in mind. I bashed my knee quite hard on the steering wheel getting out of the truck! The ride was fun, though, and a nice way to have a bit of a gentle detour between coasters: After I got off Dinosaur Tour Co, it had hit 12pm, and another major coaster had opened up, so resultantly, I headed over to... Cobra Cobra was, as you've probably guessed, absolutely deserted, so as a result, I walked straight onto the ride, sat straight down in an empty car and was sent in a jiffy. It is great when that happens, and it was a continuing theme throughout the day! So, how was the ride? Well, I'd remembered quite liking Cobra in 2021, but unfortunately, I wasn't quite as much of a fan this time. It's not a terrible ride by any means; some of the turns and airtime moments are good fun! There's one key bit that really brings it down for me, though, and that's the sequence of wild mouse-style turns. I am not a fan of the harsh laterals provided by wild mouse-style coasters at all, and unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of Cobra's either. The fact that this sequence is only one part of a wider layout containing some more fun elements like helixes, turns and airtime moments puts Cobra well above any regular wild mouse I've ridden, but I still wouldn't say I rated it as highly as I did in 2021, and I dare say it's possibly my least favourite of Paultons' current 4 big coasters. I can sense that might be a controversial one, as lots of people like Gerstlauer Bobsled Coasters, but it's a little bit too wild mouse-adjacent for my personal liking, even if the harsh laterals don't make up the entire ride like they do on wild mice. Cobra was still fun overall, but it wasn't quite doing it for me today like it did in 2021, if I'm honest: After getting off Cobra, I headed back to the other side of the park, riding Ghostly Manor again en route. I once again found the experience really enjoyable; I was noticing new details that I didn't see on the first ride, and I got an improved score of 54,900 this time! After riding Ghostly Manor, I then headed into Tornado Springs to tick off another new credit that had now opened for the day... Farmyard Flyer As with everything else, Farmyard Flyer was deserted and walk-on, so as this coaster had been built since my last trip to Paultons and I therefore didn't have the credit, I decided to give it a try. The ride hadn't long opened, seeing as it was scheduled to open at 12pm like Cobra, and the only two other people in the station were two young boys who parked themselves at the front, so I promptly parked myself at the back to get on the next train. So, how was the ride? Well, I have to say that it is very well themed; the queue is absolutely lovely, with loads of little details, and the ride itself has some really nice bits of theming in it too! That is where my superlative praise ends, however, as I'd say the ride itself is average at best, if I'm honest. It's my favourite new-to-me coaster that I've ridden so far in 2025, but given that the sole competition is Dino Chase (tiny) and the leftmost side of Steeplechase (vile), that's not a particularly high bar! Similarly to Dino Chase (albeit bigger and less embarrassing for adults to ride), it is what it is; it's a children's roller coaster that's fun enough for the intended audience, but is not going to make any top coaster lists for older riders. I will say, though, that it is surprisingly jolty... it's not rough per se, but definitely not smooth for a 3 year old family coaster, and has its fair share of lumps and bumps. Overall, then, I'd say that Farmyard Flyer is beautifully themed, but is very much something that I'd say has limited appeal outside of the children's coaster demographic. It's not something I'd rush to reride on a future visit: After Farmyard Flyer, I had two back-to-back rerides on Storm Chaser in the front row. Once again, the ride was highly enjoyable, although I should say that the rain was coming down a little harder and was paired with a stiff breeze. The wind made the ride feel more exhilarating, but the rain did make the experience feel a little like being waterboarded! After the two Storm Chaser rerides, I headed for a flat ride... Cyclonator Cyclonator, as with everything else, was very quiet (that would be a good drinking game... take a shot every time I mention crowd levels in this trip report!), so I gave it a go. I had a one-cycle wait, though, which was possibly in contention for the longest wait of the day! But how was the ride? Well, unlike most, I'm not the world's biggest fan of gyroswings, and I do not remember particularly liking Cyclonator in 2021 (I seem to remember it making me feel a bit sick). However, I must admit that while still not a favourite of mine, it was not nearly as bad as I'd remembered. There was some better airtime than I'd previously remembered on there, and the spinning, while I'd still rather it wasn't there, was manageable. Gyroswings still aren't my favourite, and I would still take a non-spinning alternative like a Screamin' Swing any day of the week, but they are growing on me. The most notable aspect of this ride, however, is that the rain had started coming down harder, and this was possibly one of the wettest experiences I have ever had on a non-water ride! The rain was coming down hard enough that it felt like I was getting pierced in the face as we flew through the air; I could hardly keep my eyes open, I was getting gradually more soaked, and it was one of those experiences where you just can't help but laugh! Combine that with the fact that I'd been reunited with the aforementioned Year 6 school trip group from the morning's Ghostly Manor breakdown and they were doing their very loudest high-pitched screaming throughout the ride, and it made for quite an experience: I followed my ride on Cyclonator up with two more back-to-back rerides on Storm Chaser. Both were in the back row, I had the entire train to myself once again, and both rides were really enjoyable, although had somewhat of the same waterboarding-style effect as the prior ride on Cyclonator! After that, I took another ride on Cat-O-Pillar. I was on the front row this time, and I had the entire train to myself! The ride, as it was earlier, was a fun and quirky Zierer Tivoli, although I did notice a slightly irritating set of drive tires rumbling the train that I didn't notice the first time round. This was also another one where I was going around the ride and could not see anyone else within the vicinity! After my ride on Cat-O-Pillar, I went for another go on Ghostly Manor. My score was slightly lower than last time, at 53,700, but the ride was once again fun; I do think interactive dark rides are pretty rerideable, particularly on a wet day like today was! After my reride on Ghostly Manor, I had a brief break to eat lunch in an undercover seating area before heading for a reride on Storm Chaser. It was another back row ride, and it was once again good fun! I then headed for a reride on Cobra. Similarly to earlier, it was fun, but definitely brought down a peg by those wild mouse-style turns for me. After that, I headed for an attraction that had opened since my last foray to the Cobra end of the park... The Edge The Edge was absolutely deserted, so I decided to explore and see if it was open (I genuinely wasn't sure seeing as the ride was still and I was the only person I could immediately see in the area!). As it turned out, the ride was open, and another group swiftly joined me for a ride. So, how was The Edge? Well, I wasn't a huge fan of Thor at Drayton Manor last year, and this was, if anything, less enjoyable than that, for me. I'm not a big spinning flat ride person, and this did spin a fair amount, and I also do not like that motorbike riding position at all. I find the way it has you resting on your chest really unnatural, and this one was also strangely bumpy in a way that Thor wasn't, for some reason. Overall, then, I'm sorry to say that I wasn't a fan of The Edge; I'm glad I tried it, but I won't be rushing back on it again: After my ride on The Edge, I went for another nearby flat ride that was a little more to my liking... Magma Magma had also opened up since my last trip to this end of the park, so I decided to give it a whirl. It goes without saying at this point that the ride was walk-on, and I took my seat promptly. As common as this was today, it is still a bonus when it happens! But how was Magma? Well, I'd remembered quite liking it in 2021, and I liked it once again; although it's not the most intense tower by any stretch, there are some fun, giggly tickles of airtime that I like! It did maybe feel a tad shorter and more timid than Windmill Towers across the park, but it was still fun overall: After my ride on Magma, I had another go on Cobra while I was in the area, which was similarly fun to earlier. I then had another back row ride on Flight of the Pterosaur. Once again, this was really good fun, with some great moments of speed and force for a family coaster! This was swiftly followed by two back-to-back rides on Velociraptor. Both of these were in the front, and once again, they were good fun, with some nice speed in sections! I then did another front row ride on Flight of the Pterosaur to jazz things up a bit (fun, but I do prefer the back) before heading for another Ghostly Manor reride. I was starting to get the hang of the shooting system by this point, and I managed a new high score of 57,100! The ride was once again really good fun; I think it's a cool addition to the park, and brilliant for rainier days like today! After my reride on Ghostly Manor, I headed for something slightly more sedate... Rio Grande Railway Rio Grande Railway was quiet, so I headed to the queue and waited for the next train to arrive. But how was the ride? Well, as a sedate breather, I do quite like a train, and Rio Grande Railway was a nice one! It had some nice theming in the initial Tornado Springs part of the course before heading out into a very sedate portion near the woods and water mill and finishing up with a brief ride through Peppa Pig World. Overall, it was a nice, relaxing way to spend a few minutes, and a good way to take a breather between coasters: After my ride on Rio Grande Railway, I had not one, not two, but three back-to-back rerides on Storm Chaser. I bagged a front row ride, a back row ride and a row 7 ride, and all of these were really good fun! I then went for another ride on Windmill Towers. As with earlier, I very much enjoyed the ride, and loved some of the giggly tickles of airtime it provided! After that, I went for two more fun back-to-back rerides on Storm Chaser. Both were in the back row, and one was another solo ride where I had the ride all to myself! I then headed for a final reride on Ghostly Manor. It was fun once again, and this time, I managed my best score all day; I got 69,800 that time. I do think the point-scoring aspect makes shooting rides quite rerideable, and I was starting to get more of a knack for Ghostly Manor's shooting system by the end of the day! After that, I had two fun back-to-back rerides on the back row of Flight of the Pterosaur, followed by two fun back-to-back rerides on Velociraptor. I then had one final fun front row reride on Flight of the Pterosaur and closed out the riding with a final front row ride on Storm Chaser. All of these were really enjoyable! By this point, 5pm had arrived, so I bought a chocolate Magnum (or more accurately, Paultons' ripoff of a Magnum) and left the park, eating my Magnum while I waited for my taxi to Romsey station to arrive. My taxi to the station was once again prompt, and this time, I was driven by a very friendly and rather chatty man who asked me lots of questions about Wales (I explained that I'd travelled to Romsey from South Wales when he asked where I'd taken the train from)! He then talked a bit about Gaza, which is where I'll admit I just sort of nodded uncomfortably. I don't deny that the situation in Gaza needs to be talked about, but I'm not sure I want to talk about it in great depth with a random taxi driver I don't know. I must say, however, that the overall taxi service was excellent in both directions and worked brilliantly; the drivers were very friendly, and it was really easy to book via the app! I then took the train back to Severn Tunnel Junction from Romsey, which unlike the one there was nice, quiet and uneventful for the whole length of the journey (apart from the fact that GWR's digital announcer was having a funny 5 minutes and thought we were in Ealing Broadway and on our way to Maidenhead...). I'll close out this report with a picture I took of the White Horse in Westbury (I'm not sure if this is its actual name, but that's what I've always called it...) from out of the train window. Seeing this brought back memories of many a family holiday to Center Parcs Longleat Forest when I was a child, where seeing this horse always meant that we were nearly there!: So, that brings an end to my trip report from Paultons Park! I had an excellent day; yes, the weather was pretty dreadful for much of the day, but the ride count certainly made up for it! If you've lost track, I managed a grand total of 51 rides in the almost 7 hours I spent in Paultons Park. This is by far the most rides I have ever done in one theme park day, blowing my prior record of 31 to smithereens (I'd already beaten this figure by around 2:30pm, so it wasn't even close)! The composition of said ride count was as follows: Storm Chaser x15 (another record broken... this is the most rides I've ever managed on one individual attraction in a theme park day!) Flight of the Pterosaur x10 Velociraptor x7 Ghostly Manor x5 Cobra x3 Cat-O-Pillar x2 Windmill Towers x2 Dino Chase x1 Dinosaur Tour Co x1 Farmyard Flyer x1 Cyclonator x1 The Edge x1 Magma x1 Rio Grande Railway x1 I'm not sure I'll ever beat this... short of doing some sort of ERT, I'm not quite sure how I'd beat this! I'm not quite sure whether to be proud or appalled at having done 51 rides in just under 7 hours... The park today was quite possibly in contention with Oakwood in May 2019 for the quietest theme park I've ever been in; there were numerous points where I was the only visible person in areas, and it was actually quite eerie! Areas like Tornado Springs got a little busier later on, but Lost Kingdom and the area by Cobra et al stayed a ghost town pretty much all day... it was almost surreal! In terms of specific insights beyond ride count and crowd levels; it was great to get back to Paultons. It's a really pleasant park that's definitely on the up, they have some lovely themed areas and generally present things very well, and they do have some excellent family coasters. My personal favourite is probably Flight of the Pterosaur; that thing packs a punch for a family invert! Although Storm Chaser is also surprisingly punchy and really good fun, and follows close behind! Ghostly Manor is also a really cool addition; it's a really fun dark ride with a cool ride system and some really nice theming, and I think they're onto a winner with it! Valgard and the addition of Drakon should add an interesting additional dimension to the lineup, even if I do have my personal scepticism around the exact choice of a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter, and I definitely look forward to coming back and checking it out in 2026 (with a new thrill coaster on the way, I'll 100% be back next year!). If I'm being honest, Paultons is not currently a park I'd be looking to return to annually in the way that Alton Towers and Thorpe Park are, as I don't think it offers the larger thrill rides I crave in the way that Towers and Thorpe do, but I'm interested to see if their move into thrills with Drakon might gradually start to change that for me. It's a bright future at Paultons! Thanks for reading; I hope you've enjoyed this report! Forbidding any surprises, I think my next trip report will most likely be from Alton Towers in late July. I'm looking forward to another probable solo day at Alton when my dad heads to LIV Golf at JCB again like he did last year!

Wow fantastic! How odd to see it so quiet though? I suppose the weather could play a big part there

I agree that would be a real shame. Hopefully they can keep it that way. I’ve been having a think about all this…. It’s weird that so many of us seem to share the same “meh” feeling towards Thorpe & Merlin at the moment, especially with Thorpe, because actually when you break it down they’re really doing very well. As has been mentioned, there are no SBNO rides, which is unheard of in recent years. They have a fantastic line up, including a brand new massive coaster. There are no silly cheaply-made mazes anymore, and they’re even continuing to run their notoriously expensive and less popular rides, like ghost train and Rapids. In fact, the park is in very good shape: the decor looks better than ever, reliability isn’t too bad, the food is quite good considering how it is elsewhere, the new brand is working nicely, and the park feels fresh, modern and clean for the most part, especially when you consider how poor the rest of the Merlin parks are. Thorpe seems to be very well run to be fair. It’s also not like there has been new ride after new ride over the last decade, and now that’s stopped. There hasn’t! Arguably, when it comes to new stuff, now is an excellent time in that regard, right off the back of Hyperia opening. An odd one for sure. Perhaps it’s more a general ill feeling everyone has towards Merlin? Or a side effect of the Universal news overshadowing the “business as usual” at Thorpe? Or maybe it’s an extension of the general doom and gloom shrouding seemingly everything in the country at the moment. Perhaps if we are honest with ourselves, we all take the likes of Thorpe for granted these days? I think I do to be fair, because it be beyond devastated if it suddenly had to close for some reason. I even think of Stealth for instance. If that reached a point this summer where they were forced to make a decision to close it at the end of the season, I know for a fact I’d be up there riding it, and thinking to myself “you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone” 😂

Definitely - I wonder if Project Pivot will go ahead for 2026 - and if it does, that's not a draw to get people through the gate. Is there any point to it if there's only going to be one event a year? (this year at least). If it does go ahead... Slammer site flat ride for 2027? If it doesn't go ahead... new flat ride next year? I feel like we're at a bit of crossroads now for the next development - one would assume TWD IP is nearly expired (and it's not relevant anymore anyway)... questions over Ghost Train what with the disappearing shop and merch - then if you get rid of Ghost Train AND TWD you have a massive space - but would they really want to remove a building that'll only be 10 years old next year? Questions over Rumba Rapids, as we all know it costs a lot to run in terms of power and staff... Interesting times. What would be disastrous is attractions are removed/SBNO without anything replacing them, but to be honest - that's the way I think it will head.

I think that’s a good point about fright nights in particular. It used to be something I’d very much look forward to all year, but in recent years it has become, as you say, a rip off, and nothing more. Without that around the corner, for me at least, it does feel odd that the Merlin parks are sort of not really on my mind anywhere like they used to be. Merlin do seem to very much be in a rut don’t they… it’s all very worrying to be honest, especially given that Paultons and others are accelerating while Merlin continue to decline. It will be interesting to see what they manage at scare season in the short term at least, and looking longer term, what they will announce over the next 12-24 months…

[/benderlaughingharder.gif] The quiet years were always the years that visits were made because of the groups. The rides were always second. Plus the stagnation of the UK in comparison to mainland Europe on top of often cheap access to those parks makes them far more exciting than heading to a Merlin park with a hope of a good visit rather than an expectation.

Well, we won kind of....

One thing I would say about Legoland is that the hill the park is set on can make it quite a trek to negotiate at times if you’re not the most able walker. I’m a relatively adept walker (if I do say so myself!), so I didn’t struggle with it too much on my most recent visit, but I have been in the past with a member of our party being in a wheelchair and it was quite hard work! With a small child, I can imagine that their littler legs might potentially struggle. So I’d recommend making use of the Hill Train, if it’s open. I’d concur with @JoshC. on the note of queues. I found many queues to be pretty overstated on my last visit, and like Josh, I also found Minifigure Speedway’s queue to move quite quickly compared to that of other rides. On the subject of Minifigure Speedway, I should also warn you that they do not let you pick your side as they do on many other duelling coasters. I struck lucky and managed to get on both sides without needing to ask, but if you are keen to try both, you may have to ask. I haven’t visited with a young child (other than when me and my older sister were young children ourselves on our initial visit in 2009, which is now some years ago!), so I apologise if I’m not too useful to advise you on visiting with a child, but I hope you have a nice time regardless!

Depends how little your little one and what rides you're looking at doing, but some general thoughts... -Flight of the Sky Lion has a horrible queue (especially if it's warm), and it does move quite slow -Ninjago and Dragon queue times often are inflated / over stated -Log flume gets you wetter than you'd expect -There's lots of play areas about; most of them are pretty decent! -Food is expensive (even by Merlin standards) -The duelling coasters have a quick moving queue, even when the queue is full

I've definitely noticed it's a little rougher and a bit jolty since the wheels have been changed in my opinion. I haven't been on since the support/braces have been added to the bottom of the seats but have seen some comments saying its made it even worse which is interesting? They have recently reinstalled the splash down which indicates it could come back in the future. It hasn't been seen working again yet though since it was turned off last season.

It’s been 10 years today since the horrific Smiler collision. BBC News are running coverage about the accident, but for some reason are glossing over the fact that the 2 injured riders raising this are doing so to raise money for the air ambulance charity who helped save many lives that day. I still can’t get over that it actually happened to be honest. I remember seeing the footage on the news and feeling devastated that it happened at Alton Towers of all places - somewhere many people cherish as somewhere filled with joy and happy childhood memories. I also remember visiting in the week after the park re-opened, and how empty and weird it felt being there after what happened. A very sad time for everyone involved, and for all the staff. I can’t help but wonder what Alton Towers would be like today if this incident hadn’t happened. To this day, their reputation is damaged, and they certainly took a huge hit in the months and even years after the incident. Perhaps the park would have been prosperous if this hadn’t happened, or perhaps an incident was waiting to happen anyway given the shortcuts that were being taken.

NEW "World Premiere" - FULL TOUR Disneyland Paris 2025 New entrance to Studios opened today. Looks pretty decent!

I did a Hyperia coaster climb this evening. There was some chatter when it was made live about the cost being expensive (£120). It is, no beating around the bush. But it is worth it. My experience was about 3hrs all in, and included lots of time spent scaling the ride, time spent in the console and time spent around the turnaround outside the station, with lots of opportunities for photos, fabulous hosts and a great vibe. Find attached a variety of photos (of me). I'll write a proper TPM article later.

Really cool post I found on Reddit, where a users dad manufactured the original Vampire trains (read the comments for more info). Some awesome pics! [Bat] hand and fabrication of cars at Arrow

Totally agree, the amount of time available to enjoy the rides is fleeting, and sometimes it’s only when rides are gone that you realise how much you love them! Loggers is a big one for me. But even the rides that do remain, the memories made are done and can’t be re-done, not really. It’s so important to go and do what you love, and make those memories and keep enjoying what you love doing. You never know what’s round the corner. As for what I’ve learned about being an enthusiast over the years - I think it took me a while to realise I was even an enthusiast. Just because I don’t go to parks every weekend, count creds, collect merch, have a YouTube channel, do big coaster trips, or even visit THAT many theme parks in the grand scheme of things, I am still an enthusiast and still very much enjoy calling it one of my hobbies. There are so many different types of enthusiasts out there, but really we all share that common love for the parks, even if we all have different ways of enjoying them. Secondly for me, I think I used to be all for the rides, but now I’m in my mid-thirties I’ve very much come round to appreciating theme parks rather than just the rides. I’ve never appreciated Disney as much as I do now, especially DLP as it goes through its transformation. Funny how things change isn’t it

First not-too-good day at Thorpe in a while it appears today. Colossus is closed all day, and was yesterday. Nemesis Inferno closed all day. Stealth on one train.