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I get that appeal, but really does Storm Surge have that? When I think of my rides on it, I remember tarmac, gravel, dirty primary colours, sitting in a puddle... Oh god I'm getting flashbacks

Wouldn't thought there'd have been some workarounds there, but it would certainly frustrate me less if it was on the edge of park rather than slap-bang you know? Making DBGT harder to build would've been a benefit too

Oh the memories.

You've misinterpreted my post a bit, this is always the nature of planning in its earliest stages, it's not rushed or low effort if its just a desktop study. I was just pointing out that a picture on a map doesn't necessarily mean that much in planning terms. At most they would have visited Monks walk to check the measurement of the site. It was probably only included to show that Octopus Garden was the best out of some very poor locations. It would be an obvious (I hope) nonstarter having Storm Surge placed by Monks Walk. Although I'm hopefully not as negative as you make out, yes, I think that many things Thorpe Park have done in recent years have been rushed and amateurish. I do try to only post about things I've had some perspective on (ie not talking out of my bum!) but am always open to hearing from others if they have a different point of view. I'm always open to them changing their ways but I've watched Thorpe Park go from one of the best to the dumbest parks in the UK that's for sure. Would love for it to be more professionally run, but I doubt that will happen through Merlin. Storm Surge remains a beacon of total naffness for the park and I will never forget the hilarious day it opened.

This is one of those funny stories which has some truth, but was sensationalised by Thorpe to grab attention. There's a lot more detail in this post about the original plan, but this picture summarises it nicely: These are all of the considered locations. There is one location which is essentially next and parallel to Monks Walk (pretty much the back half of Dead Creek Woods and first half of Blair Witch from last year). Obviously not an ideal location. The one next to it would have involved the removal of the carousel and Mr Monkey, and again wouldn't have been great either. Eventually, the current location was decided upon, to obviously redevelop Octopus Garden (an area which was very much out of place at Thorpe). For some fun bonus info, the park did indeed have South West London Paranormal in (they've visited a few times in the past actually). Jim, who is quoted in the above article, was actually the examiner for my driving test and we spoke about it quite a bit (I also passed my test - woo!). Basically he said there was some stuff detected, some of the stuff he said was obviously used to play along with the story (since there was never any construction in that area, though they did explore the area next to Monks Walk). The group wanted to explore more on different dates, but the park refused, and I don't actually think they've been invited back the the park since.. Funnily enough, that was one of the best, far-reaching, pieces of marketing the park have ever done. It was picked up all over the world, with everyone wanting interviews with the park, wanting to know their next steps, etc. It just really captured the attention and imagination of everyone. And all of that for Storm Surge! It's why I always feel they should capitalise on the local history and mythology behind it more. The nearby Chertsey Abbey opened in 666AD. There's mythology of a headless monk haunting the town and Monks Walk. It practically writes itself for a dark ride or Fright Nights maze.

Oh wow guys thank you so much! Feel really welcomed already! Sounds like hey See great fun! Everyone seems a really nice too which is lovely! So how do we know when meets are coming up do they just get posted on the trips page or is there a calendar of them already set? Sorry for all the questions!

I was quite nervous before my first meet at Christmas as I'm usually a really shy person but within moments of arriving those nerves were gone, everyone is lovely and we've all get plenty in common to talk about! By the end of the day I couldn't wait for the next meetup! If you're considering coming to one of the meets then just jump right into it, you won't regret it!

The trick is that you've queued for hours to go on it in the vain hope it has been "continually invested for years to come" when it hasnt

Some progress on the Splash Canyon death, no corporate manslaughter or gross negligence charges to be brought to the park: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-47443195 Good news really, as if that had been the case we'd have seen another swathe of H&S implementations at the death of throughput... Especially on rides without restraints built in...

One issue is the fact that area is used for access for vehicles and such. Using the area for Fright Nights is okay as it's only temporary (though not ideal). It would have had a big effect on back of house operations. It also would have made the construction of DBGT significantly more difficult for example. So in that sense, it wouldn't have been ideal. I also imagine that issue of having a ride right next to Monks Walk would cause extra issues when people try and enter the park from there (ride areas, etc). So more it's just less ideal from a back of house perspective. Also a tearing out OG meant there wouldn't be more rides to operate; I imagine OG and Storm Surge were equally labour and staff intensive, making that location more preferable.

I think its all about just going out and doing it. Its really good fun being with a bunch of fellow enthusiasts (they sure as hell isn't a shortage to talk about) and just not overthinking it. You'll meet some awesome people, they don't bite. Just don't turn up like 30 minutes late like I did ?

Someone expressed their honest opinion of the park’s 2019 lineup, their sarcasm is unreal!

The DBGT team ran around like headless chickens when designing the ride if that counts? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

An unnecessary expenditure for the park. They are restricted with capital so are unable to build a new half decent attraction and so have no choice but to try and focus on events to bolster the line up and sell as a reason to return. I suspect that they have very little impact on the parks revenue and advertising these events is just a way of reminding the public Thorpe Park exists. These events aren't going to turn anyone away but I doubt they will bring that many people in either. It just seems like a trick to get Merlin to release some capital for advertising so they can draw people into the park on the merits of existing attractions. Tomorrow will be a fun one when Merlin provide the preliminary financial results for 2018. That might be able to give us an insight into the lack of investment.

Looking forward to JackSilkstone's Closed Season Update video with a thumbnail that says "NEW HYPERCOASTER CONFIRMED?!?!?!?" or similar ?

Thorpe’s social media is absolutely embarrassing. More and more brands try and present themselves as fun and ‘down with the kids’ whilst forgetting the basics. For example, you’ve got airports repeatedly tweeting about how they’re on giphy without communicating with the public regarding an incident. The best park Twitter is that of the Efteling, in my opinion. They don’t try to be your best mate by posting self-deprecating memes or stupid gifs; they actually treat you with the respect you deserve as a paying guest. Their responses are immediate, helpful and just by using punctuation, not too corporate sounding. It’s a simple approach, but social media is the only way a park can ‘speak’. Therefore, it’s so important that the ethos of the park and it’s rides are coveyed by the social media team.

It doesn't mean anything, it's just somebody being paid £8 an hour to reply to tweets who has no say over the park at all.

Kraft became Mondelezé International not long after buying Cadbury's. The recipe was changed in the name of profit and blaming changing tastes and political pressure to reduce sugar. Its a prime example of the owner not understanding the brand they have, which is a similar problem Varney has. He fundamentally has failed to grasp the importance of the Merlin brand and as a result focuses on selling the sub brands within the other sub brands. They should be selling the master brand, not the hundreds of other small ones. Another consequence of this lack of a master brand is that Varney and the board seem to micromanage. The sub brands get a lot of influence from higher ups and push them towards a goal that doesn't really benefit the product and benefits the ability to sell the product in the other sub brands.

‘If we can hold off anything depicting a referendum, that would be great’. Thorpe of all the main Merlin attractions (by far) has the most significant issues concerning brand, marketing, identity and as an overall product. Chessington and Towers are not immune to noticeable issues, but are doing comparatively better as whole. The park was booming in the naughties, but is now slipping in a worrying state as a result of poor product offering, decisions and experience. The park for most guests is probably seen as an overpriced, run down place with unreliable horror themed rides with an abusive clientele and ‘over worked’ staff. They are likely one of the lowest performing major tourist attractions in the U.K. The possible soloution is to get back to basics. Look at what they are offering and who to? Create marketing to appeal to that offering and stick with it. Work on park appearances and experience. When these are sorted, start investing in some quality ‘long term’ reliable hardware and infrastructure. I think they are probably overdue a new entranve too considering their existing one has just been updated cheaply every few years.