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I'm in two minds about it - on one hand, I'm sure the massive drops would've built up a tonne of speed and would've been incredible (although not very re-rideable as it would've certainly been a one-trick-wonder) - but on the other hand, I've just got a feeling that it would've aged terribly. Advancements in woodies have come along leaps and bounds since 2003, and I feel like Wicker Man came at a perfect time for longevity. I reckon the cross valley coaster, if it did open, would either have already closed and been replaced (or just sbno) by now, or incredibly rough and notoriously Alton's worst coaster.

Rita is a decent coaster, fits in well at the park and has its place. Compared to modern launch coasters / coasters with launches, it hasn't stood the test of time, but it's still good in its own right. Despite needing some TLC, I really rated Duel in its current incarnation. Whilst I fully understand and get the hype surrounding Nemesis' send off, I was very non-plussed by the whole thing, and (despite it being my favourite UK coaster and my #1 for a long time) I have no strong emotions about its current closure.

Aside from the frankly embarrassing problems with the lift hill, I think Th13teen has actually aged quite well, these days it nimbly moves through the outdoor section when it used to crawl through it Not controversial to some people, very controversial to others - still think The Smiler is a very good coaster 🤷‍♀️ Pretty positive for controversial opinions but feel like my criticisms of the place are shared by most people

Thing to remember is when those cross valley plans were first put in place GCI weren't the big name beyond the USA. May have been good, may have been bad. Will never know but it's a shame it never happened. Not much else to add that's particularly controversial. The park really has lost its way and allure over the years.

I’ve got a good one… I’ve always been a bit underwhelmed by the 2003 cross valley coaster plans, and I’m glad that we got Wicker Man instead. I’m aware that that’s probably a blasphemous comment, so I apologise, but I must admit that while the cross valley coaster would admittedly have been huge, it didn’t have much to it aside from two big drops, whereas Wicker Man has a bit more to it and has loads of really fun airtime pops and twists and turns.