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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.

I did 6 hours of driving today to get back on Stealth. (3 hours each way and going around the theme park). She really did well. I managed to get 8 rides on her whilst doing the other coasters. No fast track. Really so chuffed with engineering 😀. Great job Thorpe 😀 Just about managed it all in a day. Knackered myself but worth it. It's always a massive gamble with the cost of fuel and getting up at 4am to be home for 9pm.

I was there Tuesday, and yes, the forecast for Wednesday was correct with heavy showers. I know the TP rail station bus is always busy but not been on it; being an old fogey, I can use my bus pass on the service buses. With a really low attendance, there is much more chance of banter between people on and around the rides, it's good. And for us nuts, it's certainly a great chance to meet like-minded types.

An absolutely crazy day TP has been closed on some recent Wednesdays, but I noticed it was available today and with the weather looking the better option, I went. A staff member who knows me told me that there were maybe only a couple of thousand people attending. oddly enough, I wanted to ride Stealth, and as there were hardly any guests on the ride or platforms, the gate was kept open so that people could re-ride, and that continued to beyond the lunch hour, with so many guests telling me that every ride was walk-on. During the time, some people wlo lived within a few miles had also then attended due to seeing online the short queues. As much as it pained me, I left Stealth and had two walk-on rides each on Nemesis Inferno, Hyperia, Saw, Colossus and Swarm before dragging myself back to Stealth, where the re-ride gate was open and announcements of "re-ride just get on", several were running to get on again, and there were loads of conversations between people and staff, many discussing their crazy ride totals for the day. There really were few guests and no waiting for rides one wanted. Staff were really upbeat and helpful. It really was a crazy day..

Stealth is back open today!

She's had a few test runs today. Looking quite promising. The launch bunker doors were open the other day. Perhaps they've done a cable change too.

Though a different situation to last year (where Stealth effectively opened weeks into the season), it must be a concern for the park that for the second year running they've had early-season issues with Stealth. The issues with hydraulic launches are well documented now. And one as powerful as Stealth will add to that complexity. At the same time, Thorpe are well-versed in dealing with complex, unique and temperamental rides (for better or worse). So hopefully they're not thinking of giving it up yet. But equally, from a purely business perspective, if this keeps happening, one has to expect they'll at least consider changes to it.

Depth Charge opened at 9:30 today, and launch pad has opened. I’ve heard Depth Charge is now going to open daily at 9:30, with it being right next to Launch Pad. Big fan of that. It gives people something else to do in the morning and helps bring some kinetic energy to the area.

I think it’s quite clever… the vast majority of it is removable, to make a big events space. Those benches, the trailer screen, even the fencing in front of it. Keep it bland, and it could be quite a versatile space.

Not sure about riding in the rain though, on some rides that can sting.

Another good report Matt, well done. I will be attending Paultons Park shortly with some other nuts, and am looking forward to it. It will be interesting to compare, but luckily for us, our visit will be midweek.

12th May 2026: Thorpe Park My period between jobs is rolling on, so with me having secured a permanent role, I thought; why not use the Merlin pass once again and go for a midweek Thorpe Park visit? I know I was only in Thorpe a month or so ago, but I made the spur-of-the-moment trip decision after noticing the quiet crowds last week and I like Thorpe. Sue me! I left home at about 6:30 this morning, arriving at Bristol Parkway just after 7am to take a 7:29 train to Staines, with a change in Reading. As a fun aside, I noticed the head of my directorate from my previous job waiting on the platform, but based on his suit and tie, I’d hazard a guess that he wasn’t heading to Thorpe Park! I arrived in Staines within just under 2 hours, and with all running to time, an Uber to the park and a non-existent security queue got me through the gates at just before 9:45, putting me in good stead for my first ride at opening time: Upon getting in, I repeated my usual Thorpe Park strategy and started with… Colossus While it looks like everyone heads in this direction at park opening time on paper, they’re all heading to Hyperia in reality, so I still stand by Colossus as a strong starting point in the morning. Today, I walked onto row 2 of the very first train of the day; the strategy hasn’t failed me yet! So, how was Colossus? Well, it’s never an absolute favourite of mine due to those extremely uncomfortable trains, but I have to say that it was running quite well this morning; the first half was smooth and had great speed and forces, and even the second half, while not a favourite of mine, seemed more enjoyable than usual! All in all, then, I’m considering that a win as far as Colossus is concerned; it was running well, and it was a good way to start the day: After I got off Colossus, I pondered my usual strategy of heading for a single rider ride on Saw, but the ride was still closed, so I instead decided to head for… Hyperia Hyperia was on an advertised 20 minute queue, but as my last visit showed me that the single rider queue is often quiet first thing, I decided to take a gamble on using that. And this proved a prudent gamble, as I waited a mere 5 minutes to be batched onto row 3. I’ve never seen Hyperia’s single rider queue that quiet before! But how was it? Well, Hyperia has always been a favourite of mine, and today was no exception; the ride was stunning! I’m going to come out with a strong sentiment and say that with more rides, I increasingly think that first drop might possibly be my favourite in the world; it’s a complete riot wherever you sit, with phenomenal sustained ejector that flings you way out of your seat and holds you there and the twist adding a really interesting additional dimension of forces compared to a regular straight drop! As much as I’m an advocate of good, straight airtime on rides over being unconventional for the sake of it, I would also have to say that that outerbank is truly insane and probably the most convincing example of non-traditional weightlessness I’ve ridden! The junior Immelmann and stall are great too… and to be honest, all of it’s pretty phenomenal! The ride is also incredibly smooth, comfortable and rerideable (I swear it feels smoother than it did in 2024, if anything), and when combined with the awesome airtime and speed, that makes it a true winner in my book! All in all, then, I was thrilled to get back on Hyperia; it’s easily my favourite coaster in the UK, and right up there in my top 5 overall, which is no mean feat when I’ve done nearly 150 coasters: After I got off Hyperia, I decided to take advantage of the very short single rider queue and partake in not one, but two back-to-back rerides after that. I had a row 2 followed by a back row, and while both were sublime, I think getting on the back counteracted a comment I made in my last Thorpe trip report. Last time, I thought Hyperia might well be a coaster best ridden in the front half of the train after experiencing the front half for the first time… but having reridden the back, there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s a back row coaster for me, as much as it’s sublime in every row. The back row experience of that first drop alone settles it for me; as much as it hits hard in any row, the back is just narrowly where it hits hardest and it is my favourite element on the ride! After three back-to-back rides on Hyperia, I decided it was time to explore the rest of the park. Saw was still having some trouble opening, so I instead decided to head towards a B&M instead… Nemesis Inferno Nemesis Inferno was on an advertised 5 minute queue time and I hadn’t ridden it yet, so I decided to take advantage of this and give it a go. The queue time board was true to its word, and I was seated in row 4 within 5 minutes; it’s always good when that happens! So, how was it? Well, I’ve always liked Nemesis Inferno, and today was no exception! The ride was smooth with excellent forces and speed and some great inversions; what’s not to like? I also have some indecision in my mind about whether I rank it or Nemesis higher; as much as Inferno has the more conventional layout of the two, I quite like how it runs: After getting off Nemesis Inferno, I headed to a flat ride… Detonator Detonator was on an advertised 5 minute queue, so I decided to give it a go. The queue time board stayed true to its word, with me waiting only one cycle to board. So, how was it? Well, I do love a good drop tower, and Detonator is always an excellent one, with a wonderfully punchy drop! I always think these Fabbri models have more punch to them than you expect: After Detonator, I headed to a different coaster… Stealth Stealth was on an advertised 10 minute queue, so I decided to take a ride on there. The 10 minute queue was if anything slightly overstated, taking around 5 minutes, which is always great! So, how was the ride? Well, I do always love Stealth, and today was no exception; that hydraulic launch is so punchy, the airtime is great, and the speed is wonderful! I’ll admit that the more I ride it, the more I’m not a fan of the restraints on there; if it had the lap bars like Red Force, we’d be onto a winner. However, this is a minor niggle rather than a deal breaker; I still think it’s an absolutely awesome ride: After my first ride on Stealth, I had a reride while the queue was still short and I was still in the area. I was seated in the back once again, and it was once again awesome! After my reride on Stealth, I headed down towards another big coaster I hadn’t yet ridden during the day, but on the way over, I couldn’t resist another reride on Hyperia. Single rider delivered the goods in the form of a 5-10 minute wait once again, I was seated in row 6, and the ride was once again phenomenal! On a side note, I should add that unlike the typical trope of airtime trying to undress riders, Hyperia tried its very hardest to redress me each time I rode it; I was wearing a waterproof coat with the hood down, and without fail, the airtime in some of the elements made it fly up and stay over my head every time!: After Hyperia, I finally headed towards the coaster I was referring to before… Saw: The Ride Saw was on an advertised 30 minute queue, but as with Hyperia, I was able to exploit the secret weapon of the single rider queue to shorten this. Single rider delivered once again, with me only waiting 5-10 minutes for my ride on Saw; I can never moan about that! So, how was it? Well, Saw is never an absolute favourite of mine, but it wasn’t running too badly today. It was a bit rough in areas, but not too terrible. With time, one thing I have also grown to appreciate about Saw is the airtime; it’s not exactly known for airtime, but there are quite a few surprising pops of ejector throughout the ride, which I always like! The Euro-Fighter as a ride style is never the most comfortable and is rarely an absolute favourite of mine as a result, but with all things considered, Saw was running quite well today. It also provided me with a very fresh point of comparison for when I go and ride Drakon for the first time at the weekend: After Saw, I went to do another flat ride favourite of mine (and it’s rare that you hear me call a flat ride a “favourite”!)… Rush Rush was on an advertised 5 minute queue time. In actuality, this ended up being a walk-on for me, as I was batched into the next cycle that was about to be loaded; I can never moan about that! So, how was the ride? Well, despite not being a huge fan of flat rides on the whole, I’ve always liked Rush, and today was no exception! While somewhat repetitive as all flat rides are, I like the fact that it focuses on airtime and speed rather than spinning or repetitive forces, and I find the airtime at each peak and speed in each trough great fun! I do, however, bemoan the cycle on there; Rush runs quite a weak cycle, and only 1 or 2 full height swings were offered up today. As a point of comparison, I would say Rush in its current state feels markedly tamer than Serengeti Flyer at Busch Gardens Tampa, which ran a much longer cycle and had absolutely bags of sustained airtime and probably sits as my favourite non-drop tower flat ride as a result. Even still, I do always enjoy Rush, and I was glad to get on it: After Rush, I went to ride my final big coaster that I hadn’t yet ridden during the day… The Swarm The Swarm was on an advertised 5 minute queue time, so as I hadn’t yet ridden it today, I decided to take a ride on there. As promised, I only waited around 5 minutes before swiftly taking my seat in row 5. So, how was it? Well, I’ve always had a soft spot for Swarm, and while I’ve gone up and down on it over the years, it was running really well today! The first drop, with that awesome sensation of diving towards the ground, is truly ace, I love the floaty inversions, with the last roll being a particular highlight, and I also love the sheer sense of speed that the winged trains provide! It’s also a really smooth experience that is easy to reride and enjoy, and while the vest restraints aren’t my absolute favourite, they don’t lock and tighten as badly as they used to and the ride is more enjoyable for it. Overall, then, I had a fantastic ride on Swarm; I always enjoy it, and perhaps controversially, I increasingly think it might be my 2nd favourite coaster on park behind Hyperia again after a few years of having been lower down and behind Stealth: After getting off Swarm, the queue had shortened, so while I was in the area, I decided to partake in not one, but two back-to-back rerides. I had a back row and another row 5, and these were once again fantastic! After my rerides on Swarm, I headed for a reride on Detonator. Once again, it was an absolutely awesome drop tower with a surprising amount of kick for its size, and on this ride, they were interestingly running a slightly different audio track about it being “time to drop the gondola” that didn’t reference any of the firework theming that the regular one does: I then went for a reride on Nemesis Inferno. I was in row 6 this time, and it was once again great: I then went for another single rider queue reride on Hyperia. I was in row 7 this time, and it was once again sublime: I then sat down and ate my packed lunch before heading for not one, not two, but three brilliant back-to-back rerides on Stealth, in row 6, row 8 and row 9 respectively: I then went for another reride on Nemesis Inferno. I was on the back this time, and it was once again an awesome ride: After that, I went for another brilliant Detonator reride, where normal service seemed to have resumed from an audio perspective: I then went for three back-to-back rerides on The Swarm, in row 5, row 6 and row 5 respectively. Once again, these were excellent: After that, I went for another great walk-on ride on Rush; it was nice to spice the rerides up a little with a flat ride: After Rush, I went for another sublime Hyperia reride in row 7. I tried the main queue this time, as it had fallen to an advertised 10 minutes and single rider looked longer than earlier, but I’m not sure that single rider wouldn’t have been better, as it ultimately took 15. Even still, it moved quicker than single rider, still wasn’t particularly long, and wasn’t exactly impeding ride count given that this was the 27th ride of the day, so I can’t really complain: I then went for a reride on Nemesis Inferno. I was sat on the back this time, and it was awesome once again: After that, I was originally going to go for more rerides on Stealth and/or Swarm, but Stealth was closed and Hyperia remained short, so seeing as I was unlikely to ever see the Hyperia single rider queue so short again, I decided to take full advantage and park myself in Fearless Valley for the rest of the day (it was about 3:40pm by this point, and the park shut at 5pm). Unoriginal, I know, but Hyperia is easily my favourite ride on park and I’d had a perfectly good fill of the other coasters between this visit end my visit last month. Between 3:40 and park close, I managed 7 back-to-back rerides on Hyperia using the single rider queue, in a variety of different rows. I was unfortunately sat on the left hand side for a number of them, where the host seemed intent on stapling me to death each time, but on my final row 6 ride, I was sat on the right hand side, where I had possibly my loosest lap bar ever on Hyperia and flew miles out of the seat like never before on that first drop! On the plus side, the stapled rides did show me that Hyperia most certainly passes the stapling test in that it still hits hard with airtime even when you’re stapled in. That is not necessarily a given on an airtime machine! This sequence of rerides was a lovely way to finish off the day, and after a number of visits where I’ve only managed 2 rides on it, I was very pleased to close out the day with 13 Hyperia rides in total: After that, park close had arrived, so I headed out of the park and made my way back home, arriving back into Bristol Parkway at around 8pm. So, that wraps up my day at Thorpe Park! I had an absolutely amazing day; the park was nice and quiet, which meant that getting lots of rides in was easy! If you lost count, I managed 35 rides in total, which is the most I’ve ever managed at Thorpe Park (or any Merlin park, for that matter) and second only to 51 rides during last June’s deserted Paultons Park day overall. I can’t moan about that! My final ride tallies were: 13x Hyperia 6x The Swarm 5x Stealth 4x Nemesis Inferno 3x Detonator 2x Rush 1x Saw: The Ride 1x Colossus This day underscored to me how much I love Thorpe Park on days like this. On a day where I’m alone with short queues, there are very few parks I would pick to be in over Thorpe. The ride lineup is a wonderful one to reride, as you have lots of great choices! My definite highlight is Hyperia, but the likes of Swarm, Stealth and Inferno are also there to provide additional variety! Thanks for reading; I hope you’ve enjoyed this report! My next one will actually be arriving very soon, as I’m unexpectedly going to be attending the opening day of Valgard at Paultons Park on Saturday! It will be interesting to attend an opening day, if nothing else, and I can’t wait to see what the new land has to offer!

Glad you got the quiet day you'd hoped for! I agree with your comments about Rush - I love an S&S Screamin Swing but I don't even bother going on Rush anymore. I hope one day it can get replaced with a new version.

Good write up Nick. Would you not use the TP bus from the rail station? it must prove a cheaper option. Tuesday was another amazing low attendance day. Fred (planenut)

Launch pad looks near complete and a new screen has been installed. I imagine this area will be open before 10am and they'll do some kind of countdown for park opening in the morning? I'm certainly not complaining, but not sure how viable these last minute openings are, as the park was deserted today. First time I've seen Hyperia walk on and able to re-ride on empty seats throughout the day. Spent my afternoon lapping Hyperia and Stealth. Great atmosphere, particularly on Stealth as it was full of enthusiasts re-riding. Someone I spoke to had done over 80 laps 🤣

Bit of positive news having visited Hyperia Yesterday is just how good the operations are, the ride took 15 min to open after park open, which is ok as u can tell the ride is running slow in the cold (makes you wonder if wheel heaters are worth investing in) But such a great ride team, it was the same as when I visited last year, they will fly through the queue. It gets to the point where the ride barely stacks on the brake run (though obviously the brake run is relatively slow) Interesting observation is how many people where re joining the queue and how many asked for front row (and how a front row queue would become so overwhelming on this ride) Single rider is good though like Smiler at Towers, you wonder how many people in that queue are on there own ;p

It's a cable replacement and nothing crazy. The previous prolonged closure is not ideal, but if history is anything to go by, it should be okay now.

App says it’ll be reopening this Friday 1st May, which is in line with how long it takes them to do a cable change. They regularly do them a little faster than scheduled so wouldn’t surprise me to see it open Thursday afternoon.

Saying that, they're all related in one way or another so it's best to replace all of them.

It's because they decided to replace the cable now whilst its having catch car issues, best to rectify all the issues now in one go..

Whoa! Poor Stealth, get better soon 😭

What's happened now 😭

I'm quite impressed with engineering managing to get her back up this quick, massive props!!

Heard news that she's been testing today 😀

Interestingly Stealth has updated on the app to closed. Rather than closed all day or closed today. Perhaps some hope 😀