britcitchris

I used to love Trocadero. The Sega World used to be superb and the Pepsi Max Big Drop was a fantastic drop tower. I was really sorry to hear of it closing. Chris.

I didn't see any sign, saying otherwise. You should be fine Chris.

Proposal on Stealth eh? Nice one. I used to fancy the idea of proposing on a Roller Coaster (preferably the Big One,) but there's no chance of that, now Chris.

I find Colossus very rough and I don't blame the restraints. It's the track that is rough as a badgers back side. I used to love the ride when it first opened, now I won't ride it unless it's a short queue.My first go on R.I.T.A, I banged my head so hard on the harness, as it turned after the launch, that I was dizzy for a while, after the ride :(Chris.

Great value Chris.

Thanks guys. James: the train is called Merlin and is the latest addition to the set. King Arthur And Cheyenne are used to transport goods and provide the occasional special service :)Luke: I think it is a pnematic system that makes a similar sound to Rush. I also remember it sounding much louder when I was younger and it used to thrill me, to hear the the whoosh sound, followd by the tyres sound on the boat, from across the park :)Chris.

The third park we visited was Wicksteed Park in Kettering. It's a very unique park and a great laid back place to visit. It has a large lake and a wonderful lakeside railway that has had over ten million passengers, since it opened back in 1921.After paying a car park fee, you don't have to pay for anything more, unless you want to. For the rides, you can purchase tokens or wrist bands.It was quite busy when we arrived.The queue for the tokens and wristbands was very long.Wicksteed is home to Europe's first double Pirate Ship.We met up with my mum and dad The kids loved the bumper cars.Ben on the jets.Tea Cup fun with Lydia.We all had fun on the Astro Slide.A rather uncomfortable Pinfari.A really colourful Ladybird Coaster.My mum and dad brought a picnic for us all We all had fun on the tiny log flume. The queue for the very unique water chute. Charles Wicksteed designed and built this in 1926.The fantastic lakeside train.The very unique Nautic Jets. They looked lots of fun.Pretty gardens.I wanted a ride on the train before we went home.We had a great visit to Wicksteed Park. I have many fond childhood memories of the park and it was a very nostalgic day for me. It's such a laid back place and you just can't beat, lazing around with a picnic, inbetween the rides. Chris.

Great report from a dire park.....We went there for the first time last year and although we had fun, the state of the park was extremely off putting. I really hope they can obtain some investment as they have potential. Personally, I loved Dragon Coaster. Such a unique experience being on a diesel powered coaster and I loved Knightmare :)Your jousting photos are great btw :)Chris.

What an intriguing start to the report I hope you get through the jet lag and I'm really interested in your future reports :)Chris.

Thanks, James! I'd be interested in what you make of the Wicksteed Park report, when I post it!Chris.

With the money grabbing but fun Warwick Castle behind us, we drove to Alton Towers, the next morning. We had stayed in a Premier Inn at Solihull, so the drive wasn't too far.We arrived around half ten to a fairly quiet car park...We were greeted with a very long queue for the monorail, which didn't really make sense as the car park seemed a bit quiet. It turned out the Monorail had broken down.After a 10-15 minute walk, we arrived at the fantastic entrance.Once inside, Ben started planning I love this tree. The Towers. A magnificent building.Our party split up to ride different things. As I was on my own at this point, I managed two goes in a row on Thirteen via the single rider queue. I was on within 5 minutes This was my first encounter on Thirteen and I loved it. The theming of the station and trains is excellent and the ride itself is really fun. The surprise at the end was brilliant After my Thirteen experience I had a go on Hex. I hate waiting through the pre ride film but I just love the ride itself. 'Stunning' doesn't do it justice.I didn't ride R.I.T.A. as I find it quite overated but I practiced my ride photography on it, instead.Flying Toadstools.I joined up with Debbie, Lydia and Ben at the Go Go Go Show, which was truly awful. Still, Ben liked it and got some autogrpahs afterwards.A BMX event was going on.We all regrouped and had a proper cooked dinner at Woodcutters restaurant. I had a cheeky Peroni with mine and the food was delicious. However, I was a few seconds late asking for my Pass Holder discount and was refused it :cursing: Fortunately, cutomer services sorted it out at the end of the day :thumbup1: After lunch, I took Ben on the Runaway Mine Train. It was faster than I remembered it and we really enjoyed it.We rode Duel and I got the highest score!I like this section of Towers.Battle Galleons.Ben hitches a lift The gardens are magnificent.Cable Cars in the distance.Near Kantanga Canyon, I spotted this pretty water fall.We all rode Log Flume and Kantanga Canyon. We had such a blast on these two rides We split up again for the final part of the day and I rode Oblivion and Nemesis with Kane, Lydia and Georgia. Both were pretty much walk on and it was just bliss, riding Nemesis again. It's one of my favourite coasters in the world.Monorail back to the car.Well, we had a cracking day at Alton Towers. It was our first visit in a few years and it was great to see the changes made since our last visit. We felt really lucky with the short queues. Oblivion was walk on all day and almost all the major rides were 15-20 minute waits. The staff were helpful and friendly and customer services did a great job on refunding our owed savings on our lovely dinner. Towers surpassed themselves on our visit and I'd love to return soon.Hope you enjoy the report. Next part is from Wicksteed Park in Kettering....Chris.

Stunning picture.

Which areas would you like to see improved?Do you like the union jack theming on some of the rides? I love it on The Big One and Avalanche Chris.

Hmm, I'm sure the Tower will look great after a big investment on it but the new costs for the attractions? It seems to me that they are milking the public for everything they have and not just covering the their costs.... I respect that Merlin are a business and the whole idea of a business is to make profit, but you need to also give the public a good deal in return and not milk them dry..... Merlin risk many people not returning, once they realise this.....Chris.

Thought I'd revive this thread, if I may What are people's opinions on the park nowadays? I went last year and loved it. The park has had some serious money spent on it and looks a heck of a lot better now. I can't wait to see Nick Land for myself. The old roller coaster looks brilliant after the re-themeing. I'm still against the admission charges for non riders and also against the food ban but it's still a great park with a brilliant variety of rides.Chris.