JoshC.

And from me, a quick thanks to the team for the opportunity to help out around here.
To all, I'm always around for a chat or PM if you need anything. I look forward to being of service....
Pete

It's sad to see some great moderators leave the team but I am hoping both me and pluk can be good additions to the team.
Similarly I'm here to help so drop me or any of the team a PM and we'll work together as a team as best we can to make the forum experience the best it can be for everyone.
Tom
Edit: Just saw my rep go up! Thanks a lot, I'm glad you've backed the decision by the team.

Personally, I'd prefer a ride to open at full capacity on time then open earlier on reduced capacity.
The period of time Swarm operated on one train, for example, was usually an hour or so in my experiences, then with the length of time you'd wait for the train to be put on, and for that train to be tested and such, it just felt a lot longer. Again, going to personal preference, I'd prefer to be in a regularly moving queue than one that opened early, only to move rather slowly.

The site has been updated again, with a little bit more back story, and a competition for kids. http://www.chessington.com/zufari/

Must admit, I'm slowly getting more and more excited for this!

Going to do one of these now as well, otherwise I'll forget.. I tend to do a Top 5 for coasters and non-coasters (simply as I haven't done that many!), and then sometimes a Top 10 rides list as to how the coasters compete with the non coasters. Having done many new things this year actually, but my views have changed a fair bit since around this time last year.
Coasters
1) The Swarm (Thorpe Park). Absolutely incredible ride. Paced perfectly, brilliant theme, great theming and landscaping, nice audio and a great back story / story in general. Very re-ridable and practically perfect in every way. (At night is just amazing too! ). 9.5/10
2) Nemesis (Alton Towers). After 5 years sitting on top of the perch, it's been kicked off. However, it is still amazing in all of the departments and ticks all the boxes. 9/10
3) Th13teen (Alton Towers). Ignoring the bad marketing of the ride (which you should), this ride is great, bar the trims. The theming is great and is growing well with age already I think. The outdoor section is fun, but the fact that the trims are painfully obvious knocks of loads of points. The inside section is pure genius in my eyes. 8/10
4) Saw - The Ride (Thorpe Park). Probably the biggest change leaper this year. My only real gripe with the ride is the audio. The ride is great, as per usual, I'll argue it's intense, not rough , and everything else works well. Though not the best themed ride ever, it's very well styled. 7.5/10
5) Nemesis Inferno (Thorpe Park). With two new additions in the coaster top 5, it was almost inevitable that this was going to drop a place or two, but it's at the bottom of my top 5 now. I enjoy it, love the audio and think it's better than people make it out to be. However, it's just that there's coaster which are better and enjoy more. 7.5/10 (NB: Whilst Saw and Inferno have the same rating, I wouldn't call them equal. In actual fact, Saw's probably more rated as 7.6-7.7, but I just like to round to the nearest half otherwise it looks a bit untidy / strange).
Honorary Mention) The Antelope (Gulliver's World). I always stick an honorary mention in; usually it's one that I have a soft spot for / just missed out. I did a dedicated blog entry to this, so I'll keep it short and sweet - not the greatest ride or layout, but I loved it when I went on it. What else is there to say?
Non-Coasters
1) Nemesis: Sub Terra (Alton Towers). Despite knowing what the ride system was, and feeling a little underwhelmed by that element on my first ride, the whole experience is great. The frantic, high speed worrying scenario it creates is amazing. The story line is brilliant, and the way the ride plays out (well, at least now, as having read reviews from when it opened, it sounded Sub-Standard) is brilliant. 8/10
2) Hex (Alton Towers). I don't think this really needs explanation. The experience as a whole is amazing, and everything works so well, and yet feels effortless. 8/10 (NB: Same rating as Sub Terra as they are equally good, but I simply prefer Sub Terra).
3) Rush (Thorpe Park). The big swing designed for big kids makes me feel like a little boy. I enjoy it so much, always gives a buzz afterwards as well. Just as long as the cycle in long enough, it's a great ride. 7/10
4) Detonator (Thorpe Park). A large enough drop tower that builds great suspense and shoves you down. If you like drop towers, how can you not like this? 7/10
5) I really can't place one here. Rides such as Kobra, Tomb Blaster (Chessie), Submission, Duel (AT) and Loggers Leap (Thorpe) all jostle for places here, along with a couple of others. Really could not put a fifth place one here.

The site has been updated again, with a little bit more back story, and a competition for kids. http://www.chessington.com/zufari/

Must admit, I'm slowly getting more and more excited for this!

Personally, I'd prefer a ride to open at full capacity on time then open earlier on reduced capacity.
The period of time Swarm operated on one train, for example, was usually an hour or so in my experiences, then with the length of time you'd wait for the train to be put on, and for that train to be tested and such, it just felt a lot longer. Again, going to personal preference, I'd prefer to be in a regularly moving queue than one that opened early, only to move rather slowly.

Personally, I'd prefer a ride to open at full capacity on time then open earlier on reduced capacity.
The period of time Swarm operated on one train, for example, was usually an hour or so in my experiences, then with the length of time you'd wait for the train to be put on, and for that train to be tested and such, it just felt a lot longer. Again, going to personal preference, I'd prefer to be in a regularly moving queue than one that opened early, only to move rather slowly.

Some new London Dungeon Concept Art taken off their Facebook!

Personally, I'd prefer a ride to open at full capacity on time then open earlier on reduced capacity.
The period of time Swarm operated on one train, for example, was usually an hour or so in my experiences, then with the length of time you'd wait for the train to be put on, and for that train to be tested and such, it just felt a lot longer. Again, going to personal preference, I'd prefer to be in a regularly moving queue than one that opened early, only to move rather slowly.

Good gravy! Has it been a year already!? Only seems yesterday we saw Alton walk the UK Awards, Katun get voted the Best International Coaster and we had our very own Mr JoshC. crowned the biggest fanboy over Marc.
SO. Without further adieu, we will commence with the crownings for the next year of glorious TPMing and Thorpe-whoring/hating. Alas, here comes the boring formality (in a bizzle) Avert ye eyes, fair innocent ones:
The Park Awards:
(text iz big enuff rite? lol xoxo)
The first round 'comprises' of the Park Awards. The park with the most votes in each category wins. Below are the 'selected' categories for 2012:
Best UK Park Best(-Looking) International Park* Best UK Coaster Best(-Looking) International Coaster* Best UK Flat Ride Best UK Water Ride Best UK Dark Ride Best New Attraction for 2012^ Best Themed UK Experience Best Themed International Experience Worst UK Ride" Most Uncomfortable Ride" Most Disappointing Merlin Moment in 2012+ Biggest Thorpe Cock-Up+ Best-Looking New Attraction for 2013 Best Manufacturer (*) These categories are still very much open to everyone but we realise that some members may not have ridden many international coasters or been to many international parks. If this is the case for you, feel free to vote for a park you would love to visit or a coaster you would love to ride, even if you haven't been to/ridden them. (^) This attraction will have to have opened at an established park (I.e. not a travelling fair, LUKE AYERS) for the start of the 2012 theme park season. It does not have to be UK-exclusive; any new addition for the 2012 season in any country can be nominated.
(") These nominees can be pretty much any attraction you might find a queue for in a theme park (insert joke about Air's queue), in the respective countries of the category titles.
(+) These categories are open. Basically that means you can vote for pretty much anything that has pissed you off about Merlin and/or Thorpe. Merlin and Thorpe do make mistakes. Vote for one that has particularly grated your cheese this year. You could also vote for something Thorpe have done for the Merlin Moment category, if you feel it wasn't simply a decision by Thorpe themselves (I.e. Crash Pad).
Okay, so with that out of the way, look on to see the Forum Awards! These are often a lot more fun, generally because you get to vote for people you want be banned/secretly want to bang and NO-ONE CAN STOP YOU. But don't feel you have to vote for every category is you don't want to.
The Forum Awards:
OKAY. So here are the categories for this year. I'm liking it better than last year already:
Best Member* Best Administrator Best Moderator Most Knowledgeable Member Campest Member Funniest Male Funniest Female Biggest Fanboy Biggest Fangirl Sexiest Male Sexiest Female Best New Member^ Best Quality Posts Most Sarcastic Member Best TPM Meet" Storm Surge Award+ Most Likely To Be Banned In 2013 (*) I am aware that TPM will be recruiting two new Moderators within the next week. These members, regardless of whether their applications to become moderators are successful or not, should be voted for in this category, as quite frankly I'm afraid of the competition it's only fair that way; they'd only have been a mod for three week or less and they'll have had much more time as a Member. Likewise, any member who is currently a moderator but isn't by the time to results are announced should be voted for in their current category, I.e. Best Moderator. (^) This nominee needs to have signed up after January 1st, 2012. Obviously, but you'd be surprised how many people forgot this last year...
(") Sadly the Guildford trip won't count here, as it's not happened yet. Seems logic. However this category includes all official meets that were advertised on the site. If you need a refresher here they are: Maxy's Premier Screaming Weekend; THE SWARM ERT Meet; Open Day Meet; Colossus Birthday ERT + Exclusives Tour; or Fright Nights + Experiment 10 Exclusives Tour.
(+) This one is simple. Vote for the member who you think reminds you of Storm Surge or should be awarded a Storm Surge for their efforts in constantly dripping water all over on strangers TPM/in life.
So there we have it, all you buttery nipples. These are the categories for this year's TPM Awards. Feel free to vote for as many or as few of the awards as you like, here are the rules and regulations about voting:
Important:
Should you wish to vote, copy and paste the above lists and clearly denote which park/member etc. you nominate for each category. Once I have your votes, I will PM you confirmation of receiving them. If there is a problem in understanding your votes, I'll PM you back saying so. You can then sort any problems and re-send them back to me, with any other changes in votes you wish to make. Please make sure your votes are final, as once they are received and there is no issue with them, I will only allow you to change your votes once. If you decide to change your votes then you must PM me saying so, along with your new votes for the categories you wish to change. Once your votes have been change, I will send you another confirmation PM. You will not be allowed to change your votes after this point because I'm only human and it's hard to keep track o' y'all. You do not need to vote for every category. Should you wish to withdraw yourself from voting in a certain category, simply leave it blank and don't be confusing. This topic will close at 20:00 (8pm) on December 18, 2012. This gives you 30 days to vote, which is more than last time because I'm feeling generous. Any votes received after this time on December 18, 2012 will not be counted, so be speedy, ite?! The details set out at the bottom of each category list is final. All your votes must adhere to these rules, you silly sausages. The categories listed above are not for further negotiation. Dun dun dun. Further Information:All votes will be kept confidential. You are not allowed to vote for yourself in any of the Forum Awards categories. Each vote will count for one point for each nominee for each category and ill be 'totted up' 'cumulatively'. 3... 2... 1... OKAY GO. Send your PMs at your will to me and remember - have fun y'all! Here's a picture of a lamb to get you started:

With the 2012 season over and new coaster opportunities over for another year I guess it is time to try and decide how this years new experiences change things. Things also shuffle about with the passage of time, as memories fade of rides experienced on single distant visits those I am more familiar with rise to the top...
COASTERS
1 - Nemesis (AT) - Pretty much perfect in every way. By far (until OzIris happened) the best B+M invert I've ridden.
2 - Zeus (Asterix) - Huge amounts of airtime and a pleasing roughness giving it some real character.
3 - OzIris (Asterix) - Lives up to the initial reviews, immaculately themed, beautifully paced and just keeps giving.
4 - Goliath (6flags MM) - Because greying out is always fun. Immense.
5 - Ghost Rider (KBF) - Wood, long, fast. Some people moan about it's roughness but that's how I like it.
6 - Salvation (6flags MM) - This is the smooth fast style of Woodie AT should be looking at. And fire effects on a WOODEN coaster? Yes please!
7 - The Swarm (Thorpe) - After an underwhelming first ride it has grown on me no end. The first drop, station fly over, theming and interaction make it. Still think it is a little short and dies at the end though.
8 - Air (AT) - It's a great design for a flying coaster, just the right intensity. Might not be as big and impressive as Tatsu, but rides a whole lot better.
9 - X2 (6flags MM) - In may ways quite a horrible painful ride, but it is so unique and does have its moments of brilliance.
10 - Stealth (Thorpe) - Probably because I haven't ridden TTD.
The drop-outs:
Oblivion (AT) - Unthinkable it wouldn't be up there quite recently. It is still pretty amazing but the state of the poor old thing is starting to actually detract from the experience, hopefully SW7 will include a solid spruce up. Again, it's just the right design for a dive machine and the original pre ride build up really ramped up the fear. SheiKra might do a lot else, but it doesn't do the dive as well so what's the point?
Dragon Fury - (Chessington) I do love spinning coasters and this is the best example imo. Not ridden this year, think it might creep back in in future.
Steeplechase - (BPB) Could no longer justify having such a novelty coaster up there. Probably one of the least forceful coasters in the world. But I love it, so much fun. Extra points for being a massive F U to health and safety - don't wanna die? Best hold on then!
The nearly made its:
Big Thunder Mountain (DLRP) Sooooo much fun.
Crushes Coaster (DLRP) Outside of throughput problems deserves none of the hate thrown at it. Solid coaster with fun Disney standard dark ride start.
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Non coasters
1 - The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman (IOA) - It really is amazing. I rode it again and again, sometimes with the glasses on, sometimes off, trying to work out how it all works. However they've done it the overall result is sensational, completely immersing you in another world.
2 - Mickeys Philarmagic (DMK) - Just enchanting. It is 10minute slice of pure Disney; funny, sickly sweet and perfect in every way.
3 - Tower Of Terror (DLRP) - A change from the USA to France, this sequence I thought was superb. Totally immersive experience leads up to an incredibly fun ride. The corridor disappearing into the night sky is another effect that makes my head hurt with it's brilliance.
4 - Hex - (AT) - A superbly executed, deeply themed walk through leading to a great effect in the madhouse. Now I know what's coming I love watching the reactions of those who don't. Sets the standard for UK theming.
5 - Bilge Rat Barges (IOA) - The best water ride I've ridden. So wild, makes all other rapids rides feel tame.
6 - Mission Space (Epcot) - Such a clever trick, the effect is amazing
7 - Nemesis Sub Terra (AT) - The thought of this being on here after my first pathetic experience was laughable, but they really have turned it around.
8 - Cinemagique (DLRP) - Not much more than a film showing, but what a film and massively enhanced by the few real life effects.
9 - Hearts and Diamonds (aka round-up) - (Various travelling fairs) You can spend all you like on a big shiny s+s prototype, but the ultimate 'flat' thrill is still this very simple, seatbelt-less, incredibly intense ride. Huge throughput for a flat, too. Why don't they turn up in modern theme parks?
10 - The Snails - (Joyland, Grt Yarmouth) - A really personal choice, one of my earliest memories. Having ridden it again as an adult it is still a fun ride with character that can only come with age. (decided it is actually a coaster, still love it just as much)
The drop outs:
Simple because they don't exist any more, other than as husks of their former selves. Current rides only is my new rule.
Bubbleworks - (CWOA) - The original, no ducks allowed. The main ride was pure childish fun with a bit of soul, the finale was a truly awesome effect to a child. Bring on the strobes.
5th Dimension (CWOA) - Getting shrunk and attacked by Arctic alien with laser type things, an 8 year olds dream. The smell of dry ice puts me right back in front of zapomatic even now. What I would give to be able to ride it today.

Most guests to theme parks do seem to leave their brain at the door... It's kinda this whole take advantage of the belief of how Fastrack will affect the day thing...
We know Thorpe aren't the only guilty party with it, but Thorpe mess up their Fastrack selling on a much more regular basis than the rest... The overselling is a constant problem on standard weekends as well as the peak (summer, easter, halloween) days... And when it's done on weekdays it just shows a complete lack of actual sense or desire to give the customers a sense of satisfaction and a good day...
And look what happened last time Thorpe plonked in a ride because of another silly view that you MUST have a new ride every year... If our parks here actually invested money into the infrastructure and tarting the park up and producing so much more than just the rides, there would be SUCH a big difference to the casual GP market... The parks need to consider methods of producing a good day out environment, rides do not mean everything at a theme park... You only have to look at the successful parks in the world in Europe AND America for this plain factor... Six Flags focused on rides a few years back, that clearly worked...
And saying that they could've made Swarm longer? NO, NO, NO... Considering the fact that before Swarm that area was water, the cost would SOAR so much just for the groundwork alone... What they did is fine enough, Swarm is an excellent ride (if only lacking a truly exceptional finale), there is no point comparing it to any American version, because ALL their rides are technically bigger, longer, faster, taller, etc than any of our rides... Shame that those factors do not automatically make a good ride... Indeed, compare Nemesis to most American Inverts, and it dominates them...
The only thing I would've changed with Swarm was to sort out the finale... Kinda where it loses a point to Raptor really... But for Thorpe to do something like Swarm shows a very different approach to things... Why would no theme and the ride being longer be any good? The theme is what makes the ride... Would hate for Thorpe to have continued a trend of the mid 2000s of building rides with little (Stealth) or no (Samurai, Rush, Slammer) theme...
Tl;dr - Fastrack overselling is a burden at all the parks but Thorpe is the worst... Getting a new ride for the sake of getting a new ride when there are clear infrastructure issues (painting, lack of budgets) isn't the best way to run a theme park if you want people to return... And Swarm couldn't have been made longer without excessive extra cost, and the theme is the best on park now...

Part 2 - Pirate Kingdom and Little Africa
Pirate Kingdom hasn't changed much in the seven or eight years since I last visited.
We did the pirate ship several times before grabbing some lunch in the pizza restaurant.


The food was delicious, although pretty overpriced for what you actually get. I don’t like to nit-pick, but I feel the staff in this restaurant could learn one or two manners.
There used to be a live pirate show here once, but it looks like that’s long gone. Oh well.

Barrel Run was extreme but very enjoyable. Word of warning though, don't even think about going on this straight after your lunch

The gift shop

It was about 12.30 by now, and the park was extremely busy (this has been a record season for visitors apparently). After some discussion, it was decided that we’d do Little Africa and the rapids next. How convenient that the sun decided to come out at that moment

The Brinston Express. Unfortunately we didn't have time to do this little train ride today.

Are we actually going the right way? Oh wait, we are...

Snacks, anyone?

This little water feature was nice. You can see Temple Falls in the background

Little Africa
I love this little rope effect bridge over the rapids

The queue for Temple Falls was over 75 minutes, so we did the Zambezi Adventure instead. I don’t remember Zambezi Adventure being this good on my last visit. We got absolutely soaked, too.


The Mine Train. Unfortunately the water messed up my camera lens, but it's OK now.

By now the queue for Temple Falls was much shorter. John and I loved this ride, although Sarah wasn't too keen. The ride op was really friendly and treated everyone to a special cycle.
We had a look round the African gift shop and then made our way over to the Mine Train, which was saw horrendous queues for much of the afternoon. Mine Train certainly wasn't worth the two hour wait. I found this very rough, and John had to take a break due to headaches afterwards. Awful ride – hopefully it won’t see many more seasons at the park.

The themed queueline is the only redeeming feature of this ride

It was coming up to 5.00pm by now, so we took a break in the Rainforest Café. The Brinston Beast looms menacingly in the distance.


Part 3 coming up

Err, amazingly everyone would have the same view here. The only one's who don't are people who work at the park (this topic is obvious who does), and people who protect the park because they are used to the status quo. If you asked a guest if they would like to visit a park, have no queues because the rides on two trains on offpeak days.. or visit and have 40min queues because the rides on one train and they're selling fastrack for it.. We all know, ALL know, what the answer will be.
Ultimately, thorpe has this awful status quo and attitude towards its guests. This is something which should, and needs, to be challenged. Otherwise nothing happens.
For the "long hours" thing. Towers engineers work 6am - 1030pm on the split shift. They managed to have Nemesis on two trains every single day this season (albeit about 3 days of it coming out by 11am due to maintenance). That's one example - coasters are always available for full service, only one's which run on less is when they have dual stations (Air and Oblivion) which can increase and do so. There is no excuse. None.

I don't quite understand you reasoning in defending the park so relentlessly Tinie.
All that you've said as to why this happens is not something that is necessary if the park is run properly, rather than a reasonable excuse you are merely describing the result of poor management. If they are carrying out scheduled maintenance during park opening hours then they are not planning things as they should and maintenance are working the wrong hours. Things will break causing downtime and within reason that is fair enough and is going to happen. But to plan to take things out of action at a place with such short daily hours and season as a whole must be wrong.
They can't get the trains up in time? It's not because of the checks that need completing, it's because they are not starting those checks early enough. They think the wheels will de-laminate? They have clearly left it too long since the last change. The staff are incapable of adding or removing trains in a reasonable time? They need better training or the procedure needs improving. etc etc
The best customer service would be for everything to open at capacity on time each morning and only reduce if it becomes apparent it is not needed later on. That should be the aim and would allow a bit of a margin of error when the checks do reveal a problem to get it fixed up.
Making excuses doesn't deal with the problems, it just makes them worse.

As a big X:\ fan I must say have my fingers crossed that the ride will receive a lot of attention over this closed season. However over the years I have started to grow accustomed to being slightly disappointed every time the rumoured 're-themes' have not lived up to our expectations. Who knows though, perhaps this time the park will surprise us!
Whilst I understand that a large amount of enthusiasts, fan boys and members of the public think that X:\ is a waste of space and should just be replaced by another ride, I believe the ride should be given a fair chance to gain new fans by having a nice amount of money and care spent on it.
Back when the ride opened in 1996 it was the biggest ride RMC had ever added and although it was not received very well amongst the coaster enthusiast community it was popular with park guests. In my opinion the various changes to the queue line, the ride itself and a general lack of care and attention have harmed the ride experience over the years. Nowadays there may be a huge collection of newer thrilling roller coasters at the park, which make X:\ look quite tame in comparison, but I feel the park should proudly embrace their oldest non-powered coaster.
My wish list of improvements (if the 2013 rumour is true) are as follows:
1. A good deep clean and re-painting of the entire queue line, the nearer you get to the station the more disgusting the walls and floors seem to get. Whether it is piles of trash or large phallic etchings on the walls, these are reasonably small touches that would help improve the queue line for the new season, at least until the undesirable guests start to wreck it again.
2. If they are going to spend some money on the ride I would like the park to decide on a clear theme and stick to it. If the ride is destined to become a club themed "rave ride", I have no problem with that, I would just like to see it being a consistent theme from the entrance to the pyramid to the exit!
3. Please re-build/replace the train cars, at the end of this season they were looking worse than ever. As well as looking extremely dirty, I agree with another poster that the seats themselves seem to be deteriorating.
4. Whilst I would like to see the trains improved personally I would love to see the ride continue running backwards. I know that reversing the seating would probably help improve the downtime, but I feel that it would be striping X:\ of any originality. It would be a great shame to see the back of this unique ride gimmick, the 'backwards in the dark' sections of Revenge of the Mummy and TH13TEEN are some of the highlights of those rides for me but they are far too short in duration.
So in conclusion whilst I am hoping that the rumours are true and that we will all get to see a different incarnation of X:\ when the park opens in March, I am also a little apprehensive. My message to the park is that if you are going to make chances to this ride, please do it properly this time!

The thing with shipping containers is that at least Merlin try with them, and usually do well. Saw's one is the only one which just feels 'plonked' there. Swarm's is well styled, and I hardly notice Th13teen's one except when using the shop. It works well with Experiment 10 and when they did the Twilight Zone for Vampire's 21st at Chessie. Can't think of many more times when Merlin have used them either.
Works well, cheap and convenient. Can't see many issues with them. Hopefully The Crash Pad will have a nice enough style to them as well.

Best film ever btw. 1980's ftw.

Bringing this topic back to Fastrack related things a bit more...
After a bit more Mathsy working out which can be found on my blog (waits for a 'You have too much free time on your hands' comment ), the way Thorpe operate their Fastrack system means that the time spent waiting in the main queue increases by 50% when Fastrack is in use. So, a 90 minute queue ends up being a 2 hour 15 minute queue (in the case of Swarm in particular).
Personally, I think the system they've got could do with improving. Then again, Fastrack in general can probably do with improving, so that's no surprise really. It does indeed go to show that no matter what, Fastrack negatively effects the guests in the main queue by quite a bit. Say the queue for four rides which have Fastrack on is 60 minutes, then the total increase in queueing time is 2 hours. It all adds up, and this shows just HOW BAD it really can be for someone not willing - or able - to pay.

LOLOLOLOLOL THAT IS SO FUNNY LOLOLOLOLOLOL...... no. These jokes are getting reeaally old now.

I sort of wanted Mitt to be elected just to show the world that nothing would change.

I think it's worth a visit during the year if you're going to be near the area. As I say, even if you're not interested in the history side, it's definitely an interesting place to visit. Though, as Fred said, be prepared to pay for extras, such as the Dungeons and the Merlin Tower (based on the TV show Merlin, that is). At Halloween, I'd say it's worth going to more though.
So yeah, whilst I'd recommend it, I wouldn't say that at any time of the year it's worth travelling half way across the country for, as there's that much to do there (9 hours, though enjoyable, felt a bit dragged out for example). However, if you're quite close / going to pass it somewhere, definitely worth popping in.

This Saturday, I visited Warwick Castle for the first time. The trip was my first ever to Warwick Castle, as well as a first for the three others I was with. Being the final weekend of the Castle's Halloween event, 'The Haunted Castle', it was open till 9 (for the first time as well, apparently), so we arrived just before 12.

The site of the Castle just after the entrance, with added smoke!

The Castle is certainly an impressive site. Looks very impressive whatever the weather as well (come rain, shine or lit up - experienced all three in one day!)
First up for us was the 'Flight of the Eagles' show. Bog standard show with a couple of eagles and an owl; was interesting and entertaining for all.

EAGLE!
After that, we went to our first scare attraction of the day, The Haunted Hallows. We weren't expecting this to be scary in any way, as it was only listed as 2/5 ghosts and 'spooky', but it seemed like fun I guess. There's nothing to really spoil I guess, and now the event's finished it may not matter if I say about what happens as it may not be brought back next year, but...just as warning, this does contain spoilers.
So, you walk through a make-shift corridor which has a few paintings in, one of which talks and had light up eyes. Could be scary for little'uns I guess. In a similar fashion to Alton Towers' Haunted Hollow route, from here on it, it is just an outdoor route with some gargoyles and other bits of theming scattered around. The first shock comes in the first big scene, where a skull squirts water at you, which goes off on a regular basis. I got caught right in the face and it completely caught me off guard...much to the enjoyment of those around me.

The next major 'scene' involved a cobwebbed dining table with skeletons, and these guys overlooking. Was sorta hard to tell at times if they were real or not..

Next, there were two alternative routes (which lead you to the same place very quickly), with one just a bit mistier than the other.

When the split routes come back together, this creepy, silent character was waiting. Certainly scared a couple of little children in front of us.

Dunno why, but I like this photo..

At the end of the route, you meet this fellow. He rewards (young) children who make it through with sweets!
Some general exploring was done, and we went to the mill and walked along the River Avon, enjoying the nice views.

The River Avon.

A view of the trebuchet; more on this later.
After some general walking about and exploring the grounds, we made our way to the main Castle grounds and decided to head up the man-made hill (which I always forget the name of :$). Certainly gives a nice view of the area and Castle:




Tried the panorama mode on my phone at the top, but it's hard getting a good position to take it.
We then decided to trek up the Towers and Ramparts, which gives a warning of having 537 stairs to climb. Again, some lovely views and bits and bobs of history thrown in, and some devilish spiral staircases to tackle. Along the route, there was a room showing the episode of Most Haunted that was filmed at Warwick Castle as well as some other bits and bobs relating to the place being haunted.

I was quite surprised as to how high how up it was.

Lovely views of the town of Warwick.
The end of the route of the towers brought us to the entrance of Kingmaker, which I found to be a Madame Tussauds-esque history walk. I was genuinely surprised as to how life-like the models really were! This part of Warwick Castle in particular strikes me as to just how well they succeed at catering for all ages. Everyone had a good laugh and learnt a couple of bits and bobs whilst at it - exactly what the attraction sets out to do.

Me looking good with a helmet on.

A quick visit to the Gaol happened afterwards. Pretty much a pitch dark room. (Though some Gangnam Style dancing went on down there... )
More milling around and such occurred, and we watched the short Dream of Battle film and wandered around the Castle as well. Unfortunately, most photos inside the Castle haven't come out very well, but photos can't justify the beauty and striking-ness of the inside. It just looks amazing, and has an amazing feel to it. It really is something you have to go to 'get it'.

Model of the Castle.
We went on a tour around the Castle courtyard (was called the 'Ultimate Tour' or something I think) which was interesting and fun, and then watched the trebuchet show. Whilst I really liked the way they performed it (and, of course, watching a trebuchet fire a fireball!), it was a bit ruined by the music, which was too loud and felt unnecessary. It just distracted from the show and made the speech more difficult to hear. I did prefer the evening showing as well, as that had a bit more story to it, but nonetheless it was good. I'll try and upload the video of the afternoon show at some point.
It was nearing 5 and stomachs were rumbling, so we went to The Coach House restaurant. Pretty decent food there, and with two meals for £13 (plus AP discount), it worked out pretty cheap. I didn't even eat all my dinner, which shocked me just a little bit, as normally I'd finish that size of meal (I certainly do at Thorpe and Bar 360!). By the time we'd finished, it was dark and a little bit drizzly, but it was time for what I was looking forward to the most - Séance: The Curse of Mary Black, which is the 'big' scare attraction of the event (I exclude the Dungeons as I believe they're their all year round. Speaking of them, didn't visit them due to the additional cost, but ah well). However, as we were there and we enjoyed it so much earlier, we went through The Haunted Hollows again, which was better in the dark, of course, and the actors certainly interacted with us in a different way to that of younger children / families, which was good to see. One even followed us for a while, which was good.
Again, spoilers of Séance will be here - you've been warned! Before you queue, it is apparent that you have to wear full boiler suits for the maze, which is a bit confusing. When I asked why, the reason was 'because you're about to enter a crime scene, and cannot contaminant the area'. Crime scene = scary stuff.

Good looking shot of me in a boiler suit. Though I put mine on inside-out...
So then, the actual maze. Well, thinking about it, I'm not sure maze is the right word, but I'll use it as it's easier to say than 'attraction' or whatever else. You get batched in quite large groups (around 20, maybe more) and then get escorted into a room by a tour guide (also in a boiler suit). The tour guide explains that just over a year ago, a woman killed seven people in the house we are in. We are told that we're the jury, and we're to tour the house, examine evidence and reach a verdict as to whether she's guilty. We then watch a tape with a police recording, where a possessed woman calls the police saying 'They're all dead...I killed them...it's still in the house', amongst other things. Interrogation footage plays, and footage of her possessed is found as well. We're told that all the victims have had their eyes gouged out as well. Whilst the video is playing, the tour guide disappears and slams a door, which provides a nice jumpy moment.
After the video, we're escorted through a couple of rooms, with just the tour guide's light to help us see, and told of the deaths. We then reach a staircase, where the tour guide goes up a few stairs and explains to us about Mary Black, and how she was in the house 100 years ago and her eyes had been gouged out and mouth sewn up by others living in the house. It's at this the torch starts 'cutting out', so the tour guide goes to find the emergency lighting, and as soon as he moves, a woman in black can be seen to be behind him, and she walks upstairs. Of course, everyone but the guide sees this, and it really catches you off guard. I still can't work out how they pull it off! Then, once the emergency lighting (and the torch) is sorted out, and the guide said 'By the way, if anyone wants to leave, just say and I can organise for security to make sure you get out the right way'. Then it's up we go.
In the next room, someone started to have a bit of a breakdown. She was scared and wanted to leave, and started panicking, shouting she didn't want to go alone, and then runs off with someone screaming. The guide chased off after them to ensure they went the right way. After this, we were quickly moved on into the next room, and soon after the guide closes the door, there's a knock at the door, which he ignores. Then, there's a very loud knocking and rattling sound, which startles everyone. The door opens a little bit as well, and we're hurried along into another room. More story is given, then the lights cut out again and after some effects, a door opens and a victim is standing there, with her eyes covered as though they've been removed. This causes much panic, to which the guide leads us to a secret passage, which gets us to Mary Black's bedroom much sooner than planned.
After a bit more story, the lights go off AGAIN and what looks like a painting actually turns out the be screen starts playing. It shows images of Mary Black and how her eyes are missing and her mouth sewn up, and the tour guide disappears. The next bit is a bit predictable - Mary Black appears in black (though out of nowhere), with eyes missing and her mouth sewn up. It causes a lot of panic, and with lights going off and on slowly, it disorientates you and you don't know where Black will be. All of a sudden, she disappears, and the tour guide reappears, shaken. He then tells us to go back to the hidden passage, and opens the door, only for a female victim to be standing there and she then walks in (this scares many people, as they're all brought close to the door). The guide rushes to another door, only for another victim to be standing there and cause plenty of scares. You feel trapped and unsafe; the audio and lighting add to the chaotic feel, and after a while, the guide finds another door which leads us to safety, thankfully.
All in all, it's a nice little attraction. There's some obvious bits, and the person who runs away screaming with someone are both actors, who end up being the victims later on. It builds a lot of tension, but doesn't last very long, much like the chaotic feel near the end. It's all good, but just needs more of it. However, with only 5 actors (Mary Black, 2 victims, and 2 tour guides, who alternate groups) and with only 1 group being in the entire maze at one time, I guess this is understandable. The fact we did it later on in the evening though is testament to how much we enjoyed it. 6/10
After that, we wandered around a bit, went back up the tower for night views, and got views of firework shows in EVERY direction; a really beautiful site! We must have stayed up there for a good half an hour watching various firework shows. As said, we watched the second fireball trebuchet show, which was slightly better, and went through Séance again - in fact we were the last group of the day, though it felt a bit rushed unfortunately. The day ended there at about quarter-past 9.
It was a great day, and I really enjoyed it. Warwick Castle is somewhere I'd recommend for everyone to go to at least once - even if you're not a big fan of the history side of it, it is a great day out, and I'll certainly be going back again.

Link added