pluk

Where's it say that? That better not be true. IT CAN'T BE!!!

Another amazing one gone. RIP

Wow. Is that going to trigger as the train passes, coz you'll really feel the heat if it is!

You're kidding, right? They are a decent length train ride from London, there is nothing else to do there that you would use they Merlin car parks to access. From a tourism point of view the space is about as premium as parking outside my house in Essex. My road does not have parking restrictions and it is about quarter mile (much closer than any Merlin car park) from the direct to London line station. I note with interest that Chessington garden centre don't need to charge for parking to control the use of this not in demand space, nor does the pub a quarter of a mile or so from Thorpe. The reason? They are in the middle of nowhere. At Blackpool, people want to be by the sea whether they are visiting BPPB or not, so charging for parking is kind of necessary to manage demand and availability for guests.

....on the seafront of a major holiday destination, where space is at a premium, there are plenty of other reasons to be there other than BPPB and there is a real problem if everyone turns up in a car. The central location also means public transport is an actual reasonable option. TP, CWOA and AT are in the middle of nowhere, tourism wise. They are also expensive to get in whether you ride anything or not. There is no real reason for the Marlin parking charge, other than they can use it as a free and practically unavoidable revenue stream. BPPB really does need to charge that. The comparison just does not stand up or go any way to justifying Merlins actions.

Hello...

Just because you are big and rich doesn't mean you can ignore laws and court orders. I (and I'm pretty sure all of us) don't know enough about this to have much of an opinion on whether Alton have done that, but I'll bet the Ropers have taken a lot of legal advice on their chances if the continue this so there has to be something in it.

Agree that the coaster itself looks pretty damn good, much better than expected. But I still think the seating on those trains is a mess, what is it trying to be? Who are you supposed to be sitting with? It's a kind of staggered four person wide floorless car, and then try to market it as winged? Nonsense. Decide what you want and build it, don't just mix up a load of other stuff.

Whoever, legally, is in the right. I'm not too sure the answer to that is as clear cut as we'd like it to be. I can think of many many ways in which Alton could at least try to be better neighbours, including the choosing of where to put major outdoor attractions to keep the noise down at the perimeter. Through their many owners they have always, naturally, been driven by profit rather than social responsibility, and that approach may well come and bite them in the arse. On the flip side, these two seem to be unreasonable morons. So fingers crossed.

The ground has opened up and swallowed your car. Your day can't get any worse, can it?

And people coming in at 9 are unlikely to be buying breakfast, whereas if you keep them there till 7 they are quite likely to buy dinner as well as lunch. It's win win for the park! As for the staggered area opening times, I'm all for it. Makes perfect sense when it is quiet and money saving is required, as long as it is made clear beforehand. With Chessington, surely the animal upkeep forms a rather major part of the parks running costs? These costs do not diminish when it is quiet so they may as well open. Just a guess.

LOL

Do you know a few words/what it was like? Might be able to work it out.

DO NOT LOOK AT THIS PICTURE IF NAUGHTY WORDS MAKE YOU CRY......

Did any pics of this turn up, I saw many being taken......

Exactly what I thought. That looks like so much fun, maybe they'll want our one to tear apart for spares? They can have it.

I believe that particular Enterprise opened at Drayton Manor in 2002, but was then brought over to Thorpe in 2006 due to the older one being knackered pretty much(?) falling to bits and smashing some children into the floor resulting in a multi thousand pound payout.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B000KKNQBK/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1 Product review of the decade.

Somewhere Leviathans brake run could have actually been not stupid!

Well yes, but it's done then isn't it it!

I think that may be a tactical piece of wording. If they tell the council they plan to increase visitor numbers they would probably try and squeeze some infrastructure money out of them, if the plan is for visitor numbers to remain static the council have not got grounds to make such a claim. When visitor numbers exceed those planned everyone is happy!

'A new themed restaurant with Penguins'? Penguin burgers? Yes please.

Roughly: 1 minute lift hill 1 minute ride 1 minute break run (!) What the hell? A massive waisted opportunity. Once you've gone to the trouble to get that high do something worthwhile with it.

I don't think so, not according to this (pretty crapy) no limits knock up