Mitchada04

Before you read this is a very tongue in cheek report.
There is a well known phrase that often gets thrown around regarding Thorpe, "If I wanted to look at trees I'd go to a garden centre." So I decided to visit Thorpe and see what gardeny stuff it has to offer.

First of all you're greeted by this lovely lake surrounded by trees!

More of this lovely lake and the trees.

Lots of foliage...

Even more!

Some nice trees with decorative rocks.

An array of trees, I'm spoilt for choice.

Another lake and you guessed it, trees!

They even tried to make it like an experience with the dense foliage.

And more with a scaled up volcano piece that you'd put in your fish tank.

This bunch of trees looks interesting, like they're shaped around an entrance

These trees look well cared for.

TREES!

Even a baby tree!

And themed trees for that ultimate devastated look in your garden!
So maybe the "tree" statement should be more like "If I wanted to look at plants I'd go to a garden centre" because you don't really go out to buy a tree.
So plant wise...

Some nice flower boxes.

Nice selection of potted plants.

Lovely flower bed. The colours are very enticing!

More flower boxes

A nice array of plants and flowers with another decorative rock!

Simple yet very effective.

Look at them all, so pretty

There's so much it's having to fight for space!
So I think that saying about Thorpe is well and truly rubbish. I had a better day looking at the trees and plants at Thorpe than at any garden centre! The only similarity is this...

They had this very expensive ornament called "Slammer." I was going to buy one but apparently it's currently unavailable even though it's sitting right there! The labels on items always lie.
Thanks for reading

Before you read this is a very tongue in cheek report.
There is a well known phrase that often gets thrown around regarding Thorpe, "If I wanted to look at trees I'd go to a garden centre." So I decided to visit Thorpe and see what gardeny stuff it has to offer.

First of all you're greeted by this lovely lake surrounded by trees!

More of this lovely lake and the trees.

Lots of foliage...

Even more!

Some nice trees with decorative rocks.

An array of trees, I'm spoilt for choice.

Another lake and you guessed it, trees!

They even tried to make it like an experience with the dense foliage.

And more with a scaled up volcano piece that you'd put in your fish tank.

This bunch of trees looks interesting, like they're shaped around an entrance

These trees look well cared for.

TREES!

Even a baby tree!

And themed trees for that ultimate devastated look in your garden!
So maybe the "tree" statement should be more like "If I wanted to look at plants I'd go to a garden centre" because you don't really go out to buy a tree.
So plant wise...

Some nice flower boxes.

Nice selection of potted plants.

Lovely flower bed. The colours are very enticing!

More flower boxes

A nice array of plants and flowers with another decorative rock!

Simple yet very effective.

Look at them all, so pretty

There's so much it's having to fight for space!
So I think that saying about Thorpe is well and truly rubbish. I had a better day looking at the trees and plants at Thorpe than at any garden centre! The only similarity is this...

They had this very expensive ornament called "Slammer." I was going to buy one but apparently it's currently unavailable even though it's sitting right there! The labels on items always lie.
Thanks for reading

Before you read this is a very tongue in cheek report.
There is a well known phrase that often gets thrown around regarding Thorpe, "If I wanted to look at trees I'd go to a garden centre." So I decided to visit Thorpe and see what gardeny stuff it has to offer.

First of all you're greeted by this lovely lake surrounded by trees!

More of this lovely lake and the trees.

Lots of foliage...

Even more!

Some nice trees with decorative rocks.

An array of trees, I'm spoilt for choice.

Another lake and you guessed it, trees!

They even tried to make it like an experience with the dense foliage.

And more with a scaled up volcano piece that you'd put in your fish tank.

This bunch of trees looks interesting, like they're shaped around an entrance

These trees look well cared for.

TREES!

Even a baby tree!

And themed trees for that ultimate devastated look in your garden!
So maybe the "tree" statement should be more like "If I wanted to look at plants I'd go to a garden centre" because you don't really go out to buy a tree.
So plant wise...

Some nice flower boxes.

Nice selection of potted plants.

Lovely flower bed. The colours are very enticing!

More flower boxes

A nice array of plants and flowers with another decorative rock!

Simple yet very effective.

Look at them all, so pretty

There's so much it's having to fight for space!
So I think that saying about Thorpe is well and truly rubbish. I had a better day looking at the trees and plants at Thorpe than at any garden centre! The only similarity is this...

They had this very expensive ornament called "Slammer." I was going to buy one but apparently it's currently unavailable even though it's sitting right there! The labels on items always lie.
Thanks for reading

Before you read this is a very tongue in cheek report.
There is a well known phrase that often gets thrown around regarding Thorpe, "If I wanted to look at trees I'd go to a garden centre." So I decided to visit Thorpe and see what gardeny stuff it has to offer.

First of all you're greeted by this lovely lake surrounded by trees!

More of this lovely lake and the trees.

Lots of foliage...

Even more!

Some nice trees with decorative rocks.

An array of trees, I'm spoilt for choice.

Another lake and you guessed it, trees!

They even tried to make it like an experience with the dense foliage.

And more with a scaled up volcano piece that you'd put in your fish tank.

This bunch of trees looks interesting, like they're shaped around an entrance

These trees look well cared for.

TREES!

Even a baby tree!

And themed trees for that ultimate devastated look in your garden!
So maybe the "tree" statement should be more like "If I wanted to look at plants I'd go to a garden centre" because you don't really go out to buy a tree.
So plant wise...

Some nice flower boxes.

Nice selection of potted plants.

Lovely flower bed. The colours are very enticing!

More flower boxes

A nice array of plants and flowers with another decorative rock!

Simple yet very effective.

Look at them all, so pretty

There's so much it's having to fight for space!
So I think that saying about Thorpe is well and truly rubbish. I had a better day looking at the trees and plants at Thorpe than at any garden centre! The only similarity is this...

They had this very expensive ornament called "Slammer." I was going to buy one but apparently it's currently unavailable even though it's sitting right there! The labels on items always lie.
Thanks for reading

"I had a feeling of trepidation when I entered The Smiler’s queue line, in the 2 months between The Smiler’s opening day and the day that I finally rode it, I’d heard some good things and some bad things. I’d heard horror stories of a ride more painful than Saw and a ride that was falling apart only 2 months after opening. I’m happy to say that The Smiler is a fantastic ride, its the best ride Alton have installed since Oblivion – It’s that good."
Read the full review here - http://coastergeek.wordpress.com/2013/08/12/the-smiler-review/

So, I decided to go to blackpool, for some fun. First day I decided to hit the arcades. I went to the North pier as well as the local arcades. For the first time I was winning, and I made a profit of £5 on those 10p machines. I also had a shot and fun with my friends with the shooting games, and basketball and the racing game(like the one at Thorpe). IN the end I WON ALL OF THEM. This was a first. I never really won at arcades.
The next day I hit the rides at the piers as well as well as visiting some of the shops nearby.
Central pier: Crazy frogs-A fun ride, although it wasn't really the ride for me.
Dodgems- Explains itself
Extreme- A similar ride to quantum except with shoulder restraints. Great ride. picture:
Waltzers- A great ride, which really was funny seeing my friends S**t themselves as they underestimated it.
After we headed to south pier
Log flume- Quite amazing to have a log flume on a pier, and at points there is great views.
Breakdance- a fun ride similar to waltzer, great to see some of my friends s**t themselves. Picture:
Ghost train: a great ride to calm down and actually some fun with parts where you can laugh at your friends for being scared.
Skycoaster: Such a great ride, just a tad expensive. The build up as you are going up is quite tense.

Skyscreamer: Just as we were launched I was swearing an shouting. as we were going down, I was loving it. Pictures: what you sit in
In midair
More to come...

As we'd expect, 30 years ago, Thorpe Park was a very different place. In fact, it wasn't really until 1983 that the park saw investment in 'theme park rides'; until then, the park was a more educational/leisure area. One attraction which opened in 1983 saw Phantom Fantasia - the first incarnation of what many knew as Wicked Witches Haunt. The ride was rethemed into WWH in 1994, before its untimely closure in 2000 due to the infamous Thorpe Park Fire.
Whilst I never got a chance to ride the original Phantom Fantasia (would be a bit difficult considering I hadn't been born then ), I've heard / read a couple of accounts of the ride, and it seemed to be a very British attraction - it had that eerie / scary tone, yet had humour to it as well. It was a ride which sounded fun for everyone, and was just spot on. When we remember that at this time, Thorpe was a small business, and the idea of a theme park wasn't really around in Britain (something which Wardley discussed about so well in his autobiography I thought), it's - in a way - an astounding achievement.
Here's a few photos of the original Phantom Fantasia, from either 1983 or 1984 (put in spoilers to save on space and such):
Unfortunately, I can't really offer much explanation into the scenes and such. However, Neilfever added a brilliant video of the ride onto his Youtube account a few years ago...

One final Phantom Fantasia photo to leave you with is this one...

Anyone recognise him?

You walk past him as you exit Nemesis Inferno! I think after the fire, he appeared in MHFS, and now keeps guard of the now abandoned area...
Wicked Witches Haunt
I did get a chance to go on WWH, however. Several times. My memory of it is rather hazy, seeinghow the last time I went on it I was barely 6, but there are some scenes that I remember. I think that in itself speaks volumes of this attraction - for me to remember it 13 years after my mind shows that it was an attraction that stayed with you. It might not have been the best dark ride, but that doesn't mean it didn't affect you.
My personal memories of the ride was that it was one of the attractions you 'love to hate'. Not in Storm Surge way, but in a way that it always left me scared or spooked out, I'd have to close my eyes really tightly or cover my eyes and I'd sometimes let out a scream. As a child, it was ride that scared me, but that's why you like it. The best way I can word it is that it's the child-equivalent of a scare maze, or watching a horror film.
The witches didn't scare me really. I guess at that age, you're introduced to stories that split opinions on witches - some seem horrible, but are actually nice and vice versa. The thing was though, it did give me a 'feeling'; something bad could well happen here. The scenes that never failed to scare me were the ones with spiders - there were big, fair, ugly hairy spiders. They jumped out at you and stuff. I was petrified. I think the finale, or a scene very close to it, involved the carriage turning to face a wall, and then the biggest spider there was jumping out at you. Scary stuff. For the family audience the park had at the time, it must have been a huge hit.
So, that's really all I have to share. Whilst the ride was not 'iconic', it certainly played its part in Thorpe's history, and is probably something that will be mentioned for years to come. I do doubt that the ride would have stayed at the park much longer anyway, due to the shift in target market, the age of the attraction and such, it is a true shame it burnt down. But c'est la vie.
A couple of links which show of PF/WWH really nicely -
http://www.memoriesofthorpepark.co.uk/phantomfantasia.html
http://www.baffles.me.uk/features/tpg/features/wwh/index.html
Would be great to hear others' memories of the ride too!

On the 27th of July
I spent 12 - 13 hours at the "Nations Thrill Capital" I arrived at the park 9:00am since my train's getting to Stains were Early (about 40 minutes early) so I waited till 10:15 for the Brilliant Cornflakes to arrive then we entered the park. The first ride we went on was Rush because it was on the way to Colossus and Rush often gets around a 30-40 min queue in mid day. Rush is fantastic in the morning with 5 High swings we both said that it was the best cycle of Rush we have ever had. Then we headed for Colossus which to our surprise was on 2 train operation before 11:00 We had a rather smooth run On Colossus with not much Headbanging After our nice smooth run on "The Power of 10" we headed over to "Brave the Mighty Warrior" Samurai which was running brilliantly although it was taking around a Minute to Zero but the Setting was fantastic the best I have seen it run all year Followed we headed over to Loggers Leap which was closed but we saw a Engineer riding it and he said "it should be opening shortly" so we went off to the drink refill place so Cornflakes could fill his Reusable bottle right after he got his refill we headed over to Saw The Ride this was around 11:15-30 so there was a 30 minute queue which seemed much shorter because all 8 Cars were in operation so I believe we queued around 15 minutes we had quite a smooth ride which was nice. After our Smoothish run we headed for the good old Logflume which had reopened It was Loggers leap so a very enjoyable wet ride Stealth was next and Styles was batching (who we will meet later) we queued 15 minutes for it which was brilliant so we did it twice then it was time for lunch so we headed back over to Canada creek to eat at Calypso BBQ then at 1:00 we were joined by Scarycoasterboy. With all the day group here we headed over to X where we waited 30 mins because they were putting on a 3rd train then when we got on it was not the best experience On X I have had ( best one I have had was when all lasers were off the room was full of fog and only Strobe lights where used) Time to Brave it Backwards we queued around 30 mins for it sadly though my ride on it seemed very bumpy and hurt my back but The Swarm Redeemed it's self at night. Wait this is not time travel back to the present . after our go on the Swarm Cornflakes and Scarycoasterboy wanted to refill fill there Capsule< that is what it is called at the roast and relish which I think is the best place to fill up the capsule because it is a do it your self type thing It was time to Fly on the Fish where we got 4 cycles it was around 2-3 pm now so it was very hot so what did we do we stood in the Tidal wave Splash zone to cool off We wandered the park now till we ended up back at Stealth and at this time the queue was even shorter so what did we do we done it 2 times of course then at this time it was round 4:30 so we had 90 minutes till the park closed so we done a mini Detonator Marathon about 3 times in a row then we headed for Inferno which was walk on so we waited for the front then after our ride we noticed the station was empty so we headed for the back row and went round again . (Forgot to mention while we were on Detonator we noticed Rumba Rapids had reopened ) so after our 2 goes on Inferno we went on Rumba for a nice relaxing ride to close out our day we left the park at 5:45 so we would be first inline to collect our summer nights tickets which we were so now it was time for the waiting game. till Styles joined us then just after 7pm the gates opened for Summer nighters. the 3 of us ( we were still waiting for Styles) headed over to Colossus and when we got to Colossus it started to rain so it was delayed but to our delight Saw The ride had people already on it so that is where we went now joined by styles so we took our ride the first ride the car was going pain fully slow up the lift hill like it was going to break down....... but luckily we made it over the crest of the drop and it was again lovely and smooth so when the car arrived back in the station we got off , went straight back on this car was super it glided around the indoor section like it was a knife slicing warm butter. I was really looking forward to the rest of the ride then we came to the lift hill.... the car in front was not moving then we stopped so we had 40mins of being stationary in the poring rain so my jeans where absolutely soaking but the very kind ride attendants gave us complimentary Towels and ponchos to stop us from getting wet and a complimentary Hot drink. Which was ever so kind of them so we had to have our car pushed backwards off the transfer track so there was room for a ladder to get us off after a few minutes we were off and taken into the maintenance Shed which was another added Bonus because we could see all the diagrams of the wheel structures and the wheel assemblies and the cars which when under them they look huge. After our little excitement we retrieved our belongings and headed over to Colossus what a ride on Colossus so smooth and running brilliantly in the rain so we just stayed on for another go it was Time for X mainly to Warm up so we dived through Tunnels of light 3 times each ride was brilliant then it was time to Brave the Inferno after about 11 hours of it running so we stayed on the back row for all 3 cycles which was Super after our rather Intense Rides on Inferno we headed over to Stealth 3 Exhilarating times Stealth is a must do in the Dark as with Her neighbor The Swarm Oh yes The Swarm was next after entering the Station for The Swarm we noticed it was half full so we ended up doing it an astounding 6 times over and over once which was the front and another time was backwards the Reason the Swarm is so fantastic at night was because the Fire effects go off at every 3 Cycles which gives the billboard a fantastic look after our 6 Times on the Swarm it was time to head back home It was a fantastic day and night and with the rain the lovely people at thorpe park were saying if you keep hold of your ticket you will be able to visit Summer nights again for free which I did :D
3rd of August
After chatting with Han30 who was going to Summer nights with Mr Fish I asked if I could come along to since I had my free ticket so I was picked up by Mr fish from my house and before hitting the park we headed for The Harvester to have a meal before I just had seasoned fries and the refillable pepsi the fries were lovely and filling then we headed to Thorpe after arriving at around 6:00 we went inline to collect our summer nights tickets in which I just handed over last weeks ticket and they replaced it so there was no faf then we met up with Marc but while Me Fish and Han were in the line Marc waited because he was meeting his friend. so the gates opened just after 7pm so we headed for Saw we waited for 15 mins and it turned out it had broken down while we where in the queue we Said hi to Peaj,Michelle and Jay then we headed for Inferno which seemed to be the only ride working so we got in the station and it was a lot more busy than last week but was terribly busy so we got on the Back row got back in the station and stayed on again( It did not really have that pop it usually does but that changed later on in the night ) which was brilliant then we got off because we saw Saw was back in operation so we headed over . We got straight on the front of row one then it was rather smooth and enjoyable it had so much airtime on the camel back and indoor drop so we got off and went back on and while waiting for our second go we met up with Phill Pritchard ,Dan9 ,Mark9 Marc, Marc's Friend and TobyNBZ then after Our two times on Saw we headed for Colossus in which we waited a few minutes for a rather enjoyable run on Colossus then we headed over to X which was walk on so we had a take over ( this time with just lasers which was brilliant) Thanks Marc then after X we then did Storm Surge. Which was quite fun because the ride Attendants had Water guns and was getting riders drenched before even getting on board.
When we were on we had the lovely 1 Hour lift hill massage before having quite a decent run on Storm surge with quite a lot of spinning which was good but then we waited for another hour to get back to the platform and during our waiting we Saw Peaj again with Jay and Michelle and finally when we got back to the platform we headed over to Stealth (Stealth in the Dark is brilliant ) then a few of us had the crazy idea of doing Tidal wave after and those Crazy people were Me Marc Mark9 and Dan9 the first time round it was not that bad but Phill and Toby were waiting by the water cannons and got us soaked then the ride attendant said that our bars could not go up so we had to go round again this time I got drenched from Head to Toe. "After them Fixing the bars" we got off and met up with the rest of the group then Han and Fish went Off to the Swarm while me and the Others Headed for Inferno. This time it was running fantastic 3 times in a row we did it each time it was brilliant then I headed over to meet Han and Fish at the Swarm in which I got to ride it with Han then after our ride on the Swarm we had 25mins left till 10:30,
so Me Han and Fish ran to Saw and had 4 brilliant rides on it lots of airtime and just very smooth then after our final ride we all went to Bar 360 to have a little bit of Social time and Some drinks with every one
Over my two trips to Summer Nights Were Super I really hope it becomes a Yearly tradition and A huge Thank you to MR Fish for giving me a lift there and back it was fantastic and it was lovely seeing every one Thank you for reading
I promise that is it.
Jack Stevens
I hope it is easy to read my grammar is rather appalling

Well hello there and thanks for stopping by! Clicked the wrong page? Run - now! This is gonna be waffly so you have been warned (if you are still reading). Go grab a coffee or beverage of your choice and get yerself comfy.....
So.....after precisely zero hours sleep, the night before (not helped by the fact that Mr Fish was snoring LOUDLY in my lounge) I necked a fair few coffees, got ready and headed off - at 5am! We picked up Ethan, Ricky and James & Co then headed towards Thorpe Park, not before almost crashing into a van - first near death experience of the day. I questions whether Mr Fish actually has a driving license or just needs an eye test.
Arriving at the park slightly after 7am it felt a tad surreal - we filled out the consent forms then some of us went to the toilet (not a great idea to go on Stealth if you need the loo). Peaj did the introductions and it was great to see both new and old faces - I have no idea how Peaj remembers peoples names - I would get confused (mind you, it doesn't take much to confuse me)
While waiting to go into the park it was a nice opportunity to mingle and catch up with people as it had been a full 4 weeks since the last meet!
Finally we got into the park and headed towards the Stealth area - this is when my anxiety started to really kick in. I had actually taken one less anti-anxiety med than I usually would as I am cutting down but needed to take another one once I saw the Stealth trains testing.
Stealth is not a ride I am a huge fan of - it is the only coaster at Thorpe Park where I get really scared before hand - the launch and my fear of heights and I end up like a screaming lunatic (although I scream at most things). I have only been on it 4 times prior to this meet up. After my first ever go on Stealth this year I was so terrified that I bought the ORP because I vowed NEVER to go on it again - however, I did go on another 3 times - twice being very close to tears and the other time, sat next to a complete stranger as I decided to skip lunch and go on it - methinks I perforated the poor guys eardrums - oohps!
Ok.....am waffling.....bear with.....
After the ice cream stuff (which wasn't ice cream) was set up (and a Mr Whippy van arrived) everything was ready for us to go. One of the staff members pointed to myself and a few others and asked us to sit in the front 2 rows - OH NO - My WORST nightmare. Why did I go and buy a turquoise t-shirt?! My anxiety ramped up a few notches at that point but we headed towards the ride whilst I tried to not have a heart attack/panic attack.
I didn't realise just how many times we would need to ride Stealth and by the end of it, my fear of the ride had completely dissolved - it took a while though. I think I screamed several times before the train had even moved. I was really pleased that I managed to go in the front row about 4 times. I also did the back row and middle bits - I had a massive headache after a few rides so I took a headache tablet/cigarette break. I dread to think of how many times I swore during the ride times as I managed around 16 goes (ish). I am such a lady (not). I honestly don't know how some people did ALL the rides on it - you must be insane! It felt like I had done a workout afterwards - those restraints are pretty heavy to lift up - I reckon I toned up my bingo wings a bit after that!
Some people had to dash off and others went and did their own thang after the photo shoot but I stuck with the main group.....because that is how I roll.....innit
The park didn't seem *too* busy which was nice - I am awful at queuing and get restless legs and cigarette cravings (nasty habit). However, being with TPMers definitely helps with queuing and it was nice to speak to a couple of people I haven't previously had chance to chat to.
We didn't get chance to do Rumba, Detonator or Slammer as they were all down (not that I would ever do Slammer anyway and I am 50/50 about Detty). We were hoping for a relaxing ride on Rumba after the headache inducing multiple Stealth rides but it wasn't to be so instead we went to Inferno where I sat on the back row alongside Mr Fish, James & co and JoshC and gave myself another headache.
My ride count for the day was pretty good -
Stealth x 16(ish)
X - x4
Flying Fish x 1
Colossus x 1
Inferno x 1
Saw x 2
Loggers x 2
Rocky Express x 1
Storm Turd x 1
Samurai x 1
At lunchtime I went for a wander, hoping to get a sneaky go on The Swarm but the damn thing had a 60min queue so I met up with some of the others in the sunken gardens after grabbing a large cappucino. I got lost trying to find the sunken gardens - I didn't even know they were still there and I *almost* ended up queuing for Stealth
At this point in the day, on previous meets I would usually take more anti-anxiety meds (along with my anti-sickness tablets) but I felt pretty chilled and relaxed so it was a bit of an achievement for me.
Queuing for Colossus was funny - Ryan had me laughing with his randomness, plus Ricky being Ricky. Jack and I got on before the others as we were a bit too keen - have only ridden Colossus 5 times and I do like it - except for those inline twists - which make me feel a tad dizzy/sick.
First 2 goes on X were ravey fun - SO much better than X:/NWO which I couldn't ride due to the damn thing going backwards and me almost barfin on my one and only go on it. The second 2 rides (at the end of the day) - was in the dark which I didn't enjoy as much. I don't like the dark (I'm a wuss) plus I like to see where I am going so I'm pretty sure I screamed a bit
Storm turd was actually SPINNING! Only ridden this eyesore once and it was nice to have a sit down but I thought it was a bit pointless (and looked SO much better when it was at Cypress Gardens). But we went on, and after a 2 hour trip up the lift hill, off we went - and I screamed (v embarrasing) - the boat was spinning like crazy which made my head go a bit funny - it is still naff, still needs a damn good clean and was also making funny noises
First go on Saw was pretty smooth - second one, not so much and my head took a bit of bashing and I gave myself ANOTHER headache. I do like Saw (my second fave coaster at Thorpe after Swarm) but for me, after the indoor section and lift hill/drop the best bits are over and the head banging begins
A lot of us went on Rocky Express and I was in pain - during most of the ride I was sat sideways clinging on and trying to readjust myself - note to self: next time sit next to someone!
Samurai - why oh why did I do it? Done it once before, vowed to never do it again.....did it again and screamed a fair bit whilst possibly swearing. I don't like things that spin and it got to the point where I closed my eyes, opened them and I was upside down. I felt pretty rough as the ride was coming to a close and had to lean my head against the restraint because I felt like I was going to pass out. Still.....I would do it again!
We braved it tunnel-less twice on Loggers Leap - first time I was sat behind Phill Pritchard whilst sporting one of my "han-hats" aka an Asda carrier bag - works a treat at keeping hair dry - not great if you are fashion conscious but those who have seen the way I dress will know I do not follow fashion and generally look a mess. We got drenched and I was glad that I didn't sit at my usual place at the very front as Phill took most of the drenching!
Our second ride on Loggers was.....scary.....seriously. My second (sort of but not really) near death experience of the day (after Mr Fish's near collision with a van in the morning). All was going swimmingly until we realised that the boat in front was a bit too close - so going up the first lift hill it stopped (and I screamed), then it started again. Good stuff, sorted.....but no - going up the second lift hill the boats were too close together and as RideWhisperer said "guys there are 4 boats on the lift hill - this isn't good" I panicked a bit. I had visions of the lift hill collapsing, or our boat going backwards, or being evacuated (not that I over-react or anything!). Luckily the lift hill started and stopped so that there was a gap for the final drop. Felt a bit sorry for the people who had been queuing for Loggers as they shut it down and as we exited the boat I told the ride assistant that Ethan broke the ride
Swarm.....my favourite ride at Thorpe , had a bit of a queue but nothing major until it had technical difficulties and after that had to be sorted out (someone puked methinks). We ended up sitting down in the queueline where I attempted a bit of meditation which is difficult with an ambulance screeching etc etc, so we decided to play I spy which I was absolutely crud at, but hey, it passed the time and we were soon into the station. I sat front right next to James&co - most of my rides on the Swarm have been on the left so doing right and front row was really good - definitely my fave seat although James nicked the outer seat!
We all met up at the end of the day in the Dome but Monsieur Fish had forgotten to get a parking ticket so we dashed off to get one and then met everyone outside and headed towards Frankie & Bennys.....a great end to a great day
I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to everyone or even speak to everyone that was there on the day (there were a lot of us) but I had an amazing time, loads of laughs and my anxiety was a lot milder than it usually is - my anxiety levels change depending on who I am with etc so a big thank you to those who spoke to me, made me laugh and just for being lovely people.
And of course a big thankyou to TPM and Marc for getting the opportunity to ride Stealth 2000million times, to Peaj for being a brilliant meet organiser as always, and to Thorpe Park for letting us in and riding Stealth loads, and as a non MAP holder for the free entry. Mucho appreciano!
Waffle over.....!!!

I was hoping to have something on the Ice Cream thing as well but that didn't seem to materialise so these two pictures of the only 'snowy' thing they had shall have to do.

Max and Jack are excited for Stealth to set of the snow...

But they are unimpressed when it doesn't happen and Max takes it out on poor Mr Snowman
After our wonderful picnic provided by Jack (no pictures because it was so amazing) we waited for Styles.

Max was going for the creepy look and doing it very well

And Jack's going for the "hey I'm Jack, please be my friend" look

In an attempt to not have to look at the Crash Pad Max uses his super cool shades and the backwards walk

And it worked so he celebrates. And hey Detty

Storm Surge ruining yet another picture to be taken at Thorpe.

But Stealth knows how to get out of its way

The Swarm in darkness

And how the queue looked (and was on all the rides)

And here's a nice group shot of Styles, Jack, and Max enjoying their free ponchos, towels, and hot chocolate.
It was a great afternoon/night with great people!
Thanks for reading

I was hoping to have something on the Ice Cream thing as well but that didn't seem to materialise so these two pictures of the only 'snowy' thing they had shall have to do.

Max and Jack are excited for Stealth to set of the snow...

But they are unimpressed when it doesn't happen and Max takes it out on poor Mr Snowman
After our wonderful picnic provided by Jack (no pictures because it was so amazing) we waited for Styles.

Max was going for the creepy look and doing it very well

And Jack's going for the "hey I'm Jack, please be my friend" look

In an attempt to not have to look at the Crash Pad Max uses his super cool shades and the backwards walk

And it worked so he celebrates. And hey Detty

Storm Surge ruining yet another picture to be taken at Thorpe.

But Stealth knows how to get out of its way

The Swarm in darkness

And how the queue looked (and was on all the rides)

And here's a nice group shot of Styles, Jack, and Max enjoying their free ponchos, towels, and hot chocolate.
It was a great afternoon/night with great people!
Thanks for reading

I was hoping to have something on the Ice Cream thing as well but that didn't seem to materialise so these two pictures of the only 'snowy' thing they had shall have to do.

Max and Jack are excited for Stealth to set of the snow...

But they are unimpressed when it doesn't happen and Max takes it out on poor Mr Snowman
After our wonderful picnic provided by Jack (no pictures because it was so amazing) we waited for Styles.

Max was going for the creepy look and doing it very well

And Jack's going for the "hey I'm Jack, please be my friend" look

In an attempt to not have to look at the Crash Pad Max uses his super cool shades and the backwards walk

And it worked so he celebrates. And hey Detty

Storm Surge ruining yet another picture to be taken at Thorpe.

But Stealth knows how to get out of its way

The Swarm in darkness

And how the queue looked (and was on all the rides)

And here's a nice group shot of Styles, Jack, and Max enjoying their free ponchos, towels, and hot chocolate.
It was a great afternoon/night with great people!
Thanks for reading

I was hoping to have something on the Ice Cream thing as well but that didn't seem to materialise so these two pictures of the only 'snowy' thing they had shall have to do.

Max and Jack are excited for Stealth to set of the snow...

But they are unimpressed when it doesn't happen and Max takes it out on poor Mr Snowman
After our wonderful picnic provided by Jack (no pictures because it was so amazing) we waited for Styles.

Max was going for the creepy look and doing it very well

And Jack's going for the "hey I'm Jack, please be my friend" look

In an attempt to not have to look at the Crash Pad Max uses his super cool shades and the backwards walk

And it worked so he celebrates. And hey Detty

Storm Surge ruining yet another picture to be taken at Thorpe.

But Stealth knows how to get out of its way

The Swarm in darkness

And how the queue looked (and was on all the rides)

And here's a nice group shot of Styles, Jack, and Max enjoying their free ponchos, towels, and hot chocolate.
It was a great afternoon/night with great people!
Thanks for reading

Yesterday (16/07/13) I ventured up to London to do something many of my friends had recommended to me, Up At The O2. This is where you climb over the O2 on a walkway that was made and opened up last year. It is expensive at £25 a person (for adults) and is pre book only (well it's not but good luck finding a space on the day). Climbs take place every 20 minutes with groups of up to 15 people. It is a full on experience with a pre show telling you all the safety information and random facts (the video was far superior to Zufari's pre show). Base camp is also nice themed with lots of climbing gear stuck on the walls. Once harnessed up and clipped onto the walkway you ascend the 52 metres at a 25 degree angle. The path is very springy which I found great fun (not sure the person in front did though ). Then you get around 20 minutes at the top on a sturdy platform to take as many pictures as you want (shame it's not the prettiest part of London). Then you clip back on and descend to 0 metres at an even steeper 30 degree angle. Once at the bottom your stuff (shoes etc.) has been delivered to the other base via a little car and trailer. Being a keen climber, I found this very enjoyable but for many it may sound boring and for some it will be. It is expensive as well but if you're into this sort of stuff I recommend it.
Before the photos, here are a few random facts about the 02:
It has 12 pillars to represent the 12 months
It is 52 metres for 52 weeks in a year
The diameter is 365 metres for 365 days in a year.
If you turned the roof upside down it would take 15 minutes for Niagra Falls to fill it.

Beautiful day for the climb.

And in case you think it is different at the summit, they kindly display the conditions from up there at Base camp.

Half done...

Half to go.

Canary Wharf and the 'massive' Shard.

Ahhhhh...

Never mind.

Olympic site.

Emirates Airline and Thames Barrier.

And here's a panoramic shot because my phone can do that sort of stuff.
The day wasn't over though as the London Dungeon was still to be done. All I'll say here is that it is very good but not Tooley Street. A full in depth review (which will contain spoilers) can be found here: http://forum.maniahub.com/topic/1658-london-dungeons/page-19#entry163465
Thanks for reading and I leave you with this photo but I don't know why.

Yesterday (16/07/13) I ventured up to London to do something many of my friends had recommended to me, Up At The O2. This is where you climb over the O2 on a walkway that was made and opened up last year. It is expensive at £25 a person (for adults) and is pre book only (well it's not but good luck finding a space on the day). Climbs take place every 20 minutes with groups of up to 15 people. It is a full on experience with a pre show telling you all the safety information and random facts (the video was far superior to Zufari's pre show). Base camp is also nice themed with lots of climbing gear stuck on the walls. Once harnessed up and clipped onto the walkway you ascend the 52 metres at a 25 degree angle. The path is very springy which I found great fun (not sure the person in front did though ). Then you get around 20 minutes at the top on a sturdy platform to take as many pictures as you want (shame it's not the prettiest part of London). Then you clip back on and descend to 0 metres at an even steeper 30 degree angle. Once at the bottom your stuff (shoes etc.) has been delivered to the other base via a little car and trailer. Being a keen climber, I found this very enjoyable but for many it may sound boring and for some it will be. It is expensive as well but if you're into this sort of stuff I recommend it.
Before the photos, here are a few random facts about the 02:
It has 12 pillars to represent the 12 months
It is 52 metres for 52 weeks in a year
The diameter is 365 metres for 365 days in a year.
If you turned the roof upside down it would take 15 minutes for Niagra Falls to fill it.

Beautiful day for the climb.

And in case you think it is different at the summit, they kindly display the conditions from up there at Base camp.

Half done...

Half to go.

Canary Wharf and the 'massive' Shard.

Ahhhhh...

Never mind.

Olympic site.

Emirates Airline and Thames Barrier.

And here's a panoramic shot because my phone can do that sort of stuff.
The day wasn't over though as the London Dungeon was still to be done. All I'll say here is that it is very good but not Tooley Street. A full in depth review (which will contain spoilers) can be found here: http://forum.maniahub.com/topic/1658-london-dungeons/page-19#entry163465
Thanks for reading and I leave you with this photo but I don't know why.

Warning - may WILL contain wafflage!!!
Right now I can't sleep - damned insomnia/anxiety grrr. So I thought I would type/waffle for a bit - apologies in advance for rambling but I could cure insomnia with my blog entries (though this is just my second one) - actually - going to read this back once done and maybe it will get me off to sleep
A few weeks ago I wanted to leave this site and went through deleting all posts I have made since I joined back in April 2011 - it took a while but then I realised I didn't want to leave after all .
Then recently I decided not to go to anymore official meets because I have pretty bad anxiety and social phobia (though I cover this up well and go opposite and come across as fairly confident), plus other issues. I have however retracted on that and am attending next weeks Stealth ice cream thangy. Yes I am indecisive!!!
My reason for this blog entry is really to say an absolutely massive thank you to TPM and the members here that I have chatted to online or met at meets. I came across this site a few years ago and was a lurker for a while before joining and I am SO glad that I did. Back in 2011 I lost my Mum and it was a hard time, but going into chat made me feel a lot less isolated and I have had times in chat where I have literally been crying with laughter, and on several occasions almost choked from laughing so much! If I could type out a message to each of you I have met/chatted to it would make this post even more waffly than it is already - but as I said, a massive thank you to people here - for making me laugh, making me feel welcome, for accepting me for who I am and just in general being lovely people.
I was worried about going to my first meet up (Guildford) back in Feb of this year - so much so that I had to take a friend (and a fair amount of anti anxiety meds) - I had NO need to worry and felt so welcomed by everyone and had an amazing day. I thought my age would maybe be a bit of a problem but to be honest I don't act my age or feel my age despite being a fair few years older than many on this site. But through the meets that I have been on, I have felt fine talking to younger members and likewise, people around my age - lets face it, we are all here because we share a common interest!
I have anxiety issues and other stuff going on (which I won't go into) but I can honestly say that this site and the people here have been so supportive - more so than any other forums I have visited over the years.
The meets that I have been to have been absolutely brilliant - I haven't laughed so much for a long time or had such fun. Not only that but I have conquered several fears. This may sound odd considering that I joined TPM, but before this year I had only ever been on 2 inverted coasters - one naff one with a tiny loop, and Space Mountain - both before I started getting panic attacks, and to be honest, the idea of being turned upside down scared me a tad. I also had/still sort of have a fear of being ill over people on rides - the thought of it mortifies me. That and the fear of heights and fear of being dropped (eg: detonator/oblivion etc). But I joined because I have an interest in the theme park industry, rides etc - however, my knowledge is pretty limited - but I am a bit simple
My first trip to Thorpe this year was for the Swarm ERT/photo shoot thing and, to be totally honest, I was scared.....a lot. But I wanted to confront my fears and go on coasters and ENJOY them. With help from several TPMers, I went, I saw and I faced my fears and had an amazing time. So maybe I cheat a little because I need anti-anxiety meds and also anti-sickness tablets but it gets me to the meets but (and I genuinely never thought I would say this) - I have ridden ALL of Thorpes coasters and love all of them. That plus Detonator and Samurai which I vowed I would NEVER ride, so it was a big achievement.
It helped A LOT having people around me who were calm and supportive - in the past when I have gone to theme parks (which has never been regular) I have gone with family members who tend to make my anxiety worse. Before this year, my last trip to Thorpe was in 2002 when Colossus opened and just looking at it was enough to make me feel ill and intimidated.
This year I have gone to 6 official meets - Guildford trip, Swarm photo shoot, Open season meet at Thorpe Park, Chessington meet, Legoland and Nemesis Inferno ERT. All of which have been fantastic and I have met such lovely people. Before these meets I have always felt a bit uncomfortable talking to males but this is another thing which I have gotten over and I have enjoyed having chats with many of you guys (and gals - though we could do with a few more females here I reckon).
Before this year, I was lucky if I got to a theme park once a year - I am sparse in the friends department and none of my friends like rides or theme parks so for the past few years it has generally been an annual visit to CWOA with my niece (which, to be honest is quite fun as you get to go on the kiddies rides which aren't that bad - Berry Bouncers or whatever they are called now are cool!).
So far this year I have been to Thorpe Park 5 times, Legoland once, CWOA once and Alton Towers once - and I don't have a MAP. I am VERY grateful that my first 4 visits to TP I got in for free - the Swarm photoshoot got me in for free and I was kindly given a magic pass for 2 other visits - one of which I was able to get another ticket for as it was a freezing day! I don't take things for granted and realise how lucky I have been to be able to go on meets (both official and unofficial) - and for the people who have got me there as I don't drive. Speaking of which, another fear I have conquered was......TRAINS! I hate them, they hate me (no I am not paranoid) - but with the support and encouragement of several people here I was able to finally get on a train on my own for the first time in gawd knows how long. And knowing that if I felt panicky I could call someone to speak to them was a massive help.
Jeez I really know how to cut a short story LONG - but hey, if you are still awake, give yourself a big pat on the back.....you will surely be asleep any time soon.....
So yeah - in short (or long as it appears) - a huge thank you to you guys and gals. I feel like I have made some lovely friends through this site and when meets are coming up, I look forward to seeing people I have met before and also meeting new people. The only downsides to meets for me, are saying goodbye - (I hate goodbyes!)
Also a huge thank you to Marc, Peaj and Thorpe Park for the ERT/photo shoot events - they are brilliant and it makes me feel really lucky to be a part of this community that is not only welcoming but allows us to have one off opportunities (nemesis inferno lift hill walk was a once in a lifetime chance even though it was a tad scary!).
Before I finally shut up I just would like to say a big massive apology if I have caused offence to anyone here on these forums - I really hope that I haven't and *if* I have, it would not have been intentional
Thank you for reading and goodnight.....oh no wait.....it is the morning! Zzzzzzz

On Sunday 7th July I took my first trip to Alton Towers - I had the opportunity to go way back in 2002 when Air opened but I chickened out because I was a massive wuss back then and the thought of being miles from home scared me
I was REALLY anxious about going - mainly because of my anxiety issues and also, as before, the thought of being so far from home was pretty scary (furthest I have ever been is DLP back in 2000 before my panic attacks began). But I bit the bullet and went and am SO glad that I did (even if it did mean me needing to take a fair amount of medication).
After a 3 and a half hour drive we arrived and I was feeling really excited. We parked up and got the monorail into the park entrance and myself, Mr Fish and Matt Creek met up with Stretchy. Once the kiosks opened we got our tickets (Mr Fish and I do not have MAPs so we BOGOF'ed). Went through the turnstiles and were approached by a member of staff asking if we wanted to buy a photo pass - gutted that you only get 4 photos when it used to be 5 but we wanted some ORP's - The photo passes were £25 BUT that included a free digital download for each ORP so Mr Fish and I went halves (I couldn't justify spending £25).
We tried several times to contact Marc who was joining us along with Ricky & Chris, Thrillseeker Alex and Liam but had no luck so we headed straight to The Smiler. Luckily the queue wasn't too long by the time we reached it and we stood watching it testing - the dummies have smiley faces on them . At one point, one of the trains stopped almost at the top of the second lift hill and I thought "uh oh" we are doomed but the ride opened and we walked through the queue line which took about 2 years (slight exaggeration!) I looked back at the queue which was trailing right up the hill and was thankful that we got there when we did. The inside section of The Smiler is HOT - not helped by the fact that it was a boiling day anyway!
We got on the ride and had the front row which was really good although I felt a bit stupid when I started screaming like a lunatic when the train had only just started moving
My only concern with the ride was my fear of vomiting on people - and because the ride goes SO close to the queue line I would have been mortified had I been ill and not only sprayed my fellow riders but also potentially those waiting to go on the ride. Luckily this didn't happen (I take some amazing anti-sickness pills). I really enjoyed the ride even though it does leave you feeling more than a tad disorientated . Without that second lift hill I think I would have felt pretty ill. Speaking of which, the vertical lift hill - not keen on them to be honest because I have a crazy fear of looking up at the sky (odd I know - that is the only part of Saw: The Ride that I dislike - that, and that puppet thing ). Having been on Saw, I kind of expected a massive drop at the other end but I can't complain given that you are inverted 14 times
We went back on The Smiler at the end of the day for another go - Marc and the others had bought fast track tickets for their first ride so our second ride, we all went on together.....and queued for 2 hours (although I am pretty sure it was longer than that as there were a couple of announcements apologising for delays due to queue jumpers - naughty!). So being in the queue line for a fair amount of time (whereas the first time I rode we were on the ride fairly quick) you realise just how close the ride goes - it made me jump several times! The ride also seems to roar - it is so loud and me being pretty much deaf as a post I could barely hear what the others were saying . However, being in the queue for so long gave me the opportunity to get a load of photo's and vids of the ride - which I would post here however I STILL haven't figured out how to do so
When we eventually got onto the ride, I sat in the third row on the far right - Alex wanted to sit between myself and Liam to compare what we were both like regarding screaming - again I began screaming as the train left the station and as the ride left the first lift hill I think I may have come out with some unsavory language . I don't know if it was the train we got or the fact that I was sat in the 3rd row but - it was PAINFUL and I came off with a massive headache .
Overall I really do like the ride and the fact that when you are in the queue line, the trains go so close to where you are standing. I thought the queue line would freak me out as you are penned in with fencing above your head but I felt ok about it. The inversions are good, a couple which are really intense and at points you don't know what the heck is going on (or that might just be me as I generally don't know what is going on at the best of times).
This is the second Gerstlauer coaster I have ridden and I would say (although I don't like to compare) that I prefer Saws inside section (although not keen on the puppet!) and the drop after the lift hill, but both are brilliant rides.
Ok so I appear to be waffling.....
As I said before, it was really hot on Sunday which meant that the park was pretty busy - meaning that my ride count was low, however, that didn't affect the fact that I had an amazing day and also conquered my fear of one particular ride that the thought of bothered me.....OBLIVION.
After riding The Smiler we headed over to Oblivion which had quite a short queue - I was feeling really anxious, bordering on a panic attack. I really hate the feeling of falling - although I have been on Detonator 3 times and panicked on the way up but each time loved it. The ride decided to have some technical issues whilst we were queuing so some people decided to leave the queue line but we remained in it even though I was desperate to run off . It didn't take long before the ride was up and running again and I was getting closer to having a heart attack. We got front row (yay) and I was almost in tears going up the lift hill - I just wanted it to be over and done with ASAP which it was and I actually loved it! I thought it would be far worse than detonator but you don't get the same force so I would have happily gone on again had there not been a queue. I felt really pleased that I did it - not only because I was bricking it, but also because I had only previously ridden 2 B&M coasters (Inferno and Swarm) - I would love to ride every B&M coaster but my fear of flying plus lack of money is a bit of a block to this!
So after riding my 3rd B&M, myself, Stretchy, Mr Fish and Matt Creek headed off to meet up with Marc and the others (who had already managed to get on Nemesis, Nemesis Sub-Terra Battle Galleons and Th13teen! Whilst waiting for them they had 3 staff members entertaining the crowds and I had to restrain myself from joining in. So I stood there watching (and singing into my microphone aka water bottle) whilst they were dancing along to "You Can't Stop The Beat" - would be great if Thorpe did similar stuff to this as it was really entertaining and a group of girls joined in and were obviously having fun (not that I was jealous)
Marc and the rest of the group arrived and we headed off to ride Th13teen. The queue times were clearly not updated as we were in the queue for what seemed like forever - but we played Mr Fishs game which consisted of picking an envelope which contained the name of a theme park and then having 30 seconds to name as many rides as you could. I got Thorpe Park but confused myself as they have way too many rides which begin with letter S, so I lost to ThrillseekerAlex who got Alton Towers and beat me - then went on to win the prize which I had my eye on - a pacman soap on a rope. Stretchy made me laugh when he genuinely didn't believe that Monkey Swinger at CWOA used to be called Billys Whizzer - the look on his face classic! To be fair, Stretchy has never been to Chessington which I think needs to be sorted out - however with the current state of the park I wouldn't suggest he visit any time this year
We eventually got into the Th13teen station and I was slightly scared because I think it was Ricky who informed me that you get electrocuted or something (or I may have just made that up). There was an amusing moment when both myself and Alex counted 10 people in our group when there was actually 9 of us (my excuse is that I counted my imaginary friend ). I sat next to Alex who I think could tell I was a bit anxious (not helped by the fact that, whilst going up the lift hill he told me that the ride has 2 loops - NOT funny when you are sat there with just a lap bar - if I am going upside down I wanna be fully secured thank you very much) Thankfully I had already ruined the element of surprise by watching the ride on the internet so I knew what to expect however this didn't stop me screaming - A LOT! I think my screaming got worse when the first mini drop happened followed by the slightly bigger one then I began screaming like a complete lunatic when the ride went backwards - I HATE going backwards, even on a train but screaming actually helped otherwise I may have been a bit
We had lunch at Woodcutters which was really nice and the service was good in there, and then headed to Hex - when we got inside, the ride was having issues - typical, but it was sorted fairly quickly. I had NO idea what to expect from this as it is one of the rides I hadn't really read much about. Whilst the first film was playing I could feel a breeze on my neck and felt a bit anxious, then turned around and realised it was Liam!
The end bit of the ride seriously disorientated me - we walked into the last room and I said "Oooh we can sit down" - then when the lap bars came down I began to wonder what the hell was occurring (no one in the group warned me about it) - holy cack, I nearly pooped myself (yes I am a bit of a wimp) - and things that mess with your mind (especially mine as it is a tad bongled already) I am not keen on and it got to the point where I had to close my eyes and lean my head on the lap bar thing.
After Hex, Marc, Ricky, Chris, Alex and Liam went to use their fast track on the Smiler, so myself and the others heading towards Nemesis - we were going to catch the sky ride but thankfully it was busy (the thought of cable cars scare me senseless) - however, after trekking what felt like 20 miles I would have happily got on a cable car just for a rest . So, after taking about 5 hours to walk to Nemesis I was just about ready to collapse - stretchy and Matt Creek were walking way faster than myself and Mr Fish - I am so unfit I had to take my inhaler(!). Nemesis had a bit of a queue but it seemed to go down quite quick, and we decided to go front row - I am always a bit anxious on rides I have never been on before (I even screamed on the dragon coaster at legoland ) but I felt pretty much okay about Nemesis having ridden Inferno 5 times in a row at the ERT event. I sat front row, far left and absolutely LOVED it - B&M coaster count up to 4 and I have to say that you would never know that the ride will be 20 next year - it was pretty smooth and just amazing! Although I have only ridden Nemesis once and Inferno about 14 times, I would probably rate Nemesis higher in terms of intensity and general enjoyment. Again as I have said before, I don't like to make comparisons with rides but they are both B&M inverted coasters and have the same blinking name in them. I personally think Thorpe should have called N:I just Inferno because people are naturally going to compare the two, even those who aren't particularly enthusiasts.
Although I do prefer Nemesis to Inferno, I like that on Inferno you have the pre-lift hill section and the tunnel with the mist darkness which I think is pretty enjoyable but the ride layout of Nemesis in my opinion is far better - plus actually has theming. I was a bit worried about feeling rough after Nemesis but I felt completely fine - Inferno leaves me feeling dizzy for some reason and I am not sure how I managed 5 consecutive rides on it although I had to run off after ride no. 5 as I thought I was going to be ill.
I really wanted to get an ORP from Nemesis but some of the flaming screens weren't working grrrrr so our picture didn't come up. Random thought here (my ride knowledge is extremely limited) - is the vertical loop on Nemesis bigger than Inferno?! It has to be - it looks mahoosive in comparison.
Ok so I am still waffling and on my way to typing a flaming essay/novel.....
I really wanted to ride Air but it had a 60min queue and we needed to meet up with the rest of the group. Ripsaw was looking quite tempting with those water fountains but we made our 5 hour journey back to meet up with the others - the sky ride was busy so we burnt off about 2000000 calories by trekking it back
We all met outside Battle Galleons and as, by that point I had already sweated off about half a stone I was in desperate need of refreshment so myself and some of the others went on. Wow - I had NO idea I would get SO wet. It also made me realise that some kids can be completely annoying as we had a bunch of them in the boat in front shouting at us - just spray the water people, and shut ya cake holes
Again I screamed on this every time I got pelted with water when I wasn't expecting it - at one point I was the only person in our group on one side of the boat so I attempted to multi-task and use 2 guns at the same time but then realised that it didn't work out so well as I couldn't move the guns unless I had a 3rd hand
Towards the end of the ride we spotted Liam and Alex waiting to drench us so we were on a mission to get them as soaked as possible - however, they were no where near as soaked as us when we got off the ride - I was literally drenched - almost "Tidal Wave" drenched but it helped to cool me off . I didn't realise that you can get an ORP from this so when we walked past the screens, the pic had been taken when I was on one side of the boat by myself so all you could see was me looking tired and behind me, the other guys backs!
By now it was just gone 5pm so we all headed over to The Smiler for our last ride of the day. I really wanted to do Oblivion again but it had a long queue and we didn't want to risk not getting another chance to be corrected flung around and upside down 14 times. I won't repeat myself (for a change) as I have already typed up a bit about the second ride but all I would say is - first row was great - third row = massive headache!
Smiler merch is.....not cheap, although I quite fancied the onesie they do. However Stretchy pointed out that a lot of the products are poor quality so I just bought a small bag (which would probably break if I put anything more than a bog roll in it) and a Smiler wristband. The teddies in there are something ridiculous like £15 = daylight robbery!
Due to delays and the massive queue line (I have always said I would never queue longer than an hour for any ride but a lot of people sat down in the queue line - myself included) so we didn't leave the park until gone 7ish. The monorail was closed so we had to walk about 200 miles to the car park. I was exhausted, sweaty but so happy that I had FINALLY gone to Alton Towers
As I said before, my ride count was low but this didn't put a dampener on the day at all - it would have been nice to try out Air, The Flume and Rapids (we didn't even go to Katanga area ), Rita and Duel but on a busy hot day it was impossible. Being so far from home (Ok not massively far, but just short of 200 miles) I dealt with pretty well and even getting there was a huge achievement for me.
It was lovely seeing Stretchy, ThrillseekerAlex, Ricky, Mr Fish, Matt Creek and Marc again fantastic to meet the lovely Liam aka LIMA and Chris. We went to Harvester afterwards where I suspect we all stunk as they put us on a table away from everyone else and underneath air conditioning - I was SO cold. Ricky made me laugh when he asked for a side order of no air con .
All in all a brilliant day with lovely people - I am hoping to be able to go back to Towers when it is much quieter so I can go on all the rides (if that is even possible in a day) - I had NO idea how big AT is but I love the fact that one minute you are at a ride, then you are walking through what appears to be a forest, then you see how lovely the gardens are. THEY HAVE TREES!!! Thorpe Park could definitely do with a bit of greenery! Having visited Towers it really does make TP look like a concrete jungle - BUT in Thorpes defence, they have a better selection of flat rides IMO.
I thought the staff at Alton Towers were really friendly which definitely makes the day that little bit better when they seem happy and chatty. Though I feel sorry for the guys working on the Smiler - I still have the song stuck in my head - it is like "It's a small world" all over again but the tune is rather catchy even if it does make me feel like I am going insane®
Really glad that I got the opportunity to ride The Smiler - it is a good ride but not something which I would count as world class (but then the only other theme park I have been to outside the UK was DLP over 10 years ago) - it certainly attracts the crowds but for me Nemesis was far superior although I did enjoy the Smiler (first time more so).
So I shall leave my wafflage here and sign off by saying.....SMILE.....ALWAYS!

Whilst this isn't a theme park it is definitely a great tourist attraction and definitely deserves a trip report.
The tour is well known globally with people travelling from all over the world to visit. We saw: English, German, Hungarian, Argentinian, South African, Turkish, Japanese and many more people of different origins. So it is certainly a well known tourist attraction!
So where do we begin? Well firstly, this may contain spoilers for those of you who haven't been and may like too. You have been warned. Secondly, this is very picture heavy.
You arrive at the studios and unsurprisingly they look like film studios. This is because they are, or were.

This lovely sign greets you before you join a lovely cattle pen queue to enter the VT room. Us Brits really love queuing!

The queue has a bit of theming though with Harry's under stair cupboard.
You watch a lovely video about the success of the Harry Potter franchise. Then you move into a seated area and sit before the entrance to Hogwarts! The seating was a bit strange as almost as soon as you were seated you had to move to the doors.

These guards take no prisoners when it comes to protecting Hogwarts!

Then all of a sudden you enter into the Great Hall.

All the teachers are here to keep us safe.

But watch out for the fiery gargoyles!
After a staff member talking to you about the Great Hall you are free to wander the rest of the tour at your own pace. Within this part are many of the props and rooms from the films. This is also where you see how the special effects are done with the use of green screen.

This table looked nice.

Watch your heads, these may fall on you.

Tic toc.

Snape, the good baddy.

The Goblet of Fire with a lack of fire.

An awful panoramic of Dumbledore's office.

I like this door.

Gringotts vehicle.

Tim Burke tells us the magic behind the flying broom, and they really use magic!

Decapitated Hagrid, his dog and their home.

Professor Umbridge has an unhealthy cat obsession.

The Death Eaters disapprove of this.

So create a very strange statue.
From here you go outside to see some of the larger props, very nice of a nice day but I doubt it's much fun in the rain.

This is a purple bus with three floors, your eyes aren't deceiving you.

The houses on Pivet Drive look very nice.

Some work could be done here though.

The bridge.

Certainly a memorable grave.

Wizard chess anyone?

These guys are ready!

And battle commences.
You return inside to the more technical side of Potter with all the costumes, animations, models and drawings.

Who doesn't love Dobby?

The secret behind Hagrid.

Such an innocent looking dog.

Lovely Buckbeak, he means no harm.

Why are people afraid of spiders? This one isn't scary at all.

And Dementors, they're not exactly big, more a nuisance.

Wizard humour...

I just don't get it!

Wizard ice creams on the other hand.

Quite a nice street.

Paper Hogsmeade.

And the tree.
From here there is only two things left, the wand shop Ollivanders which was quite good, and the most spectacular bit of the whole tour.
THE MODEL OF HOGWARTS! Pictures just don't do this justice, it is amazing to think that this was built in only 40 days and used for any of the overview shots of Hogwarts.



Then the lights went and it looked even better!





The whole tour is amazing and whilst it is expensive it is definitely worth visiting once. It is a great hit with people worldwide and with good reason. I'm not a massive Potter fan but still found this tour and look behind the magic great fun and very interesting. I recommend it to everyone!
Thanks for reading

Whilst this isn't a theme park it is definitely a great tourist attraction and definitely deserves a trip report.
The tour is well known globally with people travelling from all over the world to visit. We saw: English, German, Hungarian, Argentinian, South African, Turkish, Japanese and many more people of different origins. So it is certainly a well known tourist attraction!
So where do we begin? Well firstly, this may contain spoilers for those of you who haven't been and may like too. You have been warned. Secondly, this is very picture heavy.
You arrive at the studios and unsurprisingly they look like film studios. This is because they are, or were.

This lovely sign greets you before you join a lovely cattle pen queue to enter the VT room. Us Brits really love queuing!

The queue has a bit of theming though with Harry's under stair cupboard.
You watch a lovely video about the success of the Harry Potter franchise. Then you move into a seated area and sit before the entrance to Hogwarts! The seating was a bit strange as almost as soon as you were seated you had to move to the doors.

These guards take no prisoners when it comes to protecting Hogwarts!

Then all of a sudden you enter into the Great Hall.

All the teachers are here to keep us safe.

But watch out for the fiery gargoyles!
After a staff member talking to you about the Great Hall you are free to wander the rest of the tour at your own pace. Within this part are many of the props and rooms from the films. This is also where you see how the special effects are done with the use of green screen.

This table looked nice.

Watch your heads, these may fall on you.

Tic toc.

Snape, the good baddy.

The Goblet of Fire with a lack of fire.

An awful panoramic of Dumbledore's office.

I like this door.

Gringotts vehicle.

Tim Burke tells us the magic behind the flying broom, and they really use magic!

Decapitated Hagrid, his dog and their home.

Professor Umbridge has an unhealthy cat obsession.

The Death Eaters disapprove of this.

So create a very strange statue.
From here you go outside to see some of the larger props, very nice of a nice day but I doubt it's much fun in the rain.

This is a purple bus with three floors, your eyes aren't deceiving you.

The houses on Pivet Drive look very nice.

Some work could be done here though.

The bridge.

Certainly a memorable grave.

Wizard chess anyone?

These guys are ready!

And battle commences.
You return inside to the more technical side of Potter with all the costumes, animations, models and drawings.

Who doesn't love Dobby?

The secret behind Hagrid.

Such an innocent looking dog.

Lovely Buckbeak, he means no harm.

Why are people afraid of spiders? This one isn't scary at all.

And Dementors, they're not exactly big, more a nuisance.

Wizard humour...

I just don't get it!

Wizard ice creams on the other hand.

Quite a nice street.

Paper Hogsmeade.

And the tree.
From here there is only two things left, the wand shop Ollivanders which was quite good, and the most spectacular bit of the whole tour.
THE MODEL OF HOGWARTS! Pictures just don't do this justice, it is amazing to think that this was built in only 40 days and used for any of the overview shots of Hogwarts.



Then the lights went and it looked even better!





The whole tour is amazing and whilst it is expensive it is definitely worth visiting once. It is a great hit with people worldwide and with good reason. I'm not a massive Potter fan but still found this tour and look behind the magic great fun and very interesting. I recommend it to everyone!
Thanks for reading

Whilst this isn't a theme park it is definitely a great tourist attraction and definitely deserves a trip report.
The tour is well known globally with people travelling from all over the world to visit. We saw: English, German, Hungarian, Argentinian, South African, Turkish, Japanese and many more people of different origins. So it is certainly a well known tourist attraction!
So where do we begin? Well firstly, this may contain spoilers for those of you who haven't been and may like too. You have been warned. Secondly, this is very picture heavy.
You arrive at the studios and unsurprisingly they look like film studios. This is because they are, or were.

This lovely sign greets you before you join a lovely cattle pen queue to enter the VT room. Us Brits really love queuing!

The queue has a bit of theming though with Harry's under stair cupboard.
You watch a lovely video about the success of the Harry Potter franchise. Then you move into a seated area and sit before the entrance to Hogwarts! The seating was a bit strange as almost as soon as you were seated you had to move to the doors.

These guards take no prisoners when it comes to protecting Hogwarts!

Then all of a sudden you enter into the Great Hall.

All the teachers are here to keep us safe.

But watch out for the fiery gargoyles!
After a staff member talking to you about the Great Hall you are free to wander the rest of the tour at your own pace. Within this part are many of the props and rooms from the films. This is also where you see how the special effects are done with the use of green screen.

This table looked nice.

Watch your heads, these may fall on you.

Tic toc.

Snape, the good baddy.

The Goblet of Fire with a lack of fire.

An awful panoramic of Dumbledore's office.

I like this door.

Gringotts vehicle.

Tim Burke tells us the magic behind the flying broom, and they really use magic!

Decapitated Hagrid, his dog and their home.

Professor Umbridge has an unhealthy cat obsession.

The Death Eaters disapprove of this.

So create a very strange statue.
From here you go outside to see some of the larger props, very nice of a nice day but I doubt it's much fun in the rain.

This is a purple bus with three floors, your eyes aren't deceiving you.

The houses on Pivet Drive look very nice.

Some work could be done here though.

The bridge.

Certainly a memorable grave.

Wizard chess anyone?

These guys are ready!

And battle commences.
You return inside to the more technical side of Potter with all the costumes, animations, models and drawings.

Who doesn't love Dobby?

The secret behind Hagrid.

Such an innocent looking dog.

Lovely Buckbeak, he means no harm.

Why are people afraid of spiders? This one isn't scary at all.

And Dementors, they're not exactly big, more a nuisance.

Wizard humour...

I just don't get it!

Wizard ice creams on the other hand.

Quite a nice street.

Paper Hogsmeade.

And the tree.
From here there is only two things left, the wand shop Ollivanders which was quite good, and the most spectacular bit of the whole tour.
THE MODEL OF HOGWARTS! Pictures just don't do this justice, it is amazing to think that this was built in only 40 days and used for any of the overview shots of Hogwarts.



Then the lights went and it looked even better!





The whole tour is amazing and whilst it is expensive it is definitely worth visiting once. It is a great hit with people worldwide and with good reason. I'm not a massive Potter fan but still found this tour and look behind the magic great fun and very interesting. I recommend it to everyone!
Thanks for reading

Yesterday (16/06/13) was my annual trip to the wonderful place that is Alton Towers. The past few weeks I had been quite worried in hearing that Smiler had kept breaking down, stalling and so on. Luckily, we not only got one chance to smile, but we got two!
The park yesterday was fairly quiet with queues ranging from 10-40 minutes for the main coasters with Smiler being between 80 and 120 minutes all day. Everything was working except Oblivion and Enterprise. We had lovely weather all day, not too hot, not too cold, it was just right. It was a great day and I did quite a few new things for me (Nemesis front row, Sub Terra, and The Smiler).
Ride Count:
Nemesis: 3 (1 front 2 back)
The Smiler: 2
Air, Duel, Rita, 13, Sonic, The Flume, Rapids, RMT, Sub Terra, Battle Galleons, Ice Age, Submission, Skyride: 1
Now time for some Smiler pictures and a few others.

Our day started off by seeing this lovely 3D Smiler advert in our hotel (I did want to take it home )

Sunny day at Towers, and the Monorail.

Diving

Corkscrewing

Equalling Colossus' record.

Now beating Colossus' record.

Diving, again.

No advocates...

Advocates!

Random Battle Galleons pic

Oblivion closed, but don't want it to feel left out.

Lots of tangled track.

So much track!

Laughing gas, I mean mist.

Half way corrected!

And I leave you with this sad picture of Harry the duck. All he wants is to become a yellow rubber duck but the staff at Towers can't fund his transformation. To help Harry, all you need to do is ride The Smiler instead of The Flume, then hopefully the staff will realise how important this transformation is for Harry. Thank you for your support.
Thanks for reading

Yesterday (16/06/13) was my annual trip to the wonderful place that is Alton Towers. The past few weeks I had been quite worried in hearing that Smiler had kept breaking down, stalling and so on. Luckily, we not only got one chance to smile, but we got two!
The park yesterday was fairly quiet with queues ranging from 10-40 minutes for the main coasters with Smiler being between 80 and 120 minutes all day. Everything was working except Oblivion and Enterprise. We had lovely weather all day, not too hot, not too cold, it was just right. It was a great day and I did quite a few new things for me (Nemesis front row, Sub Terra, and The Smiler).
Ride Count:
Nemesis: 3 (1 front 2 back)
The Smiler: 2
Air, Duel, Rita, 13, Sonic, The Flume, Rapids, RMT, Sub Terra, Battle Galleons, Ice Age, Submission, Skyride: 1
Now time for some Smiler pictures and a few others.

Our day started off by seeing this lovely 3D Smiler advert in our hotel (I did want to take it home )

Sunny day at Towers, and the Monorail.

Diving

Corkscrewing

Equalling Colossus' record.

Now beating Colossus' record.

Diving, again.

No advocates...

Advocates!

Random Battle Galleons pic

Oblivion closed, but don't want it to feel left out.

Lots of tangled track.

So much track!

Laughing gas, I mean mist.

Half way corrected!

And I leave you with this sad picture of Harry the duck. All he wants is to become a yellow rubber duck but the staff at Towers can't fund his transformation. To help Harry, all you need to do is ride The Smiler instead of The Flume, then hopefully the staff will realise how important this transformation is for Harry. Thank you for your support.
Thanks for reading

Yesterday (16/06/13) was my annual trip to the wonderful place that is Alton Towers. The past few weeks I had been quite worried in hearing that Smiler had kept breaking down, stalling and so on. Luckily, we not only got one chance to smile, but we got two!
The park yesterday was fairly quiet with queues ranging from 10-40 minutes for the main coasters with Smiler being between 80 and 120 minutes all day. Everything was working except Oblivion and Enterprise. We had lovely weather all day, not too hot, not too cold, it was just right. It was a great day and I did quite a few new things for me (Nemesis front row, Sub Terra, and The Smiler).
Ride Count:
Nemesis: 3 (1 front 2 back)
The Smiler: 2
Air, Duel, Rita, 13, Sonic, The Flume, Rapids, RMT, Sub Terra, Battle Galleons, Ice Age, Submission, Skyride: 1
Now time for some Smiler pictures and a few others.

Our day started off by seeing this lovely 3D Smiler advert in our hotel (I did want to take it home )

Sunny day at Towers, and the Monorail.

Diving

Corkscrewing

Equalling Colossus' record.

Now beating Colossus' record.

Diving, again.

No advocates...

Advocates!

Random Battle Galleons pic

Oblivion closed, but don't want it to feel left out.

Lots of tangled track.

So much track!

Laughing gas, I mean mist.

Half way corrected!

And I leave you with this sad picture of Harry the duck. All he wants is to become a yellow rubber duck but the staff at Towers can't fund his transformation. To help Harry, all you need to do is ride The Smiler instead of The Flume, then hopefully the staff will realise how important this transformation is for Harry. Thank you for your support.
Thanks for reading

Yesterday (16/06/13) was my annual trip to the wonderful place that is Alton Towers. The past few weeks I had been quite worried in hearing that Smiler had kept breaking down, stalling and so on. Luckily, we not only got one chance to smile, but we got two!
The park yesterday was fairly quiet with queues ranging from 10-40 minutes for the main coasters with Smiler being between 80 and 120 minutes all day. Everything was working except Oblivion and Enterprise. We had lovely weather all day, not too hot, not too cold, it was just right. It was a great day and I did quite a few new things for me (Nemesis front row, Sub Terra, and The Smiler).
Ride Count:
Nemesis: 3 (1 front 2 back)
The Smiler: 2
Air, Duel, Rita, 13, Sonic, The Flume, Rapids, RMT, Sub Terra, Battle Galleons, Ice Age, Submission, Skyride: 1
Now time for some Smiler pictures and a few others.

Our day started off by seeing this lovely 3D Smiler advert in our hotel (I did want to take it home )

Sunny day at Towers, and the Monorail.

Diving

Corkscrewing

Equalling Colossus' record.

Now beating Colossus' record.

Diving, again.

No advocates...

Advocates!

Random Battle Galleons pic

Oblivion closed, but don't want it to feel left out.

Lots of tangled track.

So much track!

Laughing gas, I mean mist.

Half way corrected!

And I leave you with this sad picture of Harry the duck. All he wants is to become a yellow rubber duck but the staff at Towers can't fund his transformation. To help Harry, all you need to do is ride The Smiler instead of The Flume, then hopefully the staff will realise how important this transformation is for Harry. Thank you for your support.
Thanks for reading

Today I went to Thorpe for the afternoon mainly to get my new pass for my trip to Towers on Sunday but also to explore what the park has to offer for kids as they try to shift their target market to include families.

New pass, check. Drinks capsule, check. And away we go!

Flying Fish is always a good start for your family adventure.

Storm Surge is always good for families, and well liked. Why I don't know but the customer is always right.

Look! Another family coaster and it seems popular today.

And of course there is the good old teacups, even with Tetley sponsorship for all you tea drinking adults.

Then you can continue spinning on the waves of Calypso (but not today as it was closed)

Mr Monkey welcomes you to his banana boat. Yep, not just a pirate ship, a banana boat!
There's also a Carousel behind me but forgot to get a picture of it, thought it might be to extreme for families.

Children can then go on a great fun log flume, but with a double drop!

Next up you can ride a wild train to some awesome music. Provides a great thrill for people of all ages.

Speaking of trains, hopefully these will once again go down allowing families to go on a bear hunt.

Now for the more thrill seeking youngsters Zodiac is a suitable option with only a 0.9 restriction!

And the wild ride that is Quantum which even makes my stomach churn.
Children between over 1.3 but not quite tall enough for the large coasters can also enjoy Rush and Detonator which both offer great thrills for their height restriction.

To end your family adventure you can take a slide down Depth Charge and relax on the beach which is brilliant in nice weather!
Overall, it isn't going to be impossible to shift the target market with lots of it going to be down to marketing as they have a handful of suitable family attractions. I'm sure in a couple of years with the proper hotel and a few years of investment in the park a change will have successfully occurred, and all for the best! As long as they don't lose sight and go too soft with their additions. I am very excited to see how this change turns out!
Note, my day did not consist of riding these rides