Faethe

I am planning to write a detailed letter to Thorpe Park, and will explain what happened, how it made me feel, and how things could have been done differently. I do understand that the way to make changes for future guests / visits is to communicate directly with Thorpe about this, and I will be doing so. I wanted to provide some feedback here too as I had asked for advice and information before my visit to the park and I thought that other people might also come here looking for the same information. I now have more information than I did last week and thought that it might be helpful for others if I was to share it. If anyone has any specific questions about my experience then I would be happy to respond to PMs.

They allowed me 2 friends/carers but they said that they won't do it again unless I get a letter from a medical professional that clearly states that I need two people to help me transfer, or that I would need 2 people in the event of needing to do an evacuation from somewhere other than the usual ride platform. If I decide to go again then I'll get my physio to write me something (she won't charge, but the GP would. I checked and they said a physio letter would be acceptable.) They did also say that they only allowed me 2 carers on Saturday because it was anticipated to be a quiet day and if the park was busier they wouldn't have allowed it. I understand that they could be asking me to walk in order to prove that I meet the mobility requirements, and I sort of understand that. But there is a big difference between being able to walk 25m easily for the purpose of a standard load into a ride carriage and being able to walk the same distance slowly and in pain for the purpose of an evacuation from a malfunctioning ride. Also, Alton Towers have the same mobility requirements and they don't require any level of 'proof'. Again, the safety of leaving a chair on wheels on the platform is questionable but most rides have an area of platform that is behind a rope / chain or fence, or they ask me to put the brakes on the chair or place a bag in front of it so it can't roll. If that's the concern then there are other ways round that. I think the most frustrating part was seeing that they have the facilities to be very accessible but choose for whatever reason not to use them. I'm always very patient and understanding with places that were built long ago and don't have any easy ways to adapt but seeing the facilities there and not being able to use them was worse. I wonder if the staff training goes along the line of 'get people on the ride asap and keep queues to a minimum' and that was the reason I was treated as an inconvenience? Perhaps Alton Towers staff training goes along the idea of 'make sure everyone has a great day'? That could explain why at Alton I always get asked loads of times if I'm having a good day and nothing seems to be too much trouble. I don't know what goes on behind the scenes but I do know that the staff could have been a lot better at Thorpe on Saturday. I did have a good day, There were just a lot of small things that would have been done to make it better and I thought I'd come back here to let you all know how it went after you were so helpful before the trip.

Well I've been and really wasn't impressed with their access. They start off by asking for evidence of your disability (I've never been asked for proof before, usually people are happy to accept that seeing me in my wheelchair is evidence enough). I provided what they wanted though and was given the ride access pass as required. So far so good. I set off round the park though, and was pleased with the access between rides. As people above have commented, the park is reasonably flat and compact so on the whole getting between the rides was very easy. The frustrations I found were with the ride operators. I was made to feel like an inconvenience and was frequently forgotten about. I was asked on a number of occasions if I could walk 25m including steps for evacuation purposes (yes I can) and then told that I must leave my wheelchair and walk about that distance in order to get onto the ride. Whilst I am capable of walking, it is difficult and painful. If it was required in an emergency evacuation situation then I would of course walk and not complain. What was frustrating was that the walking to load onto rides was only necessary because of a combination of the ride staff attitudes and the fact that access gates had been locked with padlocks and were therefore not usable. Most of the rides had good access features in place. Nemesis Inferno and Rumba Rapids being the only ones that I couldn't access without walking on steps, but the others in general had problems because of staff attitudes or locked access facilities. I also encountered difficulties with a lack of signage telling me where the accessible entrances were to rides. Just a few more signs and some staff training would have made so much difference to my day out.

Thank you so much for the replies so far. What is the access around the park like? I'm hoping to be able to get round the park without too much help, but I can't really manage that round Alton Towers and am hoping that Thorpe Park might be more compact and flatter. Is that the case?

Hi I'm a manual wheelchair user planning to visit Thorpe Park for the first time in a couple of weeks. What is the access like around the site? I.e. how hilly is it? are the rides far apart? I've been to Alton Towers a couple of times and I think their ride access passes are the same aren't they? The website says that the ride access pass is issued to anyone with medical evidence of why they can't queue. Are any of the queue line areas wheelchair accessible? Because I can queue like anyone else if I can fit in the place where you're meant to queue, and it doesn't take me up steps etc... If the queue areas aren't accessible then presumably evidence that I have to use a wheelchair is acceptable? How strict are they about how many carers/friends you can take with you on a ride? I'm planning to go with 2 friends, which will make us a group of 3. I can stand and walk a few steps unaided so won't need much help with transfers etc but I don't want to have to choose which friend to take with me on each ride! (Also, I'll need both of them if the ride gets stuck and we have to evacuate from anywhere that isn't the normal place where you get on and off - they take that into account don't they?) Thank you for any help or advice that anyone is able to give me