I remember my first visit to Southend a whole decade ago and I wasn’t too impressed. None of the rides were much cop and the whole experience was a bit bland when compared to the Merlin parks I was frequenting. So I hadn’t been back in what felt like forever and in that time they’d only really added their smallest coaster yet and I was expecting this trip to be nothing more than a token cred hunt.
So how come Adventure Island just became one of my favourite parks in the UK?
Adventure Island
The most significant factor was just how friendly all of the staff were. It was a freezing but bright day at the very end of the season with minimal guests on park and you’d think most people would have given up caring at this stage. From the point of collecting our wristbands and then on to each and every ride operator and attendant in the park, they were all putting their time and effort into making their guests both happy and comfortable, something I have gained a much greater respect for over time.
The star attraction Rage isn’t actually all that bad (glowing praise indeed). For a clunky Gerstlauer Eurofighter it was behaving rather well and I ended up taking an unprecedented amount of laps on it, using the time to appreciate the more endearing features it has to offer.
The pace of the loop is the best of these, providing a satisfying pause at the very top with a little flop into the restraint to break the flow of positive force. Aside from that I was finding it rather intense throughout, in a good way.
Something I never would have appreciated the first time round is the fact that Green Scream isn’t one of the prolific Zierer Tivoli clones found around the world. Again I’m stretching for praise here, but it put me in a good mood and it really was a day of the little things.
The Spooksville dark ride has had an overhaul since I last experienced it, with a total change in interior theming. I had enjoyed the quirky fake ending of the previous iteration for the scare factor, something this update lacked, but it was still amusing.
Why have one custom Zierer Tivoli when you can have two? Barnstormer is smaller but potentially packs more of a punch.
With the rate I get through uninteresting rides, there should have been no reason to enjoy the neighbouring Pinfari, Mighty Mini Mega, but again a little staff interaction goes a long way into bringing out the best of things.
#1 Kiddi Koasta
Enough of these token rerides, it was on to the main event. It’s only a Zamperla speedy coaster but a +1 makes a visit worthwhile all by itself.
I had no idea this existed and upon seeing that it looked like a dark ride I could get behind, we decided to give Adventureville a spin. It has one of those stupidly catchy soundtracks and is packed full of mischievous little bear characters up to all types of antics. To top it off, after the first vanilla lap the train goes round a second time in ‘party mode’, the music and lighting changes and you get double the fun out of the tiny footprint. Genius.
I had been asked several times by staff during the day as to whether I had tried ‘the new one’ yet. Again I didn’t know this was a thing and even though it’s not really my cup of tea, after so many friendly recommendations I figured it would be rude not to give it a go. Axis is an evil flat ride that leaves you suspended upside down far more than I would deem necessary, but I still managed to have a good time on it. There’s something satisfying about the visuals of more mundane surroundings (such as Southend town) with the sky at your feet.
To my own amazement we lasted a full day here just chilling (in more ways than one) and riding, much longer than I ever had previously and it was highly enjoyable. My own perspectives have changed over the years of course but no queues and a relaxed atmosphere can go a long way, two things I don’t think I’ll ever find at a Merlin park again.
For the next portion of the trip we hired a car from an unassuming location in the north of Malmö and took a leisurely drive up the E6 to Gothenburg and little did I know what truly awaited there.
The main reason it was a leisurely drive is the opening hours that Liseberg usually operate under. It’s quite common for the gates to be thrown wide well into the afternoon, as late as 15:00 and this is something I have great respect for. No early morning starts when you’ve just been up til midnight at the previous park. To make up for it, the park is regularly open as late as 23:00 giving plenty of opportunity for night rides, atmosphere and, being another city park, is perfectly set up for locals to casually come and spend an evening full of delights. If I thought living near Tivoli would be life-consuming, then residing in Gothenburg would be absolutely living the dream.
After parking at the hotel, it was a quick and easy ride on the tram to get to the entrance.
Liseberg
There are usually great deals on the park website if you book a visit in advance. I had opted for the 2 day wristband which comes with 3 free timeslotted fastrack tickets for the major attractions of your choice, for both days, so before knowing how good the park was in terms of operations I was already extemely comfortable knowing that there would be ample time to enjoy everything. This was an understatement.
Balder
The visit began with my first experience on an Intamin ‘prefab’ wooden coaster. There are only 4 in the world and Balder is the smallest of these, but that doesn’t hold it back at all. Strangely the station is full of quirky theme tunes such as The Simpsons and the Imperial March from Star Wars. This is topped off by an endearing horn upon dispatch.
The train takes the lift hill with surprising speed and smoothness, builds up some further momentum in the turnaround and then violently hurtles into a deceivingly steep drop for which sitting in the back row is pure carnage. The sole feature that this ride type offers is a bucket load of airtime, packing every opportunity in the layout with hills that kick you well out of the seat. On the first few goes, I found this incredible as it was beyond anything I had experienced before. Over time the method of execution started to become a little jarring. The corners stood out as being very repetitive, purely designed to line you up for the next straight and I soon found myself anticipating each and every moment before it arrived, gradually weakening the impact. Still a fantastic ride, but I’m clearly starting to get fussy.
Kanonen
As though part of a 2 for 1 deal, another Intamin sits just next door, this time in the form of a Hydraulic Launch coaster.
After being told to ‘place your head against the headrest’ by an amusingly nonchalant announcement, the train fires out of the station into a tophat at a slightly underwhelming speed of ~46Mph (compared with the same ride type in the form of something like Stealth, which nearly doubles that and in a shorter amount of time). Crucially though, Kanonen has much more of a layout to offer, so how does this fare?
Unfortunately not well. Something about this train and restraint design, which are generally used to perform record breaking feats, makes each of the comparatively tiny elements here ride with a certain awkwardness. The result isn’t a bad coaster by any means, it just left a lot to be desired.
Also down in this area is the rapids ride, Kållerado. I admire these most when they have both peril and character and this version was done very well. I had a particularly entertaining episode where one of the boats in front of us was stranded, unrelentingly being pushed against a wall by a wave machine and continuously being soaked by a nearby geyser. The boat we were in just decided to go for the overtake and sailed straight past, while the other guests watched helplessly, clearly distressed. I didn’t even know that could happen, but I love it.
It was time to head up towards the hill that spans the western side of the park, an area that was about to become my favourite place on earth.
Lisebergbanen
At the base of this hill is the station for a Zierer/Schwarzkopf/BHS (it’s complicated) family coaster, perhaps the best ‘family coaster’ out there. The operations in themselves are a sight to behold here, as the ride can run up to 5 trains at the same time using a double length station (which is decorated like an actual train station) and various block sections throughout the expansive layout. Once on board, a ridiculous 150ft climb takes you to the top of the hill, before unleashing the potential.
The ride goes on forever, working its way down the hill while interacting with both the landscape and several of the other surrounding rides along the way. With forceful ground hugging turns, sharp changes of direction and significant airtime moments, the lengthy experience is nothing short of incredible.
Helix
Even having had a taste of what this park landscape could provide, nothing could have prepared me for the Mack Launch coaster that sits at the top of the hill. Helix completely redefined the rollercoaster as I know it and instantly became, by far, the best ride I had ever experienced.
The words in a trip report can’t really do it justice, though I did make an attempt to outline the reasons for this claim here.
Nestled between these two masterpieces is Uppswinget, the S&S Screamin’ Swing and this is where the magic happens. It was already one of my favourite flat ride types for the freedom of restraints and sensation of falling out of your seat, but the way this installation swings between Helix and out over the edge of a cliff above the triple spiral of Lisebergbanen, with trains of each ride regularly whizzing past provides nothing short of pure joy for me.
From this very same spot, you can appreciate the height of Atmosfear, the Intamin drop tower. The ride offers unrivalled views of the surrounding city along with a very sustained and satisfying drop sequence.
At the far end of the best hill in the world sits the unassuming Flume Ride. A tranquil series of lifts and meandering sections gradually take you up to the top, passing several other favourites in worryingly close proximity along the way. When the first drop is finally unleashed, it becomes a truly spectacular log flume, kicking you out of your seat not once, not twice, but three times consecutively in an endless barrage of chaos and insanity. The water ride game here is really top notch.
If there’s one criticism I could stretch to for Liseberg it would be the lack of dark rides to round off the otherwise amazing collection of attractions. The only offering is Sagoslottet, a fairy tale castle with suspended flying boat vehicles passing through several well known scenes. Although decent, it doesn’t inspire the desire for multiple laps like most of the rest of the park.
There are two other coasters in the park to keep the younger guests (and me) happy. Rabalder is a Zierer Force Two that sits in the shadows of some of the greatest rides on earth and Stampbanan is a questionably small Preston & Barbieri that blends into it’s area rather nicely.
The queues had been kind to us all day, by means of the highly capable staff and procedures, so the fasttrack tickets I had acquired for free were mostly used out of principle rather than necessity. In the booking process I had used them to secure night rides on the major coasters and as darkness enveloped the park, like Tivoli Gardens, the place really started to feel special.
The night rides were, of course, life changing. The final airtime hill on Helix facing out towards the city will forever remain etched in my mind as one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever encountered. The best part of all? We got to do it all again the following day. I don’t think I could ever tire of Liseberg and due to the raw happiness it instilled in me, I decided it was time to take this hobby a lot further than I had ever anticipated before.
For the next park day we took another train over the bridge to Copenhagen, this time alighting right in the centre. Immediately across the road from the central station entrance is the second-oldest operating amusement park in the world. Noticing a trend here. The location is both surreal and satisfying, I can’t really imagine what it would be like to live in a city and have such easy access to a theme park of this nature, other than perhaps ‘life-consuming’.
Tivoli Gardens
First impressions are, after picking up some wristbands from a self service machine, that it’s a stunner.
There’s a beautiful atmosphere and the way the park manages to seal itself off from the world outside, while still giving you teasing glimpses of the more impressive surroundings is quite remarkable.
Daemonen
The first order of the day was the attractive B&M floorless coaster.
To make the best use of space, most of the ride is positioned above the surrounding pathways, leading to a slightly unorthodox layout. The major selling point for this ride type is that your feet are free to dangle above the track. In the station, a satisfying dispatch sequence has the floor mechanically removed from beneath the train. Front row is a particular highlight with absolutely nothing in front of you and the visuals most closely resembling a POV video.
The ride itself is forceful and quirky. Without much of a first drop to speak of, momentum is steadily built into the ground hugging vertical loop. The other two inversion squeezed in are skillfully negotiated and there’s a surprisingly strong punch of airtime into the final brake run, rounding off the package nicely. Given the obvious limitations of the location, it’s a very impressive coaster.
Around the corner is a multi-level tracked dark ride that visualises the various tales of Hans Christian Andersen. While enjoyable, the standout memory here is the machine outside that actually pays guests to recycle drink bottles.
Better still is the boat based dark ride Minen. It has strange wand-like guns for shooting targets, but it’s not necessary to use them. The most appealing aspects are the indoor atmosphere and the sheer scale of one particular animatronic.
Rutschebanen
Continuing clockwise we reach the other star attraction of the park. At over 100 years of age, it’s the oldest consistently operating coaster in the world, it beats out the one at Bakken in every conceivable aspect and I simply loved it.
The brakemen are still present on ride and each one is a real character, adding entertainment and charisma to the proceedings. They ensure everyone has a good time by exercising their control over the ride, allowing it to surge through the layout at impressive speeds. The layout itself alternates between unnervingly powerful airtime (enhanced by having no real restraint to speak of other than a bar to stop you climbing out) and hilariously strong laterals through enclosed sections, some with impressive theming and others in disorientating darkness. Upon reaching the station, the bars fly up and everyone jumps out of the train while it is still moving – it’s very satisfying. Tivoli are clearly proud of what they have here and they damn well should be.
With what I’d consider to be the most major attractions complete, it was time to explore a little deeper.
Karavenen is another Tivoli Small coaster for the count, decorated by camels.
The nearby Monsunen was a surprise hit for me, the floorless equivalent of a Fabbri Magic Carpet, one of the most understated flat rides around. The intensity is entirely unavoidable and the fountains below added some extra peril.
I wasn’t a fan of the Mack Powered coaster for some reason, it negotiated the track with a particular type of roughness that is likely to stir up a headache more than anything else.
That’s likely the only negative of the day though, as darkness began to fall and the park began to light up, the magic of the place really began to shine through. The S&S shot/drop tower Det Gyldne Tårn was a powerful example of it’s type with equally entertaining views of the surrounding city.
Before a night of rerides on the major coasters, we rounded off the evening with a fascinating stage show at the Pantomime Theatre.
I couldn’t get enough of this park, it was a completely captivating place to spend the day and we stayed for as long as we were physically allowed before taking the midnight train back to Malmö. Bonus shout out to the food here, they’ve got a huge selection of reasonably priced and amazing street snacks, something I’m not usually that fussed about so if I bother to mention it at all – praise indeed. Tivoli Gardens really has everything.
There’s no slowing me down now. A quick look at the Coaster Count nearest list highlighted that there was an opportunity for yet another +3 much closer to home. Finally something to do on a weekend.
South Parade Pier
Fortunately the beach at Southsea wasn’t full of half a million people desperate for a bit of sunlight.
#1 Happy Caterpillar
Brand new for 2020, paint still gleaming, they’ve got a new Wacky Worm lads. Apparently the token man wanted to take cash rather than contactless, but he was denied – them’s the rules. The ride was deceivingly violent, more so than the Barry Island Galaxi. With no braking at all in the station between laps, it just flew through and had me clear out of my seat on the little despatch dip. I can’t remember the last time I sat back row in one of these and the lateral whip into the drop ended up being rather painful, particularly with my reluctance to hold onto anything.
B. Cole & Sons Family Fairground
The other two creds were temporary pop-ups at a fair in neighbouring Southampton. A highly reliable temperature check was administered here before we were allowed to purchase tokens.
First up was ummm… <squints sideways> #2 Runaway Train. It began with calming Reggae music before the official Thomas the Tank engine sponsorship kicked in over the sound system. There wasn’t much airtime to be found and an inversion would have been nice, but there was still a surprising amount of fun laterals in the imaginative oval layout.
The #3 Crazy Dragon was an absolute beast. Couldn’t understand a word the operator was saying through his face shield, but once the ride was up and running it turned into a professional slew of alternating “yubbagonnagetyahandsupwannahearyagonnamakeyascreeeeeeeeeeeeam” and “noneahereyougonnawannagottaputyourhandsintheyubbaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiir” every time the station was navigated, complete with a bubble machine going off in riders’ faces. I enjoyed the shuttle aspect of the ride, with a slight roll backwards out of the station before the intense tyre launch kicked into action. The larger and even more imaginative oval layout provided a great sensation of speed, with the wind in my face reminding me that I’m well overdue a haircut.
So there we have it, a successul run with no spites on some of the finest creds in the country. I’m inching ever closer to the big 1K and why would I need Voyage when I can make it one of these?
Oh yes, it’s great to open up this series again. For my first week of working away from home in forever, I was stuck in Somerset with nothing to do of an evening. Except creds.
Day 1 – Funland Theme Park
Sadly this park has taken the quirk out of their name – no more fun at the Tropicana to be had. They did however pull out their 2 coasters from 2018 and replace them with a fresh pair for me.
#1 Caterpillar
What better way is there to get back in the game than by jumping on a shining Wacky Worm.
It felt so good you can have 2 photos of it.
And what better way to remind me how frustrating this can be. The spinning wild mouse that I had seen running just moments before stepping into the park was now broken. They couldn’t give me a time estimate, but from previous experience of them breaking their zyklon, a man was already inside the tracks sorting things out. I gave them a chance and camped out for 15 minutes.
On my return I was told “it ain’t gonna be a quick fix, got some serious issues here”, so I thanked them and left, with the tokens still rattling in my pocket.
Back at the car I made a phone call to some bloke’s personal mobile number who confirmed that ‘yes, he was Barry Island Pleasure Park.’ He confirmed to me that everything was running and they were planning to keep that going for the next 2 hours. What better way is there to get back in the game than by making another stupid journey for a +1?
If only I had a jet ski.
Barry Island Pleasure Park
It was a rather pleasant drive that ended in absolute carnage. Upon reaching the traffic lights facing the park, 4 police riot vans came screaming around the corner. There were people here, everywhere, in a mass of chaos. I’ve forgotten what that’s like. With several feral youths literally being bundled into the vans in front of me and officers running in all directions, I casually found a parking space and got out to find myself ankle deep in fish and chip papers.
I haven’t moved this fast in many months either. While wading through the nightmare that surrounded me, the only thought in my mind was how I wanted to be in and out of this place as quick as humanly possible.
#2 Cyclone
After using the self service token machine I walked up to the operator of this beast. He gave a confusing speech about bracing for the final brake run because of how sudden it was. For a certified mad man it didn’t even register, though as I returned to the station he asked “see what I mean?” “Umm… yeah, I guess.” All I actually noticed was at least 1000 people queueing on top of each other for the train station just outside the park boundary. That ain’t going well.
Took a token photo of Beastie from Alton Towers. The poor thing, relegated to such a grim place.
Oh no, you’re not spiting me that easily. After failing to make a phone call and confusing a man at the nearby mini golf, I stubbornly proceeded against the odds, in the pouring rain, to have another attempt at the mouse the following evening.
#1 Crazy Mouse
Things couldn’t have looked more different to the previous day as I arrived, but importantly the cred was running. Something ain’t right about this one, the seat was collapsing as I sat down and then the usual spin trigger from these Reverchons kicked in immediately after the lift hill, locked itself in the straight position again halfway through the turns, then something made an awful crunching sound and it continued to rotate wildly throughout the rest of the layout. I don’t think I’ve ever done the double up with a spin before.
I’d estimate my total time in the park to be under 3 minutes. Still got it.
The trip began with our arrival in Copenhagen, upon which we headed straight for the border and a train that would take us to Malmö in neighbouring Sweden. It actually worked out cheaper to stay at a super nice hotel here for the duration of the trip and commute every day back into Denmark than it would have been to sleep in the capital.
And lastly something more traditional and European looking. Good variety.
For our first day over in Denmark, we took another train out beyond Copenhagen to Klampenborg and after a stroll through a forest, avoiding much horse dung, arrived at the world’s oldest operating amusement park.
The first coaster that greets you with a glimpse through the trees even before you set foot in the park, is the Intamin family coaster. After grabbing a ride wristband, I walked straight onto it. There was almost no one around at this time of the morning.
The ride packs a surprising punch if you sit anywhere towards the back of the train. Upon cresting the lift hill, the momentum of the front cars hurl the remainder into a sudden steep and twisted drop with far more force than you’d expect from a ‘family’ ride. It’s a very smooth experience, with some strong cornering and close interaction with the surrounding environments, both natural and artificial. A solid coaster that’s well worth the visit.
The quietness of the morning gave the park a slightly subdued atmosphere. Many of the staff seemingly didn’t want to be working at this time of day, making getting onto some of the rides a chore and there were also a lot of older locals sitting around the various outdoor restaurants that litter the place, throwing out what appeared to be evil stares at anyone who walked by. Hey, I’m just trying to have a good time over here.
The park’s signature wooden coaster used to be a classic, using trains that were operated by a brakeman. Sadly they have since replaced this with modern automatic braking systems that are scattered throughout the layout, removing much of the charm in the process.
I didn’t actually know any of this at the time of riding however, but it was still a very poor experience. At each point that the train wants to enter a drop, the brakes hiss and tug away at it, sapping all the momentum from the ride before it can get going again. In spite of this lack of speed, the track was rough to the point of giving me a headache and the ride was a total disappointment in every aspect. You’d hope a park with such a strong claim to longevity would take pride in their heritage.
As far as modern disappointments go, this Intamin spinning coaster sits just opposite. Though it’s entirely unique, looks impressive and the prospect of a ‘launched lift’ bringing instant energy into the tiny layout sounds exciting, the design is simply very poor.
The cars have these inwards facing seats, which you’d think would be great for watching other rider’s reactions as they are spun wildly around a dizzying layout. In reality, you just get to watch them get punched hard in the neck by the awful restraints and then spend the rest of the duration complaining about that while zero spinning occurs. The reason this happens is the lift hill itself, using an unusual double chain that wrenches the car quickly and uncomfortably up an awkwardly steep slope into a flat S-bend. There’s nowhere for anything but your head to go with the lateral force that this sequence produces and pain is inevitable, unless you’re extremely well braced for it. I gave it a few attempts just to be sure, but there’s no pay-off to being prepared anyway, the rest of the track always failed to induce any rotation in the car and it just navigates a few banked corners through metal sheds while I wondered what went wrong?
A far better coaster is the tiny Zierer Tivoli that we managed to squeeze into for a couple of laps. For some reason the tyre lift hill on Mariehønen was slipping wildly and managing to hold the train at an angle for several seconds before entering the layout. It appeared like the operator was making it do this on purpose and if so, fair play for trying to make it more fun.
It started to rain at this point and a wet lap on the Mack wild mouse was somewhat enjoyable, punchy in all the right places and some amusingly harsh braking.
As it got heavier, I boarded the final coaster in the park. Racing is an unusual Zierer ride that was once a travelling fairground attraction. The single seater cars take a few awkward curved drops at low speeds and not a whole lot happens.
In terms of other attractions, the most significant we tried was an old ghost train named Spøgelsestoget. Though the design on the front of the cars amused me, the ride otherwise failed to entertain us. A good number of things here seem rather poorly presented and not particularly well looked after.
Not the strongest of starts then. What was supposed to be a charming old park gave me very little reason to like it and this hobby seems to be turning me into a miserable old man already. Luckily a few more laps on Mine Train Ulven managed to lift spirits before departing.
To me, Gerstlauer started off as a manufacturer who often made very solid family rides, but when it came to the high thrill creations, starting with their Eurofighter models, they were quite a way off the mark. The clunkiness of the trains and the seemingly below average track quality meant that these never managed to stand out as good rides by their own merit, instead relying on the public marketability of either a strong theming package or the signature vertical lift hills and beyond vertical drops.
In 2008 they began an experimental phase, introducing LSM launches into the mix with two ‘Launch Coasters’ built in Europe over two years along with the integration of this technology back onto Eurofighters. This started to point them in the right direction, but there was still the matter of the trains and those awful shoulder restraints to sort out.
Their first Infinity coaster came in 2013 and smashed the world record for the highest number of inversions in any layout. Although Smiler had different trains to any Eurofighter, the nature of this record likely contributed to keeping the restraints the same. Just 2 months later, all the hardware finally fell into place with the opening of Karacho. Open seating and minimalist lap bars not too dissimilar to the ‘clamshells’ found on a B&M hyper meant that, for me at least, the Infinity Coaster now had the potential to really shine. No one could have imagined where they would go with it next, but there have been some spectacular results.
For a very brief period of time, I would have ridden every one of this ride type in the world – between my cancelled trip to Adventureland, Iowa at the start of June 2020 and the opening of Pitts Special at Powerland in Finland by the end of the same month. For now we’ll just have to live without those two and examine the rest.
#9 Karacho (Tripsdrill, Germany) – Although it finally brought the lap bars to the table, this early attempt wasn’t quite all there for me. The awkward way it enters the launch by tipping you forward just moments before you get slammed back into your seat by the force of the acceleration is actually quite unpleasant. Beyond that, I didn’t encounter any standout moments in the layout and it became a rather forgettable experience.
#8 Madagascar Mad Pursuit (Motiongate, UAE) – As the first of these rides to not include any inversions, this entirely indoor launch coaster relies heavily on interacting with theming. It felt a little more like a family ride in that it never had any substantial moments of airtime and didn’t get particularly intense. I couldn’t but help get the sense that the ride was holding back a bit.
#7 Smiler (Alton Towers, UK) – It may have been lumbered with the shoulder restraints, but going upside down 14 times makes for a very intense ride experience even for the hardiest of enthusiasts, something I’ve come to appreciate more as time goes on. The airtime hills that interrupt the almost endless inversions are the most satisfying part for me. I can’t help but wonder how good this could have been.
#6 Fury (Bobbejaanland, Belgium) – Following the experimental trend of these rides, Fury was the first of its kind to have buttons in the seats that allowed riders to vote for whether they wanted to go forwards or backwards through the triple launch shuttle layout. It was a very satisfying moment for me to end up going backwards on my first attempt as there’s nothing I love more than to be surprised by a layout. Sadly I spent most of the lap just willing the ride to give a little more. While disorientating and fun, I believe it lacked just one truly intense moment to span the gap between good and great.
#5 Gold Rush (Slagharen, Netherlands) – Though lacking a little in length, the next of the triple launchers manages to pack a lot more punch into it’s footprint. The flop out of your seat following the reverse launch halfway through an inversion is insane, the exit from the top hat provides a strong moment of ejection and the train moves with a lot more purpose throughout.
#4 HangTime (Knott’s Berry Farm, USA) – The rides seem to be getting prettier as we go. Rather than any launches, HangTime returns to the vertical lift feature and then adds a terrifying holding brake into the mix. With a ridiculous amount of freedom and openness from the trains, riders literally hang forward over the edge of this drop with barely any contact between body and restraint for several scary seconds. Once the teasing is over, the vicious first drop hurls you into a layout that vaguely resembles one half of a Smiler – disorientating inversions punctuated by a killer airtime hill, providing the perfect answer to my earlier wondering about how good it could have been.
#3 Mystic (Walibi Rhône-Alpes, France) – Here we have yet another different style of layout. I really do admire the variety in this list so far. The vertical lift is combined with the shuttle aspect to produce some incredible results. The twisted first drop hits in all the right places and the inverted spike that stalls the train before sending it backwards through the course is pure insanity. It dangles riders on their heads for what feels like eternity with almost nothing keeping you in your seat. That’s the moment that really sets Mystic apart.
#2 Junker (Powerland, Finland) – To me, this felt like the perfect evolution of the Gerstlauer launch coaster design. With no awkward starting gimmicks, riders are smoothly and powerfully fired into the initial top hat. Every moment from here on out contains a wicked contrast in forces, with the strongest ejector coming as a complete surprise out of the mid course brake run and there’s a particularly odd and intense sequence throughout the wonderfully novel Finnish loop inversion. The result is an amazing all round package, which is exactly what I look for in a coaster. It’s also just that little bit longer than nearly everything above, which makes Junker even more satisfying.
#1 Schwur des Kärnan (Hansa Park, Germany) – As strong as some of the newer creations have been, 2015 really was the year of the Infinity coaster and there can only be one winner of this list, the beast itself. The ambition and scale of this ride is unprecedented, housing and theming a ~240ft drop like no other, the highest Gerstlauer have ever been by a significant margin. Within the same building Kärnan hides yet another unique feature – a backwards vertical freefall during the lift hill. The outdoor layout also puts most other similar sized hyper coasters to shame, with just two other high points in the first twisted sequence before the train plummets to the floor through some violent transitions and stays at almost full speed, low to the ground, for the remainder of the course. In complete contrast, the only inversion is taken at a snails pace and, apologies for mentioning them one more time, the trains give this a spectacular sensation, keeping it incredibly intense to the very end. There’s no other experience like this on earth, and with good reason.
Did you know Clarence Pier got 2 new creds this year? Well they did. Out with the old, in with the new. So I went to get them.
Clarence Pier
#1 Tidal Wave
There’s a bigger than usual SBF spinner. Got a bit of evil ejector in that single drop with its wacky worm-esque layout.
#2 Mad Mouse
And an SBF replica of what they had before. Still almost as sketchy with the cars bumping into each other in the station and a man pushing them.
What else is Portsmouth good for, other than creds? Boats.
Done this one before, many years ago. So we did the new and improved Mary Rose museum this time. Previously it was just a shed in which they were spraying the wreckage they dragged up with waxy stuff to keep it nice and preserved.
Now you can see it all up close and even breathe in the 500 year old wood. Pretty cool stuff, if you’re into your history.
Think I might prefer this one though. World’s only passenger hovercraft. Thats a bragging right.
Decided on a leisurely mop up of the south east coast – all those creds that were insultingly close to me but not yet ticked off.
Dreamland
Visited this place before when it first reopened with the woodie and some worm. But now they’ve got a different worm! Wasn’t impressed with the woodie, being a bit of an insult to its type because the brakemen run it like wimps (not drugged up Danes) and therefore it doesn’t do anything. Didn’t reride.
Encountered some poorly explained rule about a minimum spend on a points card for the rides, which was a bit of a pain for those looking for a quick cred stop. Apparently you could spend the excess on food, but I didn’t manage to find a place where that was true, every single establishment turned me away in confusion. This may just have been because I was rushing for parking reasons.
#1 Pinball X
And for the same reasons, here’s a bad shot of the also new spinner. You know what they look like. The area it’s in is a lot nicer than I remember. They’ve redone all the pathing and got grass and trees in there. All I remember from before was tarmac and 90s flat rides, which didn’t fit the vibe the park was going for. It span very well for the Zamperla edition. They’ve always struck me as the weaker ones compared to Reverchon.
#2 Beehive Coaster
First worm of the day, but it’s actually a bee. Isn’t that something.
Done.
Found a nice picnic spot on route. These cliffs are greener than I expected.
First picture of the sea for the day.
Dymchurch Amusement Park
This place isn’t quite what I was expecting. The entrance is literally in the middle of a high street, you can park at the chemist opposite and stroll in for your cred.
Imagine living in that house, then imagine if it was a decent park. Crazy.
#3 Family Coaster
Second worm of the day. Might be the longest I’ve ever sat in one while it was loaded with guests. Isn’t that something.
Second picture of the sea.
Next.
Flamingo Park
Ah, the place that I foolishly got spited by on a weekday. Nearly gave up on it again as Hastings was the busiest place in the world just because a bit of sun was out. Almost impossible to park. Ended up in a mall in the town and making a bit of a trek.
#4 Caterpillar
Best and cheapest worm of the day though. Ride ops were enthusiastic, high-fiving people through the station and getting everyone to hands up on the drop. See, no shame.
So that was a fun little +4. British summers at their best.
I’ve been putting off Southport for what seems like forever now, which may have been a mistake as they keep removing as many rides as they gain. They also seem to hardly ever be open, so while I was in the area for work on a Friday afternoon, I grabbed the opportunity for a short weekend of cred hunting.
Southport Pleasureland
Rain seems to be the bane of my life in this hobby now. The Pinfari looper wasn’t ready first thing because of “health and safety stuff” and “the rain.”
The payment system here seems a bit harsh, you have to get a cashless card with credit on it to ride anything. This costs £1 which isn’t refundable (unlike most other places with this system), each individual has to pay for their own (unlike most other places with this system) and it only lasts until the ‘end of the season’ (which is in like 2 weeks) rather than for a decent length of time (like most other places with this system).
Did the weird little powered coaster #1 Grand Canyon to start, it should have been an added bonus, as I thought there was only a +2 here to begin with.
Walked up to the Wacky Worm that was running. “Just gonna do some maintenance now, come back in 10.” Strange, the place only opened half an hour ago, but fair enough.
Waited another half an hour, keeping an eye on the other cred in the meantime. Spite. Not ready yet, gotta go and stick another hour on the car parking. Sat and watched it from the outside for a while. There goes the Wacky Worm. Back in we go.
#2 Caterpillar
+1.
Asked about the looper again. “Not quite ready yet, we’re doing maintenance on the dumbos and then we’ll move on to that one.” K. Went for some lunch and sat watching from the car again. Parking ran out again. No sign. Couldn’t be arsed to walk in again, so made a phone call. “Got problems with the brakes, probably won’t open today.” Spiteport.
There’s a good little hive of activity going on in North Wales, with 3 ‘parks’ and an (un)healthy +4 all within 5 minutes of each other. So on to greener pastures. Knightly’s Funfair
Got slightly worried as the cred didn’t seem to be listed on the price sign here. Never fear, it just comes under the generic ‘Children’s rides’. Sounds good to me.
£1 deposit on a card that both people can use. Deposit back on return. Card lasts 2 years.
#3 Twin Spiral Dragon Coaster
Powered dragon that people can be arsed to run. Sounds good to me. Actually had the biggest queue of the day, waited a whole trains worth!
Tir Prince Family Funfair
£1 deposit on a card that both people can use. Deposit back on return. Card lasts 2 years.
#4 Batman
Another Fabbri spinner for the set. Didn’t notice that the cars tilt last time. I hope they’re supposed to. Quite good fun with the fact they are free spinning on the weird perpendicular lift hills. Got a decent spin throughout.
#5 Crazy Caterpillar
Another Wacky Worm for the set. How about a picture from the inside for once?
Family Fun Fair
Final place was another worrier as half of it is a construction site with signs saying coming 2019.
You can find it by the massive drop tower in the car park, for decorative purposes only. The cred was still here though and just about to pack up for the day, but unlike Mack’s Amusements, they didn’t turn down token money in hand.
This one’s a #6 Nessi. That’s all the classic creds covered today.
