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.
Had a bit of a crap time at Oakwood, but some stories have to be told anyway.
Work lumbered me with a morning free in the arse end of Wales, so I thought it would be rude not to pop in, mostly because I’m far more shameless than I once was and having skipped the smaller creds on my last visit, it would be a +3 for me.
Oakwood Theme Park
Turned up bright and early before opening time thinking this’ll be a breeze. Staff were arriving later than me and were confused by my presence. Sat it out until a few minutes prior, by which time a crowd of 20-30 people were ready to roll.
Had a completely free run of the place for the first hour and hit all of the smaller creds in this time.
#1 Circus Clown was tested and opened for me, on request. Good start.
Highlight of the day – I broke #2 Crocodile Coaster. It completed the first lap without a hitch (that’s the +1 sorted), but as it was picking up some speed through the second lap, sparks began to fly and some black smoke wafted up in the vicinity of the trains contact with the power rail. The operator hit the E-stop upon seeing this and ran off to get a manager telling me to stay where I was. I thought to myself, sitting about 2 inches from the floor, ‘if I see any more smoke I ain’t staying.’ He returned and had a quick chat about his procedures and what we thought had happened, can’t fault him at all for how the traumatising ordeal was handled. The manager and some engineers arrived shortly afterwards and coaxed it back into the station. That was fun.
Didn’t know #3 Creepy Crawler (I do admire all this alliteration) had a little themed queue with some fog and an animatronic. That was cool. The ride wasn’t. M&Ds must have given it a hard time.
Even though they were posted as also opening at 10:00 at the entrance, Speed and Megafobia did not open during this time.
So I sat on a bench for half an hour outside Megafobia and waited. By the time it had opened, a couple of hundred school children had rocked up to the park and after getting my first lap, the queue was instantly up to around an hour, with painfully slow one man operations, half the rows closed off cos they’re broken and 10 minute dispatches.
Megafobia
I’d been told this woodie was on its A game recently, but it was pretty much how I remembered it – meh. It rides with the sort of roughness that saps all the airtime away, when you should be pinned out of your seat you just end up bouncing around instead from all the poor tracking.
Sucked up one more wait just to prove a point, then got annoyed and sunburnt and promptly left.
Maybe I should start collecting castles instead of coasters. This is Pembroke Castle. One for the count.
Exciting (or harrowing) news! 2 shiny new creds have hit the UK. But before we get to that, need to squeeze in a little visit here.
Animal Farm Adventure Park
For the second time in a week, I’ve been asked if I want to buy any sheep food. What sort of impression am I giving.
The park is home to a quirky Wacky Worm.
#1 Caterpiller
This model features magnetic brakes that are working far too hard, so the operator has a bit of a work out to get the train through the station for each of the 3 laps.
Reminded me of this scene for some reason.
With the important stuff out of the way, went to see some animals.
Reminding me of Pettitt’s now.
Sheep are rather scary creatures. Something about those eyes.
What’s in the shed?
Admiring the hair do.
Didn’t think llamas coulid have such cute faces outside of animation.
If sheep and goats aren’t scary enough for you, they’ve also got a reptile house.
So just down the road, on the beach at Weston-Super-Mud, this place made its contribution to the world only a week prior to our visit. And what a great name.
Funland at the Tropicana
For the second time in a week, bought some tokens from a dog. This one was inside someone’s shirt, so no picture unfortunately.
10 hours seems a bit of a stretch, but who am I to judge?
As I climb aboard my third Wacky Worm in a row.
#2 Wacky Worm
The paint was still shining and it glided effortlessly through the station.
This one had teething troubles and, for a brief moment, we thought it was going to spite as they evacuated 3 cars from the station and told everyone to go try something else.
This is the same part of the country where we camped out a certain Pinfari looper that was broken for 3 hours, so unperturbed, we simply settled in for the wait.
2 minutes later, following a spanner to the brakes, each car was sent round once and it was back in business. Well that was easy.
#3 Wild Mouse
Used to these being run down and falling apart, making it an unusual experience to ride it in fancy new trains. Gave quite a good run, not blocking at all until the final corner, but definitely missing that sketchy spark.
So there you go. No need for Icon and Wicker Man this year. Have at it.
