RCCGB Mega-GLOW-Mania Weekend 2018

Date: Friday 10 August 2018 to Sunday 12 August 2018
Venues: Folly Farm, Oakwood Theme Park, Heatherton World of Activities
Who Went: Me and a large number of other RCCGB members, including Andy Hine, Barry Frost, Brian, Lucy Cosnett, Mark and Margo Lewis, Matt Walker, Planenut, Ryan Hackett, Stevie Bee, Wendy Adams Evans.

DISCLAIMER: The above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of everyone who attended. It's a small sample of attendees; mainly those I spoke to and/or rode with at Folly Farm and/or Oakwood. I sincerely apologise to anyone else who was at Folly Farm, Oakwood and/or Heatherton and I've not listed. Not everyone (whether or not listed above) attended all three Parks.

Introduction

The Club's annual visit to rural Pembrokeshire, primarily to visit Oakwood Theme Park. Just like each year from 2013 to 2017 inclusive, the Oakwood visit was on Saturday when the Park was open to the public until 22:00, thereby enabling the Club to end the day with its traditional dark ERS on Megafobia. Add-ons to Oakwood were Folly Farm near Begelly on Friday (including exclusive use of the Vintage Funfair and a cooked meal after closing time), and Heatherton World of Activities on Sunday. Just like last year, I attended Folly Farm and Oakwood, but for various reasons ended up giving Heatherton a miss.

To make the rest of this report easier to read, I've split it into sections. Click the applicable link below to jump to the section you want to read:

Thursday 9 August 2018
Day 1 - Friday 10 August 2018
Day 2 - Saturday 11 August 2018
Day 3 - Sunday 12 August 2018
Outro

Enjoy my report at your leisure.

Thursday 9 August 2018

Getting to Kilgetty

For me the weekend began with a train journey from Bath Spa to Kilgetty. Unfortunately, problems arose from the start. The 12:36 train, which I was booked to travel on from Bath Spa to Newport, was slightly delayed; it left Bath Spa at 12:45. Consequently, I arrived Newport at 13:48, having just missed my specified connecting train to Swansea. Meanwhile, I had time to get myself a small Americano at Newport station. The next available train going Swansea direction was scheduled to depart at 14:07. When this train finally arrived at 14:25, there was conflicting information as to whether this was going all the way to Swansea, or just to Cardiff Central. Anyway, I got on, and it terminated at Cardiff Central. Once there, I continued my journey on the 14:43 train to Carmarthen. My Advance ticket was just to Swansea, and I had a separate flexible ticket for Swansea to Kilgetty, so I stayed on this train all the way to Carmarthen, and arrived there at 16:29.

I intended to break my journey at Carmarthen anyway, so I could get myself a meal in the town centre early evening. At 17:10 I went to Harvester, St Catherine's Walk, for dinner. For main course I enjoyed scampi, fries and garden peas. A fill it myself salad bowl was also included; I filled my bowl with a mixture of salad items including couscous and croutons. To round off my meal, I had a Black Forest Sundae for dessert. In addition, I had a glass of orange juice to drink with my meal.

Back at the station, I completed my journey on the 19:05 train to Kilgetty. Having finally arrived at Kilgetty at 19:40, I walked to the hotel in Begelly, where I had pre-booked for three nights. After checking in I relaxed in my room the rest of the evening.

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Day 1 - Friday 10 August 2018

Friday First Thing

When I woke up around 07:45 I noticed rain had fallen overnight. According to the forecast, rain was expected most of the morning, however a dry interval around 10:00 looked possible. Early afternoon showers were expected, and after 15:00, the weather was expected to be mostly sunny. Ideally, I needed a dry interlude to walk to Folly Farm mid-morning, and once there, changeable weather would influence how I would utilise my time there. Around 08:50 I had breakfast, consisting of cereal, orange juice, a full cooked breakfast, toast and coffee. That filled me up for the morning! Worryingly, there was a heavy downpour outside during breakfast.

Daytime

Since I was staying in Begelly for the third year running, I walked from my hotel to Folly Farm. Thankfully by 10:00 the rain had stopped and the sun appeared, so I gathered everything I wanted to take, and left as soon as possible. Whilst walking I was concerned that I might get caught in another heavy downpour part way, but it remained dry and sunny all the way. Folly Farm was already open, and the general public were being admitted, when I arrived just before 10:30. At the reception, I said I was booked on the RCCGB trip, showed my trip badge, letter and membership card, and was admitted. Next, I had an Americano at Cwtch Coffee before exploring the Park

Having finished my coffee, I went to the Follywood area across the road. Whilst there I had one go on the Land Train, which followed a track past various animals. Afterwards, I saw various breeds of pig in Percy's Piggery. Back in the main part of the Park, I explored the zoo next. I began by seeing the giraffe enclosure. My first sighting of other RCCGB members was Nev and few others, in this area, around 12:20. Whilst here I also saw the zebras. Afterwards, I saw the lion enclosure, followed by the penguins (including the underwater view). Around 13:30 I went to Carousel Café for a coronation chicken and salad filled roll, plus an Americano. That's all I wanted after my big breakfast earlier. After lunch, I returned the zoo to see more animals. I headed straight for the far corner of the zoo, and explored the Kifaru Reserve rhino enclosure. Nearby, I saw various other animals, including reindeer. Back in the main part of the zoo, I saw the meerkats and the walk-through aviary.

Having left the zoo around 15:30, I had a strawberry swirl Whippy ice cream from The Dairy Shed ice cream kiosk. Afterwards I rode the new-for-2018 Paratrooper ride. Whilst waiting to ride it, I saw Stevie Bee, Lucy Cosnett, Wendy Adams Evans and a few other RCCGB members. The ride experience was just like any other Paratrooper ride I've been on before; thrilling, but fun. Due to the need to pay to ride this, I only had one go, but even if it was free, I don't think I could have ridden it twice straight off. Around 16:10 I had a much-needed cappuccino at Cwtch Coffee. Finally, from around 16:30, I enjoyed playing on all parts of Carousel Woods indoor play structure until just before closing time of 17:30, including the four-lane Astra slide, tube slides and multi-level towers. A fun way to round off normal opening time. My only inconvenience was having to leave my rucksack and trainers unattended by one of the play structure access points, and having to check on them from time to time. There really ought to be lockers nearby for visitors to put luggage in.

Exclusive Fair Session

Folly Farm officially closed at 17:30. For us, the best was yet to follow: our Exclusive Fair Session (EFS) in the Vintage Funfair. During this part of the day I wore my RCCGB Fun Night T-shirt, fluorescent pink sports shorts and fluorescent pink football socks. The Club began riding around 17:45. Together the Club rode 1950s Caterpillar Ride, Jets, 1937 Coronation Speedway and Rock n' Roll Waltzer once each. The next ride was the Ghost Train; I only had one go, but I think some attendees rode this more than once. The last ride before dinner was the 1938 Dodgem Track; I only had one go on it but some members had two goes.

It was now time for dinner at the Funfair Restaurant. Members had fish and chips, sausage and chips or pasta Bolognese (specified when booking this trip); I had fish and chips. Nev briefly spoke about Saturday's plans, but there were no speeches from staff members. After dinner we had more rides, starting with 1936 Lakin Swirl; a few members including me were lucky enough to have two goes on it. Next, members rode Chair-o-Plane and Folly Farm's Famous Gallopers once each. The penultimate ride of the evening was 1950s Cyclone Twist; some including me managed to have two goes on it. Just like the last few years, the EFS ended with the Brooklyn Cakewalk. Some members had multiple goes on it; I had three goes.

Summary of my day in order of activity

Daytime

Americano at Cwtch Coffee
Land Train
Percy's Piggery
The Zoo
Lunch at Carousel Café
The Zoo (continued)
Ice cream from The Dairy Shed
Paratrooper 1 go
Cappuccino at Cwtch Coffee
Carousel Woods (almost one hour)

Exclusive Fair Session

1950s Caterpillar Ride 1
Jets 1
1937 Coronation Speedway 1
Rock n' Roll Waltzer 1
Ghost Train 1
1938 Dodgem Track 1

Evening meal at Funfair Restaurant

1936 Lakin Swirl 2
Chair-o-Plane 1
Folly Farm's Famous Gallopers 1
1950s Cyclone Twist 2
Brooklyn Cakewalk 3

Alphabetic Summary Table of EFS Rides

Ride	Total
Brooklyn Cakewalk	3
1950s Caterpillar Ride	1
Chair-o-Plane	1
1937 Coronation Speedway	1
1950s Cyclone Twist	2
1938 Dodgem Track	1
Folly Farm's Famous Gallopers	1
Ghost Train	1
Jets	1
1936 Lakin Swirl	2
Rock n' Roll Waltzer	1
TOTAL	15

Rest of Friday

When the EFS ended, the day was over and we all had to return to the car park. It was still dry and sunny outside at the time. Mark and Margo kindly gave me a lift back to my hotel. Having arrived there soon after 20:00, I relaxed in my room the rest of the evening.

Friday Summary

Altogether a pleasurable appetiser to Mega-GLOW-Mania at Oakwood. It was great adding the Paratrooper ride to my ride count. I particularly enjoyed playing on Carousel Woods indoor play structure for nearly an hour late afternoon. Best of all was the EFS after 17:30: a few vintage rides, a meal at the Funfair Restaurant, and more vintage rides ending with the Brooklyn Cakewalk. Wearing my self-designed black RCCGB Fun Night T-shirt, fluorescent pink shorts and fluorescent pink football socks just for that part of the day added to the fun of the EFS. Basically, the visit to Folly Farm can be summed up as a leisurely day around the farm, zoo and other attractions, culminating in a spin on the vintage rides early evening, as a warm-up to Oakwood the day after. Best of all, the weather turned out dry all day, and mostly sunny. Many thanks to Andy Hine for arranging this trip, including EFS, to Folly Farm; I hope it continues as part of Mega-GLOW-Mania next year and beyond. Thanks also to the ride staff for operating the rides and caterers for providing the meal after closing time, and to Mark and Margo for giving me a lift back to my hotel in the evening.

More about Friday at Folly Farm available here

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Day 2 - Saturday 11 August 2018

Saturday First Thing

The first let-down was the weather! According to the forecast, light rain was expected from 09:00 to noon, and mainly heavy rain thereafter. The predicted wind speeds from 11:00 onwards also gave cause for concern. Worse still, thunder was anticipated for 23:00, just as the Club's dark ERS was scheduled to end. Rain and strong winds were the last thing anyone would want where one would be spending most of the day outside. My biggest fear was whether or not the wind and/or rain would necessitate closure of Megafobia and/or other major rides, and/or early closure of Oakwood at 17:00 or 18:00. Anyway, I got ready and packed my rucksack. At 08:00 I had an early breakfast, consisting of cereal, followed by beans on toast. Afterwards, I waited outside until Mark and Margo arrived to take me to Oakwood.

Welcome to Oakwood

Mark, Margo and I arrived at Oakwood around 08:50. Light rain was already falling, so unsurprisingly other attendees were waiting under the entrance canopy. Shortly afterwards everyone entered the Park for the morning ERS.

Morning ERS

Saturday began with a one-hour ERS on Oakwood's famous wooden coaster Megafobia. An unexpected delay occurred at the start, but after two test runs, Megafobia was ready to ride around 09:15. Due to the delayed start, the ERS continued until around 10:10. During the ERS, I clocked up eight goes. The train seemed to be running quite quickly around the track in the light rain. Altogether this was a great ERS on Megafobia; the perfect way to start the day at Oakwood, despite the weather.

Free Time

When the ERS ended, no further communal activities were planned as part of the trip itinerary until the dark ERS on Megafobia after closing time. Members dispersed around the Park, to take over the rides. I began normal opening time by riding The Creepy Crawler! (formerly Flight of the Giant Peach) in the Spooky Street area. Although a fun ride, it was over too quickly for my liking. For now, I only had one go. Around 10:40 the rain was getting heavier, so I went to The Oak Tree for a coffee. Since several other Mega-GLOW-Mania attendees were queuing, and only one person was serving, it took me until around 11:00 order an Americano. Due to the weather, I stayed in considerably longer than I intended. Although I spoke to Lucy Cosnett for a while after finishing my coffee, I didn't expect to be there until just after 12:00!

Having put my rain gear back on, I went to Neverland for my next few rides. I approached Tink's Flying School, but it had just closed due to the weather. My first ride here was one go on the tractor ride Neverland Chase. Next, I had two goes on Skull Rock. It may seem odd that I wanted to ride this log flume in the rain, but being as I was already wearing my wet weather gear, it made sense for me to ride Skull Rock. After that, I rode Oakwood Aerodrome and The Streets of London Tour once each; neither were particularly exciting, but nonetheless worth riding to say I had been on them during this visit. On a general note, riding in the rain was rather unpleasant, to say the least. I had my cagoule hood up, which restricted my field of vision somewhat. Around 13:15 I felt like a light lunch, so I returned to The Oak Tree, where I had a chicken and sweetcorn baguette and a black coffee. Once again, I lingered longer than expected, due to the weather! Around 14:15 I finally left to brave more rides in the rain.

My first ride after lunch was Tea Cups. The ride experience was what one would expect from a tea cup ride, but once was enough for now. Afterwards, I put my rucksack in storage at the Box Office, to save me carrying it around in the rain all afternoon and early evening, and furthermore I was contemplating riding some water rides. Despite the wet weather, the boat ride Drenched was running, and since I had my rain gear on, I thought I'd might as well ride it. As expected, there was a mighty splash on landing! This was my only go on Drenched all day. Afterwards I returned to The Oak Tree for another Americano. Once again, I stayed in considerably longer than expected after I had finished my coffee.

Eventually I went outside again for more rides in the rain. I walked through the indoor attraction Journey to Neverland. My one passage through it now, to see its interior, was worthwhile but I wouldn't class this as a ride. My next proper ride was Skull Rock; I had two goes. Next, I headed for Waterfall. I enjoyed sliding its left and right slides (as seen facing their entrances from the top) in sequence twice over. Each time I sailed across the landing pool without keeling over. After that, I passed the entrance to Treetops roller coaster, but it was closed. Attendants were doing test runs to see if it could operate successfully on the wet track, but they were uncertain as to whether or not it would reopen the rest of the day; I ended up not riding it all day. Next, I approached Snake River Falls. Out of its four slides, Cobra was closed, but the other three slides were all operating. I enjoyed the three working slides: left open slide, right open slide, Python in sequence twice over. N.B. references to the two open slides are as viewed facing their entrances from the top of the tower. Just before my last go on Python, I saw Wendy Adams Evans and Lucy Cosnett, just outside the landing area.

By now I had clocked up 13 water rides since putting my rucksack in storage at the Box Office. One may be surprised I wanted that many wet rides in the rain, but since I was already wearing my rain gear, and was wet from the rain anyway, it made sense to ride them. At 17:13 I returned to The Oak Tree for another much-needed Americano and, once again, I stayed there a good while after finishing my coffee.

Around 18:00 I went outside for more rides in the rain, starting with two goes on Oakwood Aerodrome, followed by one go on Tea Cups. Next, I went on the Pirate Ship; although a fun ride, once was enough for me. After that, I approached the Boating Lake. Despite the weather, the pedaloes were able to operate, so when a boat became vacant, I got into one, and pedalled around the lake once. Pedalling alone was somewhat tiring. Having disembarked, I approached Megafobia. This was walk-on, presumably due to the wet weather, so I had two goes. This was my first time of riding Megafobia, other than during the ERSs, in all the years I've attended Mega-GLOW-Mania. Next, I had one go on the toboggan run Bobsleigh. Riding this in its wet condition felt somewhat different to riding it whenever the track has been dry; I had to take extra care on the slippery track, braking regularly during descent. After that, I had one go on The Creepy Crawler! Just like when I rode it in the morning, it was all over too soon for my liking. Finally, I went across to Neverland, to have one more go on Oakwood Aerodrome; this was my final ride during normal opening time. Having left Neverland for the final time, I collected my rucksack from the Box Office and went to Woody's Burger Bar, where I had a large double burger meal. Since it was raining, I sat in the indoor seating area to consume my burger and fries.

The ColourFest UV Paint Party took place from 21:00 to 21:20 as part of the After Dark event. Visitors could buy UV powder packs from the Megafobia shop to throw, under the ultra violet lighting, in the designated area in front of the stage. For several reasons, I didn't want to take part in the UV powder fight, and I definitely didn't want other people throwing UV powder at me, so I hurried to The Oak Tree where I had my final Americano of the day. Soon after 21:30, I returned to the top of the hill in front of the stage. When I got there, KaraOAKe, a new addition to the After Dark programme for 2018, was already well under way. A lady, on stage, performed pop songs, for visitors to sing along with. I stood and listened to the last few songs. This led seamlessly into the spectacular firework display, which began about ten minutes before closing; I remained where I was to watch the fireworks.

Megafobia Dark ERS

With the public now gone, the finale was our one-hour dark ERS on Megafobia. Many members wore or held glow sticks, some had something with flashing lights and some wore hi-vis clothing. Since some members were covered in UV powder after taking part in the ColourFest party, I was now wearing an old grey T-shirt, an old sweatshirt and an old pair of grey jogging bottoms. Furthermore, the blue cagoule I wore all day in the rain was an old one anyway, so I wasn't overly concerned about getting paint powder on that either. Around my neck was a loop of thin glow sticks I had activated and assembled earlier. During this ERS I enjoyed eight goes; I sat next to Brian on my second go and Ryan Hackett on my fourth go. As usual, party music and disco lights in the station accompanied this ERS. However, by the end of my third go, a trip switch had blown, cutting off Nev's sound system and Mark's disco lights. Fortunately, that didn't affect the station lights or the running of Megafobia. When the trip switch was reset, the music continued for the rest of the ERS, but Mark's disco lights were not used again. My final go on Megafobia was its very last run of the day. The rain was very heavy, and hammering down during this particular run. Altogether another hair-raising ERS, definitely the grand finale of the day, despite the rain! The ride seemed considerably faster and rougher than during the morning ERS. Riding Megafobia in the dark was totally different to in the morning; it wasn't possible to see where we were going, or the surrounding countryside. The party music (and disco lights to begin with) in the station added to the fun; no wonder this has been called "the best ERS of them all".

Summary of my day in order of activity

Morning ERS: Megafobia 8

After ERS
The Creepy Crawler! 1

Americano at The Oak Tree

Neverland Chase 1
Skull Rock 2
Oakwood Aerodrome 1
The Streets of London Tour 1

Lunch at The Oak Tree

Tea Cups 1
Drenched 1

Americano at The Oak Tree

Journey to Neverland 1
Skull Rock 2
Waterfall left slide, right slide, left slide, right slide
Snake River Falls: left open slide, right open slide, Python, left open slide, right open slide, Python

Americano at The Oak Tree

Oakwood Aerodrome 2
Tea Cups 1
Pirate Ship 1
Boating Lake 1
Megafobia 2
Bobsleigh 1
The Creepy Crawler! 1
Oakwood Aerodrome 1

Evening meal at Woody's Burger Bar
Americano at The Oak Tree
Firework display

Dark ERS: Megafobia 8

Cumulative Summary of My Rides (ERSs and Freetime Combined)

Ride	Total
Boating Lake	1
Bobsleigh	1
Drenched	1
Journey to Neverland	1
Megafobia	18
Neverland Chase	1
Oakwood Aerodrome	4
Pirate Ship	1
Skull Rock	4
Snake River Falls: left open slide	2
Snake River Falls: Python	2
Snake River Falls: right open slide	2
Tea Cups	2
The Creepy Crawler!	2
The Streets of London Tour	1
Waterfall left slide	2
Waterfall right slide	2
TOTAL	47

Rest of Saturday

When the ERS ended, Nev gave a short speech before everyone returned to the car park. Mark and Margo were giving me a lift back to my hotel, so I walked with them back to their car which was parked nearby. As we were heading out of Oakwood in the car, the rain was extremely heavy. Clearly the dark ERS had ended just in time as the really heavy rain began. I got the impression the heavy rain would continue well into the night, possibly accompanied by a thunderstorm. After our final goodbyes outside the hotel car park I was back in my room around quarter to midnight, somewhat wet and dead tired.

Saturday Summary

Altogether another coaster crazy day at Oakwood, though it's a pity the rain all day and all evening spoilt the day somewhat. Although I was wearing rain gear, riding and walking around the Park in the rain was somewhat unpleasant. I spent an undesirable amount of time in The Oak Tree, having coffees at various times of the day, and spent considerably longer in there each time than I would have done when having refreshment breaks anywhere on a dry day. Disappointingly, out of the Park's six coasters, I only rode Megafobia and The Creepy Crawler! Looking on the bright side, the Park was rather quiet for an August Saturday, so I had a high ride count during normal opening time alone, despite spending so much time in The Oak Tree, as most rides I approached were walk-on or had very short queues. More importantly, at least the Management kept the Park open until 22:00, and had the full After Dark programme as scheduled, and our dark ERS followed as planned. It could have been worse, with the evening opening and ERS cancelled due to severe weather. Many thanks to Andy Hine for organising the trip, the staff for operating Megafobia before opening and after closing, and to Mark and Margo Lewis for providing the dark ERS disco lighting and for giving me lifts to and from Oakwood.

More about Saturday at Oakwood available here

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Day 3 - Sunday 12 August 2018

Introduction

The final day of Mega-GLOW-Mania weekend 2018. Mid-morning some members met at Heatherton World of Activities to enjoy go-karting and/or other activities available there (e.g. clay pigeon shooting). Nev even arranged an EGS (exclusive go-kart session) for those interested; according to the trip invitation it was billed to run from 10.00 to 11.30. In the days leading up to Mega-GLOW-Mania weekend, I considered going to Heatherton for the first time ever, to try one of the activities (but not go-karting), but in the end decided to give Heatherton a miss for various reasons. The following outlines how I spent Sunday.

Sunday First Thing

Having awoke I got ready, packed my belongings and had breakfast at the normal serving time. I had the same selection as Friday morning, including a full cooked breakfast. I enjoyed it at a more relaxed pace than Saturday.

From Kilgetty to Swansea

Having left the hotel for the final time, I walked to Kilgetty station, where I caught the 11:26 train to Carmarthen. Since Kilgetty is a request stop, I had to signal to the driver for the train to stop. Having reached Carmarthen at 12:15, I had time to buy a pack of ham salad sandwiches and a large coffee from the station buffet, before continuing my journey on the 12:24 train to Swansea. I consumed my sandwiches and coffee on this train, and arrived Swansea at 13:10.

Swansea LC Water Park

Without further ado, I walked straight to Swansea LC, intending to go water sliding at the water park there. When I arrived there around 13:40, I was told I could not be admitted until 15:00. I queued for the reception desk, only to be told I would have to wait for the 15:30 session. Although, at a push, I was willing to buy a ticket for that session, I would have preferred an earlier one. Luckily, after a quick search, the receptionist found me a spare slot on the 14:00 session, which suited my later plans better, so I bought a ticket for that session.

In order to have as many slides as possible, I spent my entire session sliding and didn't go in the Wave Pool or Lazy River at all. During the session, I enjoyed fourteen goes on the fast, closed tube slide Aqua Tube and three goes on the slower open-top Aqua Slide. The queue for Aqua Tube varied; it was quite long on my first go, but it was generally shorter on my later goes. I even managed to have one go on the roller coaster water slide Master Blaster, despite the queues for tyres and at the launch point. Although I'd have liked more goes on Master Blaster, one go was better than none. Just after 16:20, bathers who entered at 14:00 or 14:15 were told to leave the pool, as their session was over.

Altogether a wet and wild way for me to round off Mega-GLOW-Mania weekend. It was great to slide the Aqua Tube, Aqua Slide and Master Blaster again one year on from my previous visit in August 2017. The Master Blaster roller coaster water slide is definitely the best of the three. It's a pity the place was so busy, hence I only had one go on Master Blaster, and my overall slide count was down on my 2017 visit.

Summary of my sliding in actual order:

Aqua Tube 10
Master Blaster 1
Aqua Slide 1
Aqua Tube 4
Aqua Slide 2

Cumulative Summary of Slides

Slide	Total
Aqua Slide	3
Aqua Tube	14
Master Blaster	1
TOTAL	18

More about Sunday afternoon at Swansea LC Water Park available here

Evening Meal

Having left the LC, I walked to Wind Street to get myself a meal at The Bank Statement (Wetherspoon). There I enjoyed BBQ chicken pizza for main course. The pizza was really delicious, its topping consisted of Mozzarella, smoky BBQ sauce, chicken breast and red onion. This included an alcoholic drink; I chose a pint of Heineken. Of course, a meal is not complete without a dessert, so I had warm cookie dough sandwich with ice cream for dessert. Yummy!

Journey Home

Having left The Bank Statement, I walked straight to the railway station. My Swansea to Bath Spa Advance ticket was for the 18:51 London Paddington train. I got to the front of station just before 18:30, so I had time to enjoy a cappuccino at The Grand Hotel, just outside the station. Having finished my cappuccino, I entered the station, only to discover the 18:51 London Paddington train was cancelled, and there would be just over an hour's wait for the next one. To pass time, at 19:15 I returned to The Grand Hotel for an Americano. Back in the station, I caught the 19:55 London Paddington train. I stayed on this train as far as Newport. Once there, I caught the 21:38 train to Bristol Temple Meads. Having arrived Bristol Temple Meads at 22:27, the next available train to Bath Spa was due at 23:15, but actually departed at 23:25. I finally arrived Bath Spa at 23:38 (approximately two hours later than originally expected), and home a few minutes later.

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Outro

Highlights

Three nights' B&B in Begelly, including the delicious filling breakfasts.
Visiting Folly Farm and Oakwood for the seventh year running.
Land train ride at Folly Farm Friday mid-morning.
Adding Paratrooper, at Folly Farm, to my ride count Friday afternoon.
Playing on Carousel Woods indoor play structure Friday late afternoon.
Exclusive Fair Session on the Vintage Funfair rides, plus cooked meal in the Funfair Restaurant, Friday evening.
Good weather at Folly Farm on Friday; dry all day, and mostly sunny.
Saturday morning ERS on Megafobia before Oakwood opened to the public.
High ride count, during the ERSs and free time, at Oakwood on Saturday.
Firework display accompanied by music at 21:50 Saturday evening.
Dark ERS on Megafobia after closing time Saturday evening.
Sliding the Aqua Tube, Aqua Slide and Master Blaster at Swansea LC Sunday afternoon.
Early evening meals at Harvester, Carmarthen Thursday and The Bank Statement (Wetherspoon), Swansea Sunday.

Lowlights

Having to leave my rucksack and trainers unattended near Carousel Woods whilst playing on the structure Friday late afternoon due to lack of lockers.
Rain all day and all evening at Oakwood on Saturday.
Spending an undesirable amount of time in The Oak Tree during refreshment breaks on Saturday.
One of the Snake River Falls slides (Cobra) was closed Saturday.
Swansea LC Water Park was too busy for my liking Sunday afternoon.
Disrupted train journey from Swansea to Bath Spa Sunday evening.

Summing Up

Altogether fun-packed long weekend away. It was great to visit Folly Farm and Oakwood for the seventh year running, and thus ride many of their rides (particularly Oakwood's Megafobia) again, and also meeting several other members of the RCCGB both Friday and Saturday. It was a pity about wet weather at Oakwood on Saturday. Thankfully, Friday at Folly Farm turned out dry all day, and mainly sunny (despite the wet start first thing Friday). My visit to Swansea LC Water Park provided a wet and wild end to an amazing weekend. It's just as well though the receptionist found one spare place on the 14:00 session Sunday afternoon, because I was out soon enough to have a table service meal at The Bank Statement (Wetherspoon). If I'd had to wait for the 15:30 session, I'd have left the LC shortly around 17:45. That would have necessitated me making do on a burger and fries at McDonald's, Castle Square, as there wouldn't have been enough time for a pub meal before returning to the station. Many thanks again to Nev for arranging the trips to Folly Farm and Oakwood (also Heatherton for those who went), and to Mark and Margo for providing the dark ERS disco lighting Saturday evening and for giving me lifts Friday evening and Saturday morning and evening.

Mega-GLOW-Mania weekend 2018 can be likened to a three-course meal as follows:
Starter: Folly Farm on Friday
Main course: Oakwood on Saturday
Dessert: Heatherton (or in my case Swansea LC) on Sunday

One other bit of trivia worth mentioning: I went down at least one slide of some sort Friday and Sunday as follows:
Friday: Carousel Woods Bumper Slide and tube slides at Folly Farm.
Sunday: Aqua Tube, Aqua Slide and Master Blaster water slides at Swansea LC Water Park.

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