RCCGB Meet At The Park 2011 (Adventure Island)

Date: Saturday 23 July 2011
Venue: Adventure Island (Southend-on-Sea)
Who Went: Me and a large number of other RCCGB members, including Andy Hine, Barry, Big Stevie B, Derek, Julie, Alan and Saffron Eddy, Lucy Cosnett, Mary (Regatta) and Andy Knight, Matt Walker.

DISCLAIMER: The above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of everyone who attended. It's a list of members who I spoke to / rode with. I sincerely apologise to anyone I've forgotten.

Getting To Adventure Island
This trip required an exceptionally early awakening for me, 4:15am. From Bath Spa I caught the 5:43 train to London Paddington. Having transferred to London Liverpool Street on the Underground, I caught the next train to Southend Victoria. As the train neared Southend Victoria, britcitchris asked me if I was going to the enthusiast day at Adventure Island. We sat together talking the rest of the way. Having arrived just before 9:00, we walked through the High Street towards the sea front. Near the sea front, we met Barry. When we reached the lifts to the promenade, we spent a few minutes looking down from the viewpoint. There was still time to kill before Nev wanted us at Adventure Island 10:00 to 10:30, so all three of us went to the café in the Royals Shopping Centre (outside Debenhams) for a coffee.

Welcome to Adventure Island
Around 10:00 Barry and I got to the western slope entrance (by Sands). Several other members were waiting there. Initially I spoke to Mary (Regatta). After that I spoke to Derek, Julie, Alan and Saffron Eddy. Eventually everyone was called towards Customer Services where Nev issued us our trip badges and wrist band vouchers.

Rage ERS
At 10:30 it was time for our ERS on the Park's flagship coaster Rage. This Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter Model 320+ opened in 2007. According to the Roller Coaster Database, Rage is the only coaster of this particular model in the UK, and one of only three worldwide. I noticed its gaudy colours have faded considerably the past four years. The ride cars seat two rows of four passengers. After leaving the station, the car goes up a vertical lift hill, down a beyond vertical first drop, around a vertical loop, another inversion and back to the station. During the ERS, I had three goes as follows:
First go back left (Derek, Alan and Saffron were in the same row as me on this go).
Second go back right.
Third go front right.

Just as I ran up the path for a fourth go, the attendant told me the ERS was over, and I must now get my wrist band.

Normal Time
At 11:00 it was time for us to get our wrist bands. After that, members dispersed to take over the rides.

Green Scream
A Zierer Tivoli - New roller coaster which has operated since 1999. Its track is green, which presumably explains its title. One ride consists of two laps. My second go was in the second row. I spotted the Guinness World Record on display.

Magic Monsters
My first non-coaster ride of the day. A kiddie ride really, but nonetheless it was still worth having one go just for the record.

Vortex
Now for a white knuckle non-coaster ride. An orbiter type ride featuring sets of three ride cars at the ends of arms, The car clusters spin about the arm ends as the arms rise to an angle, and the whole central structure spins about its base. It all adds up to a hair-raising ride, not for the faint-hearted, and not to be ridden immediately after eating! No wonder it's a Big Adventure Band ride. I fearlessly enjoyed one go, and didn't scream at all (in fact I sang "Hard Rock Hallelujah on the ride). However one go was enough, two would have been way too risky! I never returned to this later in the day.

The Dragon
Although circular, this has a head, seats along the length of the ride, and a tail, but the tail doesn't quite touch the head. It starts in a clockwise direction. Since the seats face the head, that means you're going forwards. Mid way through the ride stops and goes backwards, which feels odd. I had just one go on this, in the seat nearest the tail.

Archelon
A wave swinger (I'll assume you know how one of those works), with giant turtle theming. Looking at the web site, I'm surprised to have just spotted it's a Big Adventure Band ride (1.2 metre minimum rider height). Personally I see no reason why it can't be a Junior Band ride, as it's not at all scary, in fact I found it quite tame. To me the ride experience was no different to Sky Swinger at Paultons, or any other wave swinger I've ridden elsewhere. This was my only go on Archelon all day.

Flying Jumbos
Pink elephants which go around in a circle. Although a tame Mini Band ride, I felt it was worth one go just to say I'd been on it. This was my only go all day.

Over The Hill
Initially I wondered what this was, so I asked the attendant at the entrance. Having been told it's a ghost train, I decided to have a go. Matt Walker was on the train the same time as me. I noticed drops towards the end, so can this therefore be classed as a roller coaster? This was my only go on this all day.

After leaving the ride, I spoke to Matt about RidgeRiders.

SkyDrop
A drop tower. One long row of seats goes up and down several times. At one point the seats were held near the top, giving riders some hang time before being dropped again. I enjoyed two thrilling goes on this, but I think a third would have been too much.

Choo Choo Train
I wasn't going to bother with this, but when I saw Matt Walker about to ride it, I decided to have a go as well. Although tame, with the train going around a small diameter circular track, it was worth one go just for the record.

Lunch
By now, with the time around 13:00, I felt time was overdue to get some lunch. I went to Subway in the town centre to get a Sub of the Day, and sat on a seat in the High Street to eat it. I was going to go on the pier afterwards, but when I found out you have to pay £3.10 just to walk to the end and back (i.e. not take the train), I didn't bother.

At 13:46 I returned to Adventure Island, and continued riding as follows.

Viking Boats
Six boats on spokes which go up and down as they go around in a circle. Whilst the ride was in motion music was played, and the ride attendants clapped in time with it. I thought the music and clapping was superfluous really as it did nothing to make a tame Mini Band ride any more enjoyable. I only had one go on this.

Sea Serpent
Two tube slides (one red and one blue). When the Summer Bash was held here in 2007, these slides were closed due to the rain. This time I was able to go on them, and enjoyed one go on the red slide followed by one go on the blue slide.

Blackbeards All At Sea
A dark ride. When you go in the light is very dim. The lights are turned out and there is a short film about a pirate on a ship. To mimic the ship rocking from side to side, the benches rise on an angle in alternate directions. My guess is there must be pistons under them that produce that effect. When the film finished the dim lighting was restored. The only snag then was walking from the dim room into the bright outdoor daylight. Not a particularly exciting ride, this was my only go all day.

Fireball
A big wheel. I had to wait for a pod to become available. Once I was on the wheel kept stopping so the attendant could fill the next few pods. Eventually the wheel was allowed to spin for several revolutions before it was time to unload riders pod by pod. This was my only go of the day on Fireball.

Barnstormer
This Zierer Tivoli - Custom family coaster has been operating since 2000. One ride consists of two laps. For now I only had one go.

Mighty Mini-Mega
A Pinfari Mini Mega Coaster MM29 which first operated in 2003. Although another family coaster, I found it more exciting than Barnstormer. Hardly surprising considering it's slightly longer, taller and faster than Barnstormer. One ride consists of one lap. A pity really, being as the time for one lap is so short one ride really ought to be two laps. For now I only had one go. According to the Roller Coaster Database, there are currently only three coasters of this model in the world, all of which are in the UK.

Kiddi-Koasta
New for 2011, this is Adventure Island's 5th roller coaster: a Zamperla Speedy Coaster. It's a Mini Band Ride, which means that visitors up to 1 metre tall now have the chance to ride a coaster there. Hardly surprising therefore the ride experience was somewhat tame, but still worth one go to tick it on Coaster-Count. At present, this is only the second coaster of this particular model in the world.

Pharaoh's Fury
We must have all ridden something like this somewhere (probably called Twister or Cyclone). Adventure Island call theirs Pharaoh's Fury, I've no idea why. To me the ride experience was no different to when I rode it here at the Summer Bash in 2007, or this type of ride elsewhere (e.g. Twister at Fantasy Island and Super Twist at Bottons during my East Coaster Story tour last year). Pharaoh's Fury was mega fun, but once was enough for now.

Coffee Break
With the time now around 3:15pm, I felt partial to a coffee, so bought myself a small Americano. However I resisted the temptation to have a freshly made waffle as they were £3 each. Whilst drinking my coffee I sat near Sk8boarda. During that time, I saw Mary (Regatta) walk past. Having finished my coffee, I continued riding as follows.

Drop 'n' Smile
A drop tower ride, with seats on all four sides. Although primarily aimed at children (it's a Junior Band ride), adults are allowed to ride it, in certain seats only. I had one go on this just to say I'd been on it. Naturally I found it tame compared to SkyDrop.

Photo Opportunity
Having left Drop 'n' Smile, I spotted two people on stilts near Sands, so I went over there to have my photo taken with them. After that I saw Andy Knight about to set off home. I spoke to him for a few minutes before he left.

American Whip
Being a Mini Band ride, which can be ridden by young children less than 1 metre tall, I thought this would be a gentle ride. Although gentle on the straight sections, I was forced violently to the outside on the u-bends. If an adult like me found the u-bends rough, imagine what it must be like for a young child. I only had one go on this (car 5).

Crooked House
Not really a ride in my opinion, but Adventure Island class it as "a Mini Band ride". According to the web site, this is Adventure Island's oldest attraction. Furthermore that page states it's been renovated for 2011 with brand new UV scenes. I noticed it's quite dark in there, and the use of UV lighting. Obviously that, coupled with the bendy passage through the house made finding my way through difficult (I had to hold handrails). Furthermore when I left the house, I had the sudden shock of walking back into daylight. Quite frankly, I question the sensibility of the darkness and UV lighting in there. I've forgotten what it was like in there when I walked through there on my previous visit to Adventure Island, i.e. Summer Bash 2007, so can't compare it. Anyway, I only walked through here once.

Sk8boarda
A variation of the Zamperla Rock 'n' Tug (which I've ridden at various other parks), it swings and spins about a central pivot. One go at a time was enough, in fact this was my only go all day.

Dragon's Claw
This has six arms, with four seats at the end of each one facing inwards. The seat "spider" spins as it rises to an angle and flips over. In other words, a hair-raising thrill ride, hardly surprising it's a Big Adventure Band ride. I didn't find it that bad, I didn't scream at all, in fact I sang "Hard Rock Hallelujah" by Lordi (Eurovision Song Contest 2006 winner Finland). Even so, one go was enough (I think two goes would have made me sick or giddy).

By now the time was around 16:30 and I felt really tired, and a bit disorientated (probably due to spinning rides, and meandering between the closely placed rides in the park). I got myself a double espresso thinking that might wake me up a bit. Having finished my espresso, I went for a walk part way along the sea front in a westerly direction and back. Walking at high speed in a more-or-less straight direction helped. I returned to Adventure Island around 16:55 feeling somewhat better and continued as follows.

Lighthouse Slip
A helter skelter. When the Summer Bash was held here in 2007, this was closed due to the rain. This time I was able to go on it. I enjoyed two goes. The descent was quite fast.

Devil's Creek Goldmine
A train with tub carriages. The tubs are capable of spinning, and the attendant spun some riders as the train passed through the station. However I asked the attendant to leave mine alone as I didn't want to be spun really fast. I only had one go on this.

Kiddi-Koasta
Two more goes on Adventure Island's newest roller coaster, my second of which was in the back row. This time around I noticed the wavy bit towards the end, which gives a minute amount of AIRtime.

Ramba Zamba
A disko ride. Riders sit on a giant disk facing outwards. The disk spins as it travels a u-shaped track back and forth. A fun ride, but one go was enough for me.

Having left Ramba Zamba, I sat down for a few minutes. Suddenly I saw Barry, Derek and Alan. They headed for the Mighty Mini-Mega so I joined them.

Mighty Mini-Mega
Barry and I shared a row, Alan and Derek sat in the row immediately behind us. We only had one go on this.

Cow Jump
A small Miami style ride: it has a row of seats with a lap bar to hold you in, it goes sideways, up, sideways and down. However being a Junior Band ride, it's a rather gentle Miami-style ride. Put it this way, it's tame compared to Miami Wave at Butlins Skegness. It's themed around the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle", which includes the line "The cow jumped over the moon". I only had one go on this.

When the ride ended, I still didn't feel ready for Scorpion, so fancied another go on Mighty Mini-Mega first.

Barnstormer
As it happened, due to the direction I walked across the park from Cow Jump, I ended up at Barnstormer, so I decided to have one go on Barnstormer, in the front row.

Scorpion
At last I felt ready for Scorpion. This features clusters of swinging cars hanging from the ends of arms. I got into a swinging car. When the ride began, the car cluster spun rapidly about its arm end, and the arm raised so all its cars were spinning on an angle. Due to centrifugal force arising from the car spinning rapidly about its arm end, I was unable to move my feet whilst the ride was in motion. To cap it all, the central unit spun too, which made for a hair-raising ride! I found the best way to minimise dizziness was to focus on a specific spot. One go was enough on this!

Lighthouse Slip
Two more goes on this helter skelter.

Pharaoh's Fury
My final non-coaster ride of the day, one more go on Pharaoh's Fury. When the ride ended, the attendant said "See you later", but I replied "I doubt it, I've got to leave to leave to catch my train home soon, and I want a couple rides on something else before leaving".

Mighty Mini-Mega
One more go on Mighty Mini-Mega. My final ride of the day in the west end of Adventure Island.

Rage
My final ride of the day: one go on Rage. Where better to end the day than where I began? In fact this was my only go on Rage outside this morning's ERS.

Cumulative Summary of My Rides (ERS and Free Time Combined)

Ride	Total
American Whip	1
Archelon	1
Barnstormer	2
Blackbeards All At Sea	1
Choo Choo Train	1
Cow Jump	1
Crooked House	1
Devil's Creek Goldmine	1
Dragon's Claw	1
Drop 'n' Smile	1
Fireball	1
Flying Jumbos	1
Green Scream	2
Kiddi-Koasta	3
Lighthouse Slip	4
Magic Monsters	1
Mighty Mini-Mega	3
Over The Hill	1
Pharaoh's Fury	2
Rage	4
Ramba Zamba	1
Scorpion	1
Sea Serpent blue	1
Sea Serpent red	1
Sk8boarda	1
SkyDrop	2
The Dragon	1
Viking Boats	1
Vortex	1
TOTAL	43

Journey Home
Having left Adventure Island for the final time at 18:50, I went to get fish and chips from the Chinese takeaway across the road (that happened to be the first place I saw selling fish and chips). Without further ado I walked back to Southend Victoria as quickly as possible. Having arrived, the 19:10 London Liverpool Street train was already there, so I got on and ate my fish and chips on the train. Upon reaching London Liverpool Street, I fancied an ice cream (as I'd not had one Southend), so I got myself a sundae from Burger King which I ate before transferring to Paddington on the Underground.

Just before 21:00 I was back at London Paddington, and had half an hour to go to the 21:30 train to Bath Spa. To fill time I got someone to photograph me coming down one of the escalators in the café / shopping section of Paddington station. After that I bought myself a cup of coffee from Upper Crust before joining the said train. Confusing announcements were made at Reading; I was initially led to believe I'd have to leave the train as it would not now be able to call at Bath, so I did, only to be told by someone else after it subsequently left it was going to call at Bath after all! Anyway I was able to complete my journey on the 23:02 Bristol Temple Meads train. I finally reached Bath Spa at 0:23, and home at 0:32 (later than I expected or wanted).

Outro

Highlights
Meeting members I'd met on previous Club trips again (including Barry, Big Stevie B, Derek, Julie, Alan and Saffron Eddy, Lucy Cosnett, Mary (Regatta) and Andy Knight, Matt Walker).
Coffee with britcitchris and Barry at Royals Shopping Centre around 9:30.
ERS on Rage.
High ride count the rest of the day.
Adding Kiddi-Koasta to my coaster count.

Lowlights
Feeling tired late afternoon.
Confusing information at Reading which resulted in disruption to my journey home.

Summing Up
On the whole another super Club trip, thank you Nev for organising it. A nice and straightforward little trip, i.e. ERS followed by riding the rest of the day. Just goes to show, we don't need someone talking to us about animals, or a treasure hunt style competition (with old coaster wheels up for grabs) to have a fun day out. It was great meeting other members again, including Andy and Mary (Regatta) Knight, Barry and the Eddy family. Furthermore it was my chance to add Kiddi-Koasta to my coaster count, and to re-ride the Park's four other coasters (Rage, Green Scream, Barnstormer, Mighty Mini-Mega) which I first rode at the Summer Bash 2007. Just one point about the Park's five coasters Rage, Green Scream, Barnstormer, Mighty Mini-Mega and Kiddi-Koasta, they're all STEEL. Come on Adventure Island, get some WOOD!

RCCGB USA 2011 - Shake, Rattler & Roll Tour

As most of you know, I did not attend USA 2011 - Shake, Rattler & Roll Tour. Nonetheless I've had enough interest in the trip to every day of the official report on the Club Messageboard. Well done to whoever put the effort into writing that, including putting up the photos. You lot (58 of you) certainly had fun in the USA that fortnight, which I missed out on. Here are my comments and questions about the trip.

Day 1 - Saturday 4 June - Outward Flight

Trivia
So it was alright to say you went from Heathrow Terminal 5, Gate C65 and flew on a Boeing 747. I bet if I included train trivia (type of trains, train numbers, platform numbers etc) about my train journeys to UK Club trips in my Messageboard reports e.g. Blackpool Bash, I'd get a grilling for including unnecessary drivel.

Ryan at Heathrow
In the photo of Ryan staring out at the plane, he looks not so much scared of flying, but somewhat miserable. At least he smiled in the photo taken on board the plane in the air.

First Night Out
I notice some members wore their USA 2009 or USA 2010 tour T-shirts the first night of the USA 2011 tour.

Day 2 - Sunday 5 June - Six Flags Over Texas

A long day: 8am start and you left the Park at 7:30pm. Well Nev said you get early starts and late finishes on USA trips. Thankfully you stayed at your first hotel the first two nights, so your coach journeys that day were short.

New Texas Giant ERS
From the official trip report, RCDB, and article in AIRtime March / April 2011, I've noticed the wooden track has been replaced with steel track, but the wooden lattice structure is still there. Surely that's sacrilege, will some ride purists no longer call this a true woodie? What did Nev think of the modified ride, considering he thinks true coasters are made purely of wood? Did Ryan still like it? Before the modification, it was among his favourite USA woodies. How does it compare to riding Big Dipper and Nickelodeon Streak at PBR Blackpool?

Log Flume Photo
I notice the riders went on without cagoules, so they must have got wet on that ride.

Peak Time Temperature
101 degrees Fahrenheit (38.3 degrees Celsius). Boy o' boy, that was hot!

Titan
From the photo, this looks like a corkscrew style coaster. How does it compare to Corkscrew at Flamingo Land?

Shockwave
A steelie with two vertical loops close together. How does it compare to Millennium Roller Coaster (Fantasy Island Ingoldmells)?

La Vibora
How does this bobsled coaster compare to Avalanche (PBR Blackpool)?

Judge Roy Scream
A true woodie (wooden track, track bed and lattice structure), how does it compare to Big Dipper and Nickelodeon Streak at PBR Blackpool?

Batman The Ride
An inverted steelie. Apart from being yellow, how does it compare to riding Nemesis (Alton Towers), Nemesis Inferno (Thorpe Park), Infusion (PBR Blackpool), Kumali (Flamingo Land) or Jubilee Odyssey (Fantasy Island Ingoldmells)? I hope it's not as rough as Jubilee Odyssey.

Day 3 - Monday 6 June - Schlitterbahn

Early Rise
How early was your cooked breakfast to be on your coach at 7am? I suppose Nev managed to get the staff to serve it that early being as there was a big group.

Schlitterbahn
An outdoor water park. I remember Tropicana at Weston-super-Mare tended to be chilly at the best of times. I've never been to the open-air water park in Paignton, as the British climate puts me off. I hope you had it as hot and sunny at Schlitterbahn as you did the previous day at Six Flags Over Texas.

Schlitterbahn has great water slides, how do they compare to some of the "better" ones I've been on in the UK, e.g. Blackpool Water Park, Splashdown (Tower Park Poole), Butlins (Skegness and Minehead), Basingstoke Aquadrome Lagoon, Cardiff International Pool?

I'm surprised you were allowed to take pool side photos; just about every swimming pool / water park I've visited in the UK prohibits photography / filming in the pool area.

Day 4 - Tuesday 7 June - Six Flags Fiesta Texas

Breakfast
Another early rise to be on the coach at 7:30am. That was unusual, having breakfast at the park.

Ryan's Birthday
A belated happy 51st birthday to Ryan for that day. I'm glad he received cards and gifts, just like on Wednesday 30 September 2009 during my Ride Slide Go Cornwall 2009 tour, I received a card and box of chocolate truffles from the staff of my guest house in St Austell. How appropriate he got Rattler ale as a present.

Rattler ERS
Being as this was the day you rode Rattler, it was hardly surprising this was 2011 tour T-shirt day. Ryan is really happy riding his favourite USA woodie Rattler, where better for him to be on his 51st birthday. Looking at RCDB stats, I've discovered Rattler is nearly 3 times the height of Big Dipper (PBR Blackpool), and has an extra 1,780' of track to travel in 4 seconds less than Big Dipper. Evidently Rattler must be considerably faster. What does riding Rattler feel like compared to Big Dipper? Is it as rough as it's made out to be? How does Rattler compare to Megafobia (Oakwood), which Ryan enjoys so much close to his home but to-date I've never ridden?

Poltergeist ERS
How does this steelie compare to anything I've ridden in the UK? From some RCDB photos it looks kind of like Corkscrew (Flamingo Land).

Superman The Krypton Coaster ERS
I notice its vertical loop from an RCDB photo. How does this steelie compare to Colossus (Thorpe Park) or Millennium Roller Coaster (Fantasy Island Ingoldmells)?

Kiddie Koaster
This family steelie is a Vekoma Junior Coaster (85m), track length 85 metres (278' 10"), hence the model name. From 2003 to 2011 inclusive I've ridden Maximus (formerly El Pastil Loco) at Devon's Crealy near Exeter, which is a Vekoma Junior Coaster (207m), i.e. length 207 metres (679' 2"). So Kiddie Koaster is considerably less than half the length of Maximus (Devon's Crealy). During one ride on Kiddie Koaster, how many laps of the track do you get? One Maximus ride consists of two laps. What's Kiddie Koaster like to ride compared to Maximus?

Big Spin
The title suggests the ride cars spin. What's it like to ride compared to Sonic Spinball (formerly Spinball Whizzer) at Alton Towers?

Scooby Doo Photo
It's great to see adults having their photo taken with a costume character, in this case Scooby Doo. When I went to Fantasy Island during my East Coaster Story tour last year I had my photo taken with the Pirates.

Day 5 - Wednesday 8 June - SeaWorld

Start Of Day
Slightly later start than the previous day? Only 15 minutes! You still had to be on the coach at 7:45am, so it was still an early rise. Thankfully the journey was short.

Great White ERS
How does this inverted steelie compare to Nemesis (Alton Towers), Nemesis Inferno (Thorpe Park), Infusion (PBR Blackpool), Kumali (Flamingo Land) or Jubilee Odyssey (Fantasy Island Ingoldmells)?

Steel Eel ERS
A mighty sit-down steelie. No vertical loops, so you can't compare it to Millennium Roller Coaster (Fantasy Island Ingoldmells). It's less than three quarters the height of PMBO (PBR Blackpool). What UK coaster that I've ridden can you best compare this to?

Journey to Atlantis
This looks like a cross between a roller coaster and a boat ride of the Tidal Wave (Thorpe Park) genre. Considering part of the track is below water, and there's a mighty splash at one point, why weren't you wearing cagoules?

Rapids
How do these round boats on a waterway compare to the Rumba Rapids (Thorpe Park)? Another wet ride, why isn't anyone wearing a cagoule?

Alan with Penny & Pete
Well done Alan Chilvers posing with the two penguins Penny and Pete. Just goes to show, you're never too old to have your picture taken with costume characters.

Day 6 - Thursday 9 June - Kemah Boardwalk

Start Of Day
At least you had a later start today, whereby you had to be on the coach at 8:30am. Still you must have all had your cooked breakfast before 8am, which I guess was before normal serving time.

Boardwalk Bullet ERS
An ERS on a woodie, how does it compare to Big Dipper and Nickelodeon Streak PBR Blackpool? I notice one member donned a USA 2009 tour T-shirt on this.

Boardwalk Beast ERS
An ERS on a speedboat ride. Do you actually went on a lake / out to sea, not a constrained man-made waterway like Tidal Wave (Thorpe Park). The report says you all got soaked on this. Why weren't you wearing cagoules? Considering they roll up small and are really light, there's no excuse not to carry one in your day tripper bag / rucksack.

Playground
I notice from the Kemah Boardwalk web site there's a playground behind Flying Dutchman. Is it only for children, or are adults allowed to play there? If adults are allowed to play, did anyone play? The good thing about Devon's Crealy and Woodlands is they have indoor and outdoor play areas in which adults can play. Where's the fun in visiting a park that only allows children to play in its playground?

Day 7 - Friday 10 June - Dixie Landin'

Easy Going
I notice you had a lie in, with breakfast by 9.30am, and on the coach by 11am. Hardly surprising, you must have all desperately needed a lie in after so many early starts and late finishes. It proves, even the keenest coaster enthusiast can't be expected to live through two weeks of early starts and late finishes. I've also spotted the statement "this was a chill-out day", you must have needed one after so many hectic days. Remember come the Monday of my East Coaster Story tour last year, I took the day at a leisurely pace after the Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Xtreme
I notice the ride cars on this Maurer Söhne Spinning ride have back-to-back seating, like Dragon's Fury at CWOA. How does it compare to Dragon's Fury (CWOA)?

Loco Loco
Looks like a kiddie coaster to me, I guess it was still worth getting the tick. How does it compare to any kiddie coasters I've ridden, e.g. Little Dipper on Cleethorpes Beach?

Ragin' Cajun
A Vekoma Boomerang coaster, one of 45 of these around the world (according to the RCDB). Is it the same as the Boomerang at Pleasure Island Cleethorpes, which I rode last year?

Galaxi
An unusual steelie with a couple of spirals. Is there anything like it in the UK? I don't recall seeing anything similar here.

Day 8 - Saturday 11 June - Waterville USA

Cannonball Run ERS
An ERS on a woodie, how does it compare to Big Dipper and Nickelodeon Streak at PBR Blackpool? I noticed Nev sat in the front seat on one go.

Water Park
The report says some members went into the water park. Is it indoors or outdoors? What flumes, roller coaster water slides, space bowls, etc does it have? How do they compare to the flumes etc I've been on at Blackpool Water Park, Splashdown (Tower Park Poole), Butlins (Skegness and Minehead), Basingstoke Aquadrome Lagoon and Cardiff International Pool?

Long Journey
What time did you leave Waterville USA? How long was the onward journey after you left? It's great that Nev paced the journey with bingo, but I hope those wanting sleep instead managed to sleep on the coach.

Day 9 - Sunday 12 June - Alabama Adventure

Rampage ERS
I see from the report this woodie is like Megafobia (Oakwood), but bigger. Ryan must have adored this, what did he think of it compared to Megafobia? He looks happy sitting in the front seat in one photo. I've never been to Oakwood, so how does Rampage compare to Big Dipper and Nickelodeon Streak at PBR Blackpool?

Marvel Mania Takeover
This family steelie looks somewhat like Loco Loco at Dixie Landin' two days earlier. Is it the same model?

Zoomerang Take Over
Another Vekoma Boomerang, is it identical to Ragin' Cajun at Dixie Landin', and Pleasure Island Cleethorpes? Well done to Matt Walker and Adam King who clocked up 25 goes straight off, was that each? The best I could manage on Boomerang at Pleasure Island last year was six, and then only three lots of two at a time. I just didn't find the Pleasure Island one anything like as re-ridable as Millennium Roller Coaster at Fantasy Island Ingoldmells.

Departure
What a pity you had to leave at 3pm. That's rather early to leave. Did everyone have enough time to ride everything?

Day 10 - Monday 13 June - Six Flags Over Georgia

Mind Bender ERS
A steelie with a vertical loop. How does it compare to other vertical looping steelies in the UK, e.g. Colossus (Thorpe Park)?

Batman ERS
How does this inverted steelie compare to riding Nemesis (Alton Towers), Nemesis Inferno (Thorpe Park), Infusion (PBR Blackpool), Kumali (Flamingo Land) or Jubilee Odyssey (Fantasy Island Ingoldmells)?

Georgia Cyclone and Great American Scream Machine
How do these woodies compare to Big Dipper and Nickelodeon Streak at PBR Blackpool?

Ninja
Looking at some RCDB photos, the layout of this Vekoma sit-down steelie looks substantially different to Millennium Roller Coaster (Fantasy Island Ingoldmells). Is it anything like Corkscrew (Flamingo Land)?

Superman - Ultimate Flight
Having seen the photos on the RCDB, it certainly looks similar to AIR (Alton Towers). What is the ride experience like compared to AIR Alton Towers (which to-date I've only ridden once – Loopathon 2005).

Dare Devil Dive ERS
I notice from some RCDB photos this has a vertical lift and beyond vertical drop, like Rage at Adventure Island. How does it compare to Rage (Adventure Island) or SAW (Thorpe Park)?

Goliath ERS
You seem to sit in an unusual position on this steelie, I can't think of a similar ride in the UK. Is there anything like it in the UK? How does this Goliath compare to the Goliath at Six Flags Fiesta Texas?

Day 11 - Tuesday 14 June - Pigeon Forge

Cannon Ball
From what I've read, it seems this was a surprise bonus on the tour. Wasn't it originally billed on the itinerary? How does this woodie compare to Big Dipper and Nickelodeon Streak at PBR Blackpool?

Wild Lightnin'
How does this steel mouse coaster compare to Fantasy Mouse (Fantasy Island Ingoldmells) or Rockin Roller (Bottons Skegness)?

Ruby Falls Caves
Is this the first time Nev has included a cave visit on a RCCGB USA trip? Why did he put that in?

Day 12 - Wednesday 15 June - Dollywood

Thunderhead ERS
How does this woodie compare to Big Dipper and Nickelodeon Streak at PBR Blackpool?

Mystery Mine4 Takeover
Judging by the overhead harnesses, is this a steelie with inversions etc? Anything similar in the UK? I'm pleased to read that the young queue jumpers were sent to the back.

Afternoon Storm
How severe was the rain to force the rides to close? Was it actually a thunderstorm? When I've been to Devon's Crealy in the past, their rides have continued to run in rain, though a Ranger once told me they aren't allowed to operate rides in a thunderstorm.

Day 13 - Thursday 16th June - Camden Park

Big Dipper
How does this 1958 NAD woodie compare to its namesake at PBR Blackpool?

Lil' Dipper
Is this more along the lines of Little Dipper (now Blue Flyer) at PBR Blackpool?

Haunted House
Is this a ghost train? How does this compare to the PBR Blackpool one? Since it has a lift hill, could one class this as a coaster?

Log Flume
That was a bit unkind of Dan Ould soaking other riders, whether they liked it or not. Bravo to whoever placed him in a log alone and to the others who then soaked him, a taste of his own medicine! Why didn't he put a cagoule on though?

Phantom's Revenge Surprise
After your long drive, I'm surprised you went into Kennywood late evening for an ERS on Phantom's Revenge. Was this intended as an advance bonus to supplement your main visit to Kennywood next day? Presumably then your hotel I was a stone's throw from Kennywood that night.

Day 14 - Friday 17 June - Kennywood

Sky Rocket ERS
How big is this? Looking at the track and trains in the report photos, this appears to be a family steelie.

Jack Rabbit
How does this woodie compare to Big Dipper and Nickelodeon Streak at PBR Blackpool?

Kennywood Racer
Is this a racing woodie similar to Grand National at PBR Blackpool? If so how does it compare?

Lil Phantom
What exactly is this? Ryan looks happy in the photo of this ride.

Thunderbolt
This is an unusual woodie, it's not an out-and-back one like Big Dipper and Nickelodeon Streak at PBR Blackpool. What's it like to ride?

Pitt Fall
How does this drop tower compare to the Ice Blast at PBR Blackpool?

Exterminator
Apart from it being in the dark, how does this mouse coaster compare to Fantasy Mouse Mouse (Fantasy Island Ingoldmells) or Rockin Roller (Bottons Skegness)?

Day 15 - Saturday 18 June - Lakemont Park

Leap The Dips ERS
An ERS on the world's oldest woodie, an achievement to be proud of for those members on the trip. How does this vintage woodie compare to Big Dipper and Nickelodeon Streak at PBR Blackpool?

Skyliner ERS
How does this woodie compare to Big Dipper and Nickelodeon Streak at PBR Blackpool?

Toboggan
Initially I thought you meant a toboggan run like Woodlands (Dartmouth), Oakwood or Llandudno Ski Centre, but it's actually a steel roller coaster. Any similar steelies in the UK?

Triple Atomic Wings Challenge
What exactly are the atomic wings? Chicken wings? I take it they must be exceptionally hot and spicy for Dan to drink so much water. That's going to extremes a bit though, making you sign a disclaimer.

Day 16 - Sunday 19 June – Knoebels

The final park day on the tour, and where better to be than Nev's favourite park Knoebels?

Phoenix Morning ERS
How appropriate that the day begin and end with ERT on Nev's favourite woodie Phoenix. The view from the top in one morning ERS shot looks impressive. What's it like to ride compared to Big Dipper and Nickelodeon Streak at PBR Blackpool?

Haunted House
Is this another ghost train type ride? Does it have undulations like the one at PBR Blackpool, or is it a level circuit like the ghost train at Bottons Skegness?

Kozmo's Kurves Ice Cream Challenge
What kind of steelie is Kozmo's Kurves? Judging by the track and train in the photos, is it a family steelie? Hardly surprising you got ice cream all over you during the ride. What do you expect trying to eat ice cream on a coaster?

Log Flume and Skloosh
Two more water rides, and once again Dan got wet. Why didn't he wear a cagoule on those rides to keep him dry? Is Skloosh similar to the Tidal Wave at Thorpe Park, or Lost River Ride at Flamingo Land?

Twister ERS
From some RCDB photos this looks a mighty woodie. It doesn't appear to be an out-and-back either? How does the ride experience compare to Big Dipper and Nickelodeon Streak at PBR Blackpool?

Hokey Cokey and Group Hug
The final park day wouldn't be complete without that, would it? Did everyone in the group take part?

By co-incidence, Sunday 19 June was day 3 of my own long weekend in south Devon (17 to 20 June), which I called Devon 2011: Coaster Quick Half. I spent that particular day at Devon's Crealy (obviously tame compared to Knoebels). When I got back to my guest house in Torquay around 10:30pm BST that evening, I sent Nev a text. Being five hours behind BST, it must have been 5:30pm in Pennsylvania, USA at that time. Did Nev get my text?

Day 17 - Monday 20 June - Shopping & Flight Home
Firstly I've spotted an error on the Club site: this day is shown as day 16, when it must have been day 17. When will the actual report appear?

GCI Visit
A surprise visit to GCI. What exactly is it? A coaster factory? Did you actually get to ride a coaster there?

Didn't you go to a fair / park on the last day? Last year Nev managed to squeeze in a visit to Martin's Fantasy Island on your last day, where you rode a couple of coasters.

In the final day's photos I've noticed some people sleeping on the coach. I bet everyone was worn out by then.

Outro
Well, what a mega fun trip that was, I wish I'd been there. Did you ride any of the following non-coaster rides:
Bumper boats
Canoes, pedaloes etc
Water coasters (like Wave Runner at Paultons)
Freak-out / Afterburner type rides
Mondial Top Scan type rides
Swinging pirate ships
Spinning pirate ships (Rock 'n' Tug type)
Waltzers
Cyclone / Twister
Tea cups / cauldrons
Chair-o-planes / wave swingers
Disko / Disk-o-Coaster
Ripsaw style rides
Miami type rides
Paratrooper (umbrellas spinning on angle) or Mexican hat type rides
Astra (multi-lane bumpy) slides (as in Astroglide at Paultons, Giant Castle Slide at Harbour Park, Littlehampton)
Drop slides (like Demon Drop Slide at Flambards, Buzzard's Swoop and Red Devil at Devon's Crealy)

Once again thank you very much again for the Club website report of USA 2011, roll on the AIRtime report in a future issue.

Nemesis Nick's Devon 2011: Coaster Quick Half

Date: Friday 17 June to Monday 20 June 2011
Venues: Riviera Centre Torquay, Plymouth Pavilions, Devon's Crealy Great Adventure Park, Woodlands Family Theme Park
Who Went: Just me

Brief Synopsis
My now-annual long weekend in south Devon, with an itinerary much like Devonus Maximus (September 2010).  The fun began Friday morning with a hitch-free train journey from Bath to Torre.  Within Torquay I stayed three nights at the same guest house as last September, which offered a comfortable room and delicious filling breakfasts.  Friday afternoon was filled with a walk from Torquay Harbour to Paignton Harbour, followed by about two hours swimming and water sliding at Riviera Centre Torquay.  The bulk of Saturday daytime was spent at Plymouth Pavilions: water sliding in the morning and ice skating in the afternoon.  Sadly that will be my last time of enjoying those activities there as the fun pool and ice rink are set to close autumn 2011 and spring 2012 respectively.  The trip culminated in visits to Devon’s Crealy on Sunday and Woodlands on Monday, both of which featured exciting family rides and large outdoor and indoor play areas which adults can play in.  The tour ended with a relaxing train journey home from Totnes to Bath Monday evening.  Altogether another fun tour, what a pity about the mixture of weather (particularly the rain Friday afternoon).

To jump to individual days, click the appropriate link below.

Day One - Friday 17 June
Day Two - Saturday 18 June
Day Three - Sunday 19 June
Day Four - Monday 20 June
Outro

Day One - Friday 17 June

First Great Western, Riviera Centre Torquay

Journey to Devon
The adventure began when I turned up at Bath Spa in plenty of time for the 08:57 Penzance train, on which I'd booked an Advance ticket to Torre.  The said train ran on time, and I reached Newton Abbot in time for my specified connecting train to Torre.  The trip got off to a bad start weatherwise: cloudy but dry on leaving Bath, and rain from Taunton onwards.

Friday Daytime
Having checked into my guest house, I considered going to Teignmouth to have a fish and chip lunch and hopefully ride the Teignmouth Pier Go-Gator (subject to it running).  I phoned Teignmouth Pier and asked if the rides were running.  Unfortunately they weren't, due to wind and rain.  Obviously I was disappointed at not being able to ride Go-Gator today, but at least I now knew not to bother going to Teignmouth thereby wasting train or bus fare for nothing (there was nothing else I wanted to do there).

Having walked to Torquay seafront, I fancied a fish and chip lunch at Seabank Café.  The wet and windy weather meant a fish and chip takeaway outside would have been unpleasant, so I ate inside instead.  Next I had an ice cream.  Never mind the foul weather, an ice cream is still a must-have when you're at the seaside.  After that I spotted Walk 4 Life: a 3½ mile walk from Torquay Harbour to Paignton Harbour along the coast path, so I did that walk, despite the rain!  It was a scenic walk, which would have been so much better on a sunny day.  Having eventually reached Paignton Harbour, I enjoyed a cup of coffee at Jessica's Coffee Shop in the town centre before catching a bus back to Torquay.

Waves Leisure Pool at Riviera Centre Torquay
Late afternoon I went to the Riviera Centre to enjoy Waves Leisure Pool.  This has the following facilities:

Fun Pool
This has a wave machine, but is not always on.

Water Slide
Starts as a closed tube doing a clockwise semicircular loop outside the building. Back indoors it's an open top slide for an anticlockwise spiral, and finally a closed tube for the final descent to the landing pool. A lifeguard patrols the start, and insists a slider has left the landing pool before letting the next slider go.

During term time weekdays, the wave machine and water slide aren't always available.  4pm onwards Fridays is a Fun Session when those features are available.

I was in the pool area approximately 4:30pm to 6:30pm, but only went in the pool during the wave sessions at 4:30pm, 5pm, 5:30pm and 6pm.  The rest of the time I was on the water slide.  The queue varied considerably; sometimes there was quite a long queue (6 to 10 in front), sometimes I got straight on to it.  Altogether I enjoyed four wave sessions and 36 goes on the slide.

A large inflatable dinosaur was placed in the water when the 6pm wave session ended, and remained there until 7pm, hence there was no 6:30 wave session.  Unfortunately only 8 to 12 year olds are allowed on the inflatable.  Interestingly between the end of the 6pm wave session and 6:30 the slide was generally quiet; I managed 15 goes on it.  One of them there was a long queue, the rest the slide was walk-on, or at worst two in front.

Friday Evening
When I left the Riviera Centre around 7pm, it was still raining outside.  I headed down to the seafront.  The high tide meant it was impossible to go on the beach and build a sandcastle.  Having walked along the seafront to the Strand, I went to London Inn (Wetherspoons) for my evening meal: Roast of the Day, followed by sticky toffee pudding with custard.  To drink, I enjoyed half a pint of Bays Best, a Torbay beer.  Around 9pm I was back at my guest house and relaxed the rest of the evening.

Back to the top

Day Two - Saturday 18 June

Plymouth Pavilions

Saturday First Thing
My first full day in Devon began with a delicious breakfast: cereal, orange juice, Full English, toast and coffee.  Due to my plan for the day, I had it at the normal time of 8:30am.

Off To Plymouth
Around 9:20 I left the guest house and headed for Torre station, a few minutes walk away.  Once there I caught the 9:29 train to Newton Abbot for onward 9:49 train to Plymouth.  The journey was relaxing and hitch-free.  When I reached Plymouth, I headed straight for Plymouth Pavilions to do swimming and water sliding at Atlantis Fun Pool the rest of the morning, and ice skating at Swiss Lake Ice Rink mid afternoon.  I bought a joint ticket to cover both activities.

Plymouth Pavilions Atlantis Fun Pool
This has the following features:

Fun Pool
This has a wave machine, which is not on continuously.

Conical Buckets
Located by the pool side, they have a continuous trickle of water flowing into them.  When full, they tip up and empty on to the area below.  You can stand under them, and if you happen to be in exactly the right spot at the time a bucket tips, the water lands on you.

Green Snake
A closed tube water slide all the way down, to land in a catch tray.

Orange Slide
This water slide starts much higher, and is open top for two anticlockwise loops before becoming a closed tube for its clockwise loop outside the building. Upon re-entry to the building one lands in a plunge pool. This is much more thrilling. Unfortunately this was more popular than the green snake, so I didn't get as many goes on this.

I got into the pool area around 11:20, and spent most of my session on the two water slides.  Altogether I had 24 goes on the green snake and 7 goes on the orange slide.  Occasionally I stood under the tipping buckets and had water land on me.  My session finished at 13:00.

Lunch at Plymouth Pavilions
After that I went to Shake Away at Plymouth Pavilions for a coffee and BLT sandwich.  That's all I wanted after a big breakfast.

Plymouth Pavilions Swiss Lake Ice Rink
I booked for the 2pm skating session, and was at the rink well before the session was due to start.  The rink is an unusual shape so that it cannot be used for competitions.  The session lasted one and a half hours.  I fell the moment I first stepped on the ice, and again close to the end.  Annoying because on my previous visit I had no falls at all.

Forthcoming Closure
Sadly that will be my last ever time of water sliding or ice skating at Plymouth Pavilions.  I said to a various members of staff it's a shame the fun pool and ice rink are about to close, as they're both conveniently located in the city centre, and even filled in a customer comment card stating my views about the closure.  Someone told me Atlantis Fun Pool (including water slides) and Swiss Lake Ice Rink first opened in 1991.  Atlantis Fun Pool will close in the autumn when the new Life Centre opens.  Swiss Lake Ice Rink is staying open a little longer, but will close next April.  If you've not been to either of them, I suggest you go there (if you live within sensible travelling distance of Plymouth) and enjoy them whilst you still have the chance.

Rest Of Visit To Plymouth
Having left Plymouth Pavilions around 4pm, I headed down to the Barbican, whereupon I had a traditional Devon Cream Tea at Strand Tea Rooms.  Got to have one of those on a trip to Devon, haven't you?  Having left the Strand Tea Rooms, I returned to the station and caught the 17:38 train to Newton Abbot.  Altogether a great day out in Plymouth.

Rest Of Saturday
Having reached Newton Abbot, I broke my journey there to have dinner at The Richard Hopkins (Wetherspoons): sausages and mash followed by Eli's Original Baked Vanilla Cheesecake.  To drink, I had half a pint of Abbot Ale.  Having left around 7:25pm I returned to the station for the train to Torre.  Just after eight I was back at my guest house, and relaxed there the rest of the evening.

Back to the top

Day Three - Sunday 19 June

Devon's Crealy Great Adventure Park

Sunday First Thing
When I awoke it was sunny outside.  I had an early breakfast at 8:10 consisting of cereal, orange juice, Full English, toast and coffee.

Off To Crealy
Just before 9:00, I caught the X46 fast bus from just across the road from my guest house to Exeter.  Having reached Livery Dole bus stop in Heavitree, I ran across the road hoping to connect with the Sidmouth bus (9:31 departure from the bus station).  Just my luck, another passenger told me I'd missed it by about five minutes.  Annoyingly, I had about an hour to wait for the next bus, and thus reached Devon's Crealy around 11:00.

Devon's Crealy Great Adventure Park
On arrival at the admissions booths, I showed my RCCGB membership card and claimed the members' discount I was entitled to.  The person in the ticket kiosk said to me "Happy Father's Day", not something I was expecting considering I was on my own.  Once admitted I couldn't wait to take to the rides.

Maximus Rollercoaster
As a RCCGB member, it was appropriate for me to begin with this Vekoma Junior Coaster (207m).  This originally operated under the name El Pastil Loco from 2000 to 2009.  In 2010 it was renamed Maximus and given Roman theming.  One subtle modification for the 2011 season was the addition of the Maximus name on the front of the loco.  Apart from that, the ride experience was no different to any of my previous visits there; undeniably tame compared to the giant steelies at Pleasure Beach Resort Blackpool, but nonetheless fun to ride.  One ride still consists of two laps.  I had four goes (back row, front row, third row, second-from-back row).

Vortex Water coasters
Three water coasters made by Van Egdom.  You slide down these water slides fully clothed in a dinghy.  In order not to disturb the neighbours, you are not allowed to shout or scream on the stairs, or at the top.  However you can shout or scream inside the slides, which are closed tubes.  Facing the entrances from the launch platform they are:
Left: Venom
Centre: Vertigo
Right: Viper

I deliberately went on these now (whilst the queue was really short) and had four goes: Venom, Vertigo, Venom, Vertigo.  Couldn't do Viper as there must be two riders in a boat on that one, and I didn't like asking anyone else if I could ride Viper with them.

The Flying Dutchman Pirate Ship
Formerly known as the Queen Bess Pirate Ship, it actually took me until after I'd returned home to discover (from the Park Map) this is now called The Flying Dutchman Pirate Ship!  A pointless name change, in my opinion.  During my visit to Crealy, the ride experience was no different to my previous visits.  For now one go was enough for me; it's not as re-ridable as Maximus.

Dino Blasters
Electric bumper boats which have a button to press so you can squirt other users.  I faced a few minutes wait when I joined the queue.  When it was my turn to embark I had a green boat.  I stayed on the lake quite some time until I eventually gave up my boat of my own accord.  Given the number of people waiting, I was surprised I wasn't called out sooner.

Honey Swing
This is located in the Magical Kingdom, and is basically a chair-o-plane.  Adults can go on it.  It goes around clockwise, with the seats on an angle.  My one go on this now was my only go on this all day.

The Flying Dutchman Pirate Ship
Another go on this swinging pirate ship, this time in an end row for maximum thrill.  Nonetheless, riding this in the end row is still tame compared to Rush at Thorpe Park.

Funambulist Challenge
A series of wooden beams, plus some swinging steps, for you to balance on.  If you've made it around all that lot, which I did, you should try the three short tight ropes which are placed just centimetres above the ground.  I had no problem walking to the end of the short rope, and just about managed to walk the length of the middle-length rope, so didn't bother with the longest one.

Roundabout PlayPump
In Africa, roundabouts like these have been installed to pump groundwater into a tank as children play on the roundabout.  I'm not sure whether or not the one at Devon's Crealy actually pumps water though.  I sat on the roundabout and went clockwise, followed by anticlockwise.

Tidal Wave Log Flume
You get into a log, go up one lift and down.  After that you go around a bend, and up a second lift, which is taller than the first.  The drop which follows is taller than the first drop, and enclosed in a tunnel (which was retrofitted as a noise shield).  After a big splash on landing you return to the station, but thankfully I donned my cagoule and leggings.  I enjoyed four goes (logs 1, 3, 4, 2).

Victorian Carousel
Speaks for itself really, mostly galloping horses, though there are some cars on the ride.  This was my only go on this all day, on the horse Penny.

Lunch at Adventure Zone
At this point I went to get a mid afternoon snack.  I tried the café at the ball firing arena, only to find the whole building had been gutted out internally for a refit.  Next I tried the Magical Kingdom, and finally the Adventure Zone café.  All I really wanted was a sandwich and coffee, and was disappointed to hear there was nowhere I could get a sandwich.  In the end I had potato wedges and coffee at the Adventure Zone café.  Now I wished I'd taken advantage of the long wait for a connecting bus at Exeter; by buying a Sub of the Day from a Subway in Exeter city centre to take with me.

Afterwards I asked a member of staff about the ball firing arena, which opened in 2008, has gone after just three years.  They used to get big children bullying young children in there.  That was difficult to monitor.  The shape of the room meant it was necessary to have three Rangers in there, which was very expensive.  I then said it was Sir Walt's Diner (the Park's flagship restaurant) until 2007.  Asked why they sacrificed that in 2008 to put in a ball firing arena with small sandwich / coffee bar in the corner, only to take it out again now to put in a pizza restaurant.  The ball firing arena seemed like a good idea at the time, but sadly it was an experiment which failed.  Said they'd just as well have kept Sir Walt's Diner until last year, then replaced it now with a pizza restaurant.  That would have meant having to spend money on it only once; the money wasted on the ill-fated ball firing arena could have been saved for a new ride.

Treetops Playground
An outdoor play area which includes four metal slides.  Adults are allowed on everything.  I had one go on each metal slide, and had a go on the swing.

Buzzards Swoop Drop Slide
This drop slide is next to the Treetops Playground, and is enclosed in a building, but you still have to walk around the outside after leaving the run-out to return to the top.  I enjoyed 8 goes.

Maximus
Two more goes on Maximus: second row followed by second-from-back row.

After that went into Dina's Lost World.

Meteorite
My final ride of the day.  It's a drop tower ride, featuring one row of seats on this, on one side of the ride.  Adults are only allowed to sit in certain seats for some reason.  It rose and fell several times.

At this point I noticed the Dizzy Dina Ride has gone.  I felt shocked considering it's only been there since 2007.  Worse still, being as it had the Park mascot theming (Dina the Dinosaur), it must have been custom-made.  It seemed a shame to get rid of it.  The Ranger operating Meteorite was unsure what had happened to it.  I've since found out it was relocated to Cornwall's Crealy last winter.

Go Wild!
A wooden play structure which opened in 2009.  It includes sloping wooden box bridges, net bridges and log ramps. Best of all adults are allowed to play on it.  I spent a few minutes going over all parts of it.

Adventure Zone
A large indoor adventure play complex, designed and installed by Taylor-Made Play Equipment.  It includes the following:

Two 4-lane Astrozoomer Astra slides (one is yellow, one is in various shades of grey)
Two double drop slides (i.e. drop half way, flat landing, sloping bit and land in ball pool)
Red Devil drop slide (straight down and out along the run-out) – this has two launch beams
Yellow spiral tube slide and red corkscrew slide
Crawl maze
Loads of soft play equipment

Best of all, adults (or should I say adult kids?) are allowed to play on everything.

I spent the rest of my visit in here, and went on the following:

Yellow Astrozoomer: all four lanes left to right once each.
Blue double drop slide four goes.
Red Devil lower beam four goes, upper beam four goes.
Soft play equipment.
Grey Astrozoomer: all four lanes left to right once each.
Black double drop slide four goes.
Yellow spiral tube slide at back two goes.
Red corkscrew slide one go.
More soft play equipment.
Finished off with more goes on the Red Devil (all from the upper beam).

Cumulative Summary of My Rides at Crealy

Ride	Total
Dino Blasters	1
Honey Swing	1
Maximus	6
Meteorite	1
The Flying Dutchman Pirate Ship	2
Tidal Wave Log Flume	4
Victorian Carousel	1
Vortex Water coasters: Venom	2
Vortex Water coasters: Vertigo	2
TOTAL	20

Sunday Evening
I left Crealy around 5:50pm, and caught a bus back to Exeter just before 6pm.  Having reached Exeter, I went to George's Meeting House (Wetherspoons), for dinner.  I fancied Roast of the Day, but they'd already sold out of those as it was very busy there earlier (presumably because it was Father's Day).  Eventually I chose chilli con carne with sour cream, tortilla chips and yellow Basmati rice, followed by Bramley apple, pear and raspberry crumble with custard.  To drink, I had half a pint of Abbot Ale.

Having left Wetherspoons, I returned to Exeter Bus Station via Cathedral Green.  Back at Exeter Bus Station, I caught 20:35 bus to Newton Abbot, which took the scenic route via Dawlish and Teignmouth.  Having reached Newton Abbot there was just a few minutes' wait for a connecting bus to Torre.  I finally got back to my guest house around 10:30pm.

Back to the top

Day Four - Monday 20 June

Daytime: Woodlands Family Theme Park
Evening: First Great Western

Monday First Thing
The final day of my long weekend already.  Regardless of what the weather was to be that day, I'd rigidly intended going to Woodlands near Dartmouth that day, to the extent of booking my homeward Advance ticket from Totnes to Bath when I made the arrangements a couple of weeks earlier.  My plan was to take all my luggage with me after breakfast, catch a bus from Torquay to Woodlands (via Totnes), leave my large bag in a locker all day at Woodlands, catch the bus back as far as Totnes, have dinner there and catch my home train from there.  As it happened, it was cloudy but dry outside first thing.  I packed my bags and took them downstairs before having an early breakfast at 8:10: cereal, orange juice, full English, toast and coffee.  I left 8:57 with all my luggage and walked to the Strand (by Torquay Harbour) to catch a bus to Woodlands around 9:30.

Woodlands Family Theme Park
By the time I was admitted to Woodlands around 10:50, the sky was still overcast but it was still dry.  Therefore I began with the Toboggan Run as it was working at the time, but cannot operate in wet conditions.

Toboggan Run
This is the nearest Woodlands currently has to a roller coaster.  You sit on a toboggan, are carried up a lift to the top of a steel track where a Ranger is supervising.  At the top you must test your brakes before setting off downhill along the steel track (set in the hillside), around a series of U-bends, under gravity.  To control your speed along the way, use your brake.  You must slow down as you approach the station.  Thus with the lift hill, and going down the steel track, one could argue this is a coaster of a sort, but several people I've discussed this with at Club trips have disagreed with me.  I enjoyed four goes on this.

Ninja Towers
Opened in 2009, this outdoor play area consists of bridges and a net crawl tunnel.  I went on all those.  Also there's a purple spiral tube slide, a black spiral tube slide and a red straight tube slide.  I had two goes on the purple spiral tube, two goes on black spiral tube and two goes on red straight tube.  They were quite slow this year, presumably due to them being damp.

Ninja Towers has been extended since my visit last year.  The extension has more bridges and three additional tube slides.  I had two goes on each of those new slides.  They were rather slow, again that was probably due to them being damp.

From the top of Ninja Towers you can access a red and black four-lane Astra slide, which opened in 2008.  I enjoyed one go in each lane left to right (as viewed from the top), but it seemed quite slow this year.

Avalanche
Looks like two conventional kids' park slides from the bottom.  However you must be at least 140cm tall to ride them, which means they're about the nearest Woodlands has to white knuckle rides.  You go to the station at the top of the hill, collect a plastic dinghy, which you sit in to slide down one slide or the other.  At the bottom, you put your dinghy on the conveyor belt to return it to the top.  Since there's two separate slides, purists would say this is really two rides.  As viewed from the top, I did them in the following order: left slide, right slide, left slide, right slide.

By now light rain was falling, the rain continued the rest of the day.

Arctic Gliders
Plastic thatch laid in the hillside, and you slide down a lane on a plastic tray, to resemble sledging down a hillside.  The lanes are alternately coloured red and blue, but guests can only slide in one of the six the blue lanes.  Thus a maximum of six people can ride this at once.  It's tame compared to the Avalanche so I only had one go (far left blue lane).

Commando Course
An assault course, set in the side of the hill.  You go around a sequence of obstacles arranged in a figure of eight.  Time taken 7 minutes 5 seconds.

Roundabout
Next to the Commando Course is a large metal disc which spins.  I set the disc spinning and sat on it until it stopped.

Action Track 1
An obstacle course (smaller than the Commando Course), which includes a Burma bridge, stepping stumps, and tyre climb.  I did one lap of this.

Triple Drop Slide
A drop slide that takes you straight down and out along the run-out.  There are three launch beams at different heights, hence the "triple" bit of the name.  Launch yourself off the beam and experience the freefall drop.  I fearlessly enjoyed three goes from each of the three launch heights.

Master Blaster
A 3-storey indoor attraction.  On the ground floor you can feed foam balls into tubes, to be transported through pipes to the upper levels.  Also on the ground floor is a fountain which you fill with balls, then press a button to spray the balls into the air.  On the first and second floors are pneumatic guns, you put foam balls in one at a time and press a button to fire them across the room.  Great fun.

In addition there's soft play equipment around the edge of the ground and first floors, and a maze in the corner of the ground floor.  There's a straight tube slide from first to ground floor, and spiral tube slide from second to ground floor.  Adults are allowed on all the play equipment in here.  I had a mega fun time in the maze, on the soft play equipment and firing foam balls around.  I covered all the soft play equipment and maze once, and had two goes on each tube slide.

By the time I left Master Blaster, the rain was quite heavy.

Seascape Mirror Maze
Speaks for itself, it's a mirror maze.  Took a walk through this start to finish.

Bumper Boats
Electric bumper boats.  Unlike the ones at Devon's Crealy, you have to hold down a button to make them go, and you can't squirt water from them.  When I approached the ride, all the boats were docked and no-one was on the lake, so I thought they had closed.  Fortunately a Ranger was there waiting for a rider.  I was allocated a blue boat (number 7) and stayed on the lake about ten minutes before giving up my boat of my own accord.  Throughout that time I was the only person on the lake!  Presumably the heavy rain deterred anyone else from wanting to go on it.

At the end I found out why the boats lack squirt buttons.  The squirters used to work when the boats were on the lake at the other end of the Park, as that has flowing water.  The lake they are on now (near The Empire of the Sea Dragon) is a stagnant lake, so they can't let people squirt its water which is polluted with mud and duck mess.

After that, I spent the rest of the afternoon in The Empire of the Sea Dragon.

The Empire Of The Sea Dragon
A large blue building at the far end of the Park, which includes themed birthday party rooms, Sea Dragon's Play City (described below), a smaller soft play area The Ice Palace for young children, and three rides: Dragon Ferris Wheel, Submarine Ride and Trauma Tower.  In addition there's a café (Ray's Diner) and picnic area there.

Before doing anything else in this building, I sat in the picnic area to enjoy the Sub of the Day I had bought in Torquay on my way to the bus stop this morning.

Trauma Tower
A drop tower by Moser Rides.  Having seen it not working my last three visits, it was running today.  Therefore I was determined to ride it.  I enjoyed two goes on it.  Tame compared to the Ice Blast at PBR Blackpool but still great fun.

Submarine Ride
Submarines on spokes which go round clockwise, and rise if the lever is touched.  Whilst I waited for a go, the Ranger in charge said I was too tall, and showed me its sign; maximum height 1.4 metres.  I don't remember seeing that on my last visit (27 Sep 2010); it must have been introduced since then.  Said to the Ranger adults have been allowed on it in the past.  He said the upper height limit has always been there, but adults have been allowed to accompany young children.  Anyway he let me have one go.  Now I know not to go on that ride in future.  This turned out to be my final ride of the day.

Sea Dragon's Play City
The largest attraction in The Empire Of The Sea Dragon, an enormous 5-storey indoor adventure play complex designed and installed by Taylor-Made Play Equipment.  It includes the following features:
Barracuda 6-lane Astra slide.
Dinosaur Double Drop Slide (drop half way, flat bit, slope, ball pit landing).
Triple Decker Deep G Dive drop slide (drop part way, flat bit, slope, flat bit, slope, ball pit landing)
Depth Charge drop slide (straight down and out; it has two launch heights a storey apart)
Sea Serpent (two long spiral tube slides; one is green and one is blue)
Two other short tube slides (one goes from the first floor to land in a ball pit on the ground floor)
Maze on the ground floor
Loads of soft play equipment
90 degree tubes to crawl through at the highest level
Crawl maze

It claims to be the UK's biggest indoor play zone, and best of all adults (or should I say adult kids?) are allowed to play on EVERYTHING in there.  It's even been said adults seem to get more fun out of it than children.  Maybe that's why it's also known behind the scenes as the Senior Play Area.

There's so much in there it was difficult to ensure I covered everything whilst I was in there, let alone remember the complete sequence in which I did it all.  Here is my slide count for the time I was in there:

Barracuda all 6 lanes left to right once each
Dinosaur Double Drop Slide 4
Depth Charge drop slide lower beam 4 upper beam 4
Triple Decker Deep G Dive three stage drop slide 12
Green corkscrew slide 4
Sea Serpent green 2 blue 2
Short tube slide first floor to ground floor, landing in a pit of balls 1

By the time I had collected my belongings from my two lockers the time was 16:42.  I was tempted to have one more go on Trauma Tower.  Unfortunately it was in motion.  I didn't want to wait for it to finish as that would delay me leaving the Park, which could result in me missing the 16:51 bus to Totnes.  As it happened, I had to hurry back to the bus stop as quickly as possible, with a mixture of brisk walking and running.

Cumulative Summary of My Rides at Woodlands

Ride	Total
Arctic Gliders	1
Avalanche left slide	2
Avalanche right slide	2
Bumper Boats	1
Submarine Ride	1
Toboggan Run	4
Trauma Tower	2
TOTAL	13

Rest of Monday
At ten to five, I was back at the bus stop outside Woodlands.  Misty rain was falling so visibility was poor.  The 16:51 bus to Totnes which I hoped to catch finally turned up at 17:19 (about half an hour late).  Having reached Totnes, I went to The Dartmoor Inn for dinner: carvery roast, which included a pudding (I chose apple / blackberry tart with custard).  To drink I had half a Fosters.  Around 7:30pm I was at Totnes station ready for my booked train home: the 20:09 London Paddington train.  The journey from Totnes to Bath was a relaxing end to a fun-packed long weekend.  I finally reached Bath just after 10pm.

Back to the top

Outro

Highlights
Three nights' B&B in Torquay, including the delicious filling breakfasts.
Evening meals at Wetherspoons Torquay, Newton Abbot and Exeter first 3 nights, and The Dartmoor Inn Totnes Monday evening.
Achieving 36 goes on the water slide at Riviera Centre Torquay Friday.
Sliding the water slides and skating on the ice rink at Plymouth Pavilions for what will be my last time ever.
Enjoying 6 goes on Maximus Coaster and 4 goes on Tidal Wave Log Flume at Devon's Crealy.
My first ever go on Venom (one of the Vortex water coasters) at Devon's Crealy.
Playing in the Adventure Zone at Devon's Crealy and Sea Dragon's Play City at Woodlands.
Getting 4 goes on the toboggan run at Woodlands.

Lowlights
Wet and windy weather Friday afternoon.
Teignmouth Pier rides closed due to foul weather Friday afternoon (so I couldn't count Go-Gator).
Getting to Exeter Sunday morning having just missed the bus to Crealy (and having an hour's wait for another).

Summing Up
On the whole, a great long weekend away, which included riding, outdoor and indoor adventure play areas, water sliding and ice skating.

Back to the top