To jump to individual trips, please click the appropriate link below.
Bath On Ice - Saturday 15 December 2012
Oasis Leisure Centre Swindon - Sunday 16 December 2012
Bournemouth Slide 'N' Skate - Saturday 29 December 2012
Cardiff International Pool - Saturday 5 January 2013
Skating At The BIC - Saturday 23 February 2013
Poole Bowl 'N' Skate - Saturday 30 March 2013
Enjoy reading as many of the following six trip reports as you wish.
Bath On Ice - Saturday 15 December 2012
Date: Saturday 15 December 2012
Venue: Temporary ice rink at Royal Victoria Park, Bath
Who Went: Just me
Rationale For Trip
A temporary outdoor ice rink was on at Royal Victoria Park, Bath during December 2012, and it proved quite popular. I was keen to give it a try and the afternoon of Saturday 15 December 2012 was a convenient time for me to go.My Chosen Skating Session
This was my first ever time of going ice skating on an open-air ice rink. Whilst the action of skating on ice was just the same as on an indoor rink, the fact that it was outdoors gave a different feeling to skating indoors. I chose a late afternoon session which began whilst it was still daylight and the setting sun could be seen. During the hour that I was on the ice daylight turned to dusk. At dusk the rink was illuminated by lights that changed colour, and Christmas music was being played to add to the atmosphere. The rink was busy, which limited the amount of space available to anyone. Furthermore the rink was smaller than some indoor rinks I've been on in the past, but it was still great fun. I remained upright for the whole hour. An Ice Marshall tried taking photos of everyone on the ice. At the end of the session everyone was asked to leave the ice and return their skates. I chose not to buy the photo that I was in.Back to the top
Oasis Leisure Centre Swindon - Sunday 16 December 2012
Date: Sunday 16 December 2012
Venue: Oasis Leisure Centre Swindon
Who Went: Just me
Rationale For Trip
Oasis Leisure Centre, Swindon has had water slides for several years. Considering I've lived in Bath since 1996, and Swindon is just half an hour away on a High Speed Train, one might have thought I'd have gone there several times by now. Not so! At the start of December 2012, I had still never been to the Oasis Leisure Centre, Swindon, although for the last couple of years I've been meaning to go water sliding there. I was determined to go there some time in December 2012, and Sunday 16 December 2012 happened to be a convenient day for me to go.Getting To Swindon
The outing began when I caught the 11:43 train from Bath Spa to Swindon. Having reached Swindon about half an hour later, the Oasis Leisure Centre was about 10 minutes' walk away.Oasis Leisure Centre
The leisure pool, known as the Lagoon Pool, claims to be Swindon's premier fun pool. This pool includes a wave machine. In order to have as many slides as possible, I didn't go in the Lagoon Pool at all.In addition to the Lagoon Pool itself there are also the following water slides.
Sidewinder
This blue slide is a closed tube all the way down. It is snake themed, and the easiest of the three but still great fun.Great White
A wide white closed tube all the way down. This slide is shark themed, and more thrilling than Sidewinder.Storm
This narrow tube slide is black all the way down. It starts with a pitch dark clockwise spiral. Mid way there's a straight bit with a strip lighting effect. The rest of the slide is another pitch dark clockwise spiral, before you finally exit into the landing pool. I found out that this slide was new; it replaced an old slide in the same spot which was called Screamer.Sidewinder, Great White and Storm are known as the Domebuster Flumes. To access them you go up a staircase enclosed within a tall tower.
Lagoon Falls
This slide is located under the main dome and above the Lagoon Pool. Therefore you have to go up a separate staircase to access this slide. The slide is open-topped all the way down and gives a slow, gentle ride. Shortly after the start there is a bend to the left, followed by a bend to the right and another bend to the left. Finally there's a clockwise spiral (one circle) before you land in the catch tray.I entered the pool area at 12:50. Knowing I would only get an hour in there, my initial concern was how many or few slides there would be time for in that hour, so I headed straight for the Domebuster Flumes. Thankfully Sidewinder, Great White and Storm were all surprisingly quiet throughout my session, presumably due to many people being preoccupied with Christmas shopping in the town centre.
My session began with two goes on Sidewinder. Next I had four goes on Great White followed by eight goes on Storm. After that I had another four goes on Sidewinder; although this was the mildest of the three tower flumes I wanted to increase my count on it. Next I had four more goes on Great White.
At this point I left the Domebuster Flumes to try the Lagoon Falls slide above the main pool. This open top slide was busier than the other three slides, so for now I limited myself to one go. I returned to the main tower for two goes on Great White, two goes on Sidewinder and yet another two goes on Great White. Finally there was just time for me to enjoy three goes on Lagoon Falls before my session officially ended at 2pm. Thus I actually had just over an hour in there.
Summary of my sliding in actual order:
Sidewinder 2Great White 4
Storm 8
Sidewinder 4
Great White 4
Lagoon Falls 1
Great White 2
Sidewinder 2
Great White 2
Lagoon Falls 3
Cumulative Summary of Slides
| Slide | Total |
| Great White | 12 |
| Lagoon Falls | 4 |
| Sidewinder | 8 |
| Storm | 8 |
| TOTAL | 32 |
Oasis Café
Having left the pool area and dressed, I went to the Oasis Café for a much-needed latte coffee before I left the Oasis Leisure Centre.Remaining Time In Swindon
Having left the Oasis Leisure Centre, I went for a walk around the town centre for about an hour or so. There happened to be a Christmas funfair on there, so whilst I was on my way back to the station I went into the funfair and decided to ride the Phantom Chaser.Phantom Chaser
A ghost train. The train began by climbing a hill and working its way gradually downwards. Being as its track goes uphill and downhill, some may class this as a coaster. Anyway, being a ghost train it was spooky along the way. I limited myself to just one go.Journey Home
When the ride ended I headed straight back to the station, whereupon I caught the 16:11 train from Swindon to Bath Spa. The train ran on time and took about half an hour to reach Bath.Outro
Highlights
Sliding the water slides Sidewinder, Great White, Storm and Lagoon Falls for the first time ever.Sidewinder, Great White and Storm really quiet, often walk-on and at worst two in front.
High slide count for the time I was in there.
Riding the ghost train Phantom Chaser at the Christmas Funfair.
Lowlights
Having just over an hour in the Lagoon Pool, it would have been nice if the session had been longer.Summing Up
Altogether a fun afternoon out. It's always extra fun going to a water slide complex and trying out the slides for the first time ever. That said, it's a pity I didn't go there two or three years ago whilst the Screamer slide was still there, so that I could have gone down that slide as well as Sidewinder, Great White and Lagoon Falls. By waiting until December 2012 to go there for the first time ever, I had the satisfaction of sliding a new slide Storm, but now I'll never get the chance to slide Screamer. My one ride on Phantom Chaser was an unexpected additional treat to round off the trip.Back to the top
Bournemouth Slide 'N' Skate - Saturday 29 December 2012
Date: Saturday 29 December 2012
Venue: Littledown Centre, Lower Gardens Ice Rink
Who Went: Just me
Rationale For Trip
Back in July 2012 I was intending to go to the Littledown Centre, Bournemouth to enjoy its water slides. In fact that was my original plan for Saturday 21 July 2012, but due to my getting ready and setting off later than expected, I ended up going to Splashdown, Tower Park, Poole that day, which in hindsight was a better choice for that day. Nonetheless a visit to Littledown Centre Bournemouth remained on my list of things to do since July, but for various reasons still hadn't materialised by Christmas. Therefore I was determined to go there over Christmas 2012.Furthermore the temporary ice rink which has been a popular attraction at the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) over Christmas for several years now was back there for Christmas 2012. In addition there was an outdoor ice rink in the Lower Gardens, Bournemouth during Christmas 2012. Obviously that would give me a choice of rinks for once (I would skate on one or the other), but my initial preference before setting off was to skate at the BIC indoor rink. With an early start and good timekeeping I could easily go water sliding at the Littledown Centre and ice skating at one of the two temporary rinks in a single day.
Getting To Bournemouth
In some ways this was a bad day to go from Dorchester to Bournemouth by train as there was the added inconvenience of a rail replacement bus service between Poole and Bournemouth due to engineering. Never mind, that didn't put me off going. After an early rise I caught the 8:46 train from Dorchester South to Poole followed by the onward 9:25 rail replacement bus to Bournemouth.Having reached Bournemouth railway station at 9:47, I walked to a nearby bus stop to catch a local bus to the Littledown Centre.
Littledown Centre
The Littledown Centre is a leisure centre on the outskirts of Bournemouth. Its facilities include a 25 metre rectangular swimming pool, learner pool and two water slides: Yellow slide (slow)
This takes you around a clockwise u-bend, along a straight bit, around another clockwise u-bend and another, straight bit. Finally there's a clockwise spiral (dark towards the end), and you land in a small landing pool. Green slide (fast)
This starts with a steep drop (not vertical), followed by a clockwise spiral (dark), bend to left, and you land in a small landing pool.I arrived at the Littledown Centre around 10:30am. The receptionist pointed out to me that when the pool opened at 11am, it was going to be a Wet and Wacky session until 12:30. This session was clearly aimed more at families as inflatables were in the pool, making serious swimming difficult if not impossible. I stated that my plan was to have as many goes as possible on the two water slides.
Once admitted, time allowed for me to have a coffee at the Littledown Café before getting changed just before 11:00. From the café I could see the inflatables being put into the pool ready for the Wet and Wacky session.
I was in the pool area from 11:06 to 12:42, i.e. just over one and a half hours. In that time I enjoyed a total of 20 goes on the yellow slide and 24 goes on the green slide. By the time I was about to leave, the Wet and Wacky session was over and lanes were in place, which therefore allowed me to swim one length of the main pool deep to shallow before leaving the pool area.
Summary of my sliding in actual order:
Yellow Flume 4Green Flume 4
Yellow Flume 4
Green Flume 8
Yellow Flume 4
Green Flume 8
Yellow Flume 8
Green Flume 4
Cumulative Summary of Slides
| Slide | Total |
| Green Flume | 24 |
| Yellow Flume | 20 |
| TOTAL | 44 |
Lunch at Littledown Café
After leaving the pool area I went to the Littledown Café for a light lunch.Mid Afternoon Problems
Having left the Littledown Centre I didn't have long to wait for the next available bus to the sea front. Without further ado I headed straight for the BIC. Although realistically I was now hoping to get into the ice skating session that was due to start at 4pm, I wanted to see if there was any chance (however remote) of getting into the session that was imminent (due to start around 2:15pm). The first hiccup of the day arose at the BIC box office: due to a technical fault the 2:15pm skating session was cancelled due to a technical problem.The staff were uncertain when, if at all, the Purbeck Hall rink would reopen; the earliest possibility was now the 5:30pm session. However that was currently very much a maybe and no guarantee could be given of it opening at that time, which is why they were unwilling to sell tickets for that session. I asked if it would be worth hanging on for that session, bearing in mind a) if it did go ahead, I would be leaving around 7pm and it would be quite late when I'd get back to Dorchester, and b) I'd have to kill three hours in the meantime. They suggested phoning around 5pm to enquire whether the 5:30pm session would be running or not; if it too had to be cancelled I'd then begin my journey back to Dorchester, with the feeling of having wasted the afternoon. Meanwhile they suggested looking at the outdoor rink in the Lower Gardens, which was just a short walk away.
When I got to the Lower Gardens ice rink, the 2:15pm skating session was sold out and underway. The 4pm session was currently hanging in the balance, an ice assessment at the end of the current session would determine whether or not the 4pm session could go ahead. If it did go ahead the number of skaters would be limited to 50, and due to some having already booked, there would only be 25 unreserved tickets available. Unwilling to sell me a ticket now, the lady suggested I come back at 3:30pm to a) find out if the 4pm session was on, and b) if so, be one of the first there and thus maximise my chance of getting a ticket. To fill time, I went to Subway in the town centre for a for a coffee.
Lower Gardens Ice Skating
At 3:30pm I returned to the outdoor ice rink in Lower Gardens. The 4pm session was now definitely going ahead, and there were currently plenty of unreserved tickets available for that session, so I decided to go to that. At least I now knew I'd be going ice skating at 4pm, which would be more convenient for me than 5:30; anyway there was still no guarantee the 5:30 session would take place at the BIC. An added bonus, the rain had now stopped and the setting sun was now out. Although skates were issued at 4pm, the actual time on the ice was 4:15 to 5:15, i.e. one hour.At 4:15pm skaters were allowed on to the ice. Being as I was going ice skating, it seemed appropriate for me to wear my fluorescent yellow cagoule with Skatedrive on it. It's a wonder that didn't cause confusion with the Ice Marshalls who themselves were wearing fluorescent yellow jackets, but they said that was no problem. Skating in the open air as dusk turned to darkness was extra satisfying and a welcome change from skating at the BIC in previous years, despite the Lower Gardens rink being considerably smaller than the BIC ice rink has ever been. During the hour I was on the ice continuously and had no falls. Furthermore it stayed dry in that time. At 5:15pm there was an announcement that the session was over and everyone must leave the ice and return their skates. Probably just as well as far as I was concerned, my legs were beginning to ache a bit.
Danter's Funfair
Danter's Funfair was on at the Pier Approach during Christmas 2012, and the rides were still operating after dark. I treated myself to one go on Freak-Out, my final ride for 2012. The ride experience on this swinging, spinning ride was no different to when I rode it previous years. Although fun, one go was enough; no way could I have stuck two goes. I asked if this is the same Freak-Out as was here Christmas 2011, and previous years. It is as Danter's Funfair has only this one Freak-Out; they've had it since 2003.Remaining Time In Bournemouth
Out of curiosity I called into the BIC box office to find out whether or not the 5:30pm Purbeck Hall ice skating session was running. Obviously if it was I would not now be skating there as I'd already gone skating on the Lower Gardens outdoor ice rink. The problem had been solved and the 5:30pm session was now running in the Purbeck Hall. In fact it was sorted out just before 4pm and thus they were able to run the 4pm session; however they could not start selling tickets for that until 3:55pm. I explained that, following their earlier advice, I checked out the Lower Gardens ice rink and turned up at 3:30pm for the 4pm session to ensure I got a ticket for that session; I didn't want to pop around to the BIC on the off-chance the Purbeck Hall rink might be back in action. The people in the BIC box office said I did the right thing going to the 4pm outdoor rink session rather than chancing my luck with the BIC Purbeck Hall rink.Back in the town centre, I went to Subway for another cup of coffee before returning to the railway station by bus.
Journey Home
I got to Bournemouth railway station just in time for the 18:29 rail replacement bus to Poole, whereupon I caught the onward 19:02 train to Dorchester South.Outro
Highlights
Sliding the yellow and green water slides at the Littledown Centre for over one and a half hours.High slide count there in that time.
Ice skating on the Lower Gardens open-air ice rink.
Lowlights
Added inconvenience of the rail replacement buses between Poole and Bournemouth.Getting to the BIC and discovering ice skating was cancelled until further notice due to a technical problem.
Uncertainty as to whether or not the 4pm session on the Lower Gardens outdoor ice rink would go ahead when I first got there
Summing Up
Altogether a great day out, my final time of going water sliding or ice skating anywhere for 2012. The yellow and green slides at the Littledown Centre may not be the best water slides I've been down during 2012, but they were better than some water slides I have ever experienced. The waiting time for them varied, but there were never more than about five people in front, and thus I achieved a high slide count on them in just over one and a half hours. It's a pity the 2:15pm ice skating session at the BIC Purbeck Hall had to be cancelled due to technical problems and they weren't able to guarantee it opening again in time for even the 5:30pm session at the time. Thankfully the 4pm skating session on the Lower Gardens open-air ice rink went ahead (despite that too hanging in the balance around 2:30pm) and I was thus able to enjoy ice skating after all. Although the Lower Gardens ice rink was smaller than the BIC Purbeck Hall rink has ever been, it was a new experience skating in the open air in Lower Gardens as dusk turned to darkness. That in itself added to the fun. My one go on Danter's Freak-Out, which turned out to be my final funfair ride anywhere for 2012, provided the finishing touch to a fun day.Back to the top
Cardiff International Pool - Saturday 5 January 2013
Date: Saturday 5 January 2013
Venue: Cardiff International Pool
Who Went: Just me
Rationale For Trip
Having begun 2011 and 2012 with a visit to Cardiff International Pool to enjoy the fun pool and water slides, I was equally keen to begin 2013 with another visit there. This was, in fact, my fourth visit to Cardiff International Pool to-date; my previous three visits there were 19 December 2009, 8 January 2011 and 7 January 2012.Getting To Cardiff
I got up fairly early in order to catch the 08:30 train from Bath Spa to Cardiff Central. Having reached Cardiff, I caught a bus to the Sports Village.Cardiff International Pool
Cardiff International Pool is located at the Sports Village. I finally got there around 10:30am and entered the pool area at 10:50. Being my fourth visit to-date, the place was already familiar to me.The leisure pool area has the following features:
Red flume
Starts by taking sliders around a bend to the left, into a clockwise spiral. This is followed by an anticlockwise spiral, and you land in catch tray. Slow.Orange flume
This begins with an anticlockwise spiral, followed by a clockwise u-bend, to land in a catch tray. Faster.Yellow flume
Starts with a bend to the right, into an anticlockwise spiral, and finally a straight drop (fairly steep but not vertical), landing in catch tray. Faster still.The above three flumes are closed tubes all the way down. They don't have names, unlike the flumes at Oasis Leisure Centre Swindon or Splashdown Poole.
Space Bowl (blue)
A short flume takes you round an anticlockwise loop into space bowl. After whirling around, you fall into a 2.5 metre deep landing pool, which you must swim out of as quickly as possible. For that reason you must be able to swim to be allowed on this.Children's Play Structure
A multi-level play structure. This includes a short green water slide (closed tube), but that slide is for children only, just like the rest of the play structure.Leisure Pool
This includes a river run.There's no roller coaster water slide (as in the Master Blaster at certain other water parks I've visited), but then again, you can't have everything I suppose.
The slides were made by Aqua Leisure International, and commissioned in December 2007. Labels on the catch trays of the red, orange and yellow flumes show the following information:
Red flume: 850 Series Ride A
Orange flume: 850 Series Ride B
Yellow flume: 850 Series Ride C
I entered the leisure pool area at 10:50am and headed straight for the slides. Just like my January 2012 visit, the red, orange and yellow flumes, plus the space bowl, were all running right from the start. I was able to stay in as long as I wanted and remained in the pool area until 2:40pm. Initially the queues for the slides were really short, but as time went on they became longer, sometimes extending down the top flight of stairs.
As always, the lifeguard asked me if I can swim prior to my first go on the space bowl. I said I can swim, and had been on this space bowl on previous visits, as well as space bowls elsewhere. I suppose they have to ask everyone that question, no matter how many times they've used a space bowl anywhere before.
I'm still not sure which was my favourite of the red, orange and yellow slides, all were fun to slide. I found the space bowl particularly thrilling (just like other places where I've been on space bowls), but nonetheless didn't want to have more goes on it than any of the other slides. For ease of counting, I insisted on sliding them all round robin. During the time I was in there, I enjoyed the red flume, orange flume, yellow flume and space bowl in sequence ten times over. To finish off, I swam four laps of the river run before finally leaving the pool area around 2:40pm.
Cumulative Summary of Slides
| Slide | Total |
| Red flume | 10 |
| Orange flume | 10 |
| Yellow flume | 10 |
| Space Bowl | 10 |
| TOTAL | 40 |
Plus 4 laps of river run.
Mid Afternoon Snack
Having finally left Cardiff International Pool building just after 3pm, I went to Morrisons (which was just a short walk away) for a sandwich and coffee at their café.Remaining Time In Cardiff
After leaving Morrisons I caught the bus back to Cardiff city centre. Whilst there I explored St David's Centre and Queen Street for an hour or so. Unlike my January 2012 visit to Cardiff International Pool, I resisted the temptation to end my day in Cardiff with an evening meal at Pizza Hut, in order to save money. However I did go to Krispy Kreme in St Davids Centre around 4:45pm for a doughnut and coffee.Journey Home
At 5:22pm I was back at Cardiff Central station. From there I caught the 17:30 Portsmouth Harbour train, which arrived Bath Spa just over an hour later. A pleasant and relaxing journey to end the day out.Outro
Highlights
Enjoying the red flume, orange flume, yellow flume and space bowl at Cardiff International Pool again.Good slide count considering how long the queues were.
Doughnut and coffee at Krispy Kreme, St David's Centre, Cardiff.
Lowlights
Slide queues longer than I would have liked for a substantial part of my visit.Summing Up
Altogether a fun day out, my first outing for 2013, and also my first time of going water sliding anywhere for 2013. It's a pity the place was busier than I than I'd have liked once again. Although my slide count was higher than my previous visit in January 2012, it was still considerably lower than my first ever visit there in December 2009. The coffee and doughnut at Krispy Kreme at St David's Centre was a delightful treat before catching my train home.Back to the top
Skating At The BIC - Saturday 23 February 2013
Date: Saturday 23 February 2013
Venue: Bournemouth International Centre
Who Went: Just me
Rationale For Trip
The temporary ice rink which was on at the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) Purbeck Hall during Christmas 2012 remained open there throughout January right up to the February 2013 half term holiday. The weekend of the 23 and 24 February 2013 was its final weekend of being open to the public there. Being as this was the last Saturday I could skate there I really wanted to go.Getting To Bournemouth
Travelling from Dorchester to Bournemouth was quicker and easier than my previous visit to Bournemouth on Saturday 29 December 2012 as trains were running normally this time. I caught the 9:13 train from Dorchester South to Bournemouth. Having reached Bournemouth at 9:54 I walked to the seafrontBIC Ice Skating
I got to the BIC box office (by the main entrance) around 10:30, and managed to get a ticket for the first session of the day starting at 11am. There was ample time for me to enjoy a regular Americano at The Terrace café at the BIC before walking around the outside of the building to a separate entrance for the Purbeck Hall where the temporary ice rink was located.There were a few more minutes to wait in the lobby before going into the Purbeck Hall for skate issue. Although the session was billed as being one and a half hours long, that included fifteen minutes at the start and end for getting skates on and off. Thus the actual time on the ice was one hour from 11:15 to 12:15. I fearlessly stepped on the ice and went straight into open space. My time on the ice was continuous, and I had no falls in that time. At 12:15 it was time for everyone to leave the ice and return their skates.
Lunch at The Chippy
Having left the BIC, I walked into the town centre to have lunch at The Chippy. There I had medium cod and chips plus a coffee in the café area at the back. I chose to eat in on this occasion because it was way too cold to have a takeaway to eat outside.Saturday Afternoon
After lunch I walked along the seafront from Bournemouth Pier to Toft Zig Zag. Although I mostly walked on the promenade, at one point I briefly walked along part of the beach. Next I walked up Toft Zig Zag path to the cliff top. Once there I walked along the cliff top back to Bournemouth Pier. Back in the town centre late afternoon I had a coffee at Debenhams Restaurant.Journey Home
Having walked back to the Travel Interchange, I caught the 16:24 train to Dorchester South and arrived back just after 5pm.Outro
Highlights
Ice skating on the BIC Purbeck Hall ice rink.Fish and chip lunch at The Chippy
Lowlights
It was a bit cold for walking along the seafront and cliff topSumming Up
Another great day out. My morning session of ice skating at the BIC was my first time of going ice skating anywhere for 2013. Although it was cold outside, it was dry all day with sunny spells. Walking along the seafront and back along the cliff top was pleasurable despite the cold. I must admit it did seem odd to be walking along the seafront on such a cold day, and thus having to wear a thick winter coat over other layers. Next time I fancy walking along Bournemouth seafront, I'd like to go on a sunny day in the summer on which it's hot enough for just a T-shirt and shorts, the way it should be.Back to the top
Poole Bowl 'N' Skate - Saturday 30 March 2013
Date: Saturday 30 March 2013
Venue: Bowlplex at Tower Park Poole, Central Park Ice Rink at Poole Park
Who Went: Me and Ann (my aunt)
Rationale For Trip
It must be said this was really a last minute replacement for what I really wanted to do. My original plan for the day was to catch an early morning train from Dorchester South to Basingstoke, and go water sliding at the Aquadrome Lagoon followed by ice skating at Planet Ice there, before returning to Dorchester by train in the evening. Unfortunately I was still recovering from a cold and chest infection which made water sliding anywhere inadvisable; in any case I didn't really feel like getting up around 6am to get ready and catch a train departing Dorchester South around 7:30am.I suggested to Ann that we both go ten pin bowling at Bowlplex, Tower Park, Poole in the morning, then have some lunch and afterwards go to Poole Park for me to have a session of ice skating at Central Park Ice Rink. That way I would still go ice skating somewhere, and do ten-pin bowling instead of water sliding. We both agreed to this alternative plan. We set off around 10:30am and got to Tower Park just after 11am.
Bowlplex Tower Park, Poole
Bowlplex is a ten-pin bowling centre at Tower Park leisure complex on the outskirts of Poole. Other amenities at Tower Park include Gala Bingo, Splashdown water park, Lemur Landings Soft Play Centre (a kids' indoor play area formerly called Monkey-Bizness) and Empire multi-screen cinema, along with fast food restaurants KFC and Burger King.Game 1
We turned up at Bowlplex having not pre-booked. Fortunately there was no delay in allocating us to a vacant lane, and we were allocated to lane 14. Having put our names in the game began. The game consisted of ten frames. Soon after the game began I noticed that the gutter guards were down, which is why we both had several balls go into the gutters thereby scoring no points. I tried my hardest best to aim towards the pins and avoid the gutters, nonetheless I ended up getting 10 out of 20 balls in the gutters. Ann did worse still, 13 out of 20 balls in the gutters. Consequently our final scores were both disappointingly low. Ann did manage a spare on frame 9, but being as she knocked nothing down on frame 10, still only got 10 points for frame 9. I scored no strikes or spares at all. My best score on an individual frame was 9 (8+1) on frame 5, though that was immediately followed by nothing on frame 6. Our final scores were Ann 40, me 50, thus I won this game.At the end I suddenly found out we'd only paid for one game. I thought we'd paid for two. Anyway I returned to the pay desk to collect the score sheet.
Lunch
We decided to have lunch in the café at Bowlplex. Ann had a filled jacket potato, whereas I had a half pounder burger meal (which included chips and a fizzy drink).Game 2
After lunch we both agreed to have a second game. This time I asked for the gutter guards to be raised at the time of payment. This time we were allocated to lane 6. When we got there, the gutter guards were still down. I thought an attendant would have to raise and lock them with a tool (just like when I went alone to AMF Bowling, Torquay last September). Anyway I put our names in on the terminal and the gutter guards raised themselves automatically. Once again the game consisted of ten frames. Alleviated of the problem of balls going into the gutters, we both did considerably better this time, we both scored points on every frame. Ann scored a spare on frame 7, followed by 6 on the first shot of frame 8, thus her total score for frame 7 ended up being 16 points. She didn't score any strikes though. Despite my efforts I scored no strikes or spares, my best scores this time were 9 (8+1) on frame 5 and 9 (3+6) on frame 9. The final scores were Ann 81, me 69; thus Ann won this game.When this game ended, I collected the score sheet and we left Bowlplex. After that we moved on to Poole Park.
Central Park Ice Rink
Central Park is the name of a building in Poole Park. There are two parts to the building, one half (accessed through one entrance) is a children's soft play area. The other half (accessed via a separate entrance) contains a café and a small indoor ice rink. The small size of the rink makes it ideal for introducing young children to ice skating, especially as penguins are available for children to hold on to whilst learning to skate.Coffee Time
I was booked in for the 2:30pm ice skating session. When we arrived there was about an hour to wait for that session. To fill time we both decided to have a coffee in the café, I also had a cake to go with my large filter coffee. Afterwards Ann decided to sit in the car during my skating session rather than watch me skate. There was still time for me to have one more small filter coffee before going on the ice.My Skating Session
Around 2:20pm skaters booked on the 2:30pm were allowed into the room where the rink is located in order to be issued skates. Being as I was going ice skating, I also decided to wear my fluorescent yellow cagoule with Skatedrive on it. Fortunately that was no problem of confusion with the Ice Marshalls as they didn't wear fluorescent yellow here.At 2:30 skaters were allowed on to the ice. There were quite a few others on the ice besides me. I quickly picked up speed and skated around and around. As time went on I tried a few brief moments of one-legged skating, but didn't have the confidence to skate on one leg for long. Obviously the small size of this rink made it seem like a goldfish bowl compared to the large ice rinks I've skated on at Bristol and Basingstoke in the past, but nonetheless I still enjoyed having the chance to skate. At 3:15 the session ended, and everyone was asked to leave the ice and return their skates. Thus the total time on the ice was 45 minutes, and I remained upright for that entire time, even my short spells of one-legged skating.
After Skating
Having returned to the café, I stayed little longer to enjoy a cappuccino coffee before returning to the car to begin the journey back to Dorchester.Outro
Highlights
Two games of ten-pin bowling at Bowlplex, Tower Park.Lunch at Bowlplex, Tower Park.
Ice skating at Central Park Ice Rink, Poole Park.
Lowlights
Disappointingly low scores and getting many balls in the gutters on the first game.Summing Up
Altogether a fun day out to fill up Easter Saturday. Although it wasn't what I originally wanted to do that day, I still enjoyed what did happen. The ten-pin bowling was great fun, although our scores were disappointingly low on the first game due to the gutter guards being down, and hence many balls going into the gutters. Thankfully our performance on the second game after lunch was much better due to my request to have the guards raised. It's a pity we didn't pay for two games right at the start. Not only would it have worked out a couple of pounds cheaper than paying for them separately, but I've since noticed each score sheet has a statistics table, which includes high game and low game, along with a difference. Obviously this was 0 for both tables as we played two separate sessions of one game. By playing one session of two games, the statistics for two games would most likely have been combined and some interesting data such as the difference between the highest and lowest game would have emerged. My afternoon session of ice skating was also great fun. Although it was only 45 minutes long, whereas I would perhaps have spent about two hours on the ice had I gone to Planet Ice Basingstoke as originally intended, I think 45 minutes of skating was enough for me considering my state of health that day.Back to the top
And Finally
As you can see, I've had a few fun trips between November 2012 and March 2013. The good thing about indoor water parks like the Lagoon Pool at Oasis Leisure Centre Swindon and Cardiff International Pool is that you can go there to enjoy water sliding in the winter months when theme parks such as Thorpe Park and Alton Towers are closed for the winter.As for going to Basingstoke for water sliding at the Aquadrome Lagoon and ice skating at Planet Ice, I hope to be able to do that during the first few weeks after the Blackpool Bash, and post a full report here afterwards.
In the meantime, see you at the Blackpool Bash Friday evening.
Back to the top
No comments:
Post a Comment