Nemesis Nick's Birthday Outing 2013

Date: Monday 30 September 2013
Venue: Thorpe Park
Who Went: Just me

N.B. Any use of "today" in this report means Monday 30 September 2013.

Rationale For Trip

Monday 30 September 2013 was my 42nd birthday. Whereas last year my birthday outing to Devon's Crealy was part of a four day trip to south Devon, this year I favoured having a standalone day trip on my birthday. My original desire was to spend the day at Butlins Minehead to enjoy its funfair and Splash Waterworld, and have a celebratory evening meal in Taunton on the way back to Bath. In July I discovered that Butlins Minehead would open to Day Visitors at 13:00 on Monday 30 September 2013, which was not ideal. One workaround I considered was as follows: (i) catch an early morning train from Bath to Taunton, followed by a bus towards Minehead, (ii) break my bus journey at Watchet and have a cooked breakfast in a café there, (iii) continue to Minehead to arrive outside Butlins Day Visitor entrance before 13:00, (iv) once admitted start riding in the funfair immediately (without needing lunch) and after about 90 minutes go into Splash Waterworld for the rest of my visit. In other words, make the most of the time I would have at Butlins. Under this workaround I would still have had a celebratory evening dinner in Taunton on my way home.

The above itinerary was still not ideal because if I was going to an amusement park on my birthday, I would want to arrive and start riding around 10:00 rather than 13:00. By early September I strongly favoured Thorpe Park as an alternative. Obviously going there for the day and having a celebratory evening meal in Staines meant the day would be so similar to my extra special 40th birthday outing in September 2011 it could have a retrospective dumbing down effect on my 40th birthday outing. However I had subsequently been to Thorpe Park for the RCCGB trip "The Swarm Storm!" in March 2012, and on that occasion had many more rides than on my 40th birthday visit, as well as an evening meal at Pizza Hut, Staines.

In the end I decided to visit Thorpe Park on my 42nd birthday, and therefore booked a park entry ticket in advance, as well as the required combination of train tickets Bath Spa to Staines and back. For the third year running I had a special birthday T-shirt of my own design printed, this time at Bath Impact Print Works about a week before my birthday.

Getting To Thorpe Park

Just like some RCCGB trips I attended the last few years, it was necessary for me to wake up at 4:20am, which for me is exceptionally early. From Bath Spa I caught the 06:13 train to Reading, followed by the connecting 07:42 train to Staines. Having reached Staines at 8:31, there was time for me to enjoy a medium Americano at Café Gusto in the town centre. Finally I caught the 9:08 Thorpe Shuttle bus from Staines Bus Station to Thorpe Park.

Welcome To Thorpe Park

I finally reached Thorpe Park at 9:18. The Advance Ticket Collection point wasn't open yet, so I waited near it until it opened around 9:30. As soon as it opened I collected my pre-booked ticket. Without further ado I waited at one of the entrances. I happened to be close to the front of the queue. More thrill seekers gradually joined the back of the queue afterwards. Just after 10:00 the front shutters rose and visitors funnelled through the ticket check point.

Morning Riding

Colossus

Once admitted I headed straight for the roller coaster Colossus. This Intamin AG Looping Coaster (Colossus) has been operating at Thorpe Park since 22 March 2002. According to the Roller Coaster Database (RCDB), it is still one of just two coasters of this model worldwide.

Being as it was early in the day I was able to walk straight up to the station. I was going to ride in a row other than the front, but when I noticed just two people in the front row queue I took the opportunity to enjoy a front seat ride on Colossus with a minimal wait. When it was my turn I sat in a front seat. Once despatched, the train climbed the lift hill, went around a bend and down a steep hill, round the vertical loop and under a bridge. Next it went up half a loop, before doing a U-turn whilst inverted and down another half loop. After that it went back under same bridge as earlier, up and down a bit, along a flat section, and into the horizontal corkscrew. Finally the train headed around the end bend on an angle, along the home straight and back to the station. Altogether a fun ride, just the one to start my birthday visit to Thorpe Park. I was totally relaxed and didn't scream at all throughout the ride, unlike when I first rode it in June 2005.

Of course, once wasn't enough. Having left via the exit path, I headed straight back to the entrance to have a second go on Colossus. The queue was still really short, and this time I sat in the back row. Once my second go was over, I headed for a different ride.

Rush

Nearby both swings were in action on Rush, and the queuing time was really short, so now was the perfect time for me to ride this giant swing. I was particularly keen to ride this as I didn't get the chance to ride it on my last two visits to Thorpe Park in September 2011 and March 2012. This S&S Power Screamin' Swing has been operating since 27 May 2005. When it was my turn I sat in seat 3. The swing went forwards and backwards a little to start with, rising higher and higher on subsequent forwards and backwards passes. Eventually it swung really high forwards and backwards. Finally the forwards and backwards swings became low ones, until the swing stopped completely. A mega fun ride, I remained quiet the whole time unlike when I first rode it in June 2005.

Quantum

This Fabbri Magic Carpet ride, which opened in 2003, has rows of seats facing the centre. When I approached this I was able to get straight on to it without having to queue. The ride went up part way in one direction, down and part way up in the opposite direction, then down to the home position. Next time around it went up higher each direction. Eventually it went really high in each direction. The best bit was when it went right up and over to do a complete loop. Finally it slowed down, stopped and everyone left the ride. A pleasurable ride in the "Thrilling and Fun!" category, although undeniably tame compared to Rush. This was my only go on Quantum all day.

SAW - The Ride

This Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter (Custom) has been operating since 14 March 2009. It is one of nine coasters of this model currently operating worldwide, although a tenth is due to open at Adventure World Australia in November 2013. The queuing time for SAW - The Ride was about 10 minutes. When it was my turn I sat in the back row. The car set off through the building, I noticed a dip in there. Once outside the building the car worked its way around to the vertical lift. The car climbed the vertical lift, went down the beyond vertical first drop, around the vertical loop and back to the station. Altogether a fun ride, though on this occasion I noticed a couple rough moments; I was totally relaxed the whole journey and did not scream at all. However I still feel the ultra violet and other lighting effects plus air currents in the building unnecessary overkill. You wouldn't get those in a real factory sawmill. Why do they bother having them here?

Having left the ride at the end, I approached the entrance for a second go, but since the waiting time was now about 20 minutes, decided to go on something else instead. I didn't return to SAW - The Ride later.

Samurai

This Mondial Top-Scan, which has been operating at Thorpe Park since 2004, consists of six seat rows which flip over as the main "spider" rotates on an angle. Not for the faint hearted! After queuing for about 15 minutes, I sat in gondola 2. Whilst the ride was in motion I was relaxed and didn't scream at all. A fun ride spin 'n' spew ride, but once was enough. I never returned to this later.

Swarm

Thorpe Park's newest coaster, which opened 15 March 2012. This Bolliger & Mabillard Wing Coaster (Custom) is a fairly new model, which has been in production since 2011. According to the RCDB, this is one of five coasters of this model currently operating worldwide (two more are currently under construction), and the second to enter operation. Its maximum height of 127' (38.7 m) makes it the fifth tallest coaster currently operating in the UK. It appears to me as though this coaster was themed around an air crash, due to the broken aeroplane on the ground and the station which resembles an air crash / fire damaged church with a missing roof. Originally all the seats faced forwards, but at the start of the 2013 season, the back two rows were reversed to face backwards to the direction of travel. I was determined to ride Swarm both backwards and forwards.

First go: backwards. I set off from the right hand platform (as viewed facing direction of travel), and sat in the back row. Thus I had an unobstructed view of the track. The train climbed the lift hill, descended the steep first drop, climbed the next hill, flipped over at the top before going down again. This was followed by a loop, another flip-over and the rest of the course back to the station. Whilst it felt unusual to be travelling backwards on a coaster, I didn't find it as scary as the "Have you got the guts to brave it backwards?" slogan implies.

Second go: forwards. I set off from the left hand platform (as viewed facing direction of travel), and sat in the front row, so once again I had an unobstructed view of the track.

Altogether another mega fun ride, albeit over a bit too soon for my liking. Since I was busy riding other rides the rest of the day, I didn't return to Swarm later.

Lunch at Roast & Relish

Feeling really hungry, my next stop was Roast & Relish for a filled baguette. Two types of meat were available: gammon and turkey. Initially I fancied turkey, but then considered gammon. The person serving me said I could have half and half if I wanted; that's what I chose in the end. I also had a white coffee to go with my baguette.

Afternoon Riding

Immediately after lunch I took a walk around the Park. When I felt ready to resume riding, I thought Storm In A Teacup would be the ideal one to start with.

Storm In A Teacup

A run-of-the-mill tea cup ride. I was able to get straight on to this without having to queue. When the ride is in motion one can make the cup spin faster by turning the centre table, but I didn't as I was satisfied with the speed at which it was rotating anyway, I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.

When the ride ended the attendant asked me if I wanted a second go as it was my birthday. I agreed, and was therefore able to remain in the same cup without having to leave and re-enter the ride. Once again I just sat back and enjoyed the ride; I didn't spin the cup faster by turning the table. At the end of my second go I left the ride.

Stealth

This Intamin AG Accelerator Coaster has been operating at Thorpe Park since 15 March 2006, and is one of 14 coasters of this type currently operating worldwide. With a maximum height of 205.1' (62.5 metres) it is the second tallest coaster currently operating in the UK and fourth tallest coaster currently operating in Europe. Its top speed of 80 mph makes it the fastest coaster currently operating in the UK and third fastest coaster currently operating in Europe.

After queuing for about ten minutes or so I got into the back row. The train set off, climbed the vertical lift hill, went over the top and down the vertical drop. Having landed, there was one more gentle up-down undulation, before the train was back at the station. Wow, a mega fun ride. The snag was the fun was all over way too quickly! For now I only had one go as I wanted to go on several other rides during the afternoon, but I was determined to have more goes on Stealth later if time allowed.

Nemesis Inferno

This Bolliger & Mabillard Inverted Coaster (Custom) began operating 5 April 2003 and is currently one of 16 coasters of this model currently operating worldwide. A 17th is currently under construction and due open in April 2014 at Kings Island, USA. The waiting time for Nemesis Inferno was just a few minutes. When it was my turn I sat in row 5. Once despatched the train set off around a clockwise downhill spiral around the volcano, then through a tunnel. After that it went up the lift hill and downhill, and around various bends. There was one loop-the-loop along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it, and didn't scream or shout "Mercy" (unlike my very first visit to Thorpe Park in June 2005). For now I limited myself to one go as I wanted to go on other rides next, but hoped to have more goes on Nemesis Inferno later time permitting.

Tidal Wave

"You will get very wet on this ride". That was no problem for me; I donned my all-in-one splashsuit just before getting on the boat. Someone else said I had just the right outfit for this ride. This Hopkins Rides Shoot-the-Chutes boat ride opened on 7 April 2000. After the boat left the station, there was a long climb to the top. At the top the boat did a U-turn and went down the ramp (a long way down), until it hit the water with a mighty splash. My T-shirt and jeans stayed dry underneath my rain gear, whereas everyone else became drenched! Serve the others right for not wearing waterproofs on the ride! Finally there was another U-bend and back to the station.

Having disembarked I went straight back to the entrance for a second go. This time I sat alone in the front row. After my second go I left Tidal Wave and did not return to it later.

Logger's Leap

Being as I was already kitted out for water rides, it made sense for me to ride Logger's Leap next. This Mack Rides log flume opened in 1989. When I got there, the ride was walk-on. My log sailed around the canal for some way before going up the first lift hill, and down a drop. The splash was nothing like as big as I thought it might be. My log continued for what seemed like eternity, until it eventually reached a second lift hill, followed by a drop, which produced another splash. Finally the log sailed on to the station. A fun two-drop log flume, but I'm still not really in a position to say which is the best log flume out of this and other two-drop log flumes I have ridden elsewhere.

Having left the ride I went straight back to the entrance for a second go afterwards. The ride attendant said I could have just stayed on, but anyway my second go was just as much fun as the first. At the end of my second go I left Logger's Leap as wanted to go on other rides.

Rumba Rapids

My final water ride of the day, one go on the Intamin river rafting ride Rumba Rapids. First opened in 1987 as Thunder River, it operated as Ribena Rumba Rapids from 2002 to 2006. Since 2007 it has operated as Rumba Rapids. It was a pleasurable experience floating around the flowing waterway and going up the ramp back to the station, but more a relaxing ride than a thrilling one. This was my only go on Rumba Rapids all day. Having disembarked I took my splashsuit off.

Detonator

This Fabbri Group Mega Drop Tower opened in 2001, and is 115 feet (35 metres) tall and has a top speed of 50.7 mph. The seats are arranged on a circular unit surrounding the tower. When I approached the ride the waiting time was very short, I only had to wait for one complete run to occur before it was my turn to get on. Once everyone was secured, the seat unit was pulled to the top of the tower, whereupon it was released. It's difficult to describe how it feels during the free-fall drop, but once again I was relaxed throughout the whole ride duration, and didn't scream at all. Sadly the ride was all over too quickly, it's just once up and once down. Another mega fun ride, the only way to find out what it's like is to ride it yourself. Having left the ride I went straight back to the entrance for a second go, and once again had only a short wait to get on. After my second go ended I left Detonator as I wanted to go on other rides in the remaining available time.

X

An indoor roller coaster. This Vekoma Enigma is one of just two coasters of this model operating worldwide. It originally operated as X:\No Way Out from 23 March 1996 to the end of the 2012 season, during which time the train had five rows of seats which faced backwards to the direction of travel. Since the start of the 2013 season it has been operating as X, with new forward facing trains, and the building now illuminated by lasers and disco lights. I had two goes: front row followed by back row. On both of my goes there was no queue for this ride. Despite the modifications, my opinion of this ride just the same as last year: this coaster was worth riding to say I'd ridden it this visit, but I wouldn't rate it highly.

Flying Fish

This Mack Rides Blauer Enzian originally operated as Space Station Zero from 1983 to 1989, and Flying Fish from 1990 to 31 October 2004. After being in storage during 2005 and 2006, it was brought back into service, still as Flying Fish, at the start of the 2007 season. According to the RCDB, this is one of seven coasters of this model currently operating worldwide. Unlike the other six coasters, one ride consists of multiple laps of the track, although the actual number you get seems to vary from turn to turn. I had two goes as follows:

First go: second-from-back row.
Second go: fourth row. At the end of this go the ride attendants sang "Happy Birthday" to me, although because they didn't know my name, they sang "person in the fourth row". I ought to have told them my name when I asked them to photograph me from the platform before despatching the train.

The ride was walk-on for both goes. My verdict: tame compared to even Hornet at Flambards or Maximus at Devon's Crealy, but still worth riding to say I'd ridden it this visit.

Stealth

Now that I had ridden all seven coasters at least once each, and as many non-coaster rides as I currently thought I wanted to ride, I aimed to have a few more goes on Stealth. I ended up having three goes, in various rows (but not front), and each time the waiting time for rows other than the front was minimal.

Nemesis Inferno

To finish off the day I headed across to Nemesis Inferno. This ride was now walk-on, I sat in the second row to enjoy what I thought might be my last ride of the day.

As soon as the ride ended, I immediately exited the ride and headed straight back to the entrance on the off-chance I might fit in another go. Back at the entrance I was able to walk straight on to what would be the final train of the day. This time I sat in the back row, and enjoyed what I knew would be my last ride of the day. Where better to end my birthday outing to Thorpe Park than on the back seat of Nemesis Inferno?

Summary of my day at Thorpe Park in order of activity

Colossus 2
Rush 1
Quantum 1
SAW - The Ride 1
Samurai 1
Swarm (backwards) 1
Swarm (forwards) 1

Lunch at Roast & Relish

Storm In A Teacup 2
Stealth 1
Nemesis Inferno 1
Tidal Wave 2
Logger's Leap 2
Rumba Rapids 1
Detonator 2
X 2
Flying Fish 2
Stealth 3
Nemesis Inferno 2

Cumulative summary of rides all day

Ride	Total
Colossus	2
Detonator	2
Flying Fish	2
Logger's Leap	2
Nemesis Inferno	3
Quantum	1
Rumba Rapids	1
Rush	1
Samurai	1
SAW - The Ride	1
Stealth	4
Storm In A Teacup	2
Swarm	2
Tidal Wave	2
X	2
TOTAL	28

As I headed towards the Dome, I had a few more photos of me taken in the Park. I finally left Thorpe Park around 17:20.

Returning To Staines

I walked across to the bus stop, and as I expected, there was a long bus queue. A Staines bus departed at 17:27, but I was unable to get on that one. Another Thorpe Park Express bus turned up at 17:34 and thankfully I was able to get on that one, and had a seat (many passengers were standing). Shortly afterwards the bus left Thorpe Park and headed back to Staines. At 17:50 I left the bus at Staines Bus Station.

Birthday Dinner

The birthday fun wasn't over yet. Without further ado I looked for somewhere to go for my celebratory dinner. My original plan was to go to Pizza Hut for my birthday meal. On the way I saw Harvester and looked at their menu from outside before going to nearby Pizza Hut to read their menu from outside. I also looked at another restaurant's menu from outside. After some thought, I decided to have my celebratory meal at Harvester.

Once seated I placed my birthday cards on the table and took time deciding what I wanted to eat and drink. Eventually I chose Early Bird BBQ Chicken & Bacon Stack for my main course. This included chips and peas. A fill-it-yourself salad bowl was also included, I went to the salad bar to fill a salad bowl whilst waiting for my main course to arrive. In addition I ordered half pint of Carling Keg to drink with my meal.

After I finished my main course I thought about having a dessert. Initially I considered having a sundae; I particularly fancied the Honeycomb Explosion sundae. However I also saw profiteroles on the menu. In the end I decided to have profiteroles for my dessert. The profiteroles were served on Cornish whippy ice cream, and drizzled with white and Belgian chocolate sauce. To say they were delicious was an understatement, they left me feeling full.

By 20:00 I had finished my Carling Keg. With about 20 minutes left before I really needed to leave, I ordered a cup of cappuccino. This was the perfect end to my celebratory dinner.

Summary of my meal
Drink: Half pint of Carling Keg
Main course: Early Bird BBQ Chicken & Bacon Stack (included chips, peas and salad bowl)
Dessert: Profiteroles (served on Cornish whippy ice cream)
After-meal drink: Cup of cappuccino

Journey Home

I left Harvester at 20:22 and began walking to Staines railway station. Once there I caught the 20:53 train to Reading. Having reached Reading at 21:45 there was time for me to get a takeaway coffee from Subway in the station concourse before catching the 22:11 train to Bath Spa. I finally reached Bath Spa at 23:33 and home about ten minutes later.

Outro

Highlights

High ride count.
Satisfaction of riding all seven coasters in a single trip again.
Riding Swarm both backwards and forwards.
Riding Rush for the first time since March 2009, having missed it on my September 2011 and March 2012 visits.
Celebratory birthday dinner at Harvester in Staines town centre in the evening.

Lowlights

Not having time to ride Vortex, Zodiac or Storm Surge.

Summing Up

Altogether a mega fun day out to mark my 42nd birthday. Where better to spend one's birthday enjoying the rides at The Nation's Thrill Capital? Although the sky was mainly cloudy, with some sunny spells, it was dry all day. Ride queues were surprisingly short, at worst fifteen minutes and generally five minutes, hence my high ride count. It was really satisfying to re-ride all seven coasters (Colossus, SAW - The Ride, Swarm, Stealth, Nemesis Inferno, X, Flying Fish) which I first rode on previous trips, even though Flying Fish was somewhat tame compared to the large coasters. In the case of Swarm, I enjoyed riding it backwards for the first time ever, as well as forwards (as I did during my last visit in March 2012). Just one point about the seven coasters, they're all steel. Come on Thorpe Park, get some wood! It was also great to re-ride the non-coaster rides I first rode on previous trips, particularly Rush for the first time since I attended the RCCGB Saw-Ted trip in March 2009. It's a pity I didn't have time to ride Vortex, Zodiac or Storm Surge, but never mind. Closing time always seems to come too soon at Thorpe Park. The celebratory evening dinner at Harvester in Staines town centre was the grand finale to this special day.

Many people liked my self-designed birthday T-shirt. Some were puzzled when they first saw the front, until I showed the back. Wearing that throughout the day added to the fun of celebrating my birthday.

Photos of my birthday outing are available here