Wednesday 14 March 2018

Cardiff International Pool - Saturday 13 January 2018

Date: Saturday 13 January 2018
Venue: Cardiff International Pool
Who Went: Just me

Rationale for Trip
For the eighth year running, I wanted to start the year with a visit to Cardiff International Pool to enjoy the fun pool and water slides. During Christmas 2017 I set my mind firmly on going to Cardiff International Pool one Saturday in January 2018. I ended up going on Saturday 13 January 2018.

Getting to Cardiff
I got up fairly early in order to catch the 08:36 train from Bath Spa to Cardiff Central. Having got to Cardiff Central at 09:50 I had a much-needed regular Americano at Greggs, Wood Street before I caught the 10:33 bus from Westgate Street to the Sports Village.

Cardiff International Pool
Cardiff International Pool is located at the Sports Village. I finally left the bus near Cardiff International Pool at 10:51. When I approached the entrance shortly afterwards, the queue was tailing back out of the building. This was because the leisure pool was not due to open until 11:00, and thus everyone had to wait until 11:00 for the person at the front of the queue to be sold a ticket for the leisure pool. It took me until 11:05 to be served, and thus get changed. Being my ninth 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 Splashdown Poole.

Space Bowl (blue)
A short flume takes you round an anticlockwise loop into the 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

Session Overview
Around 11:20 I finally entered the leisure pool area and, without further ado, took to the slides. Due to my desire to have as many goes on those as possible, I spent my entire time queuing for, and sliding them, and didn't go in the pool or river run at all. The queues were short for my first two slides, but thereafter they were generally a bit long for my liking. Altogether I ended up sliding the red flume, orange flume, yellow flume and space bowl in sequence eight times over. Just like all my previous visits there, the lifeguard asked me if I can swim before my first go on the space bowl (and also some subsequent goes, after a change of lifeguard at the launch point). I told the lifeguard I can swim, and had been on this particular space bowl on previous visits, as well as space bowls elsewhere, so I was allowed to go down it. I finally left the pool area at 15:10, and the building at 15:37.

Summary of my sliding in actual order:
Red flume, Orange flume, Yellow flume and Space bowl in sequence 8 times over.

Cumulative summary of slides:

Slide
Total
Red flume
8
Orange flume
8
Yellow flume
8
Space bowl
8
TOTAL
32

Mid Afternoon Snack
Once I had left Cardiff International Pool I walked to nearby Morrisons. Around 15:45 I finally reached Morrisons Café where I enjoyed a much-needed pack of four prawn mayonnaise sandwiches, which included a few crisps. I also had a mug of cappuccino.

Remaining Time in Cardiff
Afterwards I caught the 16:15 from International Drive (opposite Morrisons) to the city centre. Having left the bus at Wood Street, I went to Krispy Kreme in St David's Centre, where I chose a Nutty Chocolatta doughnut and small Americano. Unexpectedly I discovered I was eligible for a free doughnut of my choice under the Krispy Kreme Rewards scheme when I purchased a doughnut, so I also decided to have a Chocolate Custard doughnut as my free doughnut. I ate the Chocolate Custard doughnut first (this was hand-dipped in chocolate icing and filled with silky vanilla pod custard) followed by the Nutty Chocolatta doughnut (this was filled with pure Nutella hazelnut spread, dipped in chocolate flavour coating and topped with white chocolate flavour and hazelnuts). Both doughnuts were yummy! This was my first time of having a doughnut or coffee at a Krispy Kreme doughnut and coffee shop for 2018. When I left Krispy Kreme, there was little hope of me getting back to Cardiff Central in time for the 17:30 train to Bath Spa, so I decided to aim for the 18:30 train. Meanwhile I filled time around the St David's Centre.

Journey Home
Around 18:20 I got back to Cardiff Central station and had time to buy myself a small Americano from Pumpkin Café in the station concourse before catching the 18:30 train to Bath Spa. I finally reached Bath at 19:35 and home a few minutes later.

Outro

Highlights
Sliding the red flume, orange flume, yellow flume and space bowl at Cardiff International Pool again.
Reasonable slide count for the queue lengths.
Two doughnuts and a coffee at Krispy Kreme, St David's Centre, Cardiff late afternoon.

Lowlights
Not being able to buy my ticket until the leisure pool opened at 11:00.

Summing Up
Altogether a great day out, my first time of going water sliding anywhere for 2018. One annoyance was not being able to buy my leisure pool ticket until the leisure pool opened at 11:00, because I couldn't get changed until after I bought it and I felt that caused me an unnecessary delay in entering the pool. It would have been better if leisure pool visitors could have bought their tickets around 10:50, got changed and thus been ready to use the pool and slides right from the moment the leisure pool opened at 11:00. A member of staff could have stood at the access point between the changing room and leisure pool preventing bathers who had changed from entering until the leisure pool was actually open. It's a pity the queues were generally rather long for my liking, and consequently my slide count was down a bit on my January 2017 visit there. That said, I did well to have eight goes on each slide in just under four hours; early on I didn't expect that many during the time I intended staying there. Back in the city centre late afternoon, one unexpected surprise was me having two doughnuts with my coffee at Krispy Kreme, St David's Centre, because I originally intended to have just one doughnut with my coffee. Unexpectedly I ended up travelling on the same train (GWR Express Sprinter 158950) from Bath Spa to Cardiff Central in the morning and back in the evening, what a co-incidence!

Tuesday 13 March 2018

2017 Quick Index

Here is an index to all my blog reports relating to trips and events of 2017:

RCCGB Trips
This includes my own trips to water parks that I did during RCCGB trips.

RCCGB Blackpool Bash 2017
Midi report
In depth report
Nemesis Nick at Sandcastle Water Park Blackpool - Friday 21 April 2017

RCCGB Summer Bash 2017 - Saturday 8 July 2017
Midi report
In depth report

RCCGB Mega-GLOW-Mania 2017
Midi report of whole weekend

In-depth reports of individual days:
RCCGB Folly Farm 2017 - Friday 11 August 2017
RCCGB Mega-GLOW-Mania 2017 - Saturday 12 August 2017
Nemesis Nick at Swansea LC Water Park - Sunday 13 August 2017

RCCGB Loopathon 2017
Midi report of whole weekend
Day 2 in-depth report (Drayton Manor Park - Sunday 8 October 2017)

My Own Trips

Cardiff International Pool - Saturday 7 January 2017
Trip report

Bath Half 2017 Family Fun Run - Sunday 12 March 2017
Trip report

Nemesis Nick at Brean Leisure Park - Saturday 2 September 2017
Midi report
In depth report

Nemesis Nick's Birthday Outing 2017 - Saturday 30 September 2017
Midi report
In depth report

Nemesis Nick at Funland - Saturday 14 October 2017
Midi report
In depth report

Eurovision Song Contest 2017
First Semi-Final - Tuesday 9 May 2017
Second Semi-Final - Thursday 11 May 2017
Analysis - Friday 12 May 2017
Grand Final - Saturday 13 May 2017
Grand Final Extended Voting Analysis - Saturday 13 May 2017
Statistics 2017
League Tables 2017

Event of the Year 2017
Results

Saturday 10 March 2018

Event of the Year 2017 Results

Here are the results tables for Event Of The Year 2017. All columns in each table are sortable by clicking on the required column heading. To navigate to individual categories, click the links below.

Best Mega Trip
Best Thrill Outing
Best Non-Thrill Outing
Best Show
Best Party
Best Mega-Glow-Mania Event
Ultimate Winner

Best Mega Trip

Event Number
Position
Title
Start Date
End Date
TOTAL
101
1
RCCGB Blackpool Bash
21 Apr 2017
23 Apr 2017
11
102
2
RCCGB Mega-Glow-Mania Weekend
11 Aug 2017
13 Aug 2017
10
103
3
RCCGB Loopathon Drayton Manor Park
08 Oct 2017
08 Oct 2017
6

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Best Thrill Outing

Event Number
Position
Title
Date
TOTAL
201
7
Cardiff International Pool
07 Jan 2017
20
202
5
Bath Half Family Fun Run
12 Mar 2017
32
203
4
Sandcastle Water Park Blackpool
21 Apr 2017
36
204
1
RCCGB Summer Bash
08 Jul 2017
42
205
3
Brean Theme Park
02 Sep 2017
38
206
2
Birthday Outing
30 Sep 2017
41
207
6
Funland Hayling Island
14 Oct 2017
31
208
8
Skating at the BIC
28 Dec 2017
12

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Best Non-Thrill Outing

Event Number
Position
Title
Date
TOTAL
301
24
Madame Tussauds Blackpool
24 Apr 2017
81
302
4
Bristol: Clifton and Ashton Court
19 Jun 2017
126
303
2
Bristol: Brandon Hill and Harbourside
21 Jun 2017
129
304
15
Bristol: Staple Hill and Eastville Park
05 Jul 2017
109
305
6
Bristol: Canford Park and The Downs
17 Jul 2017
124
306
16
Bristol: St George Park and Netham Park
25 Jul 2017
108
307
25
Morph Exhibition
27 Jul 2017
46
308
5
Blaise Estate
15 Aug 2017
125
309
14
Bristol: Harbourside Walk
16 Aug 2017
110
310
17
Bristol: Clifton and The Downs
22 Aug 2017
107
311
9
Clevedon
24 Aug 2017
121
312
12
Bristol: Oldbury Court and Snuff Mills Park
25 Aug 2017
112
313
8
Bristol: Arno's Court to Greville Smyth Park
27 Aug 2017
122
314
1
Weston-super-Mare
28 Aug 2017
130
315
11
Cardiff: Bute Park
31 Aug 2017
119
316
10
Portishead
01 Sep 2017
120
317
3
Bath to Bristol Walk
19 Sep 2017
128
318
7
Tyntesfield
23 Sep 2017
123
319
19
Taunton
25 Sep 2017
93
320
20
Bristol: Horfield Common and Clifton Down
26 Sep 2017
92
321
13
Bristol: Castle Park and Harbourside
28 Sep 2017
111
322
18
Wells
05 Oct 2017
94
323
21
Bristol: Clifton and Ashton Court Autumn
15 Oct 2017
91
324
23
We The Curious After Hours: Humans
09 Nov 2017
89
325
22
We The Curious After Hours: Feast
07 Dec 2017
90

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Best Show

Event Number
Position
Title
Start Date
End Date
TOTAL
401
2
The Lego Batman Movie
28 Feb 2017
28 Feb 2017
24
402
1
Eurovision Song Contest
09 May 2017
13 May 2017
28
403
4
Bath Firework Display
04 Nov 2017
04 Nov 2017
21
404
6
BBC Children in Need
17 Nov 2017
17 Nov 2017
19
405
5
Junior Eurovision Song Contest
26 Nov 2017
26 Nov 2017
20
406
3
Paddington 2
19 Dec 2017
19 Dec 2017
23

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Best Party

Event Number
Position
Title
Date
TOTAL
501
2
Birthday Meal
01 Oct 2017
11
502
1
Christmas Day
25 Dec 2017
12
503
3
New Year's Eve
31 Dec 2017
4

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Best Mega-Glow-Mania Event

Event Number
Position
Title
Date
TOTAL
601
2
Folly Farm
11 Aug 2017
10
602
1
Oakwood Theme Park
12 Aug 2017
11
603
3
Swansea LC Water Park
13 Aug 2017
6

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Ultimate Winner

Event Number
Position
Title
Start Date
End Date
TOTAL
101
1
RCCGB Blackpool Bash
21 Apr 2017
23 Apr 2017
26
204
3
RCCGB Summer Bash
08 Jul 2017
08 Jul 2017
19
314
2
Weston-super-Mare
28 Aug 2017
28 Aug 2017
20
402
5
Eurovision Song Contest
09 May 2017
13 May 2017
12
502
4
Christmas Day
25 Dec 2017
25 Dec 2017
13

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