Venue: Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Who Went: Me and a large number of other RCCGB members, including Andy and Christine Hine, Adrian and Katelyn Hikin, Barry Frost, Big Stevie B, Carol Hedges, Catherine Bland, Dan Ould, Death, Debra Boggis, Gareth Arkell, Gareth Preece, Gary Williams, Graham Shaw, Heather Hall, Herman Coaster, Jan Bryan, John Musk, Julie and her mother, June Ross, Linda Reynolds, Lorraine Downing, Mark and Margo Lewis, Martin, Linda, Ellis and Kayla Lowery, Matt Walker, Peter, Laura and Aiden O'Brien, Rachel Walker, Ryan Hackett, Wendy Adams Evans.
DISCLAIMER: The above is NOT intended to be an exhaustive list of everyone who attended. It's a small sample of attendees; mainly those who performed billed or Gong Show acts Saturday night, and/or who I spoke to / rode with over the weekend. I sincerely apologise to anyone else who was there and I've not listed. Not all attendees (whether or not listed above) attended the event in its entirety.
Introduction
The Club's annual UK mega-trip to start the new coaster season. Once again the Blackpool Bash was a great success, with three professional entertainers performing Friday evening, a day of riding Saturday daytime (including the morning ERS), an 80s Icons themed fancy dress party with songs, games, the Gong Show and a disco Saturday evening, and another ERS Sunday morning. This year's Blackpool Bash was extra special because it commemorated the RCCGB's 30th anniversary. There was a great turnout too with over 300 members from all over the UK (my list above is just a handful of them). I was determined as ever to attend the Blackpool Bash, and to take part in the Gong Show Saturday evening.To make the rest of this report easier to read, I've split it into sections. Click the applicable link below to jump to the section you want to read:
Thursday 5 April 2018
Friday 6 April 2018
Saturday 7 April 2018 (daytime)
Saturday 7 April 2018 (evening)
Sunday 8 April 2018
Monday 9 April 2018
Outro
Thursday 5 April 2018
Getting to Blackpool
I travelled to Blackpool by train Thursday 5 April. My journey from Bath Spa to Blackpool North began on the 12:36 train from Bath Spa to Newport (Gwent), followed by onward trains to Manchester Piccadilly and Preston. From Preston I completed my journey on the 19:00 rail replacement bus to Blackpool North. Having finally reached Blackpool North at 19:38, I had a taxi to my pre-booked hotel, where I checked in for four nights.Thursday Evening
Having checked into my hotel I went to The Velvet Coaster (Wetherspoon) for an evening meal. Unfortunately when I arrived there around 20:10, I was told there was a 45 minute wait on food. Anyway I ordered a Curry Club meal: large Chicken Vindaloo for main course and a pint of Carlsberg to drink. I also ordered a dessert: British Bramley apple crumble with two scoops of ice cream. Having placed my order around 20:20, I estimated that my main course would arrive around 21:05, but thankfully it arrived at 20:46. My chicken vindaloo was quite hot, and its accompaniments bulked it up. Once I finished my main course, my dessert arrived shortly afterwards. Altogether a delicious and filling two-course meal, definitely worth the wait (which thankfully wasn't as long as I thought it would be). Having left, I returned to my hotel room, and relaxed there the rest of the evening.More about Thursday available here
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Friday 6 April 2018
Daytime
For me Friday began with a delicious breakfast: cereal, a glass of orange juice, a full English breakfast, toast and coffee. I spent the day at Sandcastle Water Park, and was in the pool / slides area from approximately 11:10 until closing time of 18:00. A separate report about my day there is available here. After leaving I returned to my hotel room to have a cup of coffee and get changed for the evening.Early Evening
Around 19:00 I went to Pablo's Fish and Chips for a Pablo's Special, i.e. fish, chips, mushy peas, bread and butter, plus fizzy drink (I chose Sprite). Having finished my Pablo's Special I went straight to the Paradise Room.Friday Fun
The Blackpool Bash officially began when the Paradise Room doors opened around 19:30. I entered the Paradise Room via the spiral stairs around 19:45, found myself a seat and bought myself half a Heineken. The fun began when Andy Hine appeared around 20:10 and said his annual catchphrase "Everybody say Blackpool". He invited Graham Shaw on stage as his assistant for a mobile phone trick.The first official act was magician Darren Mac. He did tricks with a standard pack of cards, and a trick with pieces of rope. His final trick featured special cards numbered from 1 to a high number. Amazingly he managed to select a combination where all the columns and rows added up to the same number.
Next Ashley Webber, who performed at last year's Blackpool Bash, sang songs including "The Wonder of You" (Elvis Presley), "My Way" (Frank Sinatra) and "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" (Monty Python). The audience joined in singing and/or swaying for parts of some songs. Once Ashley had finished, the interval began, during which I bought myself half a Fosters.
After the interval Phil Lowen performed the final act. He too sang songs, including "Sweet Caroline" (Neil Diamond), the Titanic theme (along with a mock-up of a ship) and two Tom Jones songs ("Delilah" and "What's New Pussycat"). Between songs he told some jokes. Finally, he dressed as Luciano Pavarotti for his closing song "Nessun Dorma". When Phil finished around 22:40, there was still time to finish our drinks, but we had to be out by 23:00. I spoke to, and had my picture taken with some other members before heading back to my hotel for the night.
On the whole, an excellent selection of entertainment to start the RCCGB Blackpool Bash 2018. Many members liked my self-designed black "RCCGB Fun Night" T-shirt (with fluorescent pink lettering), my fluorescent pink sports shorts and my fluorescent pink football socks.
More about Friday available here
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Saturday 7 April 2018 (daytime)
First Thing
I awoke at 06:40, put on my self-designed "I'm a Kidult!" T-shirt and my Team Bath hoody, and had an early breakfast at 08:00 so I could be at the Paradise Room well before 09:00. After breakfast I took everything I needed for the evening to the Paradise Room, and placed it back stage. Shortly afterwards I queued to be issued with my ride wristband, Park Pass and drinks voucher. Someone from the Pleasure Beach gave a short speech, including an apology for the rain, and that it was also the 30th anniversary of the opening of Avalanche. I briefly spoke to a few other members, including Linda Lowery. When the signal was given the Club entered the Pleasure Beach through the gate. It was raining at the time.Morning ERS
The day began with a one-hour ERS on the Big One, Red Arrows Skyforce and Blue Flyer. I began the day by queuing for the Big One. Unfortunately a hold-up occurred for some mysterious reason. Nonetheless I continued waiting in the queue. When the problem was eventually sorted, the attendant said the Club would get an extra 15 minutes of exclusive ride time due to that delay. I ended up having two goes. A fun ride to start the day, the only drawback was feeling the rain hammering against my face whilst travelling against the wind. During what remained of the ERS I just had time for one go on Red Arrows Skyforce; riding it wasn't as scary as I thought but I couldn't get my plane to flip over.Summary of my rides during the Saturday morning ERS: Big One 2, Red Arrows Skyforce 1. Did anyone beat me on that?
Morning Free Time
After the morning ERS ended, members spread themselves around the Pleasure Beach and took over the rides. I began with Steeplechase. Only the green and yellow tracks were open; the red lane was closed. The best thing about this coaster is its racing element, hoping to be first home. I rode the green track twice and the yellow track once. On the way around the tracks I noticed part of the track for the new coaster Icon which opens in a few weeks' time. Just before my first go, I noticed Steeplechase was due to close at 18:00. The operator said closing time for the whole Pleasure Beach had been brought forward from 19:00 to 18:00 due to the rain; but it could be brought forward further still to 17:00 if the rain continues. Next I went into Nickelodeon Land, where I enjoyed riding Blue Flyer twice followed by Diego's Rainforest Rescue and Avatar Airbender once each. After that I headed for Revolution. Although its queue was very short (back to the landing at the top of the steps), I had to wait a few runs to get on, because only four rows were in use at a time, due to the wet track. After my one go on Revolution, I headed for the Pleasure Beach exit.Lunch at Paradise Room
Around 12:30 I entered the Paradise Room for lunch. Once there I exchanged my drinks voucher for a Pepsi at the bar. Next I went to get my meal. Members could choose two of the following: beefburger, hot dog sausage, chicken burger; I chose beefburger and chicken burger, and they were served with chips. Buns were available to put the chosen items in and side salad was also available. During lunch there were speeches from Nev and Andy Hygate (Deputy Director of Operations). Club merchandise was available, including the red, purple and black RCCGB T-shirts which first appeared at the Blackpool Bash 2016, but I didn't buy any merchandise this time. I was surprised there were no special RCCGB 30th anniversary T-shirts on sale. For the first time ever, Nev asked children who wanted to take part in the evening Gopher Game to put their names on a list.Afternoon Free Time
At 14:00 I returned to the Pleasure Beach eager to enjoy some more rides. Thankfully the rain had just about stopped. Furthermore the rides were still due to close at 18:00. I began by having one go on Flying Machines, followed by one go on Ice Blast. Although the RCCGB wasn't going to have an afternoon ERS on Grand National for the fourth year running, I was determined to ride it anyway Saturday afternoon. I had two goes on Grand National, left lift hill followed by right lift hill. Grand National felt quite rough this time. After that I had one go on Derby Racer. Having left Derby Racer, the time was 15:20, and I felt like a cup of coffee, so I went to T Café to enjoy a cup of coffee.Once I had finished my coffee, I approached Avalanche next. I had to wait over half an hour to get on this, but it was well worth the wait. Next I enjoyed two goes on the inverted coaster Infusion, second row followed by second-from-back row. After that I enjoyed riding Big Dipper, Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic, Grand Prix and River Caves once each. Finally I just had time for one go on Ghost Train before the Pleasure Beach closed at 18:00.
Summary of my day in order of activity
Morning ERS: Big One 2, Red Arrows Skyforce 1
Steeplechase green track 2
Steeplechase yellow track 1
Blue Flyer 2
Diego's Rainforest Rescue 1
Avatar Airbender 1
Revolution 1
Lunch at Paradise Room
Flying Machines 1
Ice Blast 1
Grand National left lift hill 1
Grand National right lift hill 1
Derby Racer 1
Coffee at T Café
Avalanche 1
Infusion 2
Big Dipper 1
Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic 1
Grand Prix 1
River Caves 1
Ghost Train 1
Cumulative Summary of My Rides (ERS and Free Time Combined)
| Ride | Total |
| Avalanche | 1 |
| Avatar Airbender | 1 |
| Big Dipper | 1 |
| Big One | 2 |
| Blue Flyer | 2 |
| Derby Racer | 1 |
| Diego's Rainforest Rescue | 1 |
| Flying Machines | 1 |
| Ghost Train | 1 |
| Grand National left lift hill | 1 |
| Grand National right lift hill | 1 |
| Grand Prix | 1 |
| Ice Blast | 1 |
| Infusion | 2 |
| Red Arrows Skyforce | 1 |
| Revolution | 1 |
| River Caves | 1 |
| Steeplechase green track | 2 |
| Steeplechase yellow track | 1 |
| Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic | 1 |
| TOTAL | 24 |
Altogether a fun day of riding. The morning ERS went well, it's a pity I missed Blue Flyer in that time, but at least I rode it twice later in the morning. During the rest of the morning and after lunch I enjoyed plenty more rides including Revolution, Ice Blast, Grand National (both lift hills), Infusion and Big Dipper. The only let-down was the weather; it rained all morning. Although the rain had just about stopped when I re-entered the Pleasure Beach around 14:00, there was another outbreak of drizzle later in the afternoon.
More about Saturday daytime available here
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Saturday 7 April 2018 (evening)
Without further ado I walked straight to the nearest Casino Tower entrance, showed my Back Stage Pass, and was escorted up to the Paradise Room. I chose my seat, set up my camcorder, put on my evening outfit and rehearsed my Gong Show act. Around 19:30 the doors opened to members not taking part. This year's theme was 80s Icons, and many wore something 1980s related, e.g. "Choose Life" T-shirts, Dusty Bin, Maplins Yellowcoats, Pac-Man machine, Rubik's Cube. I wore a reproduction 1982 England shirt and pair of sports shorts to be Kevin Keegan; I also had my red football with me. Food was on sale, so I bought myself macaroni cheese (served with peas), and also half a Heineken to drink.Coaster Crazy Show
The First Half
The Coaster Crazy Show began around 20:15 with Wendy Adams Evans, Herman, Heather Hall, June Ross, Gareth Preece, Lorraine Downing and the James girls Charlotte and Alicia performing snippets of selected 1980s songs. These included "99 Red Balloons" (Nena), "Don't You Want Me" (The Human League), "The Model" (Kraftwerk) and "Prince Charming" (Adam and The Ants). Some of the songs were sung by Wendy to a backing track, whereas others were just dances. At the end of the final song, Wendy introduced Nev, who entered the stage to give his opening speech. He announced some trivia in the history of the Club, and awarded John Musk (who has had continuous RCCGB membership since its start) honorary Club membership for the rest of his coaster riding days. Afterwards Gary Williams sang "Never Gonna Give You Up" (Rick Astley).It was now time for the Kids' Gopher game, in which ten children under 10 took part. When called, they ran into the audience to fetch the item specified by Nev, e.g. hotel key, head band, only to find one less chair on their return, thereby forcing the child unable to find a seat out each time. The winner was Toby. The final act before the Gong Show was June Ross, performing alone under the name Onekulele. She sang a ukulele parody of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" whilst playing the ukulele.
The Gong Show
It was now time for the famous Gong Show, which featured a record-breaking 10 acts this year. The first act was a group of nine members performing under the stage name Blackpool Donkeys. Their routine, performed to "On The Floor ft. Pitbull" (Jennifer Lopez), included jumping through a hoop, dancing around the stage and ribbon waving. A mixed bag of a routine to say the least; eventually the horn went. Next Ryan Hackett, and his assistant Dan Ould, performed a scene from the film Reservoir Dogs; the horn went after Ryan had pretended to cut off both of Dan's ears. The third act featured Jan Bryan & Lorraine Downing performing "Day-O" (The Banana Boat Song) - Harry Belafonte, but the booing drowned out the song. After about one minute, the horn went. Next, Death told a series of jokes, until he ran out of material, and consequently the horn went. Fifth in the line-up was first-timer Linda Reynolds. She entered the stage in an outfit which was intended to be Carmen Miranda, and started telling a story, but ended up making changes to her outfit more than speaking, and the horn soon went. Next, Dan Ould appeared wearing yellow gloves with eyes on. He moved his thumb on one hand at a time to give the illusion that the gloves were singing "Endless Love" (Diana Ross & Lionel Richie), whilst remaining silent himself. He reached the end of the song without the horn going. Act 7 featured first-timer Catherine Bland, performing as Dr Cat. She sang "Chandelier" by Sia (with some altered lyrics), whilst holding a bottle of drink. The horn went before the end of the first chorus. Next, another first-timer under the stage name DJ Bubbles, appeared with a flower mask on his face, and holding an inflatable electric guitar, to resemble a 1980s style Rock'n Flower. A problem occurred when the sound technicians tried playing the required music, so Nev asked the audience to sing the tune "Popcorn" whilst DJ Bubbles stepped on sheets of giant bubble wrap. Unsurprisingly the horn soon went. The penultimate act involved two girls, under the stage name Thunder, performing a very well-choreographed dancing and gymnastics routine to the song "Thunder" (Imagine Dragons). They reached the end without the horn going; in future years they could become a competitor to CJ. Finally it was my turn to perform the English version of "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" (Herreys). The Swedish version of this song was Sweden's entry in, and winner of, the Eurovision Song Contest 1984. Surprisingly there was much cheering and applause when the horn went during the line "I know my dream was a fantasy illusion".Top three: Dan Ould, Thunder, Nemesis Nick
After re-vote: top two: Dan Ould, Thunder; Winner: Dan Ould
Bottom two: Jan & Lorraine, Linda Reynolds; Ultimate worst: Linda Reynolds
So somehow I made it into the top three this year, but not the top two. More importantly I wasn't in the bottom two either.
Rest of Coaster Crazy Show
Back to the billed acts next. Ella & Mollie, under the stage name CJ, performed a well-choreographed dance routine accompanied by the Billy Joel song "Uptown Girl". The final game of the evening was Wood v Steel - The Race, involving four adult contestants. Two contestants at a time turned a pole to wind the string connected to the relevant imitation coaster car at the front of the stage, and this pulled it forward. The contestant whose coaster car crossed the line below their chair first won a round. After two heats and the final, the winner was Miles. The finale featured Ryan Hackett, Matt Walker, Rachel Walker, Gareth Arkell, Carol Hedges & Heather Hall performing the Eurovision Song Contest entry "Dancing Lasha Tumbai" (Verka Serduchka - Ukraine 2007). All were dressed in their replica Verka Serduchka outfits they had made for their original performance in 2008. Members were encouraged to join in with the actions. When the song finished, Nev gave his closing message and thanked all who had performed and the staff.After Show Party
During Nev's closing speech the stage started going down to form the dance floor for the after-show disco. Unfortunately it got stuck part way down, so it had to be re-raised. After a quick fix by the staff, it was successfully lowered to floor level and the one-hour disco began. Many including me danced along. The mix of song snippets had changed a bit compared to recent years; as well as the usual "YMCA" (Village People), "The Locomotion" (Kylie Minogue), "Can-Can" (Bad Manners) and "Nellie The Elephant" (Toy Dolls), there were several songs I don't recall featuring in previous years. Towards the end the following four songs were played in full:"Dancing Lasha Tumbai" - Verka Serduchka (Ryan and co did the actions just in front of the stage curtains)
"(Is This The Way To) Amarillo" - Tony Christie
"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" - Monty Python
"Theme from New York, New York" - Frank Sinatra
The Warner Brothers cartoon closing theme "That's all folks" marked the end of the disco. Finally those who had dressed up assembled for a group photo. Afterwards members were asked to pack up and leave as quickly as possible. Around 23:25 I finally left the Paradise Room via the spiral stairs and was back at my hotel a few minutes later.
Summary of Evening
Show Opener: Wendy & Co.- 80's Song & Dance Medley
Introduction: Andy Hine
Act 1: Gary Williams - "Never Gonna Give You Up"
Game 1: Kids' Gopher
Act 2: June Ross - Onekulele
The Gong Show
1: Blackpool Donkeys HORN WENT
2: Ryan Hackett - Reservoir Dogs scene HORN WENT
3: Jan Bryan & Lorraine Downing - "Day-O" HORN WENT
4: Death - Stand-up comedy HORN WENT
5: Linda Reynolds - Story HORN WENT
6: Dan Ould - "Endless Love"
7: Dr Cat - "Chandelier" HORN WENT
8: DJ Bubbles HORN WENT
9: Thunder - Dancing
10: Nemesis Nick - "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" HORN WENT
Top three: Dan Ould, Thunder, Nemesis Nick
After re-vote: top two: Dan Ould, Thunder; Winner: Dan Ould
Bottom two: Jan & Lorraine, Linda Reynolds; Ultimate worst: Linda Reynolds
Act 3: CJ (Ella & Mollie) - Dancing
Game 2: Wood v Steel - The Race
Finale: Ryan and Co - "Dancing Lasha Tumbai"
Andy Hine: Thank Yous
After Show Party (Disco)
Group photo
Altogether an excellent evening of entertainment. For me it was great to perform the English version of "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" in the Gong Show. The after show disco provided a lively end to the evening. It's a pity the problem with lowering the stage to form the dance floor delayed the start of the disco by a few minutes, but thankfully the staff managed to do a quick bodge to successfully lower the stage, and the disco still went ahead with the full hour of music as planned.
More about Saturday evening available here
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Sunday 8 April 2018
First Thing
I awoke at 06:50, put on my red RCCGB T-shirt and, for the first time ever, my grey Nutella sweatshirt which I bought late January. After having an early breakfast at 08:20, I walked to the Pleasure Beach. The sky was overcast, but unlike Saturday morning, it was dry. Everyone was waiting on the ground floor of the Casino Tower. At the main desk I exchanged my Sunday Wristband Voucher for my wristband. Whilst in the tower, I spoke to Linda Lowery.WOW ERS
When Nev was given the signal by the staff, the Club entered the Pleasure Beach through the gates for the WOW ERS on Big Dipper, Ghost Train and Grand National. I began by riding Grand National four times in the following sequence: left lift hill, right lift hill, left lift hill, right lift hill. Grand National didn't seem as rough as when I rode it Saturday afternoon. During what remained of the ERS, I just had time for one go on Big Dipper. Having exited Big Dipper, I saw Linda Lowery standing near Champagne Coffee Lounge, so we spoke to each other briefly.Summary of my rides during the Sunday morning ERS: Grand National 4 (left lift hill 2, right lift hill 2), Big Dipper 1. Did anyone beat me on that?
After ERS
The ERS finished around 10:45. No further Club activities were scheduled for Sunday. Members with Sunday wristbands stayed and continued riding. Those without Sunday wristbands left and went straight home or visited other Blackpool attractions. Since I had a Sunday wristband, and was staying in Blackpool Sunday night, I continued riding until closing time of 18:00.Before going on any further rides, I went into Champagne Coffee Lounge for a much-needed tall Americano. Having left Champagne Coffee Lounge, I headed towards Nickelodeon Land. As I entered Nickelodeon Land I saw Adey (who was about to leave), and spoke to him briefly. Further into Nickelodeon Land, I rode Nickelodeon Streak twice followed by Blue Flyer twice. Thus I had now ridden all four wooden coasters at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Funnily enough, I didn't ride any of the wooden coasters again later in the day. Next I had one go on Dora's World Voyage.
At this point I left Nickelodeon Land to ride some of the coasters at the southern end of the Pleasure Beach. By now the sun was out, and the Pleasure Beach was busier than Saturday. Unsurprisingly the queue for Revolution was considerably longer than when I approached it late morning on Saturday, but because the track had dried out, the whole train was in use Sunday. Due to the long queue I only had one go on Revolution. Next I approached Steeplechase. All three lanes were running; I rode the red track (which I wasn't able to ride Saturday morning) once. Due to the queues I resisted the temptation to ride the other two tracks as I wanted to go on other rides. I approached Big One next, but it appeared to have a problem so I headed for Avalanche instead. When I reached the entry platform for Avalanche, I saw Julie from the RCCGB, so we rode together in the back car of the train. My one go on Avalanche now was my only go on it all day. Furthermore, this was my only time of riding with another RCCGB Blackpool Bash 2018 attendee during free time all weekend.
At this point I felt like a light snack, so I went to T Café for a cheese and ham toastie meal deal, which included a hot drink (I chose white coffee), and a packet of crisps. Having completed my mid-afternoon snack, I rode Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic, River Caves, Ice Blast and Flying Machines once each. Whilst I was riding Flying Machines, I spotted two other RCCGB members standing nearby, so I spoke to them immediately after I left that ride. Shortly afterwards, Peter O'Brien appeared, and I spoke to him briefly. Next, I rode Derby Racer, Alice Ride and Avatar Airbender once each. After that, I was determined to ride Big One, despite its long queue, so I waited. I spotted two other RCCGB Blackpool Bash 2018 attendees further back in the queue; this was my last sighting of other RCCGB members on the trip Sunday afternoon. As expected, I felt the wind at the high points of Big One, but thankfully I didn't have rain hammering against my face, unlike Saturday morning. Due to the long queue I had just one go. Finally I just had time to enjoy Red Arrows Skyforce once followed by Infusion twice before all the rides closed at 18:00.
I finally left the Pleasure Beach at 18:15, but I don't recall seeing any RCCGB members on my way out. A member of Pleasure Beach staff who I spoke to immediately after passing through the exit building reckoned I was the last RCCGB member on the trip to leave. Was I really the only RCCGB Blackpool Bash 2018 attendee to have stayed in the Pleasure Beach until closing time of 18:00?
Summary of my day in order of activity
WOW ERS
Grand National left lift hill, right lift hill, left lift hill, right lift hill
Big Dipper 1
Tall Americano at Champagne Coffee Lounge
Nickelodeon Streak 2
Blue Flyer 2
Dora's World Voyage 1
Revolution 1
Steeplechase red track 1
Avalanche 1
Mid-afternoon snack at T Café
Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic 1
River Caves 1
Ice Blast 1
Flying Machines 1
Derby Racer 1
Alice Ride 1
Avatar Airbender 1
Big One 1
Red Arrows Skyforce 1
Infusion 2
Cumulative Summary of My Rides (ERS and Free Time Combined)
| Ride | Total |
| Alice Ride | 1 |
| Avalanche | 1 |
| Avatar Airbender | 1 |
| Big Dipper | 1 |
| Big One | 1 |
| Blue Flyer | 2 |
| Derby Racer | 1 |
| Dora's World Voyage | 1 |
| Flying Machines | 1 |
| Grand National left lift hill | 2 |
| Grand National right lift hill | 2 |
| Ice Blast | 1 |
| Infusion | 2 |
| Nickelodeon Streak | 2 |
| Red Arrows Skyforce | 1 |
| Revolution | 1 |
| River Caves | 1 |
| Steeplechase red track | 1 |
| Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic | 1 |
| TOTAL | 24 |
Altogether a coaster crazy final day of the RCCGB Blackpool Bash 2018, during which I enjoyed 5 rides during the ERS, and 19 more rides the rest of the day. It has to be said, from my experience of the last few years, Sunday always feels a bit odd after the ERS ends, knowing there are no further organised group activities (e.g. lunch in a central location), and many members leave after the ERS ends. After midday I often felt I was the only member left in the Pleasure Beach, until I spotted the odd one or two other Blackpool Bash attendees from time to time. At least Sunday was dry all day, and sunny from around noon; a vast improvement on Saturday which was wet much of the day. I'm pleased that Linda Lowery, various other RCCGB members and some Pleasure Beach staff liked my grey Nutella sweatshirt, which I bought late January and wore with pride for the first time Sunday.
Sunday Evening
For the second year running, I stayed Sunday night in Blackpool. Having left Blackpool Pleasure Beach, I returned to my hotel room and relaxed for just over an hour. Around 19:30 I went to The Velvet Coaster (Wetherspoon) for my evening meal. I took a while looking at the menu, but eventually I chose BBQ chicken melt served with chips, half a tomato, peas and a large mushroom for main course. A drink was included; I had one pint of John Smith's. As if that wasn't enough I had a dessert as well: warm cookie dough sandwich with ice cream. Altogether a delicious meal on my last night in Blackpool. Best of all my food arrived much faster than when I went there Thursday evening. Having left The Velvet Coaster at 20:56, I returned to my hotel room and relaxed the rest of the evening.More about Sunday available here
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Monday 9 April 2018
Monday First Thing
For the second year running, I woke up in Blackpool on the Monday morning after the Blackpool Bash. Naturally I was determined to make the most of my extra day in Blackpool. Having put on my self-designed 46th birthday T-shirt, I began packing and had breakfast just after 09:00. My breakfast was the same as the previous three mornings. After breakfast I finished packing and vacated my room around 10:00.Madame Tussauds
To fill up my final day, I visited Madame Tussauds Blackpool. After leaving the hotel I caught a tram from South Pier to Central Pier and entered Madame Tussauds around 10:30. Once admitted I saw plenty of waxwork representations of TV celebrities, sports stars, pop stars and comedians over three floors. Two new exhibitions on the second floor deserve a mention. Sporting Hero Academy focuses on the six sporting hero key indicators: agility, speed, poise, dedication, focus, stealth. There are games in this area to test those. Further on, the Marvel exhibition includes The Incredible Hulk and Spiderman. About mid-way around I got to the recreation of the Rovers Return Inn on the second floor. As well as seeing figures of Coronation Street characters, I bought myself a pint of Boddingtons from the bar there. I photographed many of the sculptures and had my picture taken beside several of them. Altogether this was another worthwhile visit. My only regret was taking so long over the early exhibitions; I ought to have seen them more quickly and thus had more time for Sporting Hero Academy (including all the games and climbing wall) and Marvel.Crazy Coaster on South Pier
Having left Madame Tussauds, I caught the 14:55 tram from Central Pier to South Pier. When I arrived at South Pier tram stop six minutes later, I went on South Pier. Crazy Coaster (which is new to South Pier for 2018) was running, so I decided to ride it. The ride experience felt largely the same as any other steel mouse coaster I've ridden. The only subtle difference was, because the coaster is at the far end of the pier, from the top I could see the pier surface a long way down, and the sea even further down which made the ride slightly scarier than if the coaster had been sited on the promenade. I only had time for one go, but that was enough for me to add it to my coaster count.Monday Late Afternoon
Without further ado I returned to the hotel where I had stayed to collect my luggage. Having done so, I caught the 15:27 tram from South Pier to North Pier. When I got to North Pier, I went to The Frying Squad in Market Street. There I had regular fish, chips, mushy peas and a can of drink (I chose 7-Up) as a meal deal at one of their indoor tables. It felt odd to be eating a cooked meal at that time in the afternoon, but it was the only time that suited my travel plans.Journey Home
Having left Frying Squad I walked straight to Blackpool North station. From there I caught the 16:45 rail replacement bus to Preston, whereupon I had time to enjoy an Americano at Upper Crust before I caught the 18:17 train to Birmingham New Street. Whilst at Birmingham New Street I had a slice of millionaire's shortbread and an Americano from Costa Coffee before I continued my journey on the 20:42 train to Bristol Temple Meads. Due to a long delay near Cheltenham, the train reached Bristol Temple Meads 55 minutes later than scheduled. Anyway, I completed my journey on the 23:20 rail replacement bus to Bath Spa, which finally reached Bath Spa at 00:01. About 15 minutes later I was home at long last, later than expected or wanted.More about Monday available here
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Outro
Highlights
Wearing my self-designed RCCGB Fun Night T-shirt, fluorescent pink sports shorts and fluorescent pink football socks to the Friday Fun Night.Saturday morning ERS on Big One, Red Arrows Skyforce and Blue Flyer.
Sunday morning WOW ERS on Big Dipper, Ghost Train and Grand National.
Good overall ride count both Saturday and Sunday (during morning ERS and normal time).
Riding all the coasters and many other rides again.
Riding all four wooden coasters (including both lift hills of Grand National) in succession Sunday morning.
Two nights of entertainment, plus dancing in the disco Saturday evening.
Performing "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" (Herreys) in the Gong Show Saturday evening
Dry (and sunny from midday) weather Sunday.
Lowlights
Rain Saturday morning and drizzle parts of Saturday afternoon.Problem with the Big One early on in the Saturday morning ERS (but at least it was soon rectified, and the Club got 15 minutes' extra exclusive ride time as a result).
Summing Up
Another mega excellent weekend away at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in Granadaland, my eleventh Blackpool Bash to-date. It was great riding the Big One, Grand National, Big Dipper and other rides again. At the Blackpool Bash, the ERSs and other riding are only part of the fun. The other major chunk of the fun includes the Friday evening entertainment, Saturday lunch and Saturday evening Coaster Crazy Show and disco. It was great to be in the Gong Show for the ninth time to-date. Although I wasn't in the top two this time, at least I wasn't in the bottom two either. No wonder Nev says in the Blackpool Bash invite "If you can only make one Club trip this year, make it this one". Many thanks to Andy Hine for all the effort involved in organising a trip of this nature, including Friday evening entertainment, all of Saturday's events in the Paradise Room, and the ERSs Saturday and Sunday morning. Thanks also to the three professional entertainers Darren Mac, Ashley Webber and Phil Lowen Friday evening, to the ride staff required for operating the applicable rides during the Saturday and Sunday morning ERSs, to the caterers for providing food Friday evening, Saturday lunchtime and Saturday evening, to the sound technicians Friday and Saturday evening, and to all members who performed billed or Gong Show acts Saturday evening. The only let-down was the wet weather on Saturday. At least Sunday was dry all day, and sunny from midday onwards. RCCGB Blackpool Bash 2018 can be likened to a three-course meal as follows:
Starter: Friday Fun (Friday evening entertainment)
Main course: Saturday daytime and evening activities
Dessert: Sunday morning ERS and free time thereafter
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