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The depth charge ride[/caption]
Robert, aged 11, writes: You might know that I turned 11 a few weeks ago, and to celebrate, my Dad took me and some friends to THORPE PARK. That day I was accompanied by a thrill seeker who wanted to go on everything, a boy who was scared of heights and my mate who was too small to go on a handful of the rides. Each of my friends had a totally different experience but they all had a great time overall. This is what happened in our day at the park...
On arrival, we ran to get to the I’m a Celebrity Get Me out Of Here Maze as we’d heard that there was usually a long queue. But when we got there we found out that the attraction only opened at 10am and this was true for many other rides as well. Instead we went over to Tidal Wave and as it was so early, we didn’t have to wait at all.
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Tidal wave ride[/caption]
Tidal Wave is one of the highest log flumes in the UK and is a whopping 85 ft tall. We sat down in our vehicle before slowly going up on a treadmill sort of thing, at the top we went round a corner before plummeting down into a giant pool of water. The splash was so big you couldn’t see anything for a few seconds and then when we thought it was over we got soaked. As there was still no one waiting we went on Tidal Wave five more times before eventually plodding out, nearly unable to walk as we were so cold. You have to be 1.2 metres tall to go on this ride.
It was nearly 10am, so to our dismay we were forced to run in our soaking state and we managed to be the second group to enter the I’m a Celebrity Get Me out Of Here Maze. This was one of the attractions I enjoyed the most and not only because it was about one of my favourite TV shows.
When we entered we were met by one of our campmates who then elected a new leader (this was me). We then watched a video where Ant and Dec explained to us about what we were about to face. The maze wasn’t actually a maze, it was a set of three challenges or Bushtucker trials. The first was to stick your hand in a hole then pass a star from one person to another. Our group failed miserably as one of my friends didn’t understand what to do and just held on to the star for the entire time. The next trial involved answering a question; If you got it correct nothing happened whilst if you got it wrong you’d be covered in something horrible (not really, it was just rice). The final challenge was a bit disappointing as the Celebrity Cyclone was just climbing up a hill with some dramatic lighting. My favourite part of the “maze” was when we had to sort out some washing to spell a word. When we were finished we won some dingo dollars which we could spend on a treat but it didn’t really go to plan. All throughout this attraction you crawl through tunnels and go down slides but these are all optional.
Next we explored Angry Birds Land. Detonator bombs away is a short ride which you have to be 1.3 metres tall to go on. This meant that all my friends could go on it but two decided against that idea and were much happier playing with the claw machines which they did, amazingly, win something in. Detonator bombs away is a 100 ft drop where you go 50 miles an hour. I thought it was really fun and we went on it a few times as it didn’t take very long. Next in Angry Birds Land we went and saw a 4D movie. The film involved some green pigs stealing some eggs from a group of birds. This made them angry and they turned into... angry birds. The film was extremely entertaining and I loved how the seats moved to make you feel like you were being catapulted or being chased by bees. You might get a bit of saliva on you though, I did warn you.
Next two of us went on Rush. This was definitely the most thrilling ride to go on if you are less than 1.4 metres (the minimum height to go on all the roller coasters). The ride swings you up and down, the height gradually getting bigger each time until it gets to the maximum, 75ft. Every other go you will end up going backwards which sounds horrendous but personally I found it more pleasant than when going forwards. You can see the whole park right at the top which was amazing. I cannot stress how much I loved this ride and how much you should go on it. It was awesome.
Quantum is a smaller version of Rush. You have to be 1.3 metres to go on. In this ride you swing up and down and sometimes you do a whole loop but you are never upside down. This is a really good attraction for people who like rides but don’t want to go on the really big ones. But it did make one of my friends feel quite sick although that might have been the candyfloss, biscuits and crisps!
My friend who was too small to go on some of the rides got to choose the next attraction we did, so after everyone enjoyed a refreshing slushie we reluctantly went on Flying Fish, one of the only roller coasters you can go if you're under 1.3 metres. However, it was really fun and I’d recommend going on it. At my party we went on it about five times throughout the course of the day.
The four of us went on Rumpa Rapids and to be honest it was not worth the wait. I like fast, scary rides and for this attraction you just sit there. It was a bit like a lazy river just with a name that suggests something thrilling. It was quite nice though just to relax and let our clothes dry. Depth Charge was also a slight disappointment. We waited half an hour to go down a slide which only lasted 10 seconds. If you have time you should go on it but it should definitely not be a priority.
Now onto the big, proper rides at the park. Storm in a teacup is the modern day twist (get it) on the classic teacups ride. This means it is exactly the same as it was 20 years ago. You spin around in a teacup. My opinion of this ride was that it was a bit dull and just made you dizzy but two of my friends loved it. Everyone’s got their own opinion.
I was the only one to go on Zodiac as one of my friends ran away as I got into my seat (scaredy Cat). Zodiac is basically a Ferris wheel that spins really fast. It starts off spinning around on the floor and then slowly turns vertical. By the end you are doing one loop the loop after another. It is really fun when you are on it but I did feel queasy afterwards.
Storm Surge is a fun water ride, but you don’t get that wet during it. You are put into an inflatable dinghy with a maximum of 7 other people before rushing down a course of spirals and small drops resulting in a small splash at the end.
We were nearing the end of our trip so this was our time to get extremely scared; this was our time to go on the big roller coasters. Dun, Dun, Duuun. We decided to start off on Nemesis Inferno, which was apparently the least scary of the main five. Unfortunately it was out of order so we were thrown in on the deep end and went on Colossus. Before that day I had never been on any rollercoaster with a loop the loop, I was really excited. Then when I heard the familiar click of me being locked in, I was petrified. Then all of a sudden the ride started and there was no going back. Colossus was fast, very fast and went as quickly as 45 miles per hour. Throughout the ride you spin around a total of ten times, that includes loops, rolls, corkscrews and the UK’s first and only quadruple barrel roll. I really enjoyed the ride and found out that loop the loops aren’t actually that bad and actually enjoyed them near the end of the ride.
Saw was scary. Not only did the ride include a 100 ft vertical drop even just queuing up was freaky. Based on a horror movie the building is meant to creep you out and it really did. Saw starts off inside where I could barely see anything. After a few unexpected drops we were out in fresh air and already slowly sliding upwards and after fifteen seconds of tension we fell. I managed to hate it and love it at the same time. After the plummet we zoomed around loops and spun our way through the rest of the course which did include some more high drops. It was fantastic and one of my favourite rides in the park. You do shake around like a bobble head after some of the drops. You should look at this on the ground as you can see everyone’s heads shaking in unison, it is quite funny.
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The Stealth Ride[/caption]
Never in my life did I think I’d go on a rollercoaster that lasts 13 seconds. Stealth is one of Europe’s fastest roller coasters. When the ride starts you go from 0 to 80 miles per hour in less than two seconds. You then quickly zoom up 205 ft before going down again. This ride isn’t actually that scary as it does not go upside down and the drop is nowhere near horizontal but that didn’t matter as it was one of the most exhilarating things that I’ve done in my life.
Finally after another go on flying fish we (that means one other friend and I) went on The Swarm. This was the one ride that I said I would never go on when I entered the park and by the end it was my favourite thing I’d done. Just the introduction to the ride was amazing. As you walked in ambulances were on their side you could see half an aeroplane sitting on a field very close by. The Swarm is the UK’s first winged rollercoaster meaning you sit on either side of the track and there is nothing over or below you. This ride goes at a speed of 100 kilometres an hour so it was really fast. Throughout the ride you fly through billboards and narrowly dodge them as well. It was really exciting and by far my favourite ride in the park.
Overall I had one of the best days out I’ve had in ages at Thorpe Park. There are a few rides like X, the indoor rollercoaster that you don’t have to be that tall for or Nemesis Inferno that were closed when we went but are still great rides. There are also loads of attractions for younger or smaller kids that we didn’t go on. I loved nearly every second and would do it all again in a heartbeat.
Tickets for Thorpe Park are cheaper online! It costs £32.99 per person for a ticket and fasttrack pass which means you can jump the queue for many of the rides. It costs £27.99 for a day pass. You can find out more about the tickets from the website.
Read Robert's view on The London Dungeons and also on Shrek's Attraction.Labels: Blog, days out in England, days out in the UK, fun, rides, theme parks, Thorpe Park, UK