Georgie-M
Mega Poster
A few months ago, I got a DM from an Estonian friend, saying they'd booked tickets to see one of my favourite artists, Olivia Dean. This friend has stayed at my place a few times to attend concerts in London, so I assumed they somehow managed to nab a ticket for one of her 5 sold-out shows at the O2. Nope. Instead, they were taking the much shorter trip to Stockholm, and wanted to know if I was down to join them. Seeing a chance to tick a city off the bucket list, I said yes. This would be my first time in Sweden since my trip to Liseberg all the way back in 2017, so I wanted to make the most of it. My friend booked a hotel near the arena for the weekend, but flights out of Gatwick looked cheaper a few days earlier, so I booked a room near Mariatorget for the two nights before my friend arrived and planned how to make the most of my extra time. Given the name of this website, the answer is fairly obvious.
I went to sleep fairly early Tuesday evening, hoping to get as much rest as possible ahead of my 1pm flight from Gatwick to Arlanda. Unfortunately, that somewhat backfired when I woke up at 4am and then couldn't get back to sleep. Regardless, after spending a few hours pratting about, I made the trip down to my sister's place in Crawley and took the bus to the airport, hoping the dark clouds in the distance weren't a bad omen. Thankfully, we only left about an hour late (just a typical Norwegian schedule then!) and the flight was otherwise fairly uneventful. Did get a nice view over some Danish islands and a row to myself on a nearly booked-out flight, though. After the delayed flight; a long queue at Arlanda's passport control; a long, badly signposted route from the terminal to a train that wasn't the overpriced express; accidentally taking a Mälartag train with an SL ticket; and a long search for restaurants near my hotel that matched their Google Maps hours; I was absolutely finished by the time I finally hit my bed. With a long day ahead of me, I called it a night.
Something I hadn't mentioned yet was the exact dates I flew out to Stockholm. Turns out my first full day there would be on Ascension Day - a bank holiday in Sweden. While this did mean that Kolmården would be open during the week, there was a chance that it - and anywhere else I planned to visit in the following days - would be rammed. Not only that, but with people off work, SJ decided it was the perfect time to close the rail line from Stockholm out to Kolmården. While my new American friends stayed in the central hall to catch their train, I headed to the bus station instead. It was time to face... the Rail Replacement Bus.
Soon, I was on my way to Vagnhärad station, taking in the views along the way. All in all, the journey wasn't too bad - always good to have an eclectic mix of music to listen to! I switched to a double-decker train at Vagnhärad, and before long I was in Kolmården town on a bus to the park itself. What I didn't expect was the views out of the bus window - we were right up next to a big ol' lake - almost felt like we were riding on the water at some point.
Anyway - Kolmården!
I knew from previous trip reports that there'd be a fairly long walk from the entrance to Wildfire at the back of the park, but I think the 30-minute walk posted on the signs still shocked me a little when I saw them in person, especially since the entire path was almost entirely uphill. The park's scale is certainly impressive (and absolutely stunning!), though it did make animal sightings a little rare for much of the walk up. That said, I did have a few fun encounters on the way back, but we'll save that for after the main event...
...the rides!! OK, I didn't head towards any of the rides pictured here. Lots of cute-looking kiddy rides, but nothing I was that interested in grabbing. No, not even the 2 kiddy creds. I was here for one ride and one ride alone. (which might explain why this is only cred number...)
(Rankings based on time of riding. These numbers will go up later on!)
Wildfire has always been one of those top bucket list coasters for me. Incredible setting, relatively accessible given its location near a major city, and, of course, an incredibly popular coaster type that I'm yet to get on myself. Getting up close with a ride that I'd only seen in pictures before, especially one with such an unusual setting, was rather surreal. Have to admit, I was genuinely pretty nervous about getting on this beast!
Now, I had heard mixed opinions on the ride before my trip, with some naming it among the best in the world, and others calling it one of the weakest RMCs with a slightly meandering pace towards the end. After my first ride, I was erring more towards the latter. I thought it was good, but it didn't quite blow me away the same way Helix or Hyperia did on my first rides. I guess part of that could've come down to the fact I couldn't really take in much of the views - I stupidly left my glasses strap at home! More likely, however, was that I was sat towards the middle of the train. My next ride on row 2 was much better - shoutout to the guy I sat next to on this ride and his two sons on the front row, was fun chatting to you throughout the day! Of course, that doesn't compare to the back row, which felt like a completely different ride altogether! I remember over a decade ago when Iron Rattler was still new, reading reviews for the ride on this website and seeing hardened coaster nuts describe their fear as they get yeeted out of the train on the first drop. They really stuck with me, especially with how airtime-deprived the UK coaster lineup was before Hyperia. I'm happy to report my first RMC provided the same mortality-facing experience and then some. That first drop off the cliff in the back row really is unlike anything else I've experienced so far, and the rest of the ride really feels punchier in the back. That ride alone solidified the coaster's place in my top 3.
It definitely helps that the trains were more comfortable than I expected. I'd heard some not-great things about those RMC leg restraints, and the only other ride I'd been on with a similar design was Sky Scream at Plopsa DE. Those things killed my enjoyment of the ride and my legs! Thankfully, the ones on Wildfire are way better, and I barely noticed them. The fiddly seatbelts took a bit more to get used to, however. Apologies to the ride staff who had to keep running over to help me adjust mine! Quick question to those who've read both this and other RMCs - are the leg restraints different on other rides? I've heard conflicting reports on this.
If Wildfire is why I visited Kolmården, the cable car ride might be the best reason to return there. Those 45 minutes of soaring through stunning Swedish countryside and over the animal enclosures were pure bliss. There were some absolutely incredible moments, such as when I made eye contact with a lioness as my gondola slowly moved to block out the light from her sunbathing spot, or caught a glimpse of a black bear making its way through the woodlands. This is where the scale of the park really works, and seeing the animals roam around these massive, natural-feeling enclosures was a lot more pleasant than a lot of zoos I've been to (even if the rumbles and screams coming from Wildfire felt like they could've been a bit much to live next to!). It also led to one of my favourite Discord interactions when I posted pics of the ride:
After riding the cable car, it was back to rerides of Wildfire. Thankfully, my fears of the park being rammed were seemingly unfounded, and I never waited more than a few trains to get on the ride. Similarly, the safari itself was a walk-on, though a long line of school kids had formed by the time I was getting off the ride, and there was a decent crowd by the nearby monkey enclosure.
Overall, I adored my time at Kolmården. Rode a great rollercoaster, watched a bunch of ostriches chase each other around, found nirvana on a cable car and met a camel. Quick word of advice for anyone going there though: be sure to time your exit better than I did. I somehow ended up overestimating how long it would take me to get to the bus stop at the entrance and waited there for about 20 minutes... only to arrive at the station about an hour before the next train. Deffo could've squeezed in a few more laps on Wildfire! At least I got time to pick up a drink and a Swedish delicacy at the nearby co-op.
Day 1 - Flying out
I went to sleep fairly early Tuesday evening, hoping to get as much rest as possible ahead of my 1pm flight from Gatwick to Arlanda. Unfortunately, that somewhat backfired when I woke up at 4am and then couldn't get back to sleep. Regardless, after spending a few hours pratting about, I made the trip down to my sister's place in Crawley and took the bus to the airport, hoping the dark clouds in the distance weren't a bad omen. Thankfully, we only left about an hour late (just a typical Norwegian schedule then!) and the flight was otherwise fairly uneventful. Did get a nice view over some Danish islands and a row to myself on a nearly booked-out flight, though. After the delayed flight; a long queue at Arlanda's passport control; a long, badly signposted route from the terminal to a train that wasn't the overpriced express; accidentally taking a Mälartag train with an SL ticket; and a long search for restaurants near my hotel that matched their Google Maps hours; I was absolutely finished by the time I finally hit my bed. With a long day ahead of me, I called it a night.
Day 2 - Kolmården
On Thursday morning, I had to be at Central Station at around 9 am for a long 2½-hour-long journey to some zoo in the middle of nowhere. At around 8ish, I made my way to the hotel buffet for the Swedish traditional breakfast of picky bits on rye bread, and as I left, I met a friendly family from Minnesota who were on their way to Oslo. We both hopped on the T-Bahn to Central Station, which I finally got a proper glimpse of after only seeing its underbelly the previous day.Something I hadn't mentioned yet was the exact dates I flew out to Stockholm. Turns out my first full day there would be on Ascension Day - a bank holiday in Sweden. While this did mean that Kolmården would be open during the week, there was a chance that it - and anywhere else I planned to visit in the following days - would be rammed. Not only that, but with people off work, SJ decided it was the perfect time to close the rail line from Stockholm out to Kolmården. While my new American friends stayed in the central hall to catch their train, I headed to the bus station instead. It was time to face... the Rail Replacement Bus.
Soon, I was on my way to Vagnhärad station, taking in the views along the way. All in all, the journey wasn't too bad - always good to have an eclectic mix of music to listen to! I switched to a double-decker train at Vagnhärad, and before long I was in Kolmården town on a bus to the park itself. What I didn't expect was the views out of the bus window - we were right up next to a big ol' lake - almost felt like we were riding on the water at some point.
Anyway - Kolmården!
I knew from previous trip reports that there'd be a fairly long walk from the entrance to Wildfire at the back of the park, but I think the 30-minute walk posted on the signs still shocked me a little when I saw them in person, especially since the entire path was almost entirely uphill. The park's scale is certainly impressive (and absolutely stunning!), though it did make animal sightings a little rare for much of the walk up. That said, I did have a few fun encounters on the way back, but we'll save that for after the main event...
...the rides!! OK, I didn't head towards any of the rides pictured here. Lots of cute-looking kiddy rides, but nothing I was that interested in grabbing. No, not even the 2 kiddy creds. I was here for one ride and one ride alone. (which might explain why this is only cred number...)
#42 - Wildfire
3rd Overall, 1st/1 RMCs, 2nd/4 Swedish, 1st/4 Woodies(Rankings based on time of riding. These numbers will go up later on!)
Wildfire has always been one of those top bucket list coasters for me. Incredible setting, relatively accessible given its location near a major city, and, of course, an incredibly popular coaster type that I'm yet to get on myself. Getting up close with a ride that I'd only seen in pictures before, especially one with such an unusual setting, was rather surreal. Have to admit, I was genuinely pretty nervous about getting on this beast!
Now, I had heard mixed opinions on the ride before my trip, with some naming it among the best in the world, and others calling it one of the weakest RMCs with a slightly meandering pace towards the end. After my first ride, I was erring more towards the latter. I thought it was good, but it didn't quite blow me away the same way Helix or Hyperia did on my first rides. I guess part of that could've come down to the fact I couldn't really take in much of the views - I stupidly left my glasses strap at home! More likely, however, was that I was sat towards the middle of the train. My next ride on row 2 was much better - shoutout to the guy I sat next to on this ride and his two sons on the front row, was fun chatting to you throughout the day! Of course, that doesn't compare to the back row, which felt like a completely different ride altogether! I remember over a decade ago when Iron Rattler was still new, reading reviews for the ride on this website and seeing hardened coaster nuts describe their fear as they get yeeted out of the train on the first drop. They really stuck with me, especially with how airtime-deprived the UK coaster lineup was before Hyperia. I'm happy to report my first RMC provided the same mortality-facing experience and then some. That first drop off the cliff in the back row really is unlike anything else I've experienced so far, and the rest of the ride really feels punchier in the back. That ride alone solidified the coaster's place in my top 3.
It definitely helps that the trains were more comfortable than I expected. I'd heard some not-great things about those RMC leg restraints, and the only other ride I'd been on with a similar design was Sky Scream at Plopsa DE. Those things killed my enjoyment of the ride and my legs! Thankfully, the ones on Wildfire are way better, and I barely noticed them. The fiddly seatbelts took a bit more to get used to, however. Apologies to the ride staff who had to keep running over to help me adjust mine! Quick question to those who've read both this and other RMCs - are the leg restraints different on other rides? I've heard conflicting reports on this.
If Wildfire is why I visited Kolmården, the cable car ride might be the best reason to return there. Those 45 minutes of soaring through stunning Swedish countryside and over the animal enclosures were pure bliss. There were some absolutely incredible moments, such as when I made eye contact with a lioness as my gondola slowly moved to block out the light from her sunbathing spot, or caught a glimpse of a black bear making its way through the woodlands. This is where the scale of the park really works, and seeing the animals roam around these massive, natural-feeling enclosures was a lot more pleasant than a lot of zoos I've been to (even if the rumbles and screams coming from Wildfire felt like they could've been a bit much to live next to!). It also led to one of my favourite Discord interactions when I posted pics of the ride:
After riding the cable car, it was back to rerides of Wildfire. Thankfully, my fears of the park being rammed were seemingly unfounded, and I never waited more than a few trains to get on the ride. Similarly, the safari itself was a walk-on, though a long line of school kids had formed by the time I was getting off the ride, and there was a decent crowd by the nearby monkey enclosure.
Overall, I adored my time at Kolmården. Rode a great rollercoaster, watched a bunch of ostriches chase each other around, found nirvana on a cable car and met a camel. Quick word of advice for anyone going there though: be sure to time your exit better than I did. I somehow ended up overestimating how long it would take me to get to the bus stop at the entrance and waited there for about 20 minutes... only to arrive at the station about an hour before the next train. Deffo could've squeezed in a few more laps on Wildfire! At least I got time to pick up a drink and a Swedish delicacy at the nearby co-op.
Next time... a bit of sightseeing!
Last edited: