Wonderful Warwick Castle - Niles' Nostalgia Trips

[Niles]

It’s been a busy year, me and gf finally got to do a trip together, after her getting stuck in Spain, us both having to quarantine and a busy work schedule we got our break.

She loves plants, animals and is starting to like coasters, so we did a bit of everything on this trip and we had a great time. As we only had so many days we stayed around the south of England but we mostly went to places I have not been to in years, for her they were all new.

So starting it off is Day 1 - Legoland

We had some tagalongs for the first day, my gf used to look after kids and they had never been to Legoland so we thought it would be fun to take them, last time I went was 2016 ( I think ) and a lot has changed, while there are loads of new things the park is looking a bit shabby in some places.

Of course I had to get the new cred first, Duplo Dino coaster was sweet, really chill and comfy, it was one of the kids with us first cred and they loved it so I guess it’s perfect for their target audience.


After that the kids went on the cars and the boats, the kid I was with decided a donut was the right thing to do, in the confusion some poor kid tried to do the same but could not make the whole turn and ended up heading back to the start, his dad gave me a disappointed/annoyed look, poor guy, the staff had to turn their boat around

Anyway we then went to the ghost house, it’s got nothing on Hex and the building sticks out like a sore thumb, best thing about this is all the children trying to figure out how the room went upside down and some thinking they are defying gravity.


We then headed to the submarine ride which is nice and chill, I wanted to go to the new flying theatre ride but from opening to closure this ride had around a 90min wait and with kids that’s a dam long time so sadly we missed it



As we were heading round we caught the pirate show which is still great, so much slapstick but tbf some great stunts, worth a watch.




Then we did the laser blaster ride, said 30min wait ended up 40mins being by far the longest queue of the day, it’s just so bad, feels so cheap and this was the only ride the kids thought was naff. Ninjago was next and it’s so silly, flail like crazy and you win, gf won by flailing the most which was pretty funny to watch.

Next we did the log flume which has a better drop than I remember and some of the flat rides in the area, never take kids on a tea cup ride, dizziness does not effect them

We then went for lunch, we had a pack lunch but we also went to get chips, I looked after the kids while gf got the food, she joined the queue with one family in front of her and it took her 20mins, she was pretty pissed as the staff member at the till apparently was on a different planet running at half speed, most people were turning around but as she placed her order we waited, I have no idea how it took so long but hay ho.

We then went to the Dragons Apprentice so we could build up to The Dragon, the kids were a bit nervous but they ended up loving it, still my favourite ride ( and theirs ) at the park and I hope it never goes, the outdoor provides a nice thrill for the little ones and the indoor adds so much, somehow the queue which was at 30min wait all day dropped to a walk on for us, after 3 rides a crowed came and it went back to 30mins, the whole day we seemed to be very lucky on wait times especially for a Sunday during Halloween.




After that we got in some re-rides and let them go round some of the playgrounds to burn off some energy, we ended up at the fairytale boat ride, it never has a queue but it’s got so so bad, it’s falling apart with it all looking stained and unkept, definitely needs a refurb.

After a walk round Miniland we went on the concrete themed rapids ride which really throws you around, gf was not ready and it flung her around like a rag doll, me the kids and the staff in the viewing box got a laugh out of her lack of balance, also this is not a water ride, I don’t think we got a drop of water on us.


And that was it, a look round the shop and we were done, sadly the train was closed and I always like to do that but they did kept everything else running and open all day.

All in all it’s a good park, it does feel cheap in some areas but they are adding so much, I would like them to put a bit more effort in hiding the back stage areas and keeping things looking fresh. While we had trouble with the food all the staff had a mild gloom to them, sad to see and I hope they can bring staff happiness up.

The kids loved their day and were so happy they got to go, after we stopped for food they fell asleep and we dropped them off so we could carry on our trip, me and the gf had fun to and it was great to re-visit and see all the changes, gf loved all the Lego sculptures and the park itself.


Thank you for reading day 1 and sorry for any spelling mistakes.

Next day Finkley Down Farm

 

[Niles]

Day 2 - Finkley Down Farm

This is a twee little animal farm my parents would take me to as a kid, last time I was hear was in the early 2000s when I was a toddler, I have vivid memory’s of this place, I remember loads of goats and that tradition is still going


Of course they have a race.

They had loads of animals to pat and their new addition was meerkats, they did not seem to thrilled with the uk weather and they were all a little chunky and cute.


There were also some friendly horses and a donkey.


Some sweet little guinea pigs.


What was nice was all the animals had diverse food and all the enclosures were clean and tidy, they all seemed very friendly and well looked after, we had bought two bags of food as well to feed the animals but I think they preferred what they had been given by staff.

Another surprise was they had a Falconer and she clearly loved her job, she was interesting to listen to and did a little show where she talks about the birds she has.



Then we found this little baby, soooo cute



They also had a climbing course, mini golf, trampolines and pedal go-karts. Sadly don’t have pics of all of these, as there were no kids only signs we of corse did all off them, nice additions to the park.

But it is a great little place, has anyone else been here? We ended up staying for around 5hr somehow, they did fill the day with nice little events and there are quite a few animals, we also showed gf mum around the park through video chat, she wanted to pat and cuddle all the cute animals.

Some more pics:




For the evening we went to see my family and stay the night, we got up early as we had a long drive to Cornwall.

Next day we go to a semi abandoned park and a random dam in Dartmoor.

 

[Niles]

Day 3 - semi-abandoned park and a random dam

We started are long drive down to Cornwall stopping at a Morrison’s to get snacks, I have no idea what it’s like for regular food but they have a great deli and salad selection.

After a while we had to take a stop and we saw this place called Trago mills, on google it showed a castle so thought it would be worth a look.


This place is super odd, it’s a giant discount store and has the facade of a castle, it gives off a 1980s theme park vibe, inside it gives me a purgatory feeling though, a never ending expanse of cheap tat.

I have never been to a store in the UK that sells everything befor, like everything toys, toasters, guns, plants and animals you could get it all here but it’s all naff and tacky.



So I thought that was it, an odd place but just a short stop, however when walking in they had a train and it said u could go on it to the other station, out of curiosity we went to see it, then we came across the fun park. I had no idea this was here and it looks semi abandoned, could not find much online about it, it says it’s open but when we went all was closed and looked abandoned people were using some of the small attractions but I’m not sure they should have been.




They also had an aviary, boarded up and full of rubbish, there was also a park with some animals.




They also have a model railway “biggest in Britain” they say, but when we got to the entrance no one was there to open the door, there was a bell to ding but still no one came, this was the only thing that said it was open lol.

After grabbing a very good pasty ( best thing there ) we headed out, however I noticed a picture of a coaster.

I did not see one when looking round, looking at a park map it was on there.

Heading to the location sadly nothing, just a space where it stood, going on RCDB I could not find it, is this enough proof to get it added? It’s just a defunct wacky worm but Im happy I might have found a lost cred Showing this place to my mum she had a flashback and dug through some old pictures, there is one of me when I was a baby on the train, it was just a stop for them and she said she can hardly remember it but yea, guess I have been here before to.

After all that we headed into Dartmoor with our picnic, we stopped at Shipley bridge and had a walk up to Avon dam, we had a booking at yo-sushi in Plymouth so we only had about an hour before we had to leave, 30mins in we realised it was much farther than we thought so speed walking we got there and back just, really nice walk that goes through woodland, past ruins and ends at rugged heathland.





We did make it in time for dinner, love a bit of Katsu curry, we went for a walk round Plymouth waterfront then headed to St Austell Travelodge, it was….fine nothing special but fine for a night.

Next day Eden project

 

[Will]

^
I just did a bit of digging - the 'Trago Mills' cred is a new one on me and hasn't made it to RCDB or coaster-count, but seems to have had a couple of mentions on here...

Morgawr The Sea Monster at Crealy Adventure Park

This: is a good point well made. And on that, I'm off to bed, it's quarter to four over here :lol: Thank-you for the pleasant chat, it was unexpected :)

coasterforce.com

(Jeez, that topic has reminded me it wasn't just me who spent the first quarter of 2010 inebriated...)

 

[Niles]

Nice digging @Will, did not think to check on here to see if people had been there, at least some people got the cred, also after an email to RCDB it’s been added https://rcdb.com/19685.htm

Day 4 - Eden project

So we had a nice chill morning, as we were so close we could take it easy, we had been avoiding rain the whole week but today it hit, good thing we could hide in the Bio-domes.

This place is amazing, if you are not into plants you may not be to interested, however I think this is something else, walking through the jungle biome you forget your in Cornwall and it takes you to the rainforests.

A day ticket gets you a years entry so if your not to far away it’s a great deal, they also have some thrill attractions at an extra cost, I have only done the Skywire but flying over the site which used to be a quarry is stunning and I loved it.


Looking over the site it’s massive, personally they should stick a mountain coaster on the hillside though



Before to many people came in we headed straight for the Rainforest dome, it was nice and quite to begin with so we had it mostly to ourselves.




They also have these cute little mangos to clean the forest.

Sadly it was closed this time but usually there is a walkway that takes you up to the roof top, pics are from last visit


Also they do a nighttime event where they play jungle effects and light up the forest, it’s beautiful and if you can go when it’s on.



As we left the crowds were coming in, none were going to the Mediterranean dome so after grabbing a Baobab ice cream ( there way to yummy ) we went there. While not as amazing as the other dome it’s still nice and there are loads of unique plants you would not see in the UK wild.



They also had a show for the kids with a big animatronic owl.


After going through the dome we had our lunch, at this point it was pouring down, but as more and more people came in we made a dash to the third building the Core, it’s an educational building with info on the environment and more info on the Eden project, turns out they hope to build more of these around the world, China, Australia and another one in the UK are being looked into or going ahead.

They also have this thing,

Not to sure if it symbolises something but it make smoke rings, so I love it

As it was still pouring we did not go for a walk round the outside gardens and instead went to the ice skating ring they have for winter, as there was some spaces left we went for a skate.

There is always that one kid that runs full speed into a wall at some point, I think half the people in the ring saw it was gonna happen before the kid realised himself, poor kid pancaked right into it, dazed, his mum dragged him off.

After going through both domes again, we headed up to the exit, gf loved her day ( plant enthusiast ) and bought loads at the gift shop, t-shirt, handbag, plant books, plants, proper nerd I think this is a great place to visit, if your doing a cred run down here I say fit it in if you can.

Next up we headed north to Bude Premier Inn, first time in one of these, as it was school holidays everywhere was expensive but this was the cheaper of the two hotels and at £35 it was not to bad. Looking out over a river and a very nice room this was a great surprise, Harry Potter was on so we chilled and fell asleep.



Next day Big Sheep

 

[Niles]

Day 5 - Big Sheep

Been ages since I was last here, early 2000s was my last visit, heading to the park it was raining, reading about Rampage it does not open in the wet so I was kinda nervous.

When we arrived the coaster not moving from the car park, going in the staff member at the desk they said it would need an hour of dry weather to open, kinda sad we went to see the sheep and hoped it would open.

Looking round the park its small and has not many attractions, thought we could not spend to long here, however they seemed to have quite a few shows lined up so we went to see them.

First was the sheep show where they show a bunch of breeds of sheep, que the cheesy jokes and puns, a running theme here. The staff have fun and really interact with the public, feels family run but oddly this place has the best staff to public relations of any park I have been to.
Next was the duck herding show, the guy and the dog doing this show were in perfect sync, they herded them ducks brilliantly.

They have a little helter skelter

After that it was lamb feeding, this was chaos, kids were handed a bottle and the sheep ( pretty big ) were released, the sheep drank the bottles in about a minute, we sat back and watched the mayhem.

At this point i thankfully heard the spin of lift wheels, as we got there the area was closed off, in the mean time I did chair swing, just as I sat down the coaster began testing. For the park it seems out of place, it’s a big cred for such a small park.

After waiting at the gate a park member came down and opened the gate to let us in, looks like they have added a roof to the station finally.

So how was is, honestly pretty great, has a nice long layout and it goes round twice, as there were not many people here you could lap it all day if you wanted.

It gives a good ride but I got a back seat ride where only the front half of the coaster was full, now I might be crazy but I got a bit….a bit of air coming off the first drop and the hill at the end, nothing to crazy but I lifted of the seat, it’s a great family ride.


However the fun ended when just a sprinkle of rain came down, shut the coaster down real fast.

So with my hangry gf we had lunch, while eating we saw there was a brewery, they had tasters so we tried and bought some, we collected them at the end of the day, my gf likes beer me not so much but the lady that runs it does a good beer, I found it quite nice.
We then headed to the animal barn, had to pat the animal.



We did the swan boats and had a paddle around the lake, I think it’s meant to romantic but instead we raced kids round the island easy win.

We then went on the tractor ride, the driver was brilliant, jokes all the way some you could not get away with at a corporate park, he even stopped and asked if anyone had any questions, pointing at the lama the kid asked if he could ride one. The driver laughed then went sure and went to grab the kid, he changed his mind real quick, I think if the kid was willing he would have stuck him on there.



We then went to another show, sheep shearing, jokes and facts throughout, interesting ones like the record for sheep sheared in nine hours is 872 somehow. Also the host asked the audience how much you think this wool is worth, people started yelling out numbers and after a while he pretended like it was an auction, kid won with £50, depressingly he said it worth 40p so not worth sending off to be used so its just thrown, how sad.

We went into the play zone for a coffee and I saw a vertical slide, no kids only signs so I did it, last time I did ones of these was ages ago.

After the coaster opened up again I got final rides on it, then I was the main show, the sheep race, the sheep go from one side of the park to the other. You can bet a pound on a sheep and if it wins you get a medal, I went for blue and gf went for red.


There so cute with there little wool sheep dolls on their back, gf sheep lead for the whole race but lost at the end to the yellow sheep, my sheep stayed at the back the whole race, consistent little guy.

And that was our day, we headed off to Bristol to stay the night with some friends and spend the next day with them.

Great day all in all, lovely little park with tons of charm, great staff, beer, shows and a fun little coaster. If you can enjoy things other than the coaster it’s an easy half day park, with the Milky Way so close it’s a good 1 2 on a cred run.

Next the final day Cardiff and Bath

 

[Niles]

Day 6 - Cardiff & Bath

So after spending the night with friends we had brecky and headed out, today was a nice chance to catch up and go to Cardiff, I had been years ago but this would be everyone else’s first time so they wanted to go.

But we picked the worst day, JLS and Rick Astley we’re playing no one else knew who he was, so I showed them “the song” they were like ohhhh the meme man On top of that I think there was a game between Wales and New Zealand so I was bloody busy.

After parking we went for a walk round the Cardiff castle and garden, it’s a really nice castle but we gave on the tour when we saw the queue.



The garden wall had these great animal statues on them.


After we headed for lunch at Honest Burgers, I had a buttered chicken Thai burger and it was brilliant, spice kinda blew my face off though. Then we went to a market and got some yummy baklava’s and a bubble tea, sorry for no pics kind of forget to take pictures until after I’ve finished

We then went down to the port to escape the crowds, we went round the bay for a walk and saw the sites, they had this animatronic dragon to.



We found a coffee shop and had a nice sit down, they had coffees and I had a thicc milkshake, after catching up we walked back to the car and headed back. After we said our goodbyes me and gf went to Bath for a dinner stop.

Now this is a must do, don’t let the location put you off, it’s called Chilly Family Noodles, it’s tiny, in a bus station, on the outskirts but it’s got great ratings, great prices and the food is amazing.

Most places were booked so looking around we came across it, we where unsure but peeking in we saw the food and we went strait in, will be going here next time we go to Bath. Also they gave us free dumplings, we did not order them but when I said about it the lady smiled and said no worries we made to many, seemed to good to be true

Looked around Bath for a bit, very pretty city and easy to get from one side to the other. Gf and I did some shopping and made are way home.



So that was our little trip, it went way to fast but we did have a great time. With the Eden Project tickets lasting for a year we will go this way again next year, hopefully gonna do Crealy and Camel Creek then.

If you read any or all of these thank you for it and hope you liked it.

 

[Hixee]

A nice little trip, by the sounds of things. Good to see something from my neck of the woods, although a reasonably accurate cred-ratio shows why this isn't the best side of the country for these things!

 

[Niles]

A nice little trip, by the sounds of things. Good to see something from my neck of the woods, although a reasonably accurate cred-ratio shows why this isn't the best side of the country for these things!

Thank you, we did have a nice time, gf wants to head back as soon as the parks open.

I agree, while the parks are few and far between in Cornwall & Devons they are very sweet, I’ve done the Big Sheep, Milky Way and Flambards and while no great thrill rides I had a good day at all of them.

With are Eden annual pass we will head to Camel Creek & Crealy next year, I think this is a great place for a cred run if you also plan a chill holiday to, maybe not for everyone but it’s a beautiful part of the UK, beaches, forests and nice towns are a nice addition to a trip. With all the parks I’ve said that’s 12 creds, to someone that has never been I would say it’s worth the trip

 

[Niles]

Part 2 - May 2022

There are not to many creds left in the UK that i really want to do, this trip i got to tick off some that i have wanted to do for ages

For this weekend trip i went along with my dad who also loves coasters, last time i was here i was tiny so it was fun to remember some bits.

Anyway Day 1: Great Yarmouth

After getting up at 5am and a four and a half hour drive we arrived at the sunny beach front. The beaches here are massive compared to the ones im used to in the south, are first stop was Joyland.


If i was little again i would love this place, so much in such a small place. First up was Spook Express, its so twee, no idea what's in the dark section other than some spooky sheets say "ooooOOOoowwwowowo" but i love how it sits on top of the park and looks over it.


Now since i knew it existed the Tyrolean Tubtwist has been one of my most anticipated coasters, i just love how odd it is. I thought me and my dad might look odd on it but in front were a couple of giggly old ladies and behind were some lads who seemed to have a casual chat in separate tubs, everyone of all ages loves the tubs.

​

Don't know if two fully grown men are meant to squeeze in but we managed and it was nuts, the spin changes direction in an instant and it smashes into the corners, unlike any spinner i have ridden and i think everyone should give it a go.

After a walk down the beach we got to the Pleasure beach, i had memories of the woodie and snails, the park is only open for four hours but everything was a walk on.


First ride was the woodie, in the front you get boosted down each drop and you get great little pops of air, but for the second we went in the back and had a different breakman. OMG i flew out of my seat, this guy was running this thing brilliantly, depressingly this is now one of my favourite coasters for airtime in the UK, for 90 years old it holds up.


We did both spinners and then went to the big apple, again i expected to see just kids on this ride but nope a group of lads and a bunch for women on a hen party?? rode with us. Also everyone touched the inside of the apple when on the ride so i copied and was mildly electrocuted which woke me up so yea great electric apple.


We then hit up the flats and the not to bad hauted house, we also did the fun house and challenged ourselves to do it without holding the rails, we somehow managed to do it but a women behind us confindently said she could and almost instantly fell like a sack of potatoes, poor lady.



Both parks had friendly staff and both as well as the town itself had hardly any litter, for the price i think both parks are great.

Sadly the only thing closed was the log flume, with three drops it looked quite good, apparently it should be open soon as this was the first day it was testing this year said a staff member

After finishing at 10 rides on the woodie and doing everything it was 4pm and we had to go, we then went back to Joyland and had another go on the Tub as that park opens earlier and closes later.

But yea great first day, my dad loved getting back, it had been 20 years and he liked seeing it all again, the woodie was hes fav and mine. After walking along the beach we sleeped in the nearby Travelodge, of all the hotels if your coming here this looks the nicest for the price.

But thanks for reading, tomorrow we head south, ill put some more pics below.

 

[Niles]

DAY 2: Pleasurewood hills & Clacton

We got up bright and early, being a Sunday I thought it might be a little busy but everything was a walk on all day, when we got to the gate the only thing we could see testing was Cannonball Express so that's where we went first.



I heard this ride has a bad throughput but as it was dead we got around 6 rides total throughout the day, this thing is great, it carries way to much speed with each break doing its best to try and slow it down. It has strong positives and laterals Gs and for its age, while a bit bumpy its a great ride.



Next up was Marble Madness, for a wild mouse it was different than the norm which was a nice change but dam those breaks, with me, my dad and a mum and daughter we whipped round but the breaks beat us up, the lady afterwards complained that the coaster should only break at the end of the coaster to be less painful , the ride op just gave a sigh and said that's how it is I'm afraid, as we left she stayed to ask more questions, poor ride op.


Well at this point we had not see Wipeout test, walking up it looked dead but then a guy popped his head out from the station and said you wanna go? going up the exit ramp we had it to our self's, we could just about hack a front and back ride. The only other boomerang I have done is the one at Hershey and I liked it, this defiantly needs those new seats as it has a bit of a rattle, but dam those Gs are strong. Afterwards my dad said he remembers riding something like this in the UK before, then we realised that he did it back when it was at American Adventure.


While not the best I do love how it dominates the skyline.


Next we went to the final coaster and I think the newest themed area? along the way there are concrete pads where rides used to be and with nothing on them it does look a bit tatty, this part of the park feels quite separate from the rest of the park and when we got there it was dead. We went on the coaster, nice little cred through the trees and I took some pics on there, like all the parks we went to this trip taking pictures on rides does not seem to bother the staff.

After we went to the bumper cars, as it was just us the guy pushed some cars to the centre so we could race around them, we also played tag, the guy was really nice and a running theme is all the staff were, at no point was there anyone that did not seem enthusiastic when interacting with them which was nice.


Heading to the "main hub" we saw there was a dark ride, I did not know there was one here and it was sadly not great, its a shooter with no way to see your score on the ride, after you get off the was a tv but it was not working, the ride itself is western but nothing moves and there are parts when there is no audio, so yea not great.


After getting burgers that were actually not half bad we saw the sealion show, they were trained very well and it was a great little show, but I think they could do with a bigger pool.



Due to the cold I don't think many people went on the flume but I gave it a go, instant regret as my lower half got drenched and I was cold for the next hour


One thing I thought was dead was the chairlift but it just had a delayed opening, this was the only queue because my god this is slow, my old gran moves faster. They also only load every other seat so ten people in front took 20mins to clear, as there are two stops not everyone gets off so yea get here early or not at all. As it took to long we missed the parrot show, but to be fair it does give some nice views.




We also did the train and what is really odd is they have two trains and the smaller one has the longer/better course, it takes you through the park and out into the woods, the bigger train does a loop through the park, really odd to have both and I don't think we saw anyone ever really go on the bigger train.

After getting re-rides and doing some of the flats like the drop tower which gives a great view we called it a day at 2pm, the park feels like it needs some TLC, it feels like its lost a lot and just hanging in there, there is a big castle that from my visit does nothing, I think its just for staff now, I hope they can do a Paulton or Drayton and get a family IP to bring in more guests, there coaster line-up is.....ok, they have solid thrill coasters but the boomerang is maybe a bit to much for there family audience but a nice thing to have, a good family coaster like a GG Woodie would be a great addition IMO.

Next up was Clacton.

You can park for free and this was a quick stop.


On the hill I noticed there was another coaster in a separate park, a little SBF i did not know about but sadly I was spited, a guy said "its like broken bruv, chain dat move it snapped", this was interesting as its a tire lift but it had its train had covers on and was not going anywhere so we went to the pier.


Me and my dad did the looper and then I did the Wacky worm, took the pick below and did some texting, nice and chill.


But yea that was me and my dads little trip, we had a great time, and it was nice for him to revisit after so long. In total I got 12/13 creds and my favourite coaster was the Woodie at Great Yarmouth with Cannonball Express also being a nice surprise.

hopefully I will be doing some more UK parks this year, but thank you for reading

 

[Hixee]

Very late to this, so sorry for the minor bump, but just catching up.

It sounds like you had a good time and this is some good bait for a trip I'm eyeing up for later in the year - thanks for sharing!

 

[Niles]

We did have a great time thanks, hopefully not my only trip this year.

I like unique and historic coasters and there was a nice little handful of them here.

If you do go I hope it goes well

 

[Matt N]

For all the Lego fans, visiting Legoland is like living in your fantasy land. This popular theme park in San Diego is the perfect opportunity for the whole family to have fun, so kids can have a blast and adults can relive their childhood memories. Other than the amusement park, there is a Waterpark & Sea Life Aquarium.

Is this one to look into @Pokemaniac? Or @Hyde or @Hixee or another team member?

If @MarieOrr is genuine, I could not be more apologetic, and I’m just being very stupid, but this does read a bit like an ad, and I’m not normally very perceptive to those types of things at all.

 

[Niles]

Thanks for the above @Matt N that was odd

Day 1 Crealy - 24th June

Another little trip this year down to the south west of England, this time it was me and the GF and we did two parks I have not done since I was ten so I hardly remembered them.

After getting up we went straight to the first park only stopping to get the GF some coffee. We arrived at Crealy around 10am and being a Friday it was dead, everything was a walk on and it's nice to be able to not have to wait for anything.

The first stop was the best SBF I've done, not a high bar but it was comfy and had a chill spin, next to it was a raft slide which was great.



We saw they were building a new animal area, while there was a sign saying this area is closed you could walk up and peep in, Meerkats and tortoises with more looking like it was coming.


Best was this sleepy guy with his head in his butt.


Next was the kiddy cred, when we went inside the building there were two staff chatting at the entrance but no one else in there. I asked the staff if I can go on and they let me on finding it funny I wanted to go on such a small ride but they were nice, the coaster itself was....well a cred.


We popped into the rainforest area where they had....rabbits?


Along with other animals they had this cutie.


We then strolled deeper into the park, this park has loads of play equipment, slides were everywhere and honestly this seemed to be where all the kids were.

We had a water fight on the bumper boats and got soaked, watching my Gf try to drive the boat while squirting me and failing was great fun, untill she pinned my boat and proceeded to manically laugh while drenching me.

Then we did a dodgy Dino ride with stiff unmoving Dino's, after we saw they had a indoor Sooty land and then...

YOUR SOUL IS MINE!

Terrifying

We then had a look for their Vekoma, this ride had decent theming and a tunnel drop, quite a few of the rides have covered sides if they are over a certain height, signs state to be quite so you don't annoy the neighbours.

The coaster itself is nothing crazy but it seemed to run faster than other ones I have done and was great fun.


After this I had to be a big kid and do a vertical drop slide, after sending the pic to my mum and dad they remember dropping me down dressed as a bee when I was one, apparently I found it hilarious, I still do.


After getting some chips to go with our sandwiches we walked around so the GF could pat some animals.



We then walked round the pretty lake, I like parks that have this escape from it all.


While walking we saw two ducks heading straight towards, they waddled over and were so friendly, we gave them some duck food you could get nearby and gave them some pat's, they then followed us for the rest of our adventure round the lake


They have a river as well where there are maybe ten different bridges all different going from simple to a hard rope walk, nice little addition.

There is an escape room to haha.


While walking round we somehow missed the decent sized log flume, it was chilly and there was a bit of rain but as it had no wait, had to do four laps, theming on this was also not to bad.



We saw they had a gold panning area, but it was free and you took the gold? I got about as much as a ping pong ball, there was a sign saying to do this but it was odd.

After getting some re-rides and a slushy we were done by 3pm, I like this park, nice mix of rides, animals, play equipment and nature. I will say though it's to expensive, feel like they could bring the price down a bit. Also some rides have a light but nice theme, but some are just plonked down.

Back on the road we still had a way to go so we stopped at Plymouth and as Yo Sushi was closed we found this little place Mr Work.


Food was great, tiny shop but nice people and a big yummy portion, I want to come back and I'm hungry thinking about it


Finally we got to our hotel in Bugle, The Bugle Inn, now this place is nice and they give you a great breakfast, but parking sucks and being a Friday night it was packed in the Pub below us, music stopped at midnight and we passed out.


It was a nice first day, great to back to the park and see it, took the whole day really chill.

Thanks for reading and it's off to the Eden project tomorrow.

 

[Niles]

Day 2 - Eden Project, Beer & Beach - 25th June

For day two it was back to eden, when paying once gets you in for the year it's a great price.

After we had a very nice breakfast we headed out and got there for 10.30, we managed to avoid rain the whole trip and were somehow allways indoors when it poured down.



GF loves here plants and growing up in Spain she loves how green the UK is in comparison, she thinks this place is one of her favourite places on earth, she finds it amazing. Climbing up into the domes it reminds her of when she would visit her family in South America and it takes her back





After looking round both domes we went to see the fart machine, really satisfying to see it toot.

It lets one out every so often but it toots from all holes sometimes, it's a sculpture that pays homage to cyanobacteria that provide oxygen. But hearing children run around laughing they have been farted on makes it the fart machine for me.

We had some nice food from there cafe and walked round again, looking at some more nice plants and hunting for the cute little mango birds.


I also saw this, without context I love it, what are they doing for his rabbit friend


After a nice time we left at around 3pm, we then went to the St Austell brewery, I don't like beer but GF does so kept her happy, they do a Baobab beer that she loves and I don't mind, she ended up buying 24 beers hahaha.


They had finished the tours and there were some people left at the bar so we had a drink before closing, there main beer is the Mena Dhu which is like a Guinness and apparently better, GF can confirm.



Next time we come we might do a tour as I find how it's made interesting and u get to try a bunch of flavours, might find one I like.


GF was really happy but we were not done, we headed to Charlestown for dinner, this is a lovely little place, nice coast and sweet harbour. We dipped are feet in the water and layed there for a little while chilling.



They had a bunch of little food shops all selling different things, while they looked great they were a bit small for the price. We wanted something big but the restaurants were all very pricey and looked megh.

But then we found it The Boathouse, they did a big seafood platter with a "side" of garlic bread, they were fully booked but said we could have an outside table but when are food came they nicely moved us to the heated outdoor gazebo, great food, service, speed and nice view over looking the harbour.


After a great meal ( best garlic bread ever ) we went back to base, however as it was a Saturday and a live music night, oh my, they were a fine rock group but as we went to our room they were right below us. Sounded like we were still in the pub, after a few encores they stopped around 1am, Gf passed out at midnight but I had to wait for them to finish ahhhhhhhh.

While sleepy it was a nice day and we did a bunch, Eden is allways nice and great to get back to and they have so much more down here.

For are final day it's off to Camel Creek

 

[Niles]

Day 3 - Camel Creek - 26th June

After barely any sleep we stumbled to our are car and headed off to Camel Creek ready to see some camels with GF excited as she had never seen them.

They have no camels we feel lied to.

It looks like the park is named after the river near by but when there park mascot is a camel and the park is named so I thought they would have some but hay ho.

Compared to Crealy this park was dead, there were maybe twenty cars and we got there 30mins after opening, walking in we headed straight for the coasters.


Of course we went right to the Vekoma STC Airbender as seen in the marketing......they still do have signs up with this logo hahaha.


Heading round to the real Airbender it was a walk on like everything was. As we sat down they went through quite a few safety instructions, "please hold on to the bar at all times, keep your feet pressed to the floor to hold you in place, brace yourself for the strong breaks but lift your arms up before the last one (odd as this was the strongest), and have a great time....but look out for the corner after the first drop" Gf was scared it might fall to bits and with the paint pealing off already I can see why. The coaster itself was nothing special and felt pretty old, should have gone for the inverted coaster instead.


After we headed across the rocky wasteland to the Magic Dragon, this had a full train and we just made it up the lift, poor thing was struggling all the way up but it managed, sadly I found out after the day I had previously ridden the kiddy cred so I did not need to get this shameless cred, at least it was the only time I did it


Yep did the above and later realised it did it at Oakwood oof. While waiting in line with a GF contemplating her decisions a little kid asked his mum if he can go on. The mum said "naaa its fo babies, I is not riding dat" the kid look sad and the mum said "ugh go on wiv her den" pointing at GF, she then went back to texting.

The little boy came over and said "Henlo umm wodz you go on da coaster wiz me plez" but he was asking me, GF was happy she did not have to go and the mum only seemed to notice after the ride ended he went with me, no thank you or anything from her but her son was very thankful (don't know where he gets it from) and was so happy he got to ride a rollercoaster for his first time, really happy to take him on his first cred.

At this point all the coasters have been megh but next was Morgawr.


Now this powered coaster starts slow but once It gets going it does not slow till the end, as it does two laps when it goes through the station on the first run it does not slow down (it 100% should) this leads to a janky pop of airtime on a small hill before and then a hard lateral slam in the station as the turn it takes is way to small for the speed it carries, while there was not much competition this was my favourite cred of the mini break away, great janky ride.

Next it was time to head to the water rides, we had seen them while walking round but oddly the map you are given is different to the maps on the boards in the park as well as on the website with none being accurate. Closets one to being right was one on a board in the park, but there was a waterslide complex on it we could not find so asking a staff member they told me "oh huh, that has not been announced yet, sorry it not here", strange but funny, I found the map an circled it below, its the parks 2022 map and the ride just does not exist.


It looks like they have been moving things around with now everything together when things used to be dotted round the lake, watching videos I like how they used to use terrain but now they are just plonked down.



After getting soaked on the log flume we went to go see the horses, inside one of the staff said they do a walk round with them as well doing animal feeds with Q&A, he told us the times but they don't advertise they do this, there was a meerkat feeding later in the day and we had forgot the time, no other staff knew this was a thing and had no idea, very odd. The horses are very chill and like being patted, kids though, once they see one there off to the back of there stall.



Next up was the 5D attraction, this is one of the most confused rides ever, the building has a castle theme with an action movie ride sign, inside its all dark with space ships a florescent lights, the ride cars are themed the same but the show is about Leonardo Da Vinci chasing a paint brush??? such a mess, everyone was just as confused at the end.



As this used to be a Crealy it has a similar layout with a lake at the far end of the park with a river having the same mixtures of bridges across it. Its nice that there is an escape from the rides, also as it was a Crealy there are still some signs with there logo on.




We then went for lunch and the prices were cheap? food was fine as well, I don't think I have ever got food from a park and it be well priced. GF wanted a vegetarian wrap and the manager said sure it will just take a bit longer, he walked over to a young worker, said something and then the young worker sprinted out the door dodging kids as he went, about two minutes pass and he is sprinting in with a red face and a wrap in hand, he crashes through the kitchen door, throws it in a microwave. The dedication of this dude was great, he then served it to us with a smile, what a guy.

Now full we went to see the animals so GF can get her pats in, they have a nice mix of animals and areas but I think they had more, where the log flume and raft ride now are one of the maps shows deer.




There were also these two sleep little guys, so cute.



After that and some re-rides we were pretty much done, all in all I like this park, it could do with some more bigger rides but its chill and it quite a bit cheaper than Crealy, being so quiet the coasters and waterides were a walk on which is always nice.

My parents used to take me here when I was around 5yrs old but unlike Crealy I don't remember anything here, showed pictures to my family neither do they but looking at old pictures you can see the same sort of layout but it does look very different 20yrs on.

As we had a long drive back home we left at 3pm, as I had been driving all the time so GF drove us back. But that was are small trip, GF loves this part of England and I do to, really pretty and chill. Hopefully this is not the end of my trips this year and if all goes to plan my next cred will be a very odd one.

Thank you for reading

 

[Hixee]

Camel Creek is the park that said they wouldn't let me in back in 2018 as I was visiting as a (and yes, literal quote): "solo male visitor" - over the phone.

Never managed to drum up the motivation to go back.

Sorry, but yes it sounds like you had a nice time!

 

[Niles]

Im back again for year three, this time we headed north to York for five days, on this trip i managed to get a whole +1

Day 1-3 Nottingham & York 30th Mar - 1st Apr

Day 1 Was a travel day where we made a stop in Nottingham, apparently i have been here before but i dont remember it, for my GF this whole area of the Uk was new.




Some nice historic buildings and we grabbed a bite to eat for dinner but this is a Uni town. As we were walking back to our car a man ran round a corner and past us in a borat thong giggling and then disappeared into the darkness. He was at least having fun

Anyway we made it to our hotel about 20mins north of York, if your in the area i recommend it, really nice hotel you get all the utilities you need but best of all they own a castle (which you can also stay in) and were nice enough to show us round. Hotel



After a great night sleep after the 5hr drive we went to York, my last time here was 2018 but i learned a lot more about the city this time.

We parked at the train station as it's close to everything but also the cheapist parking for the day. First stop was the Yorvik Viking museum, i really like this but i bought the wrong ticket, if you pay a bit more you get into 3 other attractions round the city, i only learned about this after our tip. But anyway this is a must do, it has a dark ride.





You sit on a powered rotating vehicle with the track above you, it takes you through scenes depicting life in the area in 975 AD, they found ruins while originally digging for the shopping centre but they built the museum on its place once they removed the artifacts. They have animatronics that speak in there tongue, the ride is narrated with speakers behind you but you can hear the people and animals all around you, they also use smells from the sea to fire and poop, it a pretty great dark ride.

After the ride they have loads of their finds on display.


My favourite was this recreation of a grave stone showing the man as a brave warrior, i think he looks very cute.


We had lunch at the York roast, which was pretty good.


We spent the rest of the day looking at the shops and at the main historical sites.

For our second day we went on a free walking tour of the city, i cannot recommend this enough as our guide was very informative and had a passion for history as well as being funny. Tour




We did offer him some money for his time but he refused, considering it was a great 3hrs its a shame he would not take anything But he takes you all round the city showing areas you would not normally go to, many i had no idea about but he went into great detail about it all and answered any questions about it all.

After the tour we went round the walls of the city and found Dick Turpins grave.


While something to see i think someone has a grudge with him as ive never seen so much dog poop in a park like its ridiculous how much is in this tiny park.

After we had one last stroll round the city and went to a thai resterant for dinner, the food was great, i left my bag in there and only realised when i needed my parking ticket thankfully they had noticed and had it ready for me.

I really like york and the GF was fascinated with it all, some great history and things to do. For the next part of our trip we our off to Flamingo land and the peak District.

 

[Niles]

Day 4-5 Flamingo Land & Peak District 2nd - 3rd April

Day 4

My last time i went to Flamingo Land was in 2018 along with Lightwater, these were my last two big UK parks i have never been to and i came away liking them both quite a bit, sadly no point going to Lightwater this time and when it came to Flamingo i walked away a bit disappointed. One of my main problems is the cost, while we booked in advance and saved it still felt like a bit to much, paying on the day is rediculous though.

One thing that did not disappoint was Sik however.

Cred: 325


Heading to the coaster straight away i got a bunch of rides as it was pretty quiet, front, back, middle and i think i got a pretty good feel.

The theme is.....not my thing but other than the clothes ads on the TVs and music i like how colourful the station is, the mist is a nice addition and the coaster does look nice.



My Gf did try it later and liked it but was a bit nervous to begin with, so for my first ride i was on the back row and was put next to a funny northern lady. She was talking away and as we started she said "Oohh give us yo hand darlin, im ****tin bricks over ear" on every inversion she crushed my hand and said "ya bastard" but she was thankful after and gave me a hug as none of her family wanted to ride

After my rides it is the best coaster in the park, love the cable lift and first drop, really gives the coaster a great start, after that its Colossus but comfy. Forces feel the same but the lap bars give a much better feel and the water misters do get you wet smacking your face with drops for each pass through. Only issue was the Heartline rolls as all the weight goes on your legs it starts to hurt after a few rides, but i do really hope one day Colossus gets these trains, you have a megh coaster that could be good.

Next up was my only cred in the park i needed, i was spited by last time Zoooooooom.......and, oh its closed. Hope its open next time i visit when they open another Intamin at the park


So instead we hit up Velocity, Hero and Kumali. Velocity is now my No2 but it was GFs fave, her first motorbike cred and next was her first flying coaster Which was her No2????? said it was more unique than Sik, she has interesting taste. Kumali is still a decent SLC but it is still just an SLC, we would have done Mumbo Jumbo but after waiting for a bit i noticed one car ops, 4min dispatch and 40 people in front of us, i did not think it was worth the wait so we left, a lad in front of us said "awwww to scared bruv" i said in the time your waiting here i can ride every other coaster in the park, he laughed but i would see him later.


Sadly i noticed the cable cars had gone which i really liked last time.

Finally we got to what GF wanted to do and look round the zoo, last time i felt the animals have ok to good enclosures but this time there were a couple of bad ones. Also there were animal talks throughout the day with the same nice lady but sadly most of the time it was us to and a family of three that only came, however she was very informative and seemed to really care for the animals.




I hope they move the rhinos around as they were in this small enclosure all day.


We did find one of are fave animals the Dik-Dik


There was also the widdle wallaby

At this point we saw the sea lion show which had a very well trained sea lion.


This was sadly the last image i took before mid way through the show a flock of seagulls flew over and torpedoed me, Gf and a small kid to our left. We got hit between us covering our arms, thankfully we had water and tissues and as soon as the show finished went to the toilets to tidy up. The poor kid however got head shot and began balling and his parents took him out to clean him. Its been a long time since a bird pooped on me and i hope it does not happen again.

We then headed for lunch and got some chips to have with our sandwiches.

Now i dont have pictures because it was so so so bad but this time we did the spooky dark ride, the ride op said something along the lines of " hope your ready for this". It is truly one of the worst dark rides i ever done, if i was in charge after making all the animals have decent enclosures it would be fixing this.

We then did a lap of the coasters again and even though it was not busy, slow ops made us skip a few as the times seemed way to high for the amount of people around.

I did get on the drop tower (took three attempts to launch) and pterodactyl which i though were pretty great.


One good thing was the was the Lost River Ride said it would be closed all day and mid way through the day it started testing, near the end however they opened it and i got to have a go, nice drop but my god is it slow, just crawls round.


Finally we wrapped our day up on Sik, just before getting on the guy from earlier strutted up behind us and said "Bruv u were bang on, we waited a bloody hour for that piece of ****" after he asked what we got up to and we had a little chill chat. Then we got on, and we made it up part way of the lift and then "BANG" and a hard thump backwards to a stop.

Thought we had a breakdown but nope, a kid had his phone out in the front row, we wait mabey 15-20 mins for a mechanic to start up the coaster, during this a group of youths were calling out/yelling at the guy with the phone, the ride op said the coaster would be in a different mode when it started meaning we would go through the mist at the end slowly to which a girl asked "oh noo can you get me mom to give megh my hoodie" ride op walked away, thankfully we did get going and get are final ride.

So sik is a great addition, an odd choice given the original 10 looper is in this country and the current record holder of the inversion record is also but is at least a good coaster.

The park felt a little off and in need of some love and some work getting trains out faster, but its ok, a bit expensive but ok, we did have a fun day in the end.


On our way back to our room we also saw this little ruin for a nice end to the day.


Day 5

My first time to the Peak District and it was very nice, not to much to say as me and Gf just had a very nice time hiking, walking and sightseeing, we ate at a great little pub and took our time. We went to a dam and just searched things to do and just popped in to what looked interesting.





After a very chill day we did the long drive home and face planted the bed. We had a great little holiday, GF loved york and the Peak District and had fun at Flamingo land. Not sure when we will be back up this way but there are still things we want to see.

Anyway thank you for reading, im not sure theme park wise whats left to really do in the UK other than a few one offs, untill the new merlin coasters open ive done all the big ones, guess ill have to adventure over seas next