EuroOd 1.6.2 -- Drayton Manor (July 18)
Associated parks:
None
So after loading up and heading out of Alton, we were off to Drayton Manor. This smaller park had only a few coasters, but also other attractions of interest. Evening ERT would be on Apocalypse, their drop ride (2 sitdown sides and 2 standup sides), and Shockwave, an Intamin standup.
Super Dragon (1 ride, front) -- Another kiddie steel. Hey, they count :)
Klondike Gold Mine (1 ride, front) -- A Pinfari looping steel coaster, themed like a mine train. Very tight loop and cramped little cars, but still a lot of fun.
Shockwave (2 laps, one of them facing backwards) -- Yes, you read that right. During the ERT, Drayton was allowing people to get on Shockwave standing backwards, facing their seats. This actually made the ride MORE fun. Unfortunately, my ankle was still bothering me, and I wasn't up for too many laps on a standing coaster, or I'd have loved to ride it that way a few more times (I mean, how often are we going to get a CHANCE? ;) )
We also had time to check some of the other attractions.
Pirate Adventure -- A pirates-themed dark water ride, reminiscent of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean.
Golden Nuggets -- A Sally shooting dark ride. I scored 2200, which wasn't great but not horrid for a first ride.
The Haunting -- Yup, another modern ghost swing.
Maelstrom -- I'm not sure who manufactures this, but basically take an Afterburner with the seats facing outwards instead of inwards, and you've got it. Thorpe's Vortex was actually a wilder ride -- longer duration and a higher swing -- but this was still a very good ride.
Apocalypse -- During the ERT, I got on the "floorless standing" side of this freefall. What a rush, giving me another reason for me to hit SFoG (Acrophobia).
Drayton was a relatively short, but fun stop. After our time at this park, it was back on the buses for our drive to our hotels in Cardiff, where we'd be staying the last two nights of the first week. Amazingly, our tour was rapidly coming to an end.
-----------------
--Greg
"Are you justified in taking life to save life?" -- The Great Debate, Dream Theater
My page
-----------------
Raging Bull= 100
Well, next time, maybe. This isn't an annual event -- last time was 1996.
-----------------
--Greg
"Are you justified in taking life to save life?" -- The Great Debate, Dream Theater
My page
-----------------
Steel: 1)MF, 2)Goliath, 3)Magnum
Wood: 1)Villain, 2)Beast, 3)Roar(SFMW)
Incidently Greg, Was Colin Bryan with you during the ERS???? Just wondering
There was definitely someone important present during the ERT, but I'm blanking on the name. It could very likely have been Colin.
Yes, I should have mentioned that the backwards thing was special for the ERT time. Not at all normal procedure.
-----------------
--Greg
"Are you justified in taking life to save life?" -- The Great Debate, Dream Theater
My page
PaulD said:
Let me tell you all now that if anyone is planning on going to the park in the future and hoping to try backwards riding on Shockwave then Forget about it. The Park will NOT let anyone do this on normal park days, and the park only lets Coaster Clubs like the ECC, RCCGB etc do this on Special ERS's supervised by Colin Bryan(Managing Director) I have also done this because I am part of the ECC, and its quite insane, Its good for the experience, but not something I could do lots of times.
Incidently Greg, Was Colin Bryan with you during the ERS???? Just wondering
Yes, Colin was there for the ERT. He was checking the restraints and making sure we were all comfortable. Very nice guy!
-----------------
Sue Barry
CoasterSue@aol.com
Greg Said:Shockwave (2 laps, one of them facing backwards) -- Yes, you read that right. During the ERT, Drayton was allowing people to get on Shockwave standing backwards, facing their seats. This actually made the ride MORE fun.
Now, Why didn't I think of that. Very unique. :)
-----------------
Thank You for challenging TOS: The Ride. We hope you enjoy the rest of your day, here at SFCB.
You must be logged in to post
