Monday 10 December 2012

Nemesis Nick's Portsmouth 2012: Ride Slide Finale

Date: Friday 26 October to Sunday 28 October 2012
Venues: Portsmouth PlayZone, Funland (Hayling Island), Spinnaker Tower, Pyramids Leisure Centre
Who Went: Just me

Introduction
After my Devon 2012 trip at the end of September, I fancied a weekend in Portsmouth at the end of October for various reasons. I particularly wanted to go to the adult night at Portsmouth PlayZone Friday evening, having last been to an adult night there at the beginning of September 2006. Also I wanted to spend Saturday at nearby Funland, Hayling Island to mark the end of the 2012 coaster season. Sunday was to be a more flexible day; as well as a session of water sliding at Pyramids Leisure Centre, I also hoped to fit in a couple of rides at Clarence Pier (subject to them operating that day), and/or a visit to Spinnaker Tower.

To make the rest of report this easier to read, I've split it into sections. Click the applicable link below to jump to the section you want to read:

Day One - Friday 26 October
Day Two - Saturday 27 October
Day Three - Sunday 28 October
Outro

Day One - Friday 26 October
First Great Western, Portsmouth PlayZone

Journey To Portsmouth
The weekend began when I turned up at Bath Spa station for the 9:35 Portsmouth Harbour train. Although it departed Bath a few minutes late, there were no further problems along the way so I enjoyed a relaxing journey from Bath Spa to Fratton. Having reached Fratton at 11:46 I walked to my guest house. When I got there the landlady was out, so I just waited about ten to fifteen minutes until she returned, thereby enabling me to check in.

Friday Afternoon
Around 1:30pm I went to get some lunch. Just down the road from the guest house I found Moggy's Café, so I went there to have a sausage and bacon baguette plus a cup of coffee. After lunch I headed for Southsea sea front. I wasn't aiming to do anything in particular Friday afternoon; I could have visited the D-Day Museum and/or Southsea Castle, but decided not to visit either. Instead I walked at a leisurely pace along the sea front as far as Clarence Pier. I noticed the rides on Clarence Pier but they were closed Friday afternoon; I was hoping they'd be open Sunday. Next I walked into the city centre, where I had a cappuccino coffee at Debenhams café. At 5:15pm I was back in my room, to get ready for the evening.

Evening Meal
Just after 6pm I left the guest house again and went to get a meal. I walked into central Southsea, and although I had a map I got a bit confused finding my way there. At 6:12pm (later than I'd have ideally liked) I was outside The Lord Palmerston (Wetherspoon), and decided to have a meal there. From the menu I quickly chose what I wanted and placed my order. I had pork, leek and chive sausages and mash for main course, followed by Belgian waffle with ice cream for dessert. To drink, I had half a pint of Heineken.

Portsmouth PlayZone Adult Night
Having left the pub just after 7pm I walked to Fratton station whereupon I caught the 19:31 train to Cosham. When I arrived there ten minutes later I had a spot of bother finding my way to Portsmouth PlayZone. I finally found it just after 8pm. A large number of adults were waiting to enter; it just goes to show plenty of other adults besides me enjoy indoor play areas. Due to the long queue it took me a long time to get in. Once admitted the time taken for me to remove my shoes and put my bag in the cloakroom meant I finally took to the play equipment at 8:25pm.

The main play area was designed and installed by Taylor-Made Play Equipment. It has plenty to enjoy including a bumpy slide, Surf Rider blue double drop slide, Red Devil drop slide (with two launch heights), Black Hole tube slide, loads of soft play equipment and a crawl maze (underneath the padded pit).

I began with eight goes on the bumpy slide, followed by eight goes on the blue double drop slide. Next I fearlessly enjoyed the Red Devil drop slide: four goes from the lower beam followed by four goes from the upper beam. After that, I went on all the soft play equipment and crawled through the crawl maze. Around 9:40pm I had a coffee at Café Zone. When I returned to the play equipment about 20 minutes later I had another go on the Red Devil (lower beam) followed by four goes on the Black Hole tube slide. Next I went on all the soft play equipment and through the crawl maze again. I finished off by having as many goes as possible on the Red Devil: three from the lower beam and three from the upper beam.

At 10:40pm the music stopped and an announcement was made stating the session was now over, and everyone had to leave the play equipment. This was to allow people to collect their belongings, get shoes on and be out of the building before 11pm. It was very cold outside when I left the building at 10:52pm. Just after 11pm I had a taxi back from PlayZone to my guest house, and was back in my room just after 11:15pm.

Cumulative summary of slides:

Slide
Total
Black Hole
4
Blue double drop slide
8
Bumpy slide[1]
8
Red Devil lower beam
8
Red Devil upper beam
7
TOTAL
35

[1] two goes per lane left to right.

More about Friday evening at Portsmouth PlayZone available here

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Day Two - Saturday 27 October
Funland Hayling Island

Saturday First Thing
I awoke just after 7am. My plan for the day was to visit Funland, Hayling Island. The guest house where I stayed provided room only accommodation, so I went to Moggy's Café (just down the road) for an All Day Breakfast.

Off To Funland
Having left Moggy's Café after 9am I caught a bus to Havant Bus Station, for an onward bus to Hayling Island. I left the bus at Mengham Corner and walked along the sea front to Funland.

Funland, Hayling Island

Morning Coffee
I reached Funland just after 11am, but decided to go into Beachlands Café for a coffee before entering Funland.

Morning Riding
Just before 11:30 I entered Funland and bought a wristband which was valid until 5pm. Once fitted with a wristband, I took to the rides, starting with two goes on the family coaster Woody's Roller Coaster followed by one go on the looping coaster Klondike and two goes on the Super Dragon coaster. Next I enjoyed four goes on Blizzard Falls Log Flume, followed by Break Dancer and Silcock's Speed Flip once each. After a short break from riding I had two hair-raising goes on Drop. My next ride was one go on Flying Saucer, I later found out this was new to Funland this year, and had been obtained second-hand from Paultons Park. Finally I had one go on Klondike followed by two goes on Woody's Roller Coaster.

Lunchtime and After
At 1pm I went to Beachlands Café for a sandwich and mug of coffee. After lunch I went for a walk along the sea front.

Afternoon Riding
I returned to Funland just after 2:30pm and enjoyed plenty more rides, starting with two goes on Blizzard Falls Log Flume, two goes on Super Dragon roller coaster and another two goes on Blizzard Falls Log Flume. The highlight of the afternoon followed this: six goes on Klondike, in various rows. This was followed by my first two goes of the afternoon on Woody's Roller Coaster. After that, I had eight goes on the Helter Skelter. One could argue whether this is a true ride or just a slide, but anyway it was great fun.

Back to the proper rides next: one go on Break Dancer, two goes on Drop and one go on Cannibal Pots (cauldron ride). At long last the Wild River Log Flume (large log flume) was open, so I had one go. I rounded off my day by riding the three coasters again as follows: Woody's Roller Coaster twice, Klondike twice, and finally Super Dragon once.

Cumulative summary of my rides all day:

Ride
Total
Blizzard Falls Log Flume
8
Break Dancer
2
Cannibal Pots
1
Drop
4
Flying Saucer
1
Helter Skelter
8
Klondike
10
Silcock's Speed Flip
1
Super Dragon
5
Wild River Log Flume
1
Woody's Roller Coaster
8
TOTAL
49

Saturday Evening

Funland To Havant
Just after 5pm I was at the bus stop outside Funland. Shortly afterwards I caught a bus to Havant Bus Station. Having arrived at 5:25pm I took a short walk around Havant town centre.

Evening Meal
I decided to have my evening meal in Havant, and catch a bus back to Portsmouth later. Around 5:45pm I went to The Parchment Makers (Wetherspoon). I had Roast of the Day (half a chicken) for main course followed by sticky toffee pudding with custard for dessert. In addition I had half a pint of Old Thumper to drink with my meal.

Havant To Portsmouth
After leaving The Parchment Makers at 7:13pm it was just a short walk to Havant Bus Station. There I caught the 19:24 bus to The Hard Interchange Portsmouth, whereupon I had a quick change to another bus which took me to a stop in Albert Road. After that it was just a short walk to where I was staying, and I was back in my room at 8:10pm. I just relaxed there the rest of the evening.

More about Saturday at Funland available here

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Day Three - Sunday 28 October
Spinnaker Tower, Pyramids Leisure Centre, First Great Western

Sunday Morning
I awoke at 7:00, got ready and packed my bags. At 9:00 I left the guest house and went to Moggy's Café for an All Day Breakfast. It was the day of the Great South Run, but I wasn't particularly interested in that, and really wanted to spend the morning water sliding at Pyramids Leisure Centre instead. Nonetheless, in order to allow about an hour to elapse between breakfast and water sliding, I stood at a viewpoint near the start line to watch the elite women and Orange Wave start. Around 10:50 I got Pyramids Leisure Centre only to discover the fun pool wasn't opening until 2pm. This was due to an incident in the pool Saturday which necessitated a 24 hour closure, and not due to the Great South Run. The pool and slides were originally billed to open at 10:00 as normal, despite the run taking place. For now I returned to the spot where I was earlier in time to see the Green Wave (main race) start at 11:00.

Clarence Pier
After the last runner had crossed the start line I walked to Clarence Pier. When I got there I went into Sea Side Fish and Chips for a coffee. I was hoping Clarence Pier rides would be open after midday, in order to ride Skyways for the first time ever (and thus add it to my coaster count), and also re-ride Speedy Coaster (which I had already ridden twice at its previous location Leisureranch Weymouth but this would have been my first go on it at Clarence Pier). After midday I went into the amusement arcade and found out from a member of staff that the rides weren't opening today, and would not now open again until March 2013. Obviously I felt disappointed at not now being able to ride those two coasters, especially as I'd deliberately put on my RCCGB 15th anniversary T-shirt first thing. I left Clarence Pier and walked to Spinnaker Tower.

Spinnaker Tower
Around 12:40 I got to the Spinnaker Tower. Once admitted my picture was taken against a green background before I went up in the lift to View Deck 1. From View Deck 1 the views in all directions were breathtaking. Information boards mention about 50 sights to look for; I looked for some but also found a few others. Of course I was keen enough to step on the glass floor; I walked across it a few times and even sat on it once.

Having had a good look in all directions I went upstairs to View Deck 2. There is no information here as it's the café level. Although I didn't have anything from the café, I looked through the windows in all directions (albeit for considerably less time than View Deck 1). After that I went up to the Crow's Nest. This is the highest point to which visitors can go, and is exposed to the air overhead. I felt it offered a narrower field of view than the two lower levels. I was only on this level briefly before returning to View Deck 2 for the lift back to the ground floor. After leaving the tower I had a Chicken Sub and coffee at Subway before walking to Pyramids Leisure Centre.

Pyramids Leisure Centre
Around 2:30pm I finally reached Pyramids Leisure Centre, and thankfully the fun pool was now open. About twenty minutes later I entered the pool area. To my disappointment the snake flume was closed all afternoon, but the green and blue flumes were running. I enjoyed the green flume and blue flume in sequence eight times over. The green flume was a bit slow for my liking, and on some goes I had to nudge myself on the way down. The blue flume was noticeably faster.

After a few minutes in the fun pool whilst the wave machine was on, I returned to the slides. This time I went down the green flume and blue flume in sequence twelve times over. Sometimes there were a few other bathers in front of me, but towards the end I was the only slider for a few goes. When the slides closed at 5:11pm I returned to the pool. Shortly afterwards the super waves session began. Fifteen minutes of extra large waves, much more fun than the regular wave session I experienced earlier in my visit. When the waves ended I left the pool, even though it remained open (without the slides running) a little longer.

Cumulative summary of slides:

Slide
Total
Green flume
20
Blue flume
20
TOTAL
40

Evening Meal
At 6pm I collected my large bag from the guest house where I'd stayed the previous two nights. I was now clearly on borrowed time to go somewhere for a meal and subsequently get to Fratton station for my booked train home at 8:16pm. The best option now was to find somewhere close to Fratton station. Having found out there was a Wetherspoon pub The John Jacques there, I had a taxi from the guest house to The John Jacques.

Once seated I took time choosing a meal. In the end, I chose BBQ Chicken Melt for main course. A drink was included in the price, I chose 1 pint of Tuborg. In addition, I decided to have a pudding: Bramley apple, pear and raspberry crumble.

Journey Home
Having left the pub just before 8pm, it was only a five minute walk around the corner to Fratton station. I arrived there in plenty of time for the 20:16 Cardiff Central train which I had booked to travel home on. The said train departed on time and I had a relaxing journey from Fratton to Bath. I finally reached Bath Spa at 10:31pm.

More about Sunday available here

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Outro

Highlights
Cooked breakfasts at Moggy's Café Southsea Saturday and Sunday morning.
Evening meals at three Wetherspoons pubs: The Lord Palmerston (Southsea), The Parchment Makers (Havant) and The John Jacques (Fratton).
Playing on the big slides and soft play equipment during the adult night at Portsmouth PlayZone Friday evening.
Riding the roller coasters and other rides at Funland, Hayling Island Saturday.
Walking over the glass on Spinnaker Tower view deck 1.
Sliding the green and blue flumes at Pyramids Leisure Centre.
Super Waves at Pyramids Leisure Centre fun pool.

Lowlights
Difficulty finding Portsmouth PlayZone Friday evening close to the start of the adult only session.
Weather dry and sunny but very cold Saturday; cloudy Friday and Sunday.
Clarence Pier rides closed all day Sunday, so I didn't have the chance to ride Skyways and Speedy Coaster.
Snake flume closed at Pyramids Leisure Centre fun pool Sunday afternoon.

Summary
Altogether a fun-packed weekend away, during which I enjoyed three roller coasters, two log flumes, five other rides, one helter skelter, one bumpy slide, two drop slides, one dry tube slide and two water slides. The fact that the Friday evening session at PlayZone was just for adults added to the fun of playing on the slides and soft play equipment. It was great to be a child for that night. The turnout for that session was high, it just goes to show there are plenty more adult kids out there besides me who enjoy indoor play areas. Funland was very quiet all day Saturday, which meant the rides were generally walk-on, and hence I was able to get a high ride count. Unfortunately that created a problem for me riding Klondike; sometimes I was the only rider waiting to go on it and had to wait for others to turn up. I generally overcame that problem by approaching Klondike when other people were about to go on it, and thus managed a total of 10 goes on it in one day. It was great to ride the three coasters and other rides there again, plus the ex-Paultons Park ride Flying Saucer. Altogether a coaster crazy day at Funland to round off the 2012 coaster season. Sunday had its ups and downs. Mid-morning it was annoying to discover Pyramids Leisure Centre fun pool was not opening until 2pm. Nonetheless that became a blessing in disguise as I ended up staying in for the super waves session, which I wouldn't have done had I gone water sliding around 11am to 1pm as originally intended. It's a pity Clarence Pier rides were closed all day, which meant I was unable to Skyways or Speedy Coaster, but there's always next year for that. Spinnaker Tower was also worth a visit, for its breathtaking views, as well as walking across the glass floor on View Deck 1.

Interestingly I went down at least one slide of some sort each day:
Friday: Astra slide, Surf Rider blue double drop slide, Red Devil drop slide and Black Hole tube slide at Portsmouth PlayZone.
Saturday: Helter Skelter at Funland, Hayling Island.
Sunday: green and blue flumes at Pyramids Leisure Centre.

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Monday 3 December 2012

Nemesis Nick in Portsmouth 28 October 2012

Date: Sunday 28 October 2012
Venues: Spinnaker Tower, Pyramids Leisure Centre
Who Went: Just me

N.B. Any use of "today" or "Sunday" in this report means Sunday 28 October 2012.

Sunday Morning
The third and final day of my three-day visit to Portsmouth. I awoke at 7am, got ready and packed my bags. The guest house where I stayed provided room only accommodation, therefore having left the guest house at 9am I went to Moggy's Café just down the road for an All Day Breakfast. It consisted of 2 bacon rashers, 1 sausage, 1 fried egg on toast, 3 tinned tomatoes. A slice of bread and butter and a mug of coffee were also included.

My plan was to spend the morning water sliding at Pyramids Leisure Centre. It was the day of the Great South Run, so after breakfast I had to walk to the sea front via Granada Road (long way around) to cross the Esplanade well behind the race start line. I wasn't really interested in the Great South Run, but in order to deliberately allow an hour to elapse between breakfast and water sliding, I stood at a viewpoint near the start line to watch the elite women and Orange Wave start.

Around 10:50 I got Pyramids Leisure Centre only to discover the fun pool wasn't opening until 2pm. This was due to an incident in the pool Saturday which necessitated a 24 hour closure, and not due to the Great South Run. The pool and slides were originally billed to open at 10:00 as normal, despite the run taking place. For now I returned to the spot where I was earlier in time to see the Green Wave (main race) start at 11:00.

Clarence Pier
After the last runner had crossed the start line I walked to Clarence Pier. I was hoping Clarence Pier rides would be open after midday, in order to ride Skyways coaster for the first time ever (and thus add it to my coaster count), and also re-ride Speedy Coaster (which I had already ridden twice at its previous location Leisureranch Weymouth but this would have been my first go on it at Clarence Pier).

When I got there about 11:30 someone reckoned the rides would not be opening again until March 2013. For now I went into Sea Side Fish and Chips for a coffee whilst waiting to see whether or not the rides opened midday. After midday I went into the amusement arcade and spoke to a member of staff, who told me the rides weren't opening today, and would not now open again until March 2013. Obviously I felt disappointed at not now being able to ride those two coasters today, especially as I'd deliberately put on my RCCGB 15th anniversary T-shirt that morning. I was told the rides were open Saturday, and were originally going to be open for the final day this year today, but for various reasons (primarily due to the weather forecast) a decision was taken Saturday afternoon not to open the rides after all on Sunday 28 October.

So far today it seemed I hadn't had much luck! I felt the morning had been pretty much wasted. Had I known breakfast time that Pyramids Leisure Centre fun pool wasn't opening until 2pm today, and that Clarence Pier rides would not be operating at all today, I could have gone somewhere else, e.g. Gunwharf Quays after breakfast. With the time now around 12:20pm I decided to head for Spinnaker Tower anyway.

Spinnaker Tower
Around 12:40 I got to the Spinnaker Tower and made a final decision to pay it a visit. Once admitted my picture was taken against a green background before I went up in the lift to view deck 1.

View Deck 1
The bulk of my visit was on this level. From here the views were breathtaking in all directions. Information boards mention about 50 sights to look for; I looked for some of the but also found a few others. Here are just a few of the things I saw:
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, including HMS Warrior and HMS Victory
Ryde Pier, Isle of Wight
Clarence Pier, including some of its rides
Pyramids Leisure Centre (in the distance)
Portsmouth Harbour station, including trains going in and out
Wight Link ferries entering and leaving the harbour

There was also a cot in the corner of View Deck 1. Judging by the way it was decorated, I got the impression that was there for Halloween (which was just three days away), and would be removed afterwards.

Of course I was keen enough to step on the glass floor. I walked across it a few times and even sat on it once.

View Deck 2
I went up the stairs to View Deck 2. The whole of this deck is the café, with the servery by the non-glazed wall and the rest of the area set aside for tables and chairs. There was no information about sights on this level. Nonetheless visitors are allowed to stand and look out, there is no obligation to purchase something from the café. Although I had a higher view from this level, I spent considerably less time looking out of the windows here than on View Deck 1.

Crow's Nest
After that I went up the stairs to the Crow's Nest. This is the highest point to which visitors can go, and is exposed to the air overhead. To be honest I was a bit disappointed when I got there; although I was now higher up than on View Decks 1 and 2, I felt it offered a narrower field of view than the two lower levels. I was only on this level briefly.

Back To Ground Floor
What goes up must come down. I went back down the stairs to View Deck 2. Passing through there I resisted the temptation to have a coffee and cake, and just headed straight for the lift. You can't call the lift, you just have to wait for it to arrive. A few other visitors were waiting for it at the same time as me. After a few minutes' wait, it arrived and everyone waiting was able to descend to the ground floor. Once there I looked at my photo, but chose not to buy it.

Lunch At Subway
Having left Spinnaker Tower, I went to Subway in Gunwharf Quays (opposite Spinnaker Tower entrance) for a light lunch. I had a 6 inch Chicken Sub and a cup of coffee. Afterwards I walked to Pyramids Leisure Centre. Along the way I briefly spoke to a few people who had taken part in the Great South Run.

Pyramids Leisure Centre
Around 2:30pm I finally reached Pyramids Leisure Centre, and thankfully the fun pool was now open. The pool area has the following facilities.

Snake Flume
A closed tube whose exit resembles a snake's head. Unfortunately this slide was closed all afternoon so I didn't get chance to slide it.

Green Flume
A green closed tube slide with twists and turns. It exits into the landing pool.

Blue Flume
A blue closed tube slide with twists and turns. It exits into the landing pool.

Fun Pool
An irregular shaped pool with a wave machine and a shallow sloping beach area. The wave machine is not always on, but when it is the waves break against the shallow sloping beach area, just like a real beach.

Session Overview
I entered the pool area around 2:50pm. The first thing I noticed was that the snake flume wasn't running. It remained closed all afternoon. A lifeguard told me it wasn't worth opening it as the place was very quiet. Thankfully the blue and green flumes were operating, so I immediately took to those. I enjoyed the green flume and blue flume in sequence eight times over. The green flume was a bit slow for my liking, and on some goes I had to nudge myself on the way down. The blue flume was noticeably faster. All bathers were required to wait at the bottom of the steps for these two slides until told by the lifeguard to go up. The waiting time varied but I don't recall seeing more than four or five others in front.

Whilst sliding the wave machine came on twice. I asked a lifeguard if they still have the super waves, which I remembered from my only previous visit here in September 2006. The lifeguard said they do, and it would be a 15 minute session starting at 5:30pm. My original plan was to leave around 4:45pm to have ample time to collect my luggage, get a meal somewhere and still have time to get to Fratton station for my train home. I now faced a dilemma; whilst I fancied staying in for the super waves, doing so would result in me leaving Pyramids Leisure Centre around 6pm, which would put pressure on me in my remaining available time. After some thought I decided to stay until the super waves anyway.

Having completed my aforementioned eight goes on each slide the wave machine came on again, so this time I went into the pool for a few minutes to enjoy the waves. When the waves ended a few minutes later I returned to sliding. This time I enjoyed the green and blue flumes until they closed at 5:11pm. In that time, I went down the green flume and blue flume in sequence twelve times over. The waiting time varied considerably, early on there were four or five in front of me, later there was just one in front, and for my eighth to eleventh goes on each slide no-one was in front.

Once the green and blue flumes closed I went into the pool. Shortly afterwards the super waves session began. Fifteen minutes of extra large waves, much more fun than the regular wave session I experienced earlier in my visit. When the waves ended I left the pool, even though it remained open (without the slides running) a little longer. I finally left the building around 5:50pm. Obviously it was now dark outside.

Summary of my session in order of activity:
Green flume and blue flume in sequence 8 times over
Regular wave session
Green flume and blue flume in sequence 12 times over
Super waves session

Cumulative summary of slides:

Slide
Total
Green flume
20
Blue flume
20
TOTAL
40

Evening Meal
At 6pm I collected my large bag from the guest house where I stayed Friday and Saturday night. I was now clearly on borrowed time to go somewhere for a meal and subsequently get to Fratton station in time for my booked train home at 8:16pm. Going into central Southsea was no longer a sensible idea as that would involve a ten minute walk there now and a considerably longer walk (or a taxi ride) to Fratton station afterwards. The best option now was to find somewhere close to Fratton station. Thankfully I was told there is a Wetherspoon pub The John Jacques in Fratton, located very close to Fratton station. To catch up time I had a taxi from the guest house to The John Jacques, as that was quicker than walking.

When I entered The John Jacques at 6:16pm I took time finding a quiet corner to sit in. Once seated I took longer still choosing a meal. Sunday Club was available, but I didn't fancy that as I had Roast of the Day at Wetherspoons in Havant the previous evening. This evening I fancied something with chips. Eventually, I chose BBQ Chicken Melt (chicken with cheese, bacon and barbecue sauce) for main course. This was served with chips, a grilled mushroom and half a grilled tomato, and was really delicious. A drink was included in its price, I chose 1 pint of Tuborg. In addition, I decided to have a pudding: Bramley apple, pear and raspberry crumble with custard. Altogether a really tasty meal to round off my weekend away. Just before leaving, I returned to the bar to buy a takeaway cappuccino coffee to drink on the train home.

Journey Home
Having left the pub just before 8pm, it was just a five minute walk around the corner to Fratton station. I arrived there in plenty of time for the 20:16 Cardiff Central train which I had booked to travel home on. The said train departed on time and I had a relaxing journey from Fratton to Bath. I finally reached Bath Spa at 10:31pm.

Outro

Highlights
Cooked breakfast at Moggy's Café.
Walking over the glass on Spinnaker Tower view deck 1.
High slide count on green and blue flumes at Pyramids Leisure Centre.
Super waves at Pyramids Leisure Centre fun pool.
Evening meal at The John Jacques (Fratton).

Lowlights
Clarence Pier rides closed all day, so I didn't have the chance to ride Skyways and Speedy Coaster.
Snake flume closed at Pyramids Leisure Centre fun pool all afternoon.

Summary
Altogether a varied and enjoyable final day to my weekend in Portsmouth, despite a couple of disappointing moments. Turning up at Pyramids Leisure Centre reception mid-morning to be told the pool wasn't opening until 2pm due to unforeseen circumstances was annoying at the time, as that meant re-arranging my day. Nonetheless that became a blessing in disguise as I ended up staying in for the super waves session, which I wouldn't have done had I gone water sliding around 11am to 1pm as originally intended. It's a pity the rides on Clarence Pier were closed all day, which therefore meant I was unable to Skyways or Speedy Coaster. Thankfully I was told those coasters will still be operating there next year, so I'll make the effort to return to Portsmouth in 2013 to ride them. Spinnaker Tower was also worth a visit, for its breathtaking views, as well as walking across the glass floor on View Deck 1.

Sunday 2 December 2012

Nemesis Nick at Funland 27 Oct 2012

Date: Saturday 27 October 2012
Venue: Funland, Hayling Island
Who Went: Just me

N.B. Any use of "today" or "Saturday" in this report means Saturday 27 October 2012.

Saturday First Thing
Day 2 of my three-day visit to Portsmouth. I awoke just after 7:00. My plan for the day was to visit Funland, Hayling Island. For that reason I put on my RCCGB 20th anniversary T-shirt, though judging by the bitter cold weather, it was likely that would be covered by a few layers of outer clothing all day. The guest house where I stayed provided room only accommodation. Thankfully Moggy's Café was just a short walk down the road. I got there around 8:30am and had an All Day Breakfast consisting of 2 bacon rashers, 1 sausage, 1 fried egg on fried bread, 3 tinned tomatoes. A slice of bread and butter and a mug of coffee were also included.

Off To Funland
Having left Moggy's Café just after 9am I caught a number 23 bus from a nearby stop to Havant Bus Station. The bus took about an hour to get from Southsea to Havant, which seemed a long time considering how close together they are. When I finally reached Havant Bus Station, I caught the 10:35 number 31 bus to Hayling Island. Due to its clockwise route around Hayling Island this wasn't the best bus to catch for Funland. I found it was quicker to get off at Mengham Corner and walk the rest of the way to Funland than to stay on all the way to Funland.

Funland, Hayling Island

Morning Coffee
When I finally reached Funland at 11:03, I felt like a coffee before going into Funland. I went into Beachlands Café, which is conveniently located next-door to Funland, to enjoy a mug of coffee. However I didn't have anything to eat.

Morning Riding
I first entered Funland at 11:28am and bought a daytime wrist band which was valid until 5pm. Once fitted with my wristband I immediately took to the rides. As a RCCGB member I wanted to start the day on one of Funland's three coasters, preferably Klondike. Unfortunately when I approached Klondike I was the only person waiting for it, and the attendant said it needed at least four riders to run. Rather than wait for more riders to approach it, I left its queue line and began my day on Woody's Roller Coaster instead.

Woody's Roller Coaster
Thankfully I was able to ride this alone. This Cavazza Diego Super Nessi Junior Coaster has been operating since 2001. Despite the name, it's actually a steel coaster. However the ride cars resemble logs, which probably explains why the coaster is called Woody's Roller Coaster. One ride consists of three laps. I had one go in the front row, followed by one go in the back row.

Klondike
Being as a few other riders were about to go on this, I took the opportunity to ride this next. This Pinfari Zyklon ZL42 coaster previously operated at Drayton Manor Park as Python Looping Coaster from 1984 to 1994, and as Klondike Gold Mine from 1995 to 2004. Since 2005, it has been operating at Funland, Hayling Island. The train set off up the lift hill, around the vertical loop and through the tunnels until it terminated at the exit platform. A thrilling and fun ride experience considering the coaster's age. For now I only had one go.

Super Dragon
This Pinfari Super Dragon MD31 previously operated at Drayton Manor Park as Super Dragon from 1984 to 2007, but has been operating at Funland since 2008. I had one go in the back row followed one go in the front row. One ride consisted of multiple laps, however I didn't count how many laps each go actually consisted of.

Blizzard Falls Log Flume
Funland's mini log flume. I think this one is primarily aimed at children, but adults can ride it. The log sets off from the platform, around a u-bend, up the lift hill and down again. After the landing splash (which isn't very big) the log continues around another u-bend and back into the station. The rise and fall are quite small, and the overall ride duration is quite short, but it is still a fun ride. This ride was walk-on, and I enjoyed four goes on this.

Break Dancer
This is made by made by I.E.Park, and works in a similar manner to a waltzer. You get into cars, which spin on turntables, which themselves spin on a spinning giant turntable. I sat in car 9. A fun ride, but one go was enough for now.

Silcock's Speed Flip
This thrill ride by Moser Rides first appeared at Funland in 2011. It consists of four arms, with four looping gondolas on the end of each arm. The arms rise up so the four gondolas rotate about the applicable arm end, whilst almost inverted. In addition the central pole spins about its base. An unusual ride sensation to say the least, you need to ride it to find out what it feels like. I rode in car 14. Although a fun ride, one go was enough for me for now. In fact this was my only go on here all day.

Having left Speed Flip, I felt like a short break from riding, so I walked around Funland for a few minutes before going on anything else.

Drop
A drop tower, which claims to be the tallest, fastest ride on the south coast. This drop tower stands 35 metres tall. The bit at the top with the Drop logo on comes down, locks on to the top of the seating unit and pulls the seating unit up the tower, until the seats are roughly level with the fifth floor of the tower. After a short delay the seat unit is released for a free fall drop, until about half way down magnets bring it to a halt and lower it gently to the ground. Not a ride for those with a fear of heights! For now I had one go in seat 1 followed by one go in seat 4

Flying Saucer
At first sight this looked somewhat familiar to me. I later found out this is new to Funland for 2012 and, just as I thought, it was acquired second-hand from Paultons. It has an outer ring (where the seats are), linked by four spokes to its centrepiece. Initially it's level, but soon after it has started it rises to an angle so you go up and down as well as spin. Eventually it returns to the level position for its final few spins before slowing down and stopping. Although not a particularly exciting ride, it was great to ride it again for the first time since my last visit to Paultons in September 2010. My one go on this now ended up being my only go all day.

Klondike
A few other people were about to ride this looping coaster, so I took the opportunity to ride it. This time I sat in the front row. For now I only had one go.

Woody's Roller Coaster
Back to this family coaster for my final two rides before lunch: back row followed by front row.

Lunchtime and After
At 1pm I went to Beachlands Café for a ham sandwich and mug of coffee. After lunch I walked along the sea front as far as the miniature railway station Mengham Road. Close to that station I went on a few items of outdoor exercise equipment before walking back to Funland.

Afternoon Riding
At 2:33pm I arrived back at Funland. I wanted to start with the Super Dragon coaster, as there was no queue for it, but when I approached the entrance I was unable to attract the attendant's attention. Rather than hang about, I went across to Blizzard Falls Log Flume instead.

Blizzard Falls Log Flume
Thus my afternoon riding began with two goes on this mini log flume. Both goes were just as much fun as my previous goes during the morning.

Super Dragon
The attendant was now taking riders, so I had one go in the front row. When the ride finished I had one go in the back row. This ride was very quiet on both of my goes.

Blizzard Falls Log Flume
Two more goes on this mini log flume. These were my final goes on here for today.

Klondike
Being as some other riders were about to ride this looping coaster, I took the opportunity to have a go. Since those riders kept going back on, I ended up having four goes as follows:
First go: second row.
Second go: back row. This time I wanted to ride wearing just my RCCGB T-shirt, but it was too cold for that.
Third go: back row (left seat)
Fourth go: second row (left seat)

After this go, I returned to the entry gate for a fifth go, but the other riders had disappeared. Since I couldn't ride Klondike alone I had to wait a few minutes for more riders to turn up. I didn't have to wait long and continued as follows:
Fifth go: second row (right seat)
Sixth go: front row (left seat)

Woody's Roller Coaster
After a few minutes break from riding, I enjoyed two more goes on Woody's Roller Coaster: second row from the back followed by front row. The ride was walk-on for both goes.

Helter Skelter
It's questionable whether this should be classed as a true ride or a slide. Having been down the Astra slide, drop slides and Black Hole tube slide at Portsmouth Playzone the previous evening, I was determined to ride Funland's Helter Skelter today. I enjoyed a total of eight goes on it. Again there were at worst two other sliders in front of me, and on some of my goes there was no-one in front of me at the top of the steps.

Break Dancer
My second and final go for today on this spinning ride. This time I sat in car 3. Just like this morning, Break Dancer was a fun ride, but once was enough.

Drop
My final two goes on this drop tower. I happened to be the only rider on this and was thus able to choose my seats, therefore I had one go in seat 2 followed by one go in seat 3.

Cannibal Pots
Similar to a tea cup ride, but with cauldrons instead of cups. I had just one go, in cauldron 2. Whilst the ride was in motion, I occasionally turned the table to vary the spin speed a little, but apart from that I sat back and went with the flow. This was my only go on here all day.

Wild River Log Flume
Funland's large log flume, which had been out of action so far. The attendants were now ready to start letting people on it. One attendant said to me "you can be the guinea pig", which implied I must have been the first visitor to ride this today. At this point I already had my cagoule on, but not my leggings. I didn't bother putting my leggings on before getting in the log. The log sailed out of the station, around a bend, through a tunnel and around another bend. There was a short delay just before the log went on to the lift hill further along; I wasn't sure whether that was intended or a fault with the ride which momentarily worried me. Anyway the log went on to the lift hill, up, around the u-bend at the top and down the big drop to create a mighty splash. My jogging bottoms got a bit wet (the last thing I wanted on a cold day), which made me regret not putting my leggings on prior to going on this ride. Finally the log entered the station and I disembarked. This one go now ended up being my only go on here all day.

Woody's Roller Coaster
My final two goes on this family coaster for today: one in the back row followed by one in the front row.

Klondike
I wasn't expecting to have any more goes on Klondike this late in the day, but being as I saw a few other riders approaching it, I took the opportunity to ride it again. This time I had one go in the third row (left seat), followed by one go in the second row (left seat).

Super Dragon
To round off my day at Funland, there was just enough time for one final go on Super Dragon. I happened to be the only rider approaching this, so I sat in the front seat. This time one ride consisted of five laps. Once the ride ended, the time was just after 5pm, and therefore my daytime wristband had expired.

Immediately afterwards I left Funland and ran across to the bus stop as I had an inkling a bus to Havant was due soon.

Summary of day in order of activity:
Woody's Roller Coaster 2
Klondike 1
Super Dragon 2
Blizzard Falls Log Flume 4
Break Dancer 1
Silcock's Speed Flip 1
Walk around Funland
Drop 2
Flying Saucer 1
Klondike 1
Woody's Roller Coaster 2

Lunch at Beachlands Café
Walk along sea front

Blizzard Falls Log Flume 2
Super Dragon 2
Blizzard Falls Log Flume 2
Klondike 6
Woody's Roller Coaster 2
Helter Skelter 8
Break Dancer 1
Drop 2
Cannibal Pots 1
Wild River Log Flume 1
Woody's Roller Coaster 2
Klondike 2
Super Dragon 1

Cumulative summary of my rides all day:

Ride
Total
Blizzard Falls Log Flume
8
Break Dancer
2
Cannibal Pots
1
Drop
4
Flying Saucer
1
Helter Skelter
8
Klondike
10
Silcock's Speed Flip
1
Super Dragon
5
Wild River Log Flume
1
Woody's Roller Coaster
8
TOTAL
49

Saturday Evening

From Funland To Havant
At 5:03pm I was back at the bus stop. Other people were waiting there. Shortly afterwards I caught the number 31 bus to Havant Bus Station. Its clockwise route meant this was the best bus to catch this time. At 5:25pm I arrived Havant Bus Station. On arrival I went for a short walk around Havant town centre, including a churchyard.

Evening Meal
I decided to have my evening meal in Havant, and catch the bus back to Portsmouth afterwards. Around 5:45pm I went to The Parchment Makers (Wetherspoon). Once seated I took time looking at the menu. I chose Roast of the Day (half a chicken) for main course followed by sticky toffee pudding with custard for dessert. In addition I had half a pint of Old Thumper to drink with my dinner. Altogether a delicious, filling meal.

Journey To Portsmouth
After leaving The Parchment Makers at 7:13pm it was just a short walk to Havant Bus Station. There I caught the 19:24 Stagecoach Coastliner 700 bus to Portsmouth. This took a different route to the number 23 this morning, which resulted in a much faster journey back to Portsmouth than the Portsmouth to Havant bus I caught this morning. I stayed on the Coastliner 700 bus all the way to The Hard Interchange, whereupon I had a quick change to number 17 First bus which took me to somewhere nearer my guest house. At 8:03pm I left that bus at a stop in Albert Road. Suddenly I became confused as to where I was, but fortunately I quickly found my whereabouts on my map. After that it was just a straightforward short walk back to my guest house.

I was back in my room at 8:10pm and relaxed there the rest of the evening.

Outro

Highlights
High ride count.
Rides mostly walk-on; the few queues that did occur were very short.
Riding the three coasters (Klondike, Woody's Roller Coaster, Super Dragon) again.
Six goes on Klondike one after another during the afternoon.
Evening meal at The Parchment Makers (Wetherspoon) Havant.

Lowlights
Sometimes I had to wait for others to turn up to be able to ride Klondike.
It was cold all day, but thankfully it was dry and sunny.

Summary
Altogether a great day out, my final send-off to the 2012 coaster season. Although a small park, I enjoyed riding three roller coasters, two log flumes, five other rides and a helter skelter. The park was extremely quiet, presumably because it was such a cold day. That often meant I was the only person wanting to go on a particular ride, and the few times there were others waiting there were only three or four others maximum. That allowed me to get a high overall ride count. However it created a problem for me riding Klondike; sometimes I was the only person waiting to go on it and had to wait for others to turn up. I generally overcame that problem by approaching Klondike when I saw other people about to go on it, and thus managed a total of 10 goes on it. For me the biggest surprise was seeing Flying Saucer from Paultons at Funland, and thus riding it at its new home for the first time since my last visit to Paultons in September 2010. As a RCCGB member my greatest satisfaction was riding all three coasters (Klondike, Woody's Roller Coaster, Super Dragon) again. Although exciting to ride, they're all steel though. Come on Funland, get some wood!

Portsmouth PlayZone Adult Night 26 October 2012

Date: Friday 26 October 2012
Venue: Portsmouth PlayZone
Who Went: Just me (though many other adults turned up for the evening)

N.B. Any use of "tonight" or "this evening" in this report means Friday 26 October 2012.

Introduction
Portsmouth PlayZone is a large indoor play complex located on the outskirts of Portsmouth in Oak Park Industrial Estate, Cosham. Each Friday evening it runs an adult only session on a pay-and-play basis from 8pm to 11pm. That is to say, you just turn up on the night, pay at the reception and play. Having previously been to the adult night at Portsmouth PlayZone in September 2005 and September 2006, I felt time was long overdue to go there again. Obviously my desire to attend the adult night at PlayZone necessitated an overnight stay in Portsmouth, so I decided to make this part of a whole weekend Portsmouth 2012.

Getting To Portsmouth PlayZone
My evening began with a meal at The Lord Palmerston (Wetherspoon) in central Southsea. When I left the pub just after 7pm I began walking to Fratton station aiming to catch a train to Cosham. During my meal I had already worked out a route to Fratton station on my map. Following the route was generally straightforward, though there were a few junctions where I had to stop and think which way to go next. Having got to Fratton station, I caught the 19:31 Cardiff Central train. Ten minutes later I left the train at Cosham station.

After that I walked the rest of the way to PlayZone. Finding my way there was a bit of an adventure as I didn't have a detailed map of this area. I walked along one road as far as a large elongated roundabout, and had to find the correct exit into Oak Park Industrial Estate. As I continued walking I difficulty finding PlayZone, and wondered if I was going the right way. The 8pm start of the session was fast approaching. Eventually I saw someone and asked the way; I was on the right road, and had to continue a little further along it. I finally got to PlayZone at 8:01pm.

Welcome To Portsmouth PlayZone
A large number of adults were queuing outside to go in. Staff were checking bags, and in some cases identification, on entry. Since I was towards the back of the queue it took me a long time to get in. For identification I showed my bank cards on entry. The staff told me they didn't really need to see those, but they did ask to check my rucksack for glass bottles. Fortunately my water bottles in my bag were plastic. Once admitted the time taken for me to remove my shoes and put my bag in the cloakroom meant I finally took to the play equipment at 8:25pm, which was later than I expected or wanted.

Main Play Area Features
The main play area was designed and installed by Taylor-Made Play Equipment (now called David Taylor Design). In fact here's their design sketch of the main play area It has the following features to enjoy.

Bumpy slide
A four lane Astra (bumpy) slide. It's in all colours of the rainbow, red at the top working to blue at the bottom

Surf Rider
A blue double drop slide (i.e. vertical drop, flat bit, slope, land in a ball pit). It lands on the first floor, so if you want to get back to the top for another go, you need to get to the ground floor by another route to be able to climb the main staircase to the top.

Red Devil
A red drop slide (vertical drop followed by run-out; it has two launch heights). If you like Oblivion at Alton Towers or Griffon at Busch Gardens, you'll love the Red Devil. Forget being harnessed into your seat on a ride car, you just sit on the beam, push yourself forwards whilst holding the beam, and let go to enjoy a free-fall drop with no harness whatsoever. Not for the faint hearted. Although the run-out is mostly flat, there's a slight hump towards the end.

Black Hole
A black tube slide. It's pitch dark inside as you slide down it.

Crawl Maze
The void underneath the padded pit contains several vertical partitions, thereby forming a zigzag maze running end to end. There is an entrance at each end and a couple more entrances along its course. Due to its low headroom you have to crawl through it. Furthermore the channel is narrow, which creates a problem if you meet someone crawling towards you from the opposite end. Fortunately there are a few dead-end channels at various points which one person can then use as passing bays.

Soft Play Equipment
An assortment of soft play equipment, including wringer rollers (horizontal rollers), slither chicane, V-net bridges, level changers (sets of cylinders), over and under barriers, spinning poles, spinning discs, a zigzag web climber and tumble tower.

Session Overview
I entered the play area eager to take to the equipment. Numerous other adults were already enjoying themselves on the slides and soft play equipment. One group of adults wore fancy costumes, which suggested they might have been there to have a party. My outfit was a bit more down-to-earth: my 2010 RCCGB T-shirt and a pair of jogging bottoms. Pop music in the background added to the atmosphere.

Bumpy slide
I began with the 4-lane bumpy slide; one go per lane left to right, followed by one go per lane left to right.

Surf Rider
Next I enjoyed eight goes on the blue double drop slide. Although a fun slide, its biggest drawback is that it exits on to the first floor. After each go I had to return to the ground floor in order to go back up the main staircase to the slides. Each time around I found the tumble tower was the quickest route to the ground floor.

Red Devil
Now for the Red Devil; straight down and out. I enjoyed four goes from the lower beam followed by four goes from the upper beam. I had to wait for three or four in front of me to slide before it was my turn.

Soft Play and Crawl Maze
At this point I took to the soft play equipment. Starting at the front left of the ground floor I worked my way around as follows:

Ground floor: X-changer up to halfway point and down > over and under barriers > horizontal spinning pole > up ladder to first floor.

Back of first floor: wringer rollers > slither chicane > down fireman's poles to ground floor.

Ground floor: crawl maze > spinning poles > spinning discs > up zigzag web climber to first floor > down tumble tower to ground floor > up level changer (cylinders) to first floor > down bungees to ground floor > X-changer up to first floor.

First floor: swing over nets > wringer rollers > slither chicane > V-net bridge (above pit) > bish bash pendulums > V-net bridge (above bumpy slide) > down level changer (cylinders) to ground floor.

Coffee Break
Around 9:35pm I took a break from playing to enjoy a cup of coffee in Café Zone. However I didn't have anything to eat.

Just before 10pm I returned to the play area. For the first few minutes I had some photos taken of me on various individual items of soft play equipment. I also had one go on the Red Devil (lower beam), in order to get my picture taken whilst launching myself.

Black Hole
The one remaining slide I had still not gone down, so I was determined to slide this tube slide next. I had four goes, lying on my back each time.

Soft play and crawl maze
Back to the soft play equipment as follows:

Ground floor (starting at the front left): X-changer up to halfway point and down > over and under barriers > horizontal spinning pole > up ladder to first floor.

Back of first floor: wringer rollers > slither chicane > down fireman's poles to ground floor.

Ground floor: crawl maze > spinning poles > spinning discs > up zigzag web climber to first floor > down tumble tower to ground floor > up level changer (cylinders) to first floor.

First floor: swing over nets > down ramp in back left corner to ground floor > up ladder in back left corner to first floor.

Back of first floor: walked past the wringer rollers and slither chicane (didn't go through them) > V-net bridge (above pit) > bish bash pendulums > V-net bridge (above bumpy slide) > down bungees to ground floor.

Red Devil
The end of the session was fast approaching, so to finish off I returned to the Red Devil aiming to have as many goes as possible before it was time to leave. I had time for three goes from the lower beam followed by three goes from the upper beam.

End of Session
At 10:40pm the music stopped. An announcement was made stating that the session was over and everyone must leave the play area at once. It seemed as though this was to get everyone to collect their belongings from the cloakroom, put their shoes back on and be out of the building before the official closing time of 11pm.

Summary of my session in order of activity:
Bumpy slide one go per lane left to right, followed by one go per lane left to right.
Blue double drop slide 8
Red Devil lower beam 4
Red Devil upper beam 4
Soft play and crawl maze
Coffee at Café Zone
Various individual soft play items + 1 go on Red Devil (lower beam)
Black Hole 4
Soft play and crawl maze
Red Devil lower beam 3
Red Devil upper beam 3

Cumulative summary of slides:

Slide
Total
Black Hole
4
Blue double drop slide
8
Bumpy slide[1]
8
Red Devil lower beam
8
Red Devil upper beam
7
TOTAL
35

[1] two goes per lane left to right.

Back To Guest House
At 10:52pm I finally left the building; I was one of the last to leave. Having left it was very cold outside. Just after 11pm my pre-booked taxi turned up to take me back to my guest house. Just after 11:15pm I was back in my room.

Outro

Highlights
Playing on the giant slides and all the soft play equipment.
Fifteen goes on Red Devil.

Lowlights
Difficulty finding PlayZone close to the start of the session.
Long wait to enter the premises, partly due to the checks being made on entry.
End of session announcement; the hardest part was having to leave the play area when the session ended.

Summary
Altogether an evening of fun, Taylor-Made fun. Although Portsmouth PlayZone is not the largest indoor play complex I've played in this year, the fact that this session was just for adults added to the fun. It was great to be a child for the night. A good turnout too, it just goes to show there's plenty more adult kids out there besides me.

Wednesday 17 October 2012

Nemesis Nick's Devon 2012: Birthday Bonanza 14 Midi Report

Date: Friday 28 September to Monday 1 October 2012
Venues: AMF Bowling Torquay, Plymouth Life Centre, Plymouth Pavilions, Devon's Crealy Great Adventure Park, Dartmouth Castle
Who Went: Just me

Introduction
An early autumn long weekend in south Devon, deliberately timed to coincide with my 41st birthday on Sunday 30 September to extend the birthday fun over four days, hence the trip title. The format was intended to be similar to my four day short breaks in south Devon of recent years, i.e. stay three nights in Torquay and visit my usual favourite nearby attractions. Unfortunately the whole four day break ended up being a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, with Saturday and Sunday going as expected but Friday afternoon and Monday not going to plan.

To make the rest of report this easier to read, I've split it into sections. Click the applicable link below to jump to the section you want to read:

Day One - Friday 28 September
Day Two - Saturday 29 September
Day Three - Sunday 30 September
Day Four - Monday 1 October
Outro

Day One - Friday 28 September
First Great Western, AMF Bowling Torquay

Journey To Devon
The weekend began when I caught the 08:57 train from Bath Spa to Newton Abbot, which ran on time. I arrived Newton Abbot with a few minutes to spare for the connecting 10:39 train to Torre. Having reached Torre at 10:46 I walked straight to my guest house and checked in.

Friday Lunchtime
At midday I walked into town. The sun was now out. Around 12:30 I got to Seabank Fish and Chips where I bought takeaway cod and chips to eat on the sea front. Afterwards I had a whippy ice cream from an ice cream parlour near the harbour.

Friday Afternoon
Unfortunately the rest of Friday afternoon did not go as planned. My expectation was that the Riviera Centre water slide would open at 4pm, just like when I've visited Torquay term time Friday afternoons 2005 to 2011 inclusive. Meanwhile I walked along part of the sea front, up the Rock Walk steps and back to the town centre where I had a coffee.

Just after 4pm I got to the Riviera Centre. Disappointingly the Friday evening Fun Sessions, during which the flume is in use, no longer happen. The pool was open during the day, without the flume running, but shut at 4pm. So I wasn't able to go in either the pool or on the flume now. The flume was going to be Saturday, but I had other plans for Saturday.

I now felt the afternoon had been wasted. Had I known around midday that the Riviera Centre water slide would not be running at all Friday, I would have done something else after eating my fish and chips and ice cream, e.g. Living Coasts, one or more attractions in Babbacombe.

Ten-Pin Bowling
Around 5:30pm I found AMF Bowling, and had two games. My performance on game 1 was disappointing, I ended up scoring 62. I did much better on game 2, scoring a strike and spare along the way to finish with a score of 84.

Evening Meal
At 6:25pm I went to Wetherspoons for my evening meal: sausages and mash followed by sticky toffee pudding with hot custard, plus a bottle of Becks Blue alcohol free beer. After finishing my meal I walked back to my guest house, got there around 8:05pm and relaxed in my room the rest of the evening.

More about Friday available here

Back to the top

Day Two - Saturday 29 September
Plymouth Life Centre, Plymouth Pavilions

Saturday First Thing
I awoke at 7:15am and had breakfast at the normal serving time of 8:30am. It consisted of cereal, a glass of orange juice, coffee, a full cooked breakfast and four triangles of toast.

Off To Plymouth
Just before 9:20 I set off for Torre station where I caught the 9:29 train to Newton Abbot for the connecting 9:49 train to Plymouth. Having reached Plymouth just after 10:30 I walked to Plymouth Life Centre.

Plymouth Life Centre
A new leisure centre which opened in opened in March 2012. It includes a 10-lane, 50-metre main pool, separate fun pool and two water slides. The slides don't have names, they're just referred to as the Slow Flume and Fast Flume. On entering the pool area around 11:10am I headed straight for the slides, and went on them as follows: Slow Flume followed by Fast Flume in sequence 19 times over. I didn't go in the fun pool or main pool at all, all I wanted to do was have as many slides as possible. At 12:30 all swimmers with yellow wristbands (of whom I was one) were asked to leave the pool as their session was now over.

Cumulative summary of slides:

Slide
Total
Slow Flume
19
Fast Flume
19
TOTAL
38

After leaving the Life Centre, I caught a bus from near Plymouth Life Centre to Western Approach, whereupon it was just a short walk to Plymouth Pavilions.

Plymouth Pavilions Swiss Lake Ice Rink
Although Plymouth Pavilions fun pool has now closed due to the opening of the new Life Centre, the Swiss Lake Ice Rink is still open. I got to Plymouth Pavilions at 1:15pm and booked for the 2pm session. That gave me time to get myself a takeaway Sub Meal from a nearby Subway and return to Plymouth Pavilions with plenty of time to eat my takeaway before the start of the 2pm skating session. Skaters were allowed on the ice at 2:05pm and asked to leave at 3:34pm. In that time I had no falls, although I did briefly leave the ice from time to time during the session.

Rest of Saturday
Afterwards I enjoyed a Devon cream tea at Strand Tea Rooms at the Barbican. Back at the railway station a little later I caught the 17:54 train to Newton Abbot. Whilst there I walked around Courtenay Park and the town centre before going to Wetherspoons for my evening meal. I had Beef and Abbot Ale Pie followed by Eli's Original Baked Cheesecake, plus half an Abbot Ale. Later I caught the 20:49 train from Newton Abbot to Torre, and was back in my room just after 9pm.

More about Saturday available here

Back to the top

Day Three - Sunday 30 September
Devon's Crealy Great Adventure Park

Sunday First Thing
Sunday was my 41st birthday, so I was really excited when I awoke at 7am. Just like last year I had a birthday T-shirt of my own design printed at T-Shirt Print, Bath in the days leading up to the start of this holiday. At 8:15 I had an early breakfast, the same as Saturday morning. I had one birthday card, and put it on the dining table during breakfast.

Off To Crealy
At 8:55 I caught the fast bus from just across the road from my guest house to Exeter. At Livery Dole bus stop in Heavitree, I just managed to connect with the Sidbury bus (9:31 departure from Exeter Bus Station). I reached the bus stop opposite Devon's Crealy at 9:52am.

Devon's Crealy Great Adventure Park
I had a warm welcome at the Reception around 10am, but was told the Park wasn't due open until 10:30, so I just waited. Once admitted I discovered the rides weren't due open until 11am. Meanwhile I began by sliding the outdoor metal slides in the Treetops Playground, followed by eight goes on the Buzzards Swoop drop slide.

When the rides opened I began by riding the three Vortex Water Coasters: Venom, Vertigo and Viper twice each. Although I rode Venom and Vertigo on previous visits, this was my first time of riding the curly slide Viper. Next I enjoyed one go on the Victorian Carousel (on the horse Lucy), four goes on Tidal Wave Log Flume and two goes on The Flying Dutchman Ship. After that, as a RCCGB member, I enjoyed six goes on the Maximus Coaster.

Having had such a big breakfast earlier, I only wanted a light lunch consisting of a sandwich and cup of coffee. Afterwards I went on the Funambulist Challenge. I made it all the way around the outer circuit of beams etc. and walked the short tight rope end to end, but gave up walking the middle tight rope after several failed attempts. Next I went on the Roundabout PlayPump clockwise followed by anticlockwise, and had four goes on the orange ball zip slide in the Treetops Playground.

By now I felt ready to return to the rides, starting with two goes on the Prince's Train. Next I enjoyed one go on the Aqua Blasters electric bumper boats, followed by another four goes on the Maximus Coaster. My final two rides of the day were the Honey Swing (chair-o-plane) and Meteorite (drop tower) once each. After that I spent a few minutes playing on Go Wild wooden indoor play structure.

Around 4pm I went into the Adventure Zone, a large indoor adventure play complex filled with two 4-lane Astrozoomer Astra (bumpy) slides, two double drop slides, the Red Devil drop slide, a yellow spiral tube slide and red corkscrew slide, plus loads of soft play equipment. Adults are allowed to play on everything and I had great fun playing on the slides and soft play equipment until closing time. I enjoyed both Astrozoomer slides and both double drop slides four times each, and the red corkscrew and yellow spiral tube slides twice each. Best of all was having 16 goes on the Red Devil drop slide (6 from the lower beam and 10 from the upper beam). Altogether almost an hour of Taylor-Made fun to round off my day at Crealy.

Cumulative Summary of My Rides at Crealy

Ride
Total
Aqua Blasters
1
Honey Swing
1
Maximus Coaster
10
Meteorite
1
Prince's Train
2
The Flying Dutchman Ship
2
Tidal Wave Log Flume
4
Victorian Carousel
1
Vortex Water Coasters: Venom
2
Vortex Water Coasters: Vertigo
2
Vortex Water Coasters: Viper
2
TOTAL
28

Back To Exeter
The birthday fun didn't end when the Park closed at 5pm. I caught the 5:27pm bus back to Exeter, followed by another bus to the Exebridge Centre.

Pizza Hut
Once there I went to Pizza Hut for a celebratory dinner. I chose a Veggie Supreme. A salad bowl was included in the price, therefore I filled my bowl with plenty of salad as well as some cold pasta. For dessert I had Ice Cream Factory. Altogether a delicious meal. Throughout the meal my birthday card was on the table, and I kept my hoodie off in order to show my birthday T-shirt. Someone on another table was fooled by the design on the front, until I showed the back. I finally left Pizza Hut around 7:50pm.

Journey To Torquay
Just after 8pm I caught a bus back to Exeter High Street. Once there it was just a short walk to the bus station, whereupon I caught he 20:35 Newton Abbot bus which took the scenic route via Dawlish, Teignmouth and Bishopsteignton. Having finally reached Newton Abbot at 9:55pm, I caught the Paignton bus which was already waiting just across the road. Just before 10:30pm I left the bus at a stop close to my guest house, and was back in my room a few minutes later.

Footnote
Altogether an amazing 41st birthday, which included a fun day out at Devon's Crealy and celebratory dinner at Pizza Hut, Exeter. Many people liked my self-designed birthday T-shirt. Some were mystified by the design on the front, until they saw the back.

More about Sunday available here

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Day Four - Monday 1 October
Dartmouth Castle, First Great Western

The final day of my four day holiday in south Devon. Unfortunately things didn't go as planned Monday. Here is what actually happened that day.

Monday First Thing
Having awoke at 6:52am I got ready and packed my bags. At 8:15am I went downstairs with all my luggage expecting my pre-arranged early breakfast. Unfortunately it wasn't ready until the proper serving time of 8:30. Just like the previous two mornings I had cereal, coffee and four triangles of toast. My cooked this morning was fried eggs and bacon as that was quicker to prepare than what I'd had the previous two mornings, but I didn't mind.

On My Way
After all that, I left with all my luggage at 8:57am, walked in the direction of Torquay Harbour, stopping to get a Sub for lunch on the way, and got to Torquay Harbour with time to spare for the 9:30 Dartmouth bus. When I reached Dartmouth I was initially unsure what to do there.

Dartmouth Castle
In the end I decided to visit Dartmouth Castle. I caught the Castle Ferry from the town centre to Stumpy Steps, and was surprised how small the boat Veryan Bay was. On arrival at the Castle, the staff let me leave my luggage behind the counter whilst I was in the Castle. In the Victorian Old Battery I saw the casemates, magazines and lighting room. After a quick walk around the interior of nearby St Petrox Church, I explored another part of the Castle: the Gun Tower. Having left the Gun Tower I ate my picnic on a nearby seat, before having a coffee at The Castle Tea Rooms. Finally I collected my luggage and at 3:10pm caught the Castle Ferry Veryan Bay back to the town centre.

Remaining Time In Dartmouth
Having disembarked from the ferry I had just over an hour before I intended leaving Dartmouth at 4:35pm. In that time I explored Royal Avenue Gardens, Flavel Street and Foss Street. Finally I had a coffee at Station Restaurant before catching the 4:35pm bus from Dartmouth Pontoon to Totnes. I arrived Totnes at 5:22pm.

Monday Evening
At 5:40pm I went to The Dartmouth Inn for my evening meal: carvery roast, followed by apple crumble and custard, plus a pint of ale to go with it. Having left the pub at 7:05pm I walked to Totnes railway station, and caught the 20:10 train to Bath Spa. The train ran on time and it was a relaxing journey. I finally reached Bath at 10:04pm and home at 10:22pm.

More about Monday available here

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Outro

Highlights
Three nights' B&B in Torquay, including the delicious filling breakfasts.
Ten pin bowling in Torquay Friday early evening.
Sliding the brand new water slides at Plymouth Life Centre for the first time ever.
Skating on the ice rink at Plymouth Pavilions, having thought my 2011 visit there would be my last ever.
Enjoying 10 goes on Maximus Coaster and 4 goes on Tidal Wave Log Flume at Devon's Crealy.
My first ever go on Viper (one of the Vortex water coasters) at Devon's Crealy.
Playing in the Adventure Zone at Devon's Crealy.
Celebratory birthday meal at Pizza Hut Exeter Sunday evening.
Meals at Wetherspoons Torquay Friday evening, Wetherspoons Newton Abbot Saturday evening and The Dartmouth Inn Totnes Monday evening.

Lowlights
Discovering the water slide at Riviera Centre, Torquay was not opening at all on Friday.
Unexpected extra change of bus between Newton Abbot and Torquay Sunday evening (a minor inconvenience, but hardly worth worrying about).
Long wait just to buy a cup of coffee from the buffet when I got on the train at Totnes Monday evening.

Summing Up
Another great long weekend away, which included ten pin bowling, water sliding, ice skating, riding, outdoor and indoor adventure play areas, boat trips and a visit to a castle. What a pity Friday afternoon and Monday daytime didn't go as planned due to unforeseen circumstances. Thankfully Saturday in Plymouth worked out perfectly with all the desired activities fitting into place. More importantly my 41st birthday Sunday was another perfect day with the early breakfast, day at Crealy, dinner at Pizza Hut and bus journeys all going without a hitch.

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