Thursday 27 October 2016

Nemesis Nick's Birthday Outing 2016 Midi Report

Date: Friday 30 September 2016
Venue: Thorpe Park
Who Went: Just me

N.B. Any use of "today" in this report means Friday 30 September 2016.

Introduction
Friday 30 September 2016 was my 45th birthday. Just like the last three years, I decided to spend the day at Thorpe Park. Thursday 1 September I pre-booked a park entry ticket, as well as the required combination of train tickets from Bath Spa to Staines and back. For the sixth year running I had a special birthday T-shirt of my own design printed about a fortnight before my birthday; just like last year I had it printed at John Moore Sports, Bath.

Getting to Thorpe Park
It was necessary for me to wake up exceptionally early at 4:00, in order to get ready and catch the 05:41 train from Bath Spa to Reading. After a coffee at Lavazza I caught the 07:04 train to Wokingham, followed by the 07:26 train to Staines. Having reached Staines at 7:56 I enjoyed an almond croissant and standard cappuccino at Waitrose Café before I caught the 9:13 Thorpe Park Express bus from Staines Bus Station to Thorpe Park. At the time the weather was dry and sunny.

Welcome to Thorpe Park
I reached Thorpe Park at 9:21. Thus I still had about 40 minutes to wait until the Park was due to open. When the Advance Ticket Collection booths opened at 9:47, I collected my pre-booked ticket and waited in one of the entry queues. At 10:00 the front shutters rose and visitors funnelled through the ticket check point.

Morning Riding
Once admitted I began with the giant swing Rush, which was walk-on at the time. A mega fun ride to start my birthday visit. My next stop was the roller coaster Colossus. Having waited about two or three despatches to get on, I sat in the back row. Its vertical loop, horizontal corkscrew and other features made this another exciting ride. Next I had two goes on SAW - The Ride. This roller coaster featuring a vertical drop and loop was great fun, but I question the need for the lighting effects and air currents in the building as you wouldn't get those in a real factory sawmill. The waiting time was minimal for both goes. After that I enjoyed one go on the much milder Mr. Monkey's Banana Ride, which resembles a swing boat.

Next I enjoyed two goes on Detonator: Bombs Away. Originally just called Detonator, this drop tower was renamed Detonator: Bombs Away when it became part of the new Angry Birds Land in spring 2014. On both goes the waiting time was minimal, and the rise to the top and the freefall drop were great fun. By now the sky had clouded over, and I noticed a few spots of rain when I left Detonator: Bombs Away, so I put on my pale blue Maui and Sons jacket. The rain soon became quite heavy, but that didn't deter me from riding Flying Fish, which was walk-on. This family coaster is undeniably tame, but nonetheless still worth riding to say I had been on it today, and furthermore this time I experienced the impact of the rain drops on me as the train went around the track. My one go on Flying Fish now was my only go on it all day. Afterwards I enjoyed a much-needed coffee at Fin's Bar and Grill. Having left Fin's Bar and Grill, the rain had stopped and it was sunny again, so I enjoyed riding Vortex followed by the magic carpet ride Quantum once each.

Lunch at The Coffee Shack
By now I felt like some lunch. I ended up going to The Coffee Shack in the Dome to have a pack of chicken bacon club sandwiches. However I didn't have a drink as I had only recently had a coffee. I put my birthday card on my table for the duration of my lunch.

Afternoon Riding
After lunch I fancied a couple water rides, so I put on my all-in-one splashsuit and rode Tidal Wave and Storm Surge once each. Having removed my splashsuit I had one go on Storm in a Teacup. After I left Storm in a Teacup I felt warm enough going round in just my T-shirt and shorts for the rest of the afternoon. Next I enjoyed one go on Rumba Rapids.

Afterwards I was determined to ride The Swarm. When this coaster opened in March 2012, all its seats faced forwards. At the start of the 2013 season, the back two rows were reversed to face backwards to the direction of travel. Since then the two back rows returned to forward facing at the start of the 2016 season. The queue was longer than I expected or wanted, but nonetheless the ride was well worth the wait; I sat the back row departing from the right hand platform (as viewed facing direction of travel).

After that I enjoyed my second go of the day on Rush, followed by one go on Zodiac. Thankfully both of those were walk-on. The rest of my rides were on roller coasters, starting with Colossus, which also had a very short waiting time. I enjoyed one go on it in the second row. Next I approached the indoor coaster X, which was walk-on. Since there must now be two riders per row, I had to wait for someone else to sit beside me, and for that reason, I limited myself to one go in the front row. Although worth riding to say I'd ridden it this visit, I wouldn't rate it highly. Next I took about ten minutes queuing for Stealth, but it was definitely worth it. Going up the vertical lift hill, over the top and down the vertical drop gave a mega fun ride, albeit over too quickly for my liking. Reluctantly I limited myself to just one go on Stealth due to its queuing time. Finally I just had time for two goes on Nemesis Inferno before the Park closed at 17:00. The ride was walk-on for all three goes; although I circulated around the exit and entry paths between my first and second goes, I didn't have to do that between my second and third goes. This inverted coaster was the perfect ride to end my day at Thorpe Park. It was now time to leave the Park; on my way out had a few more photos taken of me.

Summary of my day at Thorpe Park in order of activity

Rush 1
Colossus 1
SAW - The Ride 2
Mr. Monkey's Banana Ride 1
Detonator: Bombs Away 2
Flying Fish 1

Coffee at Fin's Bar and Grill

Vortex 1
Quantum 1

Lunch at The Coffee Shack (The Dome)

Tidal Wave 1
Storm Surge 1
Storm in a Teacup 1
Rumba Rapids 1
The Swarm 1
Rush 1
Zodiac 1
Colossus 1
X 1
Stealth 1
Nemesis Inferno 3

Cumulative Summary of Rides

Ride
Total
Colossus
2
Detonator: Bombs Away
2
Flying Fish
1
Mr. Monkey's Banana Ride
1
Nemesis Inferno
3
Quantum
1
Rumba Rapids
1
Rush
2
SAW - The Ride
2
Stealth
1
Storm in a Teacup
1
Storm Surge
1
The Swarm
1
Tidal Wave
1
Vortex
1
X
1
Zodiac
1
TOTAL
23

Returning to Staines
Having finally left Thorpe Park around 17:25 I walked across to the bus stop. Although a bus was just pulling away when I got there, I was lucky enough to be at the front of the queue line. Since it was now getting chilly, I put my hoody and jogging bottoms back on whilst waiting. The next bus to Staines turned up at 17:46. Due to the large volume of traffic, the bus took considerably longer to reach Staines than the morning journey to Thorpe Park, despite taking exactly the same direct route in reverse. The bus finally reached Staines Bus Station at 18:22.

Birthday Dinner
My birthday fun continued back in Staines town centre. Around 18:30 I went to Harvester for my celebratory dinner. Once seated I placed my birthday card on the table, pinned two birthday rosettes to my T-shirt and chose what I wanted to eat and drink. Eventually I chose BBQ Chicken Stack (chicken breast with Monterey Jack cheese, BBQ sauce, grilled back bacon, buttermilk fried chicken tops, served with grilled corn on the cob, Kapia pepper, and fries, plus a fill-it-yourself salad bowl) for main course and unlimited soft drink (I chose cola). For dessert I had Berry Mess Sundae. Unexpectedly, a little later, the waiter brought me one profiterole with candle in and soft dairy ice cream, and sang "Happy Birthday" to me. Having blown out the candle I enjoyed my profiterole and ice cream.

Journey Home
Having left Harvester I walked to Staines railway station. Once there I caught the 20:53 train to Reading, whereupon there was time for me to buy a takeaway Americano before catching the 22:13 train to Bath Spa. I finally reached Bath Spa at 23:15 and home about ten minutes later.

Outro

Highlights
Weather generally reasonable; mainly dry and sunny, and fairly hot for the time of year during the afternoon.
High overall ride count.
Satisfaction of riding all seven coasters in a single trip.
Celebratory birthday dinner at Harvester in Staines town centre in the evening.

Lowlights
Shower of rain late morning.
Bus journey from Thorpe Park to Staines in the evening took longer than desired.

Summing Up
Altogether a mega fun day out to mark my 45th birthday. Where better to spend one's birthday than enjoying the rides at The Nation's Thrill Capital? The weather was quite good; apart from one heavy shower late morning, the rest of the day was dry and sunny, and sufficiently hot for just T-shirt and shorts from mid to late afternoon. Ride queues varied depending on the ride and time of day, but I generally tended to pick rides that which were walk-on or had very short queues, even though that meant leaving Stealth and Nemesis Inferno to the end of the day. My longest wait of the day was for The Swarm mid-afternoon. It was really satisfying to ride all seven coasters (Colossus, SAW - The Ride, Flying Fish, The Swarm, X, Stealth, Nemesis Inferno) again. Just one point about the seven coasters, they're all steel. Come on Thorpe Park, get some wood! It was also great riding several other non-coaster rides I first rode on previous trips, including Rush, Detonator: Bombs Away, Vortex, Tidal Wave, Storm Surge, Rumba Rapids and Zodiac. The celebratory evening dinner at Harvester in Staines town centre was the grand finale to this special day.

Many people liked my self-designed birthday T-shirt. Some were puzzled when they first saw the front,` until I showed the back. Wearing that throughout the day added to the fun of celebrating my birthday.

A more detailed report is available here

Photos of my birthday outing are available here

Nemesis Nick's Birthday Outing 2016

Date: Friday 30 September 2016
Venue: Thorpe Park
Who Went: Just me

N.B. Any use of "today" in this report means Friday 30 September 2016.

Introduction
Friday 30 September 2016 was my 45th birthday and, as usual, my biggest decision was where to go to mark the occasion. The last three years my birthday outing consisted of a day at Thorpe Park followed by a celebratory evening meal at Harvester, Staines. All three were amazing days out, so by August 2016 I strongly favoured doing exactly the same again this year. Thursday 1 September I saved myself money by booking an advance web ticket to Thorpe Park. Getting Advance train tickets from Bath Spa to Staines and back was a little trickier; although I managed to book an Advance ticket my desired homeward journey from Staines to Bath Spa in the evening, there wasn't an Advance ticket available for Bath Spa to Staines when I wanted to set off in the morning. Fortunately, after some experimentation, I was able to overcome that by buying an Advance ticket for Bath Spa to Wokingham (changing at Reading), plus an anytime single ticket for Wokingham to Staines. Obviously that ticket arrangement necessitated an extra change of train at Wokingham on my way to Staines in the morning, but that didn't bother me too much. For the sixth year running I had a special birthday T-shirt of my own design printed about a fortnight before my birthday; for the second year running I had it printed at John Moore Sports, Bath.

Getting to Thorpe Park
It was necessary for me to wake up at 4:00, which for me is exceptionally early. From Bath Spa I caught the 05:41 GWR train to Reading. Having arrived there I had time to enjoy a small Americano at Lavazza on the inter-platform footbridge before catching the 07:04 GWR train to Wokingham. Finally I caught the 07:26 South West Trains train to Staines. I reached Staines at 7:56, more than two hours before Thorpe Park was due to open! Meanwhile I enjoyed a much-needed almond croissant and standard cappuccino at Waitrose Café in Two Rivers Retail Park, Staines. Afterwards I caught the 9:13 Thorpe Park Express bus from Staines Bus Station to Thorpe Park. At the time the weather was dry and sunny.

Welcome to Thorpe Park
I reached Thorpe Park at 9:21. Thus I still had about 40 minutes to wait until the Park was due to open. The Advance Ticket Collection point wasn't open yet, but since people were already queuing for it, I joined its queue. When the Advance Ticket Collection booths opened at 9:47, I collected my pre-booked ticket. Without further ado I queued for one of the entrances. All the queues were now quite long, so I already anticipated that the park would be rather busy, with some long queuing times for rides. Around 10:00 the front shutters rose and visitors funnelled through the ticket check point.

Morning Riding

Rush
Once admitted I began with the giant swing Rush. Both swings were in action, and I managed to get straight on to it; I sat in seat 8. This S&S Power Screamin' Swing has been operating since 27 May 2005. The swing went forwards and backwards a little to start with, rising higher and higher on subsequent forwards and backwards passes. Eventually it swung really high forwards and backwards. Finally the forwards and backwards swings became low ones, until the swing stopped completely. A mega fun ride to start my birthday visit to Thorpe Park, I remained quiet the whole time unlike when I first rode it in June 2005.

After the ride ended I resisted the temptation to have a second go because I felt it was in my best interest to go on some other ride, whilst queuing times were still fairly short.

Colossus
My first roller coaster ride of the day was Colossus. This Intamin Amusement Rides Looping Coaster (Colossus) has been operating at Thorpe Park since 22 March 2002. According to the Roller Coaster Database (RCDB), it is still one of just two coasters of this model worldwide.

Although it was still early in the day, the estimated queuing time was already 10 minutes. Fortunately I was able to walk straight up to the station and only had to wait about two or three despatches to get on. When it was my turn I sat in the back row. Once despatched, the train climbed the lift hill, went around a bend and down a steep hill, around the vertical loop and under a bridge. Next it went up half a loop, before doing a U-turn whilst inverted and down another half loop. After that it went back under same bridge as earlier, up and down a bit, along a flat section, and into the horizontal corkscrew. Finally the train headed around the end bend on an angle, along the home straight and back to the station. Altogether a fun ride, I was totally relaxed and didn't scream at all throughout the ride, unlike when I first rode it in June 2005. After leaving Colossus, its estimated queuing time was longer, so I quickly decided to ride something else next.

SAW - The Ride
This Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter (Custom) has been operating since 14 March 2009. It is one of ten coasters of this model currently operating worldwide. SAW - The Ride was almost walk-on at the time. When it was my turn I sat in the front row. The car set off through the building, I noticed a dip in there. Once outside the building the car worked its way around corners to the vertical lift. The car climbed the vertical lift, went down the beyond vertical first drop, around the vertical loop and back to the station. Altogether a fun ride, I was totally relaxed the whole journey and did not scream at all. However I still call the lighting effects and air currents in the building unnecessary overkill. You wouldn't get those in a real factory sawmill. Why do they bother having them here?

Afterwards I had a second go on SAW - The Ride. Once again the waiting time was very short. This time I sat in the back row.

Mr. Monkey's Banana Ride
Basically a swinging pirate ship, but the boat resembles a yellow banana. This ride was walk-on, and there were only a few other riders on it. I sat in an end row to get the maximum thrill out of it. A fun "fill in" ride to add to the total number of rides this visit, but once was enough.

Detonator: Bombs Away
This Fabbri Group Mega Drop Tower opened in 2001, and originally operated as Detonator. Since the opening of Angry Birds Land in spring 2014 it has been operating, still in its original position, as part of Angry Birds Land under the name Detonator: Bombs Away. It is 115 feet (35 metres) tall and has a top speed of 50.7 mph. The seats are arranged on a circular unit surrounding the tower. When I approached this ride, I didn't have long to wait to be seated. Once everyone was secured, the seat unit was pulled to the top of the tower, whereupon it was released. It's difficult to describe how it feels during the free-fall drop, but once again I was relaxed throughout the whole ride duration, and didn't scream at all. Sadly the ride was all over too quickly, it's just once up and once down. Another mega fun ride, the only way to find out what it's like is to ride it yourself. Having left the ride I went straight back to the entrance for a second go, and once again had only a short wait to get on.

By now the sky had clouded over, and I noticed a few spots of rain when I left Detonator: Bombs Away, so I put on my pale blue Maui and Sons jacket. As I walked away from Angry Birds Land the rain became heavier.

Flying Fish
This Mack Rides Blauer Enzian originally operated as Space Station Zero from 1983 to 1989, and Flying Fish from 1990 to 31 October 2004. After being in storage during 2005 and 2006, it was brought back into service, still as Flying Fish, at the start of the 2007 season. According to the RCDB, this is one of seven coasters of this model currently operating worldwide. Unlike Thorpe Park's other six coasters, one ride consists of multiple laps of the track, although from my past experience the actual number you get seems to vary from turn to turn. Despite the rain, now seemed a good time to ride Flying Fish, especially as I was able to get straight on to without having to queue. Once seated the rain became heavier still, and by the time the train set off I wished I'd put my all-in-one splashsuit on instead of my pale blue jacket, as my jogging bottoms got a bit wet during this ride. Flying Fish is undeniably a tame coaster, but nonetheless still worth riding to say I had been on it today. Of course, on this occasion, I felt the impact of the rain drops on me as the train went around the track. For now I limited myself to one go on Flying Fish, and didn't return to it later.

Coffee Break
Being as it was raining, I felt like a coffee at this point. Out of the various catering outlets on park, I ended up going to Fin's Bar and Grill for a much-needed coffee. By the time I left Fin's Bar and Grill, the rain had stopped and it was sunny again. I headed off in the direction of Vortex and Quantum.

Vortex
This KMG Afterburner has been operating at Thorpe Park since May 2001. Eight sets of four inward facing seats are attached by spokes to a central arm, which is vertical whilst the ride is stationary. There were plenty of vacant seats when I approached this, so I was able to get on without having to wait. Once everyone was secured, the central arm began spinning, and shortly afterwards started to swing. Thereafter the arm swung back and forth with the seat sets going around in a circle. Eventually the arm stopped swinging and shortly afterwards it stopped rotating. I managed to remain quiet throughout the duration of the ride. One go was great fun but I wouldn't like to risk a second go on this straight off. This ended up being my only go on Vortex all day.

Quantum
This Fabbri Magic Carpet ride, which opened in 2003, has rows of seats facing the centre. When I approached this I was able to get straight on to it without having to queue. The ride went up part way in one direction, down and part way up in the opposite direction, then down to the home position. Next time around it went up higher each direction. Eventually it went really high in each direction. The best bit was when it went right up and over to do a complete loop. Finally it slowed down, stopped and everyone left the ride. A pleasurable ride, although undeniably tame compared to Vortex. This was my only go on Quantum all day.

Lunch at The Coffee Shack
By now I felt like some lunch. I ended up going to The Coffee Shack in the Dome to have a pack of chicken bacon club sandwiches. However I didn't have a drink as I had only recently had a coffee. I put my birthday card on my table for the duration of my lunch.

Afternoon Riding
After lunch I felt like riding some water rides, starting with Tidal Wave.

Tidal Wave
"You will get very wet on this ride". That was no problem for me; I put my all-in-one splashsuit on just before getting in the boat. This Hopkins Rides Shoot-the-Chutes boat ride opened on 7 April 2000. After the boat left the station, there was a long climb to the top. At the top the boat did a U-turn and went down the ramp (a long way down), until it hit the water with a mighty splash. Finally there was another U-bend and back to the station. This was my only go on Tidal Wave all day, I didn't return to it later.

Storm Surge
Being as I was already wearing my splashsuit, it made sense for me to go on another water ride next, so I headed for Storm Surge. This WhiteWater West water ride first opened in 2011. The waiting time for this was very short; I was able to take the one remaining seat in a round dinghy already containing other riders. The boat climbed the tall lift hill. Having reached the top, the dinghy floated down what is really a wide water slide all the way to the bottom, where there was a splash. Finally the boat sailed along a canal at the bottom, around a bend and back to the disembarkation point. Altogether this is a fun water ride. My only gripe was the water in the bottom of the dinghy; by positioning my feet at the highest point within the boat going uphill and downhill I just about managed to keep my feet above the water. One really needs Wellington boots to ride this. The attendants ought really to pump water out of the boats between rides, provided it doesn't take too long. This was my only go on Storm Surge all day.

As I headed off in the direction of Stealth, I saw a life-size Tetley tea figure on a seat near Storm in a Teacup, so I removed my splashsuit and had my picture taken sitting beside the Tetley tea figure.

Storm in a Teacup
A run-of-the-mill tea cup ride. I was able to get straight on to this without having to queue. When the ride is in motion one can make the cup spin faster by turning the centre table, but I didn't as I was satisfied with the speed at which it was rotating anyway, I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. I only had one go on this. Having left Storm in a Teacup I felt warm enough going round in just my T-shirt and shorts for the rest of the afternoon.

Rumba Rapids
This Intamin river rafting ride originally opened in 1987 as Thunder River, and was called Ribena Rumba Rapids from 2002 to 2006. Since 2007 it has operated as Rumba Rapids. This ride was walk-on; I got into an empty boat, which floated around the flowing waterway and up the ramp back to the station. Part way around I noticed waves which gave the feeling of being on choppy water, but apart from that it was more a relaxing ride than a thrilling one. My one go on Rumba Rapids now was my only go on it all day.

The Swarm
Thorpe Park's newest coaster, which opened 15 March 2012. This Bolliger & Mabillard Wing Coaster (Custom) is a model which has been in production since 2011. According to the RCDB, this is one of eight coasters of this model currently operating worldwide, and the second to enter operation. Its maximum height of 127' (38.7 m) makes it the fifth tallest coaster currently operating in the UK. It appears to me as though this coaster was themed around an air crash, due to the broken aeroplane on the ground and the station which resembles an air crash / fire damaged church with a missing roof. Originally all the seats faced forwards, but at the start of the 2013 season, the back two rows were reversed to face backwards to the direction of travel. Now the pendulum has swung back in the other direction; the back two rows returned to being forward facing at the start of the 2016 season. This coaster was somewhat popular, although I recall seeing a 15 minute waiting time on one of the queue indicators, I'm sure I waited considerably longer than that. When it was my turn to ride I sat in the back row. I set off from the right hand platform (as viewed facing direction of travel). The train climbed the lift hill, descended the steep first drop, climbed the next hill, flipped over at the top before going down again. This was followed by a loop, another flip-over and the rest of the course back to the station. Altogether a mega fun coaster ride, definitely worth the longer-than-desired wait. Due to the queuing time this was my only go on The Swarm all day.

Rush
My second go of the day on this giant swing, and thankfully I managed to get straight on to this as soon as I approached it. This time I sat in seat 13. The ride this time was just as much fun as earlier. This ended up being my final go of the day on Rush.

Zodiac
A kind of big wheel made by Huss. It is similar to Enterprise at Alton Towers which I rode during Loopathon Alton Towers in 2005 and 2006. I sat in one of the cars and the door was locked shut. The cars hang from above; you sit inside one but there is no restraint. The ride set off clockwise. As it picked up speed, the cars flung outwards, and eventually the whole disc tilted so everyone travelled around a circle at high speed on an angle. At this speed, centrifugal force kept riders firmly in place, hence no need for a restraint. I noticed it was almost impossible to lift my feet or arms when going full speed. Towards the end the disc returned to the horizontal position, the ride slowed down and the cars returned to their normal dangling position. A mega fun ride, but once at a time is enough for me. Two goes on this straight off would make me really giddy. I never returned to this ride later in the day. This turned out to be my final non-coaster ride of the day, as all my remaining rides were on roller coasters.

Colossus
My second go of the day on Colossus. Although the front row queue was fairly lengthy, the waiting time for the other rows was very short. This time I sat in the second row. Just like earlier, I remained totally relaxed and didn't scream at all throughout the duration of this ride. Once again, I reluctantly limited myself to one go on Colossus as there were other coasters I had yet to ride. This ended up being my final go of the day on Colossus.

X
An indoor roller coaster. This Vekoma Enigma is one of just two coasters of this model operating worldwide. It originally operated as X:\No Way Out from 23 March 1996 to the end of the 2012 season, during which time the train had five rows of seats which faced backwards to the direction of travel. Since the start of the 2013 season it has been operating as X, with new forward facing trains, and the building illuminated by lasers and disco lights. There was no queue for X when I approached it late afternoon. That created a problem for me because, although on previous visits I was able to ride X alone, this time the ride attendants insisted on there being two riders per row. Hence I had to wait for someone else to turn up. Fortunately an odd-numbered group arrived soon after me, so one of them sat beside me in the front row. This coaster was worth riding to say I'd ridden it this visit, but I wouldn't rate it highly. Due to my need to sit beside someone else, I limited myself to just one go; in any case I had a greater desire to go on other rides before closing time, which was now fast approaching.

Stealth
This Intamin Amusement Rides Accelerator Coaster has been operating at Thorpe Park since 15 March 2006. With a maximum height of 205.1' (62.5 metres) it is the second tallest coaster currently operating in the UK and fourth tallest coaster currently operating in Europe. Its top speed of 80 mph makes it the fastest coaster currently operating in the UK and third fastest coaster currently operating in Europe.

After queuing for about ten minutes I got into a vacant row, but can't remember which one. The train set off, climbed the vertical lift hill, went over the top and down the vertical drop. Having landed, there was one gentle up-down undulation, before the train was back at the station. Wow, a mega fun ride; one of the most exciting rides I went on all day. The snag was the fun was all over way too quickly! Reluctantly I limited myself to just one go. I resisted my temptation to queue for a second go as I still hadn't ridden Nemesis Inferno.

Nemesis Inferno
This Bolliger & Mabillard Inverted Coaster (Custom) began operating 5 April 2003 and is one of 17 coasters of this model currently operating worldwide. I still hadn't been on this, and was hoping to get at least one go before ride closing time which was now just a few minutes away. Fortunately this was still open and walk-on, so I got into a vacant row. Once despatched the train set off around a clockwise downhill spiral around the volcano, then through a tunnel. After that it went up the lift hill, downhill, and around various bends. There was one loop-the-loop along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it, and didn't scream or shout "Mercy" (unlike my very first visit to Thorpe Park in June 2005).

Having left the ride I quickly recirculated via the exit and entry paths. Back at the entry platform, I managed to get straight on to the next train to enjoy a second go without having to wait.

After vacating my seat at the end of my second go, there were so few people waiting behind the gates I was able to take one of the empty seats on the same train without having to recirculate, and thus enjoy a third go. This was the ride's final run of the day, so I made the most of what was to be my last ride of the day. The perfect ride on which to end my 45th birthday visit to Thorpe Park. When the train returned to the station at the end of this run the park was officially closed, so I exited the station.

Summary of my day at Thorpe Park in order of activity

Rush 1
Colossus 1
SAW - The Ride 2
Mr. Monkey's Banana Ride 1
Detonator: Bombs Away 2
Flying Fish 1

Coffee at Fin's Bar and Grill

Vortex 1
Quantum 1

Lunch at The Coffee Shack (The Dome)

Tidal Wave 1
Storm Surge 1
Storm in a Teacup 1
Rumba Rapids 1
The Swarm 1
Rush 1
Zodiac 1
Colossus 1
X 1
Stealth 1
Nemesis Inferno 3

Cumulative Summary of Rides

Ride
Total
Colossus
2
Detonator: Bombs Away
2
Flying Fish
1
Mr. Monkey's Banana Ride
1
Nemesis Inferno
3
Quantum
1
Rumba Rapids
1
Rush
2
SAW - The Ride
2
Stealth
1
Storm in a Teacup
1
Storm Surge
1
The Swarm
1
Tidal Wave
1
Vortex
1
X
1
Zodiac
1
TOTAL
23

After leaving Nemesis Inferno I gradually headed towards the Dome and exit. Along the way I had a few more photos taken of me at various points in the Park. I finally left Thorpe Park around 17:25.

Returning to Staines
Without further ado I walked to the bus stop. Just my luck, a bus was pulling away when I got there, so I had to wait for the next one. Fortunately I was right at the front of the queue line, and knew I'd be able to get on the next bus. Several other people waited behind me, and within a few minutes the queue was very long, so looking on the bright side, it's just as well I got to the bus stop when I did. Since it was now getting chilly, I put my hoody and jogging bottoms back on whilst waiting. A Thorpe Park Express bus turned up at 17:46 and, being as I was at the front of the queue, I was first on and got a seat. Others subsequently boarded the bus, until it reached capacity, with some having to stand. Once the bus finally departed the journey from Thorpe Park to Staines took considerably longer than the morning journey from Staines to Thorpe Park, despite taking exactly the same direct route in reverse. The increased travelling time was due to the large volume of traffic on the road. The bus finally reached Staines Bus Station at 18:22.

Birthday Dinner
My birthday fun continued back in Staines town centre. Around 18:30 I went to Harvester for my celebratory dinner. Once seated, I placed my birthday card on the table, pinned two birthday rosettes to my T-shirt and took time deciding what I wanted to eat and drink.

Eventually I chose BBQ Chicken Stack for main course. This included chicken breast with Monterey Jack cheese, BBQ sauce, grilled back bacon, buttermilk fried chicken tops, served with grilled corn (on the cob), Kapia pepper and fries, plus a fill-it-yourself salad bowl. I went to the salad bar to fill my salad bowl whilst waiting for my main course to arrive. To drink, I decided to have unlimited soft drink, I filled my glass with cola. My main course was really delicious; the accompanying salad bowl made it more filling.

Having completed my main course I was ready to order a dessert. After all, a meal would not be complete without a dessert. I chose Berry Mess Sundae, which consisted of summer pudding pieces with raspberries in sauce and crisp meringue, plus soft dairy ice cream and fluffy cream and wafer cone.

A few minutes later the waiter brought me one profiterole with soft dairy ice cream; there was a burning candle in the profiterole. The waiter was going to put the birthday candle in my Berry Mess Sundae, but he forgot; that's why he brought me this unexpected extra. He sang "Happy Birthday" to me and I blew out the candle. The profiterole and soft dairy ice cream were a delicious unexpected treat to finish off my meal. In effect I ended up having two desserts! Having finished my profiterole and ice cream I enjoyed the rest of my drink at a leisurely pace. Once I finished my drink it was time for me to start heading back to the station.

Summary of my meal
Drink: Unlimited soft drink
Main course: BBQ Chicken Stack (chicken breast with Monterey Jack cheese, BBQ sauce, grilled back bacon, buttermilk fried chicken tops, served with grilled corn on the cob, Kapia pepper and fries) including salad bowl
Dessert: Berry Mess Sundae
Unexpected bonus: one profiterole with candle in and soft dairy ice cream.

Journey Home
Having left Harvester I began walking to Staines railway station. Once there I caught the 20:53 South West Trains train to Reading. Having reached Reading at 21:41 there was time for me to buy a takeaway Americano from Land's End Pasty Co. on the inter-platform footbridge before catching the 22:13 GWR train to Bath Spa. I finally reached Bath Spa at 23:15 and home about ten minutes later.

Outro

Highlights
Weather generally reasonable; mainly dry and sunny, and fairly hot for the time of year during the afternoon.
High overall ride count.
Satisfaction of riding all seven coasters in a single trip.
Celebratory birthday dinner at Harvester in Staines town centre in the evening.

Lowlights
Shower of rain late morning.
Bus journey from Thorpe Park to Staines in the evening took longer than desired.

Summing Up
Altogether a mega fun day out to mark my 45th birthday. Where better to spend one's birthday than enjoying the rides at The Nation's Thrill Capital? The weather was quite good; apart from one heavy shower late morning, the rest of the day was dry and sunny, and sufficiently hot for just T-shirt and shorts from mid to late afternoon. Ride queues varied depending on the ride and time of day, but I generally tended to pick rides that which were walk-on or had very short queues, even though that meant leaving Stealth and Nemesis Inferno to the end of the day. My longest wait of the day was for The Swarm mid-afternoon. It was really satisfying to ride all seven coasters (Colossus, SAW - The Ride, Flying Fish, The Swarm, X, Stealth, Nemesis Inferno) again. Just one point about the seven coasters, they're all steel. Come on Thorpe Park, get some wood! It was also great riding several other non-coaster rides I first rode on previous trips, including Rush, Detonator: Bombs Away, Vortex, Tidal Wave, Storm Surge, Rumba Rapids and Zodiac. The celebratory evening dinner at Harvester in Staines town centre was the grand finale to this special day.

Many people liked my self-designed birthday T-shirt. Some were puzzled when they first saw the front,` until I showed the back. Wearing that throughout the day added to the fun of celebrating my birthday.

Photos of my birthday outing are available here

Thursday 29 September 2016

RCCGB Mega-GLOW-Mania Weekend 2016

Date: Friday 12 August to Sunday 14 August 2016
Venues: Folly Farm, Oakwood Theme Park, Heatherton World of Activities
Who Went: Me and a large number of other RCCGB members, including Andy and Christine Hine, Alan Hunt, Big Stevie B, Dave Wells, Doug and Charlie Turner, Mark and Margo Lewis, Planenut, Ryan Hackett, Wendy Adams Evans.

DISCLAIMER: The above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of everyone who attended. It's a small sample of attendees; mainly those I spoke to and/or rode with at Folly Farm and/or Oakwood. I sincerely apologise to anyone I've not listed. Not everyone (whether or not listed above) attended all three Parks.

Introduction
The Club's annual visit to rural Pembrokeshire, primarily to visit Oakwood Theme Park. Just like in 2013, 2014 and 2015, the Oakwood visit was on Saturday when the Park was open to the public until 22:00, thereby enabling the Club to end the day with its traditional dark ERS on Megafobia. Add-ons to Oakwood were Folly Farm near Kilgetty on Friday (including exclusive use of the Vintage Funfair and a cooked meal after closing time), and Heatherton World of Activities on Sunday. Just like last year, I attended Folly Farm and Oakwood, but for various reasons gave Heatherton a miss.

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

Thursday 11 August
Day 1 - Friday 12 August
Day 2 - Saturday 13 August
Day 3 - Sunday 14 August
Outro

Enjoy my report at your leisure.

Thursday 11 August

Getting to Kilgetty
For me the weekend began with a train journey from Bath Spa to Kilgetty. I caught the 13:36 train from Bath Spa to Cardiff Central. Since that was delayed, I only just made it to Cardiff Central in time for the connecting 14:50 train to Swansea. Thankfully I got to Swansea with plenty of time to spare for the 16:00 Swansea to Pembroke Dock train. Although I could have gone all the way to Kilgetty on that train, I left that train at Carmarthen at 16:43 so I could get myself an evening meal in the town centre.

Initially I went for a walk around the town centre. Around 17:30 I went to Harvester for dinner. For main course I enjoyed Early Bird Fried Chicken served with fries and peas. A fill-it-myself salad bowl was also included. To round off my meal, I had salted caramel profiteroles, served with cream, for dessert.

Back at the station I completed my journey on the 19:05 train to Kilgetty. Having finally got to Kilgetty at 19:39, I walked to the hotel in Begelly where I had pre-booked for three nights. After checking in I relaxed in my room the rest of the evening.

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Day 1 - Friday 12 August

Friday First Thing
Having awoke at 7:30 I had breakfast at 8:30 consisting of cereal, a glass of orange juice, a full Welsh breakfast, four triangles of toast and a carafe of coffee.

Daytime
Since I was staying in Begelly for the first time, I walked from my hotel to Folly Farm, and arrived there around 10:30. Folly Farm was already open and the public were being admitted. The RCCGB was officially due to enter as a group at 11:00, but by showing my trip letter, badge and RCCGB membership card I was allowed in straightaway. The receptionist said I was the first RCCGB member booked on this trip to be admitted to Folly Farm.

I began in the area across the road known as Follywood. There I saw various breeds of pig in Percy's Piggery, and had one go on the land train which followed a track past various animals. Back in the main part of the Park, I entered the Jolly Barn where I drew a rabbit on the large chalk board on which visitors are welcome to draw farm animals. My first sighting of other RCCGB members was when Mark and Margo Lewis met me by the chalk board just after I had finished drawing my rabbit.

After a much-needed cappuccino at Cwtch Café, I began exploring the zoo. I started in the far corner, where the Bactrian camels, African spurred tortoise, red river hog, cusimanse and reindeer are located. From this area I accessed and explored the new-for-2016 Kifaru Reserve rhino enclosure. Back in the main part of the zoo, I met Mark and Margo Lewis again, followed by Big Stevie B, Kelly Cameron and various other RCCGB members. After a light snack (filled deli bread and a cup of coffee) at Carousel Café, I saw the rest of the animals around the zoo, including giraffes, penguins, lions and African Aviary. Having left the zoo for the final time, I had a whippy ice cream from a kiosk, followed by a coffee at Cwtch Café.

Late afternoon I walked through the parrot house Folly Interactive; I met Nev and Christine for the first time this visit there. Afterwards I briefly went into the Jolly Barn and saw ponies. Shortly after 16:30 I enjoyed playing on all parts of Carousel Woods indoor play structure until closing time of 17:30, including the 4-lane Bumper Slide, tube slides and multi-level towers. A fun way to round off normal opening time.

Exclusive Fair Session
Folly Farm officially closed at 17:30. For us the best was yet to follow: our Exclusive Fair Session (EFS) in the Vintage Funfair. During this part of the day I wore my RCCGB Fun Night T-shirt and fluorescent pink sports shorts. After some confusion as to where everyone was, the Club finally began riding around 17:45. Together the Club rode 1950s Caterpillar Ride, 1937 Coronation Speedway, Jets, Rock 'n' Roll Waltzer, Ghost Train and 1938 Dodgem Track. Some of us including me fitted in 1936 Lakin Swirl just before dinner.

It was now time for dinner in the Funfair Restaurant. Members had fish and chips, sausage and chips or pasta Bolognese (specified when booking this trip); I had fish and chips. Nev also gave a speech. After dinner we had more rides. Those like me who rode 1936 Lakin Swirl before dinner began with Chair-o-Plane, the rest began with 1936 Lakin Swirl. Next I unexpectedly had an extra go on 1936 Lakin Swirl. After that the Club rode Folly Farm's Famous Gallopers and 1950s Cyclone Twist (some including me managed to have two goes on 1950s Cyclone Twist). The EFS ended with the Brooklyn Cakewalk. Some members had multiple goes on Brooklyn Cakewalk; I had six goes on it, which was more than I expected.

Alphabetic Summary Table of EFS Rides

Ride
Total
Brooklyn Cakewalk
6
1950s Caterpillar Ride
1
Chair-o-Plane
1
1937 Coronation Speedway
1
1950s Cyclone Twist
2
1938 Dodgem Track
1
Folly Farm's Famous Gallopers
1
Ghost Train
1
Jets
1
1936 Lakin Swirl
2
Rock 'n' Roll Waltzer
1
TOTAL
18

Rest of Friday
When the EFS ended at 20:05, the day was over and we all had to return to the car park. Since I was staying in Begelly, I began walking there. Just a short way beyond Folly Farm, Alan Hunt spotted me and gave me a lift to Manian Lodge. I relaxed in my room the rest of the evening.

Altogether a worthwhile appetiser to Mega-GLOW-Mania at Oakwood. This time I liked visiting the new-for-2016 Kifaru Reserve rhino enclosure for the first time. I particularly enjoyed playing on Carousel Woods indoor play structure for nearly an hour late afternoon. Best of all was the EFS after 17:30: a few vintage rides, a meal, and more vintage rides ending with the Brooklyn Cakewalk. Wearing my self-designed black RCCGB Fun Night T-shirt and fluorescent pink shorts just for that part of the day added to the fun of the EFS. Basically the visit to Folly Farm can be summed up as a leisurely day around the farm, zoo and other attractions, culminating in a spin on the vintage rides early evening, as a warm-up to Oakwood the day after. It's a pity the sky was overcast all morning and much of the afternoon. At least it was sunny for a couple of hours late afternoon, and it was dry all day. Many thanks to Andy Hine for arranging this day, including EFS, to Folly Farm. Thanks also to the ride staff for operating the rides and caterers for providing the meal after closing time, and to Alan Hunt for giving me a lift back to my hotel in the evening.

More about Friday at Folly Farm available here

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Day 2 - Saturday 13 August

Saturday First Thing
Having awoke at 6:30, I had an early breakfast at 7:45, which consisted of cereal, a glass of orange juice, a full Welsh breakfast, four triangles of toast and a carafe of coffee. Around 8:40 Mark and Margo arrived to give me a lift to Oakwood.

Welcome to Oakwood
When Mark, Margo and I reached Oakwood, several other members were already waiting outside the park entrance. A few minutes later Nev gave his welcome speech. After that everyone entered the Park and walked to Megafobia.

Morning ERS
The day began with a one hour ERS on Oakwood's famous wooden coaster Megafobia During this hour I enjoyed seven goes; I sat next to Emerald Evans on my third go, Planenut on my fourth go, Christine Hine on my fifth go and Andy Knight on my last go.

Morning Free Time
When the ERS ended, members dispersed around Oakwood. I began normal opening time with two goes on the toboggan run Bobsleigh. This was my first time of accessing the ride via the new queue line, but the toboggan run itself is completely unchanged from before. Next I enjoyed two goes on Treetops Coaster; third row followed by back row. After a much-needed coffee at Pit Stop, I enjoyed two goes on the beyond vertical drop coaster Speed followed by one go on Teacups.

After that I went into in Neverland. There I had one go on The Streets of London Tour taxi ride. Although a rather unexciting ride, it was worth one go to say I'd been on it. Next I enjoyed two goes on Crocodile Coaster, alone in the second row, and with Wendy Adams Evans in the back row. Having left Crocodile Coaster, I just had time for a coffee at The Little Darlings' Café in Neverland before the baseball tournament began.

Baseball
Around 13:30 the Club gathered on the field at the front of the Park for baseball. Nev asked all those who wanted to play to get into one of two teams, Woodies and Steelies. I played for Woodies. As usual Nev played on the Woodies team. The final score was Woodies 396 Steelies 17.

Afternoon and Evening Free Time
After the baseball ended, members returned to the camp site for a rest or returned to the Park. Back in the Park, I went to The Little Darlings' Café for a hot dog and coffee. My first ride after lunch was Waterfall. I began with one go on the right slide (as seen from the top), and sailed across the landing pool without keeling over. However when I went on the left slide (as seen from the top), I keeled over mid-way across the pool and got soaked! My trainers and bottom got a dunking. Immediately afterwards I sat an outdoor table outside Woody's Burger Bar. There I tried wringing out my wet socks, and used serviettes to mop up some water from inside my trainers. A few minutes later I had no option but to put my wet socks and trainers back on, and hope I would dry off naturally in the sun. My next ride was one go on Oakwood Aerodrome.

At last Drenched was open. I met Planenut, Doug and Charlie when I got there. Whilst waiting, I put on my orange cagoule and navy leggings to prevent me getting wet during the mighty splash at the bottom of the steep drop. Having left the ride I removed my wet rain gear; I didn't bother standing on the bridge to watch the boat land on a later run. After walking around the park for a bit, I decided to ride Snake River Falls next. All four slides were in operation, therefore I rode all four slides once each: Cobra, left open, right open, Python. Unfortunately riding all four slides once each took me longer than expected; I thought the loading and despatch procedure was a bit slow. After that I unexpectedly met Planenut, so we had one go on the pedalo boats together. We managed to steer well clear of the weed near Megafobia

Afterwards I returned to riding alone, starting with one go on the Pirate Ship. Next I headed towards Neverland, where I rode Skull Rock log flume twice, Crocodile Coaster twice, Neverland Chase once and Oakwood Aerodrome once. Having left Neverland for the final time, I enjoyed two goes on Speed, followed by two goes on Moon Landing drop slide. Around 20:30 I went to Woody's Burger Bar to have a double burger meal, which I ate it in the indoor seating area. Afterwards I approached the Clown Coaster located in Circus Land. Officially adults can only ride it when accompanying children, but the attendant let me have one go on it when he saw my trip badge and RCCGB membership card. Although mild, riding it once meant I was now able to say I'd ridden all five coasters in one day. This was my final ride during normal opening time.

Shortly afterwards, the ColourFest UV powder paint party was about to start. Visitors could buy UV powder packs onsite to throw around under the ultra violet lighting in the designated area in front of the stage. Unfortunately some visitors were throwing UV powder elsewhere. Since I didn't want UV powder thrown at me, I went to the Oak Tree Restaurant for a coffee. During the final ten minutes of opening the firework display, set to music, took place. This time I watched it from outside the Oak Tree Restaurant.

Megafobia Dark ERS
With the public now gone, the finale was our one-hour dark ERS on Megafobia, accompanied by party music and disco lights. Many of us (but not me) wore or held glow sticks to create a glowing effect. I wore my fluorescent yellow cagoule, pink hi-vis jacket and fluorescent yellow sports shorts (over my jogging bottoms), which added to the fun. The train gave a considerably faster and rougher than during the morning ERS. I enjoyed nine goes, the first of which I sat next to Margo in the second-from back row. Unfortunately on my next go I took the one remaining spare seat from the exit platform, which happened to be immediately behind Big Stevie B, who was covered in UV paint powder; by the time I noticed it was too late for me to get out. On some of my remaining goes I sat next to Planenut, Andy Knight, Christine Hine and even a ride attendant. My ninth and final go was in the front row with Dave Wells, on the very last train of the day. Altogether another hair-raising ERS, definitely the grand finale of the day, but it's a pity my enjoyment of it was marred by my fear of getting second-hand paint powder on me, both on Megafobia and between goes. As far as I'm concerned, the tiny amount of paint powder blown onto me as a result of my seating position during my second go was more than I wanted.

Cumulative Summary of My Rides (ERSs and Freetime Combined)

Ride
Total
Boating Lake
1
Bobsleigh
2
Clown Coaster
1
Crocodile Coaster
4
Drenched
1
Megafobia
16
Moon Landing
2
Neverland Chase
1
Oakwood Aerodrome
2
Pirate Ship
1
Skull Rock log flume
2
Snake River Falls: Cobra
1
Snake River Falls: left open slide
1
Snake River Falls: Python
1
Snake River Falls: right open slide
1
Speed
4
Teacups
1
The Streets of London Tour
1
Treetops Coaster
2
Waterfall left slide
1
Waterfall right slide
1
TOTAL
47

Rest of Saturday
When the ERS ended just after 23:00 Nev gave a short speech before everyone returned to the car park. I waited on the exit platform whilst Mark and Margo dismantled their disco lights. When they were ready to leave, Mark and Margo gave me a lift back to my hotel. After our final goodbyes outside the hotel car park I was back in my room around quarter to midnight, dead tired.

Altogether a coaster crazy day at Oakwood. Turnout was considerably higher for Oakwood than for Folly Farm the previous day, presumably because the Oakwood trip was on a Saturday, whereas the Folly Farm visit was a Friday. It was great riding all five roller coasters, including Clown Coaster which I didn't expect to be able to go on, and several non-coaster rides again. It was unfortunate that Bounce and Tink's Flying School out of action all day, but you can't win them all, I suppose. Far more seriously though, it's a pity my enjoyment of the day was ruined by my constant fear of being covered in UV powder paint during the ColourFest UV powder paint session, and/or dark ERS thereafter. Due to certain individuals choosing to throw paint powder in parts of the park other than the designated zone, I felt the need to stay in the Oak Tree Restaurant during the paint session, and to watch the fireworks standing outside the Oak Tree Restaurant afterwards. I shouldn't have felt it necessary to do that. Furthermore from time to time I admitted to some other RCCGB members that, in some ways, I wasn't looking forward to the dark ERS on Megafobia as there was a possibility of me getting covered in second-hand UV powder paint from members already covered in it after taking part in the paint session. That aside, it was great meeting other Club members again, and the weather was perfect, dry and sunny from dawn to dusk, and still dry during the dark ERS. Many thanks to Nev for organising the trip, the staff for operating Megafobia before opening and after closing, and to Mark and Margo Lewis for providing the dark ERS disco lighting and for giving me lifts to and from Oakwood.

More about Saturday at Oakwood available here

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Day 3 - Sunday 14 August

Introduction
The final day of Mega-GLOW-Mania weekend 2016. Mid-morning some members met at Heatherton World of Activities to enjoy go-karting and/or other activities available there (e.g. clay pigeon shooting). Nev even arranged an EGS (exclusive go-kart session) for those interested; according to the trip invitation it was billed to run from 10.00 to 11.30. For various reasons I gave Heatherton a miss. The following outlines how I spent Sunday.

Sunday First Thing
Having awoke I got ready, packed my belongings and had breakfast around 8:30. I had the same selection as Friday morning including a full cooked breakfast. I enjoyed it at a more relaxed pace than Saturday. During breakfast I met Nev and Alan Hunt. This was my first ever time of seeing anyone else from the RCCGB during my Sunday morning breakfast of Mega-GLOW-Mania Weekend. It was a pleasure to speak to them one final time this trip.

From Kilgetty to Swansea
I reached Kilgetty station around 11:15, intending to catch the 11:31 train to Carmarthen. Since Kilgetty is a request stop, I had to signal to the driver for the train to stop. Having reached Carmarthen I caught the 12:24 train to Swansea, and got there at 13:11. Once there I walked straight to Swansea LC.

Swansea LC Water Park
I reached the LC reception around 13:30, and managed to get in straightaway. My ticket was for the session starting at 13:45. Without further ado I proceeded to the changing rooms where I had no problem finding a tall locker big enough to contain my large holdall, rucksack and laptop bag.

I entered the pool area at 13:50. The session was intended to last two hours, but since the place wasn't busy enough for the staff to need to call colours out, I ended up staying there until around 16:30. During my time in the pool area I enjoyed eighteen goes on the Aqua Tube (closed narrow tube slide) and five goes on the Aqua Slide (wide open top slide). Surprisingly I managed to have five exciting goes on the Master Blaster roller coaster water slide, which is my highest number on that to-date for one visit to Swansea LC. I went in the fun pool during one wave session, but didn't go around the Lazy River. Altogether a wet and wild way to round off Mega-GLOW-Mania weekend.

Cumulative summary of slides:

Slide
Total
Aqua Slide
5
Aqua Tube
18
Master Blaster
5
TOTAL
28

More about Sunday afternoon at Swansea LC Water Park available here

Evening Meal
Just after 17:00 I went to The Bank Statement (Wetherspoon), where I enjoyed a delicious Peri-Peri Roast Half Chicken with chips, corn-on-the-cob, coleslaw and peri-peri sauce. A drink was included with that meal, I chose Carling. As if that wasn't enough I had sticky toffee pudding with custard for dessert.

Journey Home
Having left The Bank Statement (Wetherspoons) I returned to the station with time to spare for the 18:51 London Paddington train. I reached Cardiff Central with nearly half an hour to spare for the connecting 20:14 train to Bath Spa. I finally reached Bath Spa at 21:37, and home soon afterwards.

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Outro

Highlights
Three nights' B&B in Begelly, including the delicious filling breakfasts.
Visiting Folly Farm and Oakwood for the fifth year running.
Land train ride shortly after I arrived at Folly Farm Friday the morning.
Playing on Carousel Woods indoor play structure Friday late afternoon.
Exclusive Fair Session on the Vintage Funfair rides plus cooked meal in the Funfair Restaurant Friday evening.
Saturday morning ERS on Megafobia before Oakwood opened to the public.
Riding all five coasters and several non-coaster rides again at Oakwood on Saturday
Meeting Nev, Doug and Charlie, Mark and Margo, Planenut, Ryan Hackett, Wendy Adams Evans and others again.
Dry weather Friday and Saturday (also sunny all day Saturday).
Sliding the Aqua Tube, Aqua Slide and Master Blaster Sunday afternoon.
Five goes on Master Blaster roller coaster water slide, my highest number to-date for a single visit to Swansea LC Water Park.
Early evening meals at Harvester, Carmarthen Thursday and The Bank Statement (Wetherspoon), Swansea Sunday.

Lowlights
Having to leave my rucksack and trainers in an alcove near Carousel Woods whilst playing on the structure due to lack of lockers Friday late afternoon.
Confusion as to where everyone was at the start of the EFS Friday early evening.
Bounce and Tink's Flying School out of action all day Saturday.
Keeling over into the water at the end of my second go on Waterfall, and consequently getting my feet wet Saturday afternoon.
Fear of being covered in UV powder paint during the ColourFest paint session, and/or dark ERS thereafter Saturday.
Not being able to get a coffee whilst awaiting my connecting train at Cardiff Central Sunday evening.

Summing Up
Altogether fun-packed long weekend away. It was great to visit Folly Farm and Oakwood for the fifth year running and thus ride many of their rides (particularly Oakwood's Megafobia) again, and also meeting several other members of the RCCGB both Friday and Saturday. My visit to Swansea LC Water Park provided a wet and wild end to an amazing weekend. Many thanks again to Nev for arranging the trips to Folly Farm and Oakwood (also Heatherton for those who went), to Alan Hunt for giving me a lift back to my hotel Friday evening and to Mark and Margo for kindly giving me lifts from my hotel to Oakwood and back on Saturday.

Mega-GLOW-Mania weekend 2016 can be likened to a three-course meal as follows:
Starter: Folly Farm on Friday
Main course: Oakwood on Saturday
Dessert: Heatherton (or in my case Swansea LC) on Sunday

One other bit of trivia worth mentioning: I went down at least one slide of some sort Friday, Saturday and Sunday as follows:
Friday: Carousel Woods Bumper Slide and tube slides at Folly Farm.
Saturday: Moon Landing drop slide at Oakwood.
Sunday: Aqua Tube, Aqua Slide and Master Blaster water slides at Swansea LC Water Park.

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