Carl's theme park photo's http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/ 58 rows en-gb 60 Alton Towers Scarefest http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c1396364.html Alton Towers Scarefest Thursday 25 October 2007: Alton Towers Scarefest

Halloween themeing Towers Street fountain Scarefest Hearse ghouls at the Window Hex Terror of the Towers sign Passageway to Terror of the Towers It's alive! Nemesis' blood falls Nemesis Haunted Hollow entrance Haunted Hollow 2 Haunted Hollow 3 Haunted Hollow 4 Haunted Hollow 5 Haunted Hollow 6 Haunted Hollow 7 I best pay the hag her farthing! Haunted Hollow inhabitant Spooooky! Ghosties Field of 1000 Screams

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]]> Thu Oct 25 2007 ECC Ghouls and Ghosters - Thorpe Fright Nights http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c1390187.html ECC Ghouls and Ghosters - Thorpe Fright Nights Monday 15 October 2007: ECC Ghouls and Ghosters - Thorpe Fright Nights

Tophat! Stealth entrance The red hotness of Inferno proved too much for this poor chap Se7en entrance with new improved banner The best roller coaster in the world ;) X queue line X Halloween themeing Flying Fish a shadow of its former self Look at that amazing Halloween themeing On-ride action Tobs seems to be having a good time on the Fish Lake infilling Closed due to the Circus of Horrors tranformation Rumba! Damn time delay! One of the better bits of Halloween themeing Funny Bones! The Asylum...incase you hadn't guessed Danny wants to go in Keep Out! Beware of chainsaw guy! Adam prepares for Rush Se7en queue line Se7en sculpture number 1 Se7en sculpture number 2 The calm before the storm Making a quick exit from Se7en Hellgate through the trees Exiting Asylum The chainsaw man a cometh Look at them run! Asylum queue line Talhat is all smiles. It's those lady mental patients I tell ya! CCR has become a ghost train complete with ropey themeing Quick, call Most Haunted! At least they've made an effort this year All aboard the Canada Creek Railway Zombie dummies Fright Nights wouldnt be complete without copious amounts of green lighting Don't look now!

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]]> Mon Oct 15 2007 ECC Ghouls and Ghosters - Tulleys Farm Spooktacular http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c1390184.html Halloween at Tulley's Farm featuring the Haunted Hayride, the Creepy Cottage and the Field of Screams. Fun for all the family. Saturday 13 October 2007: Halloween at Tulley's Farm featuring the Haunted Hayride, the Creepy Cottage and the Field of Screams. Fun for all the family.

Themeing that puts Thorpe to shame Graveyard scene Richard Foster starts off proceedings Richard and Mark (Spooktacular organiser) The Creepy Cottage Watch out for the vampire's Group shot outide the Field of Screams The Haunted Hayride Spooktacular advertising More themeing Boo Barn

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]]> Sat Oct 13 2007 Thorpe Park Fright Nights - Friday the 13th http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c1109473.html Thorpe Park Fright Nights - Friday the 13th Friday 13 October 2006: Thorpe Park Fright Nights - Friday the 13th

Alex on Loggers Tobs and Neil after a soaking Se7en entrance Se7en themeing And from another angle Se7en marquee Asylum Maze Hot, hot, hot Looks good at night Quantum Circus of Horrors cage Colossus More Circus of Horrors Zodiac Zodiac 2 Vortex Zodiac 3 Vortex 2 Vortex 3 The mighty Slammer Group shot Hellgate entrance One of the Hellgate freaks ;) arty shot Asylum signage Stealth launch Asylum entrance Se7en at night

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]]> Fri Oct 13 2006 RCCGB Mega-GLOW-Mania 2006 - Oakwood http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c1051096.html RCCGB Mega-GLOW-Mania 2006 - Oakwood Friday 11 August 2006: RCCGB Mega-GLOW-Mania 2006 - Oakwood

Flame grilled burgers anyone? Fun and frolicks at the campsite Megafobia ERS At least it didn't convert into a water ride this year ;) Up.... And down New for 2006: Speed Happy riders Up the vertical lift hill Down the more than vertical drop More happy riders Oakwood are onto yet another winner Inline twist Into the helix Andy Hine on a Steelie?!!! The one and only Death Not all were smiling when the train got back to the station! Brake run Speed's loop Tea trays Vertigo Rachel, Chris and co on Brer Rabbit Debbie and Steve Yes, there s a real person in that freaky costume! More Vertigo action Group photo Taken whilst on the pedlos All aboard the pirate ship Rich and his bling Ash and Ian Craig gives the thumbs up Chrissy and Dan Final ride of the night

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]]> Fri Aug 11 2006 Parc Asterix http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c1048748.html Parc Asterix Tuesday 1 August 2006: Parc Asterix

Our last park of the journey Parc Asterix That where we are heading... I like this ride It really isn't as bad as some folk make out....Honest! Is that wood I can see in the distance? Le Vol de Icare The Mighty Zeus.....And some wooden coaster ;p View of Goudurix across the lake No, your eyes are not decieving you And the award for most popular Kodak Moment goes to... Zeus roaring though the tree's My number 2 wooden coaster. I wonder why.... Dispatch times were superb The calm before the storm (pun intended) Pun intended Spot the coaster enthusiast! Crazy carpet ride Was not impressed with this ride Oxgenarium Our boat span like mad around the whole course Whats that I can see peeking through the tree's? Why, it's Trace de Hourra The BEST bobsled in town The ascent Mid course breaks I think the Knight clan are enjoying their ride ;) Highly themed log flume Final coaster photo of the trip *sniff* Our home for the evening All out at sea on our return home

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]]> Tue Aug 1 2006 Europa Park http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c1048572.html Europa Park Saturday 29 July 2006: Europa Park

Is that the Loch Ness monster I see on the Horizon? No, it's Silver Star The world's greatest 'family' coaster ;) Look at that sexy curve Floaty airtime Shame about those darn trims Le entrance Plaza For lovers of Phantom Fantasia/Wicked Witches Haunt Inside that giant football is Eurosat Silver Star logo Matterhorn Blitz: Best thing about this ride is the vertical lift Schweizer Bobbahn: zzzzzz World's dullest bobsled coaster The mighty Poseidon Great themeing and fantastic splash downs shame the coaster sections aren't that great Poseidon themeing New for 2006 is Pegasus A fun family coaster Andy and Mary set out on their maiden voyage the green, green grass of Poseidon Euro Mir Give me Eurosat over this anyday :p Good fun though Yawn. what a waste of space It's called Atlantica Supersplash by the way Not worth the long queue Alpenexpress a fantastic powered mine train Home Silver Star station Silver Star and Poseidon Poseidon's station themeing is amazing Medusa's path Parade time! Europa certainly know how to put on a good show Rapids Crazy bridge HELP!

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]]> Sat Jul 29 2006 Holiday Park http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c1048556.html Holiday Park Friday 28 July 2006: Holiday Park

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]]> Fri Jul 28 2006 Tripsdrill http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c1048364.html Tripsdrill Thursday 27 July 2006: Tripsdrill

Here we are at Tripsdrill Fantastic drop tower type ride Definitely a case of biggest isnt always best Petting zoo Funky boat ride with water blasters Weird and wonderful spinning barrel ride These bikes are 'special' ;) Mary and Andy aboard the tame Waltzer type ride Rasender Tausendfüßler - try saying that when you've had a few too many! G'sengte Sau entangles the log flume Also know as the bath tub ride Not a pretty site Geoff's reaction to the bikini lady! And here's Andy's ;) Airtime! Laterals! I love how it weaves around the 'castle' rooftops Definitely gets top marks for re-ridability Check out the lush surroundings Helix time How cool do I look :p You will get wet Parting shot Andy in a Lake at our campsite!

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]]> Thu Jul 27 2006 Phantasialand http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c1047508.html Phantasialand Wednesday 26 July 2006: Phantasialand

Colorado Adventure aka The Michael Jackson Thrill Ride Great coaster The star of the show..... Yes, Black Mamba B&M goodness at its best Loop action Really does feel like you are in Africa Up close and personal Authentic masks were abound Another close call Can't fault them on the fantastic themeing/decor Lift hill action Excellent water feature ;) Themeing... An abandoned canoe The station design is awesome As is the dispatch soundtrack River Quest was extremely popular due to the heat Inside Wuze Town.... Home of the amazing Winja's Force and Fear Both great.... Force is the better of the two in my opinion Goodbye Wuze Town Back to the stunning ride that is River Quest Purple skies above the Mystery Castle I'm sure you can guess what the 'mystery' ride is. Shame the setting was so short though Met this creature back in 2004 Was my first encounter with the 'hippy' ghoul though! Mystery Castle has some superb themeing Lovely Cutting a path through the rocks Another look at the station The rock work is amazing The swooping first drop Happy riders no doubt This ride is good at interacting with the surrounds You are never to far from the roar of the trains themed 'toiletten' sign Closed :( Leaving Africa. Farewell Black Mamba Black Mamba overlooks our Tipi So close, yet so far Hope to ride this again in a couple of years time Whats so funny Geoff?!

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]]> Wed Jul 26 2006 Efteling http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c1047448.html Efteling Tuesday 25 July 2006: Efteling

Bobbahn is the parks Intamin Bob Sled coaster Mary and Andy aboard the rapids Python is the parks Vekoma looping corkscrew first drop corkscrew Vliegende Hollander is a theme heavy water coaster Kiddie coaster Pegasus VH looked great shame it was closed Flying Island Vogel Rok is a gem of a coaster Vogel Bird Carnival Festival. on the same vein as It's a Small World Dreamflight is a highly themed dark ride of epic proportions Villa Volta is the worlds first Vekoma Madhouse Indoor carousel The Flying Island provided some great views As can be seen here... and here.... Vogel Rok from above Vogel Rok ride station They don't call him long neck for nothing! Bobbahn has had new trains installed since my last visit Efteling's dramatic entrance Our campsite for the night.

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]]> Tue Jul 25 2006 Walibi World http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c1047424.html Walibi World Monday 24 July 2006: Walibi World

Walibi World entrance Walibi's mascot Group shot Thats my car...honest Opening ceremony Fab SLC, El Condor It was shut on my last visit so was nice to ride it at last So, whats that fun looking coaster I see in the distance? It's the infamous Goliath of course! Station lift hill Airtime! Andy and Mary ascend the lift hill There they are again Robin Hood wasn't as good as Loup Garou Still fun all the same Flying Dutchman Bog standard wild mouse coaster here's Andy getting thrown off the Bucking Bronco The making of King Solomons Mines Fantastic live action show Splash Battle - Gave this one a miss La Via Volta. Another boomerang Express which is basically Rock n Roller Coaster outdoors Wheel and rapids More rapid action Some views from above... Merlins Castle is a Vekoma Madhouse I think they like this ride ;) Dusk falls on Goliath This was where we camped for the night

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]]> Mon Jul 24 2006 Walibi Belgium http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c1047372.html Walibi Belgium Sunday 23 July 2006: Walibi Belgium

Our base for night 1 Walbi Belgium entrance Vampire is their average SLC Spot the vampire! thats enough photo's of this coaster Mary and her elephant friend Loup Garou is the parks vekoma woodie Calmaity mine is a fantastic minetrin coaster Mary and Andy are lovin' it! Even geoff manages to raise a smile! Whats that I can see over there? Why, its the Schwarzkopf goodness that is... Turbine! The launch on this ride is incredible Enjoying the rapids Yay a boomerang It's called Cobra one ride was enough Loup Garou from above Turbine in all its glory I'm a big fan of this ride Loup Garou turnaround

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]]> Sun Jul 23 2006 Alton Towers (Ghost Towers) weekender http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c968949.html The weekend was a mix of rides and hunting ghosts around the towers ruins. A lot of fun was had by all. Enjoy the photos. Friday 19 May 2006: The weekend was a mix of rides and hunting ghosts around the towers ruins. A lot of fun was had by all. Enjoy the photos.

Spinball Whizzer Immelman Spinall Whizzer entrance another Immelman shot Happy riders on Spinball New for 2006: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Rubbish! CatCF queue line video Geoff tries out a Rita test seat Rita Queen of Speed Indeed! The fab ride that is Duel! Congo River Rapids station Geoff before his soaking Pete strikes a pose Greatto see both waterfalls in action Katanga Canyon sign Geoff & Pete give the gardens their sign of approval! Heading through the ruins towards Hex Hex entrance Hex signage Hex fro ma distance So glad that I didnt have to queue for this Off to ride Nemesis Nemesis monster keeping a beady eye on riders I love how you can get up close and personal with this ride Nemesis moster Ripsaw flipping.. fountain action Good to see them back in action again wet riders! You are looking at the best seats in the house another Nemmy action shot Yup, its a zombie with a gun Awww Looking towards Towers Street The Towers ruins So much history is steeped within those walls riders about to be dropped down Oblivions hole down they go Top of drop Banked turn after drop Oblivion entrance Submission. Worth riding if there is no queue Oblivion lift hill X-Sector entrance Thunder Rock Rally Rita launch track Airtime. Track is painted green in places to blend in with the tree's Rita entrance tyre

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]]> Fri May 19 2006 Southparks Thorpe meet-up 19/03/06 http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c896017.html Photo's from the first SP meet of 2006....Yay. Sunday 19 March 2006: Photo's from the first SP meet of 2006....Yay.

Steve and Tobs on front seats Hey hey! It's Alex May! Steve Keefe gets comfy Tobs, mini Sku, Sku & Matt Collin Tobs, Sku, Matt and Steve CJW, Neil & Tobs Chelsea, Chrissy, Lotty, Nath & bf Carol (hiding), Ian & Big Stevie B Hucks, Michael and Louis Tobycups Tobycups2 Tobycups3 More tea cup action! And some more! Dave, Dan (Hurri) and Kirstie (mrs Hurri) Rumba action! Nemesis Inferno tunnel Stealth!!!!! and again... Queue jumping chav hoes! TPDave models the 'Bailey Ball' XNWO queue line action Take 2!

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]]> Sun Mar 19 2006 Thorpe Park opening day 2006. 15/3/06 http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c891734.html Today is the day I finally got to ride Thorpe's latest roller coaster, Stealth. I was one of those with 'ride it first' tickets courtesy of the RCCGB. The launch is amazing as is the top-hat (great view whilst it lasts!), descent and airtime hill which leads into the brakes. If you don’t come of this ride beaming from ear to ear then there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with you. Wednesday 15 March 2006: Today is the day I finally got to ride Thorpe's latest roller coaster, Stealth. I was one of those with 'ride it first' tickets courtesy of the RCCGB. The launch is amazing as is the top-hat (great view whilst it lasts!), descent and airtime hill which leads into the brakes. If you don_t come of this ride beaming from ear to ear then there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with you.

You'll be seeing a whole loada photos like this on here! mini group photo. Frenchy, Alex and Big dave Look at us with our Stealth tickets!!! Stealth sign Media were there today Waiting for Stealth to open rest of queue Rich at the front of the queue (as usual!) I'm loving Stealth's various signage train on tophat and on airtime hill entering station Control tower WWTP radio another tophat pic Amity Speedway Stealth entrance I wish there wasn't such a long delay on my digital camera! coming down the top hat WWTP radio truck Stealth launch yet another bloomin tophat shot ;) Group photo - Big Dave, Frenchy, Neilfever, Tobs, myself and Alex Entrance with various cool signs Tobcups!!!!! yup, its the tophat again the wonderful Detonator Frenchy, Tobs and Alex take on Rumba Rapids Colossus was down for most of the day. Least I got a ride Colossus airtime hill Stealth from above Rocky Express fun Burger King now has a dance floor ;) The mighty Inferno Nemesis Inferno Tunnel Kirstie, Tobs, Alex, Josh, Matt Colin, Frenchy and Hurri Amity Speedway there she goes! Wil soon change to green second and third train More superb signage Which ones Matt Collin!

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]]> Wed Mar 15 2006 Random Alton Towers photos http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c806345.html Found these photo's from a visit to the Towers in May. Monday 26 December 2005: Found these photo's from a visit to the Towers in May.

Craig on Spinball Whizzer Steve after his spin dry Craig and Neil (aka water magnet!) aboard the flume Mitch and Dave prepare for a power shower (literally) Congo River rapids only one of the waterfalls was working Oi Craig, the camera's this way... Craig (daydreaming), Mitch and Neil lounging around! Rita launching... and returning to the station I think they're a bit lost!

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]]> Mon Dec 26 2005 Southparks.org @ Thorpe Park Fright Nights 2005 http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c741130.html Southparks.org @ Thorpe Park Fright Nights 2005 Tuesday 25 October 2005: Southparks.org @ Thorpe Park Fright Nights 2005

Inferno The BPB logo as modelled by alex, dave and tobs Brother of Lichtenstein! Dave getting 'exited' by Stealth! Stealth construction..w00t fanboy shot 1 fanboy shot 2 look at teh fanboys lolorz tbh yawn tried to go for the artistic approach with this one ;) Dave...Knight of the round 'burger' Security trying to spoil the fun Asylum entrance Asylum entrance + babe my type of gal Asylum signage close up Hellgate queuing area Da professor Lichtenstein Dave and Tobs...a terrifying sight! 'themeing' Rush at night sign looks ace when all lit up Asylum at night... lit with spooky green lights Nemesis Inferno queue line action! Karate kid Lichtenstein! how sophisticated! Lichtenstein and Dave get intimate Inferno all lit up

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]]> Tue Oct 25 2005 ECC - Flamingoland http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c727680.html Photo's taken during the ECC club trip to Flamingoland theme park. Saturday 15 October 2005: Photo's taken during the ECC club trip to Flamingoland theme park.

Mary assumes the position on Velocity They're off! up and over the first hill there are two bunny hops before the brakes arriving at the station more Velocity launch action Pete and Mike are on the front seats Terroriser has some serious hangtime! Magnum lift hill into the first loop third loop these inversion are pretty intense! SLC building site..wow! Chris models his sexy see-through poncho Chris on the Waltzers this ride SUCKS. utterly dreadful. Its called Tidal wave by the way ;) A fun Wild Mouse coaster Terroriser in full swing Velocity from above you can see most of the layout in this shot Abnormally smooth! due to original trains and decent wheels :p Magnum from the cable car Lost River Ride Poncho's highly recommended! Chris is 'lovin' the sky ride Magnum Force from the air and from ground level will be shame to see it go but its had its time Lost River is pretty darn boring watch out for the waterfall after the splash! Magnum Force peeking through the trees Velocity And here's another bunch of Magnum Force shots Magnum Force entrance

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]]> Sat Oct 15 2005 RCCGB Loopathon 2005 - Alton Towers & Drayton Manor http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c721938.html Some photos from the weekend. Alton was on the 8th and Drayton on the 9th. Saturday 8 October 2005: Some photos from the weekend. Alton was on the 8th and Drayton on the 9th.

Friday night fun at Peakstones Rich and I take on the karaoke machine! As we belt out Wannabe.. we hear glasses smashing all around us all good fun though! drinkage Rita entrance Oblivion drop Waiting for Oblivion to open The camera's over here Ash! Oi! Wot you lookin at? Steve in the Towers ruins group shot Stained glass window Banqueting hall fire place Looking up at the impressive stained glass Towers ruins Towers ruins Looking over to Oblivion from the top of the towers Another shot of Oblivion from above restoration work still continues the Towers a rainswept view of the towers from the top its a shame the weather was so poor a rain battered Steve! another stained glass window inside chapel ornate chapel ceiling what you dont see is the dead squirrel on the floor! another ceiling shot Walkin da walk Rita ERS the 'real' chained Oak aka the Hex tree look how high those chains go a stunning sight eeirie too I'd love to know how they attached all those chains Dan, Rich and Dave at the base of the tree Dan, Dave and I Peakstones breakfast room Look at all those cuddly toys! Apocalypse ERS G-Force fun (ish), but a wasted opportunity Dave, Ian and their pirate friend Poser! Ian gets friendly with a shark! Cyclone

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]]> Sat Oct 8 2005 Random Chessington photos. Last update: 25/3/06 http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c693628.html Serves the same purpose as the random Thorpe photo collection. If I only take a few photos at the park then I'll put them here rather than creating a new collection. Latest update: 25/3/06 - Southparks mini meet at Chessington Saturday 25 March 2006: Serves the same purpose as the random Thorpe photo collection. If I only take a few photos at the park then I'll put them here rather than creating a new collection. Latest update: 25/3/06 - Southparks mini meet at Chessington

02/04/05 - Rameses Revenge 02/04/05 - Dragons Fury 02/04/05 - Dragons Fury 02/04/05 - view from Peeking Heights 02/04/05 - Dragon Falls 02/04/05 - Dragons Fury 02/04/05 - Rameses Revenge 02/04/05 - view from peeking Heights 02/04/05 - Dragons Fury 02/04/05 - Dragon Falls 02/04/05 - Dragon Falls 02/04/05 - Dragon Falls 02/04/05 - Buddah 02/04/05 - Panning for gold 02/04/05 - Dragon Falls 16/06/05 - me after a soaking on Billys Whizzer! 16/06/05 - Dragons Fury from above 16/06/05 - and again 16/06/05 - Well, I found this sign funny anyway! 16/06/05 - Professor Burps Bubbleworks 16/06/05 - Bubbleworks 16/06/05 - Bubbleworks 16/06/05 - Bubbleworks 16/06/05 - Bubbleworks 16/06/05 - Bubbleworks Finale 16/06/05 - Professor Burp 25/09/05 - Vampire queue line 25/09/05 - Dave in a pink dodgem 25/09/05 - Carol goes for red 25/09/05 - Rich is another fan of pink! 25/09/05 - Whilst Gins goes for black 25/09/05 - Rich getting a soaking on Billys Whizzer! 25/09/05 - All aboard Dragon Falls 25/09/05 - Rich and Josh take part in the Milk Shot Challenge! 25/09/05 - down the hatch 25/09/05 - Though most of Rich's went down his face 25/3/06 We weren't happy with the 'new' Bubbleworks 25/3/06 - Spinning madness.. 25/3/06 - on a carousel of all things! 25/3/06 - The famous yellow jacket flashes past 25/3/06 25/3/06 - The obligatory group photo 25/3/06 - 'New' Bubbleworks station

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]]> Sat Mar 25 2006 Blackpool Pleasure Beach http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c669703.html Our short stint in Blackpool started on the 24th, but the main day was Thurday the 25th. Here are pictures from both days. Enjoy. Finally updated the captions! Thursday 25 August 2005: Our short stint in Blackpool started on the 24th, but the main day was Thurday the 25th. Here are pictures from both days. Enjoy. Finally updated the captions!

Dave on the Grand National Me and Steve on the Big Dipper themeing Geoffrey Thompson train sign Grand Prix entrance Irn Bru Revolution Dipper and Pepsi Max Big One Millenium Dome Grand Prix station Replica F1 Car (ride is sponsored by Jordan) Avalanche with PMBO in background Big One lift hill Grand Prix and Irn Bru Bobsled from the British team Avalanche lift hill Avalanche themeing Avalanche opening plaque Avelanche on ride action Irn Bru Revolution from above Revolution loop Pumpin iron! Cannonball Dave Zipper Dipper track Zipper Dipper lift hill Zipper Dipper flashing sign Dave gives Zipper the thumbs up! Magic Mountain themeing Magic Mountain entrance Roller Coaster lift hill Roller Coaster signage Restored Velvet Coaster car Roller Coaster onride action Ghost Train Ghost Train themeing The Worlds most haunted ghost train! Trauma Towers Pasaje del Terror walkthrough attraction Thunderbird 3 Pleasure Beach carpark entrance Grand National Tower River Caves facade Avalanche overview Spin Doctor (more like lame doctor!) sign. Steeplechase entrance Bling! a dreadful ride (imo) yet another PMBO lift hill shot! Irn-Bru Revolution sign

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]]> Thu Aug 25 2005 Brean Leisure Park http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c653737.html Brean Leisure Park Sunday 14 August 2005: Brean Leisure Park

All aboard the Caterpillar! Sky Ways - just another 'average' coaster Mary and Jez on Sky Ways Rich and Dave survived Terror Castle! So did Jez and Mary! Sky Ways Dave and Rich on the bumpy slides Dan and Rich about to get thrown about! Chelle and co Dan wearing his trademark sunglasses and Rich with his trademark smile! Dave all on his own..awwww Ian and Dave ride the ghost train this is one of the best ghost trains out there Invisible toilets!

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]]> Sun Aug 14 2005 RCCGB Mega-GLOW-Mania (Oakwood) 2005 http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c653677.html RCCGB Mega-GLOW-Mania (Oakwood) 2005 Saturday 13 August 2005: RCCGB Mega-GLOW-Mania (Oakwood) 2005

Tobs showing off his tent erecting skills Andy's car was feeling poorly after the long journey Footy Chilling My cheap, rubbish bbq! Dave modelling Steve's bbq Geoff and Dave dancing to the Yogi Bear song group photo Ian, Emma and Martin join in with the festivities Waiting for the Meteor show to begin Krusty the Clown! meteor watching What a show! Tobs in a boat Captains Dave and Dan The infamous Treetops pose part 1 ...and part 2 Tobs plays ball Rich loses his head Now he's dancing on the ceiling! Martin and Emma doing some breakdancing big kids Dave and Rich A swinging Rich Vertigo riders Ryan after his 4000th ride on Megafobia A glowing Rich Ian and Dave Dan all lit up like a Christmas tree! Stage show Geoff uses his psychic powers to energise his glow sticks! Lookin good! Fireworks ooooooo!!!!! aaaaaaaah!!!! Night ERS on Megafobia a glowtastic Sarah Booker A glowing June ready to depart Happy riders! the new improved Tobmobile The drink is taking its toll on Geoff! Ian strikes a haunting pose

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]]> Sat Aug 13 2005 RCCGB Summer Bash - Hayling Island http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c609427.html RCCGB Summer Bash - Hayling Island Saturday 9 July 2005: RCCGB Summer Bash - Hayling Island

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]]> Sat Jul 9 2005 Random Thorpe Park pictures. Last update: 19/08/2007 http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c555795.html Sometimes I only take a few random photos when visiting Thorpe Park. All these will be placed in this collection. Latest updates: 27/5/05 Rush opening 11/06/05 ECC Furious Inferno 2 trip 24/09/05 Dans 18th Birthday 30/10/05 Second visit to Fright Nights! 23/03/06 RCCGB 'Stealth Attack' 14/4/06 'Be Discovered' event. 19/08/2007 Freezer exterior photo Friday 14 April 2006: Sometimes I only take a few random photos when visiting Thorpe Park. All these will be placed in this collection. Latest updates: 27/5/05 Rush opening 11/06/05 ECC Furious Inferno 2 trip 24/09/05 Dans 18th Birthday 30/10/05 Second visit to Fright Nights! 23/03/06 RCCGB 'Stealth Attack' 14/4/06 'Be Discovered' event. 19/08/2007 Freezer exterior photo

Steve guards The Freezer @ Fright Nights 2004 Colossus 11/06/05 - ECC Furious Inferno 2 11/06/05 11/06/05 11/06/05 - Slammer 11/06/05 11/06/05 11/06/05 11/06/05 11/06/05 - Stealth building site 11/06/05 11/06/05 - Rush ERS 11/06/05 - Rush ERS 11/06/05 11/06/05 11/06/05 11/06/05 - preparing for the Slammer ERS 11/06/05 27/5/05 - Rush opening day 27/5/05 27/5/05 - Balloons are released to signal Rush's launch 27/5/05 - See if you can spot Neil! 27/5/05 27/5/05 27/5/05 - school uniforms all round! 27/5/05 27/5/05 27/5/05 27/5/05 - Happy Rush riders! 27/5/05 - Not so happy when the ride is over! 27/5/05 27/5/05 27/5/05 27/5/05 - damn those nets! 27/5/05 11/06/05 11/06/05 24/09/05 - Andy and Birthday boy Dan 24/09/05 - Gins, Rich and Rach are lovin Rocky Express! 24/09/05 - Rich and his man-boobs!!! 24/09/05 - The towering structure of Stealth 24/09/05 - group photo 24/09/05 - Stealth through the trees 24/09/05 - 24/09/05 - Stealth tophat is on ground 24/09/05 - Cherrypicker action! 24/09/05

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]]> Fri Apr 14 2006 Jardin d' Acclimatation http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c536107.html Jardin d Acclimatation is a small family amusement park in Paris. This would be the final stop on our coaster riding weekend before heading back to London. If you are ever in Paris and have an hour or two to spare before taking the Europe star home, I'd really recommend you visit this place. Sunday 8 May 2005: Jardin d Acclimatation is a small family amusement park in Paris. This would be the final stop on our coaster riding weekend before heading back to London. If you are ever in Paris and have an hour or two to spare before taking the Europe star home, I'd really recommend you visit this place.

Tacot Express train Steve and Steve! Rob Andy and Michelle Tacot Express layout Papillons d'Alice lift hill Papillons d'Alice layout Papillons d'Alice layout Toby and Mary look impressed Dragon Dragon 'theming' All aboard the Dragon coaster Dragon train The French version of the Red Arrows a bored and lonely bear We managed to get a backwards rie on the chair-o-planes Tacot Express station the airtime section!

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]]> Sun May 8 2005 Parc Asterix/Foire du Trone http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c532011.html Our first Parc visit on the weekend. Parc Asterix. Queue's were low and the weather managed to hold out most of the time. A good time was had by all. Saturday 7 May 2005: Our first Parc visit on the weekend. Parc Asterix. Queue's were low and the weather managed to hold out most of the time. A good time was had by all.

View of Park Asterix from inside entrance view of Goudurix from lake Tonnerre de Zeus, #2 on my top woodie list! Vol D'Icare Goudurix lift hill Goudurix loop Goudurix entrance detailed theming was in abundance Oxygenarium Steve K, Andy, Toby and Steve B! Rob and Michelle Oxygenarium entrance Périférix Périférix train Steve and Rob Trace Du Hourra entrance Trace Du Hourra train Trace Du Hourra lift hill All smiles.... Even though they got soaked! Silly faces... and cheesy grins on the rapids Mary is loving it! another shot of Vol D'Icare Tonnerre de Zeus brake run Tonnerre de Zeus lift hill Steve and friend Goudurix isnt as rough as people make out View Tonnerre de Zeus from Goudurix

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]]> Sat May 7 2005 RCCGB Blackpool Bash 2005 http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c496356.html This years Bash took place from the 8-10th of April. Enjoy the photos. Friday 8 April 2005: This years Bash took place from the 8-10th of April. Enjoy the photos.

Pleasure Beach entrance Valhalla Valhalla 2 Flying Machines Ice Blast Derby Racer Alice in Wonderland Ghost Train Gold Mine Big Dipper Big Dipper 2 Roller Coaster Big One Log Flume Big One 2 Wild Mouse Grand National Wild Mouse 2 Wild Mouse 3 Wild Mouse 4 Revolution a 'trapped' Rich! Dan, Sam and Mike prepare for lift off Friday night fun Paddy Greene Andy Hine with Franklin.... a magician 'victims' on stage Dan and Mike Sam and Dave riding the Dipper Steeplechase lift hill Steeplechase Helen and Dave Coaster couple Rachel and Andy P Bunch of big babies! Jeff and Becky Brown enjoying their first Blackpool Bash This certainly IS a very wet ride! Valhalla vents its final fury! Valhalla aftermath Grand National ERS on-ride Rich and Andy K give the Nash the thumbs up Happy riders Holding hands Dave and his sexy hat!

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]]> Fri Apr 8 2005 Alton Towers 6/04/05 http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c492756.html My first visit to Alton this season. Mainly to ride their new rollercoaster, Rita: Queen of Speed. (captions coming soon) Wednesday 6 April 2005: My first visit to Alton this season. Mainly to ride their new rollercoaster, Rita: Queen of Speed. (captions coming soon)

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]]> Wed Apr 6 2005 Thorpe Park 20/03/05 http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c470200.html Thorpe Park 20/03/05 Sunday 20 March 2005: Thorpe Park 20/03/05

Slammer in all its glory Colossus station Samurai Colossus Rush promo poster Rush construction Inferno Inferno 2 Inferno 3 Detonator... Still my favourite tower ride Alex and Toby on Detonator Tobs and co on teacups Stealth site. Thats where the Fish used to be. Not much to see at this point in time Rumba Rapids Rumba Rapids 2 Rich on Rumba Inferno 4 Inferno station X:\ Whats the Point Rush Construction 2....interesting stuff ;-) X station.....wow 'Amazing' X themeing yet another Inferno shot... and another.... and another.... last one Beware of these people. They try to take your money! shake dat ass! Slammer 2 Slammer entrance Shame the ride wasnt open :( Zodiac stuck halfway up Vortex a relic of the past The Stuntzmania show pretty boring... until I took part... such fun... had to 'pretend' to throw him onto the mat Bikes in a cage impressive indeed a wet Rich on Rumba

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]]> Sun Mar 20 2005 Brighton Pier Fun Fair http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c352953.html Today Toby, Steve, Rob, Michelle and myself met up at Victoria train station and headed out to Brighton for the day. We had only gone there for one reason of course, and that was to try out the fun fair at the end of Brighton Pier. We all brought 20 pounds worth of tokens. Much more than needed I might add! We went on Turbo, a rough Pinfari Looper. Still an OK ride. Crazy Mouse, an average spinning mouse coaster. The Waltzer. The Sizzler. The Ghost Train. And not a scary one at that. The naked witch with a broomstick coming out of a certain area was amusing though! I'm sure it wasnt originally intended to be. And finally Wild River, a really good travelling log flume (anyone know the manufacturer?). Didnt get you too wet thankfully, as it wasnt exactly water ride weather! Lunch was amusing due to Toby ordering what he thought was a small sized pizza for one. Turned out to be family sized. Meant that he didnt go hungry for the rest of the day though!!! So overall it was a good day. Excellent company. OK rides. Good weather considering the time of year (no gloves were needed!!!). But It will definatly be a while before I go back to Brighton again. Mainly because it makes for an expensive day out. Also because most the rides there can be found at most fun fairs. Carl Saturday 27 November 2004: Today Toby, Steve, Rob, Michelle and myself met up at Victoria train station and headed out to Brighton for the day. We had only gone there for one reason of course, and that was to try out the fun fair at the end of Brighton Pier. We all brought 20 pounds worth of tokens. Much more than needed I might add! We went on Turbo, a rough Pinfari Looper. Still an OK ride. Crazy Mouse, an average spinning mouse coaster. The Waltzer. The Sizzler. The Ghost Train. And not a scary one at that. The naked witch with a broomstick coming out of a certain area was amusing though! I'm sure it wasnt originally intended to be. And finally Wild River, a really good travelling log flume (anyone know the manufacturer?). Didnt get you too wet thankfully, as it wasnt exactly water ride weather! Lunch was amusing due to Toby ordering what he thought was a small sized pizza for one. Turned out to be family sized. Meant that he didnt go hungry for the rest of the day though!!! So overall it was a good day. Excellent company. OK rides. Good weather considering the time of year (no gloves were needed!!!). But It will definatly be a while before I go back to Brighton again. Mainly because it makes for an expensive day out. Also because most the rides there can be found at most fun fairs. Carl

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]]> Sat Nov 27 2004 RCCGB Loopathon trip - Alton Towers and Drayton Manor http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c313170.html RCCGB Loopathon trip - Alton Towers and Drayton Manor Saturday 9 October 2004: RCCGB Loopathon trip - Alton Towers and Drayton Manor

Oblivion ERS Air Air 2 Air 3 Air 4 Air 5 Air 6 Air 7 Scaffolding on Nemmy Spinball Whizzer Spinball Whizzer2 Spinball Whizzer3 Spinball Whizzer4 Death and co on Apocalypse a happy looking Death Keith, Sam and co Apocalypse ERS Maelstrom mini ERS Maelstrom 2 Maelstrom 3 Maelstrom 4 Maelstrom 5 Tob, Dan, Andy, Rach and Rich Craig on Pandemonium Pandemonium Death, Steve and co on Apocalypse Dan, Steve and Death in a spin! Picking up speed! Smile for the camera! The Sheppards and Sam after a soaking! Coaster couple Andy and Rachel The Wild Bunch! Rowan, Andy, Keith, Sam and Pete horsing around! park view park view 2 Pandemonium from above park view 3 Whats Dan looking at?! Steve, Andy, Rich and Dan prepare for lift off Assume the sitting position! Shockwave ERS Mike, Rich, Dan and Toby on Shockwave

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]]> Sat Oct 9 2004 Winter Wonderland (Millennium Dome) http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c294371.html At last, the Millennium Dome has been used for something decent since its demise! Shame we got charged ten quid for the privilage on top of the wristband price though.... A bit of a downer for peeps like me who only went for the Fun Fair. And speaking of the fair, it was a fairly decent one at that. There were a good selection of rides on offer which included a Top Buzz 2 (run on a crazy setting!), Drop Tower, Booster ride and Tsunami, a Pinfari Inverter, which was OK but nothing special. Hopefully we will see a bigger and better Winter Wonderland in 2004. Sunday 21 December 2003: At last, the Millennium Dome has been used for something decent since its demise! Shame we got charged ten quid for the privilage on top of the wristband price though.... A bit of a downer for peeps like me who only went for the Fun Fair. And speaking of the fair, it was a fairly decent one at that. There were a good selection of rides on offer which included a Top Buzz 2 (run on a crazy setting!), Drop Tower, Booster ride and Tsunami, a Pinfari Inverter, which was OK but nothing special. Hopefully we will see a bigger and better Winter Wonderland in 2004.

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]]> Sun Dec 21 2003 Thorpe Park 19/09/04 http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c291817.html Spent today with fellow coaster club members and also a couple of members from Thorpe Park Guides message board. A great day was had by all, which included ride takeovers aplenty. Even on the dreadful X No Way Out! Which now has a disco light at the bottom of the lift hill. Tussauds attempt at high tech special effects! Why cant they just make the ride magically disappear! The only downer to the day was the amount of sick lying around the place. Although Tobys reaction to the sick in the XNWO exit tunnel was highly amusing! Roll on Fright Nights in October. Sunday 19 September 2004: Spent today with fellow coaster club members and also a couple of members from Thorpe Park Guides message board. A great day was had by all, which included ride takeovers aplenty. Even on the dreadful X No Way Out! Which now has a disco light at the bottom of the lift hill. Tussauds attempt at high tech special effects! Why cant they just make the ride magically disappear! The only downer to the day was the amount of sick lying around the place. Although Tobys reaction to the sick in the XNWO exit tunnel was highly amusing! Roll on Fright Nights in October.

new for 2005 Look. No hands!!! Josh & Steve on the Rocky express Nemesis Inferno loop Dan and Steve on the rapids Nemesis Inferno corkscrew Nemesis Inferno loop2 Inferno helix into the corkscrew Close up yet another corkscrew shot! round they go Prepare for detonation Down they go...... and out they fall!!! Dave wearing dodgy merchandise! Do ya think i'm sexy?!! the kiddie ride that is the Samurai i nearly fell asleep on this ride yawn!!! testing out the self portrait mode on my camera! Dave and Steve on Loggers Leap happy riders Dave and Dteve give Rocky Express the thumbs up! Rocky Express take-over. Such fun! ooooo look. Its me!!! Cheers for the picture Steve K!

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]]> Sun Sep 19 2004 Light Water Valley http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c289654.html Light Water Valley Sunday 5 September 2004: Light Water Valley

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]]> Sun Sep 5 2004 Flamingo Land http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c289653.html Dru, Geoff, Toby, Sarah, Pete and myself met up for a weekend of fun and frolicks up North in Yorkshire. Using Dru's house as a stop over, we did Flamingo Land on the Saturday and Light Water Valley on the Sunday. Highlights of the day for me were Magnum Force anf the Bullet, which both might be going. Lowlights were wasps, and the Lost River Ride, which was definatly lost..........Lost in development! Saturday 4 September 2004: Dru, Geoff, Toby, Sarah, Pete and myself met up for a weekend of fun and frolicks up North in Yorkshire. Using Dru's house as a stop over, we did Flamingo Land on the Saturday and Light Water Valley on the Sunday. Highlights of the day for me were Magnum Force anf the Bullet, which both might be going. Lowlights were wasps, and the Lost River Ride, which was definatly lost..........Lost in development!

Bullet Bullet 2 The camera's this way Dru! Cliff Hanger Tidal Wave Bullet 3 Bullet 4 Bullet 5 Bullet 6 Corkscrew 1 Corkscrew 2 Corkscrew 3 Magnum Force Magnum Force 2 Bullet 7 Bullet 8 Bullet 9 Magnum Force 3 Magnum Force 4 Magnum Force 5 Magnum Force 6 Magnum Force 7 Magnum Force 8 Magnum Force 9 Magnum Force 10 Magnum Force 11 Lost River Ride Lost River Ride 2 Lost River Ride 3 Lost River Ride Bullet 10 Bullet 11 Bullet 12 Magnum Force 12 Magnum Force 13 Magnum Force 14 Bullet 13 Magnum Force entrance

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]]> Sat Sep 4 2004 Thorpe Park, May 2003 http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c289650.html Thorpe Park, May 2003 Wednesday 14 May 2003: Thorpe Park, May 2003

Colossus loop Zodiac Quantum New for 2003 - Nemesis Inferno wish it lasted a bit longer though! Detonator Tidal Wave down the drop Good fun..... Vortex has floaty airtime in the high seats ah well, I'm just happy to see a B&M down south at last! hey, I'm in New York! the tidal wave washing over me and my camera! Colossus Inline Colossus loop Colossus corkscrew Its actually running for a change! You WILL get wet! Eclipse whilst the lower seats provide no forces at all The 'tidal wave' in all its glory and a pile of crap when it isnt! Excellent when run on a high setting.. Loggers Leap - Best log flume in the UK! X No Way Out - thankfully there is!

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]]> Wed May 14 2003 Thorpe park opening day 2004 http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c289644.html Thorpe park opening day 2004 Sunday 21 March 2004: Thorpe park opening day 2004

Steve in a spin! Claire, John and co recieve a soaking... but still seem to be very happy! Some very wet RCCGB members my favourite tower ride more like a gentle river ride! ah look, its the Flying Fish Steve is the only one on Vortex! Steve's enjoying the rapids a bit too much!

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]]> Sun Mar 21 2004 Adventure Island http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c267108.html Adventure Island Sunday 22 August 2004: Adventure Island

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]]> Sun Aug 22 2004 RCCGB - Mega-GLOW-Mania 2004 (Oakwood) http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c259717.html RCCGB - Mega-GLOW-Mania 2004 (Oakwood) Sunday 15 August 2004: RCCGB - Mega-GLOW-Mania 2004 (Oakwood)

camping was great fun Arty Hydro shot Megafobia was the perfect wake up call! Hand slapping central Ascending the lift hill Hey look, its Mike! Fobia track layout first drop Steve Keefe prepares fpr take off Greg and Mandy geoff D Flying Scooter squadron leader Jason Wakeling And they're off! plenty of chain snapping took place! Drusilla Andy Hine and co being winched into the air up they go....... before plummeting back down to earth Dan shows his support for woodies! The Wakelings and Pete D prepare to bounce! Lyndon and family on the Bounce up they go! swinging both ways! the red train is supposidly better than the green one! down the first drop it goes stranded! view from the lake What a pro! Frying tonight!!! Vertigo in all its glory Kelly survives the tea trays! Pete, Howard, Rich and Andy Ginny, Mary, Kelly and Steve aboard Treetops Pete, Colin, Paul and Geoff after a ride on Fobia Look at Geoff go! Lyndon and Pete D flashing! Steve plays bouncer for the day psychedelic!!! Stop picking yer nose Andy! Honestly, I dont know who those mad people are! this show was much better than last years oooooo aaaaaahhhh wooooooo glowing and flashing club members

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]]> Sun Aug 15 2004 Tusenfryd http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c255734.html Day 4 of the camping and Coasters 2004 tour. Tusenfryd is a beautiful mountainside theme park just south of Olso in Norway. First stop of the day was the Allot & Lomax/ Vekoma/ Gerstlaurer woodie. And a good one at that. But not as amazing as a lot of people had hyped it up to be. The first drop twists up into a huge airtime hill. This is then followed by some tight twist and turns and more airtime hills which provided a couple of ejector seat moments. Loopen was a fairly smooth Vekoma Corkscrew roller coaster, which also featured a loop. There was only one nasty moment, and that was the transition after the corkscrew. Supersplash was the ‘new for 2003’ Mack Water Coaster. Was more like a fancy Spill Water though. After ascending the lift hill there’s a dip in the track just before the turn around. The drop itself dives ‘underground’ before rising up and down into the splash itself. A very wet experience. Fun while it lasts. Spokelses Slottet was an ok ghost house walk through. The ‘New for 2004’ RollOver from Mondial was pretty boring. Not as good as a Topspin. Viking Raid was an interactive cinema type ride featuring some rather cool special effects. There was also the usual log flume etc. All in all, Tusenfryd is a great little park with plenty to do. Saturday 3 July 2004: Day 4 of the camping and Coasters 2004 tour. Tusenfryd is a beautiful mountainside theme park just south of Olso in Norway. First stop of the day was the Allot & Lomax/ Vekoma/ Gerstlaurer woodie. And a good one at that. But not as amazing as a lot of people had hyped it up to be. The first drop twists up into a huge airtime hill. This is then followed by some tight twist and turns and more airtime hills which provided a couple of ejector seat moments. Loopen was a fairly smooth Vekoma Corkscrew roller coaster, which also featured a loop. There was only one nasty moment, and that was the transition after the corkscrew. Supersplash was the _new for 2003_ Mack Water Coaster. Was more like a fancy Spill Water though. After ascending the lift hill there_s a dip in the track just before the turn around. The drop itself dives _underground_ before rising up and down into the splash itself. A very wet experience. Fun while it lasts. Spokelses Slottet was an ok ghost house walk through. The _New for 2004_ RollOver from Mondial was pretty boring. Not as good as a Topspin. Viking Raid was an interactive cinema type ride featuring some rather cool special effects. There was also the usual log flume etc. All in all, Tusenfryd is a great little park with plenty to do.

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]]> Sat Jul 3 2004 Bakken http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c255630.html Day 3 of the Camping and Coasters 2004 tour. After a 6 (ish) hour drive, we finally arrived at Bakken. Where it rained for most of the day! First impressions were that the park looked like one of those places with hidden gems around every corner. And it was. Mainly due to the fact that its the oldest amusement park in the world. There are a lot of attractions crammed into a small area. Kind of like a mini BPB. Rutschebanen was the first stop. This was my first experience of a Scenic Railway, and boy was it good. No, it was'nt an all out thrill machine, but that’s not the point to these sorts of coasters. It was all about the fun factor. The coaster has a beautiful layout with plenty of pleasant airtime filled dips. Mine Train Ulven was a very fast kiddie with an insane first drop. Took all of us by surprise! Jungle Safari was like Golden Nuggets but better. Racing, a Zierer Flitzer was a fun coaster with an intense twisted layout. We also took a ride on the S&S Double Shot in the rain (still fun). Our wet ride on a round booster type ride wasn’t so fun though. I might as well have jumped into a bath fully clothed! The award for best unique ride of the trip goes to a crocodile themed ride which is best described as flying scooters on water. You have to see it to believe it. Great fun. Friday 2 July 2004: Day 3 of the Camping and Coasters 2004 tour. After a 6 (ish) hour drive, we finally arrived at Bakken. Where it rained for most of the day! First impressions were that the park looked like one of those places with hidden gems around every corner. And it was. Mainly due to the fact that its the oldest amusement park in the world. There are a lot of attractions crammed into a small area. Kind of like a mini BPB. Rutschebanen was the first stop. This was my first experience of a Scenic Railway, and boy was it good. No, it was'nt an all out thrill machine, but that_s not the point to these sorts of coasters. It was all about the fun factor. The coaster has a beautiful layout with plenty of pleasant airtime filled dips. Mine Train Ulven was a very fast kiddie with an insane first drop. Took all of us by surprise! Jungle Safari was like Golden Nuggets but better. Racing, a Zierer Flitzer was a fun coaster with an intense twisted layout. We also took a ride on the S&S Double Shot in the rain (still fun). Our wet ride on a round booster type ride wasn_t so fun though. I might as well have jumped into a bath fully clothed! The award for best unique ride of the trip goes to a crocodile themed ride which is best described as flying scooters on water. You have to see it to believe it. Great fun.

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]]> Fri Jul 2 2004 Six Flags Holland http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c255619.html Day 2 of the Camping and Coasters 2004 tour. The day had to be started off with a ride of Goliath (Intamin Mega Coaster), the parks signature attraction. We were welcomed with an empty queue line so made a bee line for the front seats. The lift hill is taken at a steady pace before dropping into the airtime filled 150 ft first drop. Plenty of highly banked turns and airtime hills follow this, including the infamous Stengel Dive. No surprises that this is now my number 1 steelie. Next up was the Vekoma woodie, Robin Hood. Which like Loup Garou was fun and forceful like all good woodie’s should be! Included a fair bit of airtime, which is always good. Superman the Ride was a launched Vekoma Looping Coaster. The LIM launch itself was fun. The rest of the ride was alright if a little rough (surprise, surprise). The Vekie Boomerang was exactly the same as the one at SFB. Very smooth. Merlin’s Castle was the second Vekoma Mad House on the tour. From what I could tell, the storyline (told in Dutch) Was about Merlin the Wizard versus an evil owl. Another good Mad House. No way a Hex beater though!!! El Condor, Vekoma’s first ever (sadly not last lol) SLC was closed. Deeply upsetting (not!). Thursday 1 July 2004: Day 2 of the Camping and Coasters 2004 tour. The day had to be started off with a ride of Goliath (Intamin Mega Coaster), the parks signature attraction. We were welcomed with an empty queue line so made a bee line for the front seats. The lift hill is taken at a steady pace before dropping into the airtime filled 150 ft first drop. Plenty of highly banked turns and airtime hills follow this, including the infamous Stengel Dive. No surprises that this is now my number 1 steelie. Next up was the Vekoma woodie, Robin Hood. Which like Loup Garou was fun and forceful like all good woodie_s should be! Included a fair bit of airtime, which is always good. Superman the Ride was a launched Vekoma Looping Coaster. The LIM launch itself was fun. The rest of the ride was alright if a little rough (surprise, surprise). The Vekie Boomerang was exactly the same as the one at SFB. Very smooth. Merlin_s Castle was the second Vekoma Mad House on the tour. From what I could tell, the storyline (told in Dutch) Was about Merlin the Wizard versus an evil owl. Another good Mad House. No way a Hex beater though!!! El Condor, Vekoma_s first ever (sadly not last lol) SLC was closed. Deeply upsetting (not!).

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]]> Thu Jul 1 2004 Camping & Coasters 2004 - Six Flags Belgium http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c255601.html Day 1 of the camping and Coasters 2004 tour. The first ride of the day was Loup Garou, a wooden coaster. I went along with a few reservations due to it being made by Vekoma, but was pleasantly surprised. There were some tightly banked turns and a fair bit of airtime thrown in for good measure aswell. The best bits being the double drop and a surprise (well, sort of!) drop near the end, which packed quite a punch. In short the ride was forceful and fun and proved that Vekoma can make good coasters!!! Other rides ridden were: Vampire – A really nasty Vekoma SLC. Head banging central or what!!! I tried positioning my head at several angles to try and ease the pain, but to no avail. I was glad to get off the thing. Give me Traumatizer any day! Turbine – This was my first experience of a Launched Coaster. And it literally blew me away. The launch and loop are enclosed in a building which really adds to the intensity of the ride. Good old Anton really knew how to make coasters as I discovered later on in the trip! Calamity Mine – A fun if tame Vekoma steelie featuring two lift hills. Radja River – Now, this was one of the highlights of the day. This was an extremely wet rapids ride on which most of us got a good soaking. Especially Keith and Matt just after they thought that they’d escaped the worst!!! Le Palais du Génie – A great little middle eastern themed Vekoma Mad House. The storyline revolves around monkey releasing a Genie. Couldn’t make out the rest due to the language barrier. Cobra – Smooth Vekoma Boomerang. Challenge of Tutankamon – A great interactive shoot em up. With a gun that does wear on the trigger finger! It has high production values, features 2 endings (debatable!), but could have been longer. Wednesday 30 June 2004: Day 1 of the camping and Coasters 2004 tour. The first ride of the day was Loup Garou, a wooden coaster. I went along with a few reservations due to it being made by Vekoma, but was pleasantly surprised. There were some tightly banked turns and a fair bit of airtime thrown in for good measure aswell. The best bits being the double drop and a surprise (well, sort of!) drop near the end, which packed quite a punch. In short the ride was forceful and fun and proved that Vekoma can make good coasters!!! Other rides ridden were: Vampire _ A really nasty Vekoma SLC. Head banging central or what!!! I tried positioning my head at several angles to try and ease the pain, but to no avail. I was glad to get off the thing. Give me Traumatizer any day! Turbine _ This was my first experience of a Launched Coaster. And it literally blew me away. The launch and loop are enclosed in a building which really adds to the intensity of the ride. Good old Anton really knew how to make coasters as I discovered later on in the trip! Calamity Mine _ A fun if tame Vekoma steelie featuring two lift hills. Radja River _ Now, this was one of the highlights of the day. This was an extremely wet rapids ride on which most of us got a good soaking. Especially Keith and Matt just after they thought that they_d escaped the worst!!! Le Palais du G_nie _ A great little middle eastern themed Vekoma Mad House. The storyline revolves around monkey releasing a Genie. Couldn_t make out the rest due to the language barrier. Cobra _ Smooth Vekoma Boomerang. Challenge of Tutankamon _ A great interactive shoot em up. With a gun that does wear on the trigger finger! It has high production values, features 2 endings (debatable!), but could have been longer.

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]]> Wed Jun 30 2004 Dreamland, Margate 24/7/04 http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c254983.html Dreamland, Margate 24/7/04 Saturday 24 July 2004: Dreamland, Margate 24/7/04

The sceneic railway This might be the last year that this ride operates up the lift hill Sliding Sarah Toby nearly missed the mat completely All smiles aboard the Scenic some airtime can be found on this ride relics from the past from the parks glory days the mass of concrete is where the Looping Star used to be just yer bog standard Wild Mouse the whole park is looking sorry for itself round the turn it goes All smiles, this did not last though!!! Toby and Sarah on the carousel Robert Nutter (real name) on the carousel Dreamland has alot of potential its a shame the place has been left to rot the worlds worst ghost train

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]]> Sat Jul 24 2004 RCCGB - Blackpool Bash (including Southport) 2004 http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c254961.html RCCGB - Blackpool Bash (including Southport) 2004 Friday 23 April 2004: RCCGB - Blackpool Bash (including Southport) 2004

Rich and Pete up we go Geoff B and my thumb! Paul rides with no hands......... whilst Ash holds on for dear life! a nervous looking Ash! Ash and her beaver! Paul's arms are still stuck in the raised position! my rasta alter ego - photo courtesy of Linda Robbins Ash in her beach wear Geoff D's exited dog whats in the box?!! Jason Wakeling does Weird Al Ryan Hackett. Gong Show winner Look it's da Boppit massive! look, its Kelly Cameron Geoff D with dog now on head! bumps....... bruises...... and grazed legs all round!!! but a whole lot of fun though! in a spin..... getting faster...... bodies flying in all directions! Steve (at back) stuck in the revolving tunnel will he ever get out of there?!!! Pete Marshall show Steve how its done! Stopping for a break. Ryan about to bump RCCGB bumper car take-over Talhat and Steve prepare for lift off Rich and Andy are ready for take off!

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]]> Fri Apr 23 2004 Oakwood opening day (Premier of Plane Crazy flying scooters) 3/4/04 http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c254946.html Oakwood opening day (Premier of Plane Crazy flying scooters) 3/4/04 Saturday 3 April 2004: Oakwood opening day (Premier of Plane Crazy flying scooters) 3/4/04

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]]> Sat Apr 3 2004 Chessington opening day 27/3/04 http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c254780.html Chessington opening day 27/3/04 Saturday 27 March 2004: Chessington opening day 27/3/04

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]]> Sat Mar 27 2004 Bobbejaanland http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c254658.html The 11th and last day of the Camping and Coasters 2004 tour. Here’s the highlights: Typhoon – Great little coaster. The vertical lift hill is much more comfortable than it looks. And the 97 degree drop into the loop is insane. Then comes inline after inline. Quite an intense ride. I warn you, it’s very rough (headbanging stylee) when it’s raining. Oki Dokie – fun little figure of eight kiddie coaster. Sledgehammer – Giant Huss Frisbee. Horrible restraints, but nice feelings of airtime. Air Race – The first ever (I think) Swinging Turns coaster from Vekoma (and boy did it feel like it!) Revolution – Another indoor Vekoma coaster. But with a difference. It has the longest train in the world. 30 cars in total. I couldn’t help but laugh when the train pulled into the station. The ride itself is brilliant. Plenty of lights, sounds and atmospheric music. Its what X No Way Out should have been!!! Bob Express was a Mack Powered mine train which featured some ‘cooling’ water features! Lowlight was the food!!! The park also had a Golden Nuggets type ride, A Huss Flyaway (Enterprise with Flyer seats which was more comfy than they looked) and a very wet indoor log flume, from which I emerged dripping and everyone else almost dry!!! Next day was the Ferry home. Saturday 10 July 2004: The 11th and last day of the Camping and Coasters 2004 tour. Here_s the highlights: Typhoon _ Great little coaster. The vertical lift hill is much more comfortable than it looks. And the 97 degree drop into the loop is insane. Then comes inline after inline. Quite an intense ride. I warn you, it_s very rough (headbanging stylee) when it_s raining. Oki Dokie _ fun little figure of eight kiddie coaster. Sledgehammer _ Giant Huss Frisbee. Horrible restraints, but nice feelings of airtime. Air Race _ The first ever (I think) Swinging Turns coaster from Vekoma (and boy did it feel like it!) Revolution _ Another indoor Vekoma coaster. But with a difference. It has the longest train in the world. 30 cars in total. I couldn_t help but laugh when the train pulled into the station. The ride itself is brilliant. Plenty of lights, sounds and atmospheric music. Its what X No Way Out should have been!!! Bob Express was a Mack Powered mine train which featured some _cooling_ water features! Lowlight was the food!!! The park also had a Golden Nuggets type ride, A Huss Flyaway (Enterprise with Flyer seats which was more comfy than they looked) and a very wet indoor log flume, from which I emerged dripping and everyone else almost dry!!! Next day was the Ferry home.

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]]> Sat Jul 10 2004 Efteling http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c254450.html Day 10 of the Camping and Coasters 2004 tour. ‘Stunning’ is not a good enough word to describe the theming. Its like nothing I’ve ever seen before. The whole place has a fairy tail type theme, even the toilets. It’s like stepping into another world (Alton take note!). Anyway. Onto the rides and attractions. Pegasus was the fun CCI? Junior Woodie with some really sharp turns! Droomvlucht (Dreamflight) was an amazing suspended dark ride, featuring some of the best theming that I’ve ever seen. Fairytail woodlands, mystical castles etc. The best dark ride of the tour. Bobbaan. - This Intamin Bobsled ride was pretty intense. The articulated vehicle might be a bit uncomfortable for some though. Villa Volta – Another Vekoma Mad House featuring some stunning theming. Shame I couldn’t understand the pre-show, which was pretty uneventful anyway. As good as Hex? no I don’t think so. It takes third place on my favourite Mad House list. Vogel Rok was the indoor Vekoma MK-900. And is themed around Sinbad the Sailor's adventures with the encounter of the gigantic Rok bird! I really enjoyed this ride. Lenghtly track and pretty fast with plenty of tight turns and drops. It also had a sorta relaxing feel to it (maybe that’s just me!). Vogel Rok proves that Vekoma should stick to coasters of the non looping variety. Python was the Vekoma Looping/Corkscrew coaster. Nothing special. An equal balance of smooth and rough. PandaDroom was Like Panda Vision at Liseberg but with a Preshow and 4D elements. Pretty breathtaking. Provides a couple of ‘what the heck’ moments!!! The park also had a flying Island (provided some wicked views), a good (wet!) rapids ride and much, much more. No doubt we missed a few things out, as there was that much to do. Friday 9 July 2004: Day 10 of the Camping and Coasters 2004 tour. _Stunning_ is not a good enough word to describe the theming. Its like nothing I_ve ever seen before. The whole place has a fairy tail type theme, even the toilets. It_s like stepping into another world (Alton take note!). Anyway. Onto the rides and attractions. Pegasus was the fun CCI? Junior Woodie with some really sharp turns! Droomvlucht (Dreamflight) was an amazing suspended dark ride, featuring some of the best theming that I_ve ever seen. Fairytail woodlands, mystical castles etc. The best dark ride of the tour. Bobbaan. - This Intamin Bobsled ride was pretty intense. The articulated vehicle might be a bit uncomfortable for some though. Villa Volta _ Another Vekoma Mad House featuring some stunning theming. Shame I couldn_t understand the pre-show, which was pretty uneventful anyway. As good as Hex? no I don_t think so. It takes third place on my favourite Mad House list. Vogel Rok was the indoor Vekoma MK-900. And is themed around Sinbad the Sailor's adventures with the encounter of the gigantic Rok bird! I really enjoyed this ride. Lenghtly track and pretty fast with plenty of tight turns and drops. It also had a sorta relaxing feel to it (maybe that_s just me!). Vogel Rok proves that Vekoma should stick to coasters of the non looping variety. Python was the Vekoma Looping/Corkscrew coaster. Nothing special. An equal balance of smooth and rough. PandaDroom was Like Panda Vision at Liseberg but with a Preshow and 4D elements. Pretty breathtaking. Provides a couple of _what the heck_ moments!!! The park also had a flying Island (provided some wicked views), a good (wet!) rapids ride and much, much more. No doubt we missed a few things out, as there was that much to do.

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]]> Fri Jul 9 2004 Phantasialand http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c253912.html Day 9 of the Camping and Coasters 2004 tour. The first thing that I noticed about Phantasia Land was how well themed the whole place was. You can tell that the theming here is just as important as the rides themselves, which can only be a good thing. I felt that this park had that magical feeling that Alton lacks. As wells as excellent rides, Phantasialand has some great shows, including Pirates 4D. In Phantasia Lands case its 3D. I gave it a wide berth! One of the great things about the park is that there are loads of people in costumes who interact with the visitors. Something else which Alton lacks. The trolls in Mystery Castle were particularly amusing! The ride ops also wear themed uniforms. Anyway. Onto the main rides themselves. First up is River quest. Now, Im not going to give too much of away. As the ride throws out loads of surprises at the unsuspecting passengers. And to say too much would ruin the experience for those who have not yet ridden it. All Im going to say is that the ride is on several storeys, features articulated boats, has a vertical section, and is very wet (depending on where you are sitting). The rides Medieval themeing is almost as stunning as the ride itself. Oh, and its probably the best rapids ride in the world. Or at least Europe anyway. A truly magical experience. Winja's Force and Fear ins the Maurer Sohne Spinning Mouse coaster. We decided to head to Force first. Queues were minimal and we got on within 15 minutes. I was in the backwards facing seat which mean that spinning onto the track after the vertical lift hill felt insane! What followed was a mish mash of twisted track, sweeping Helix’s and surprise elements. Our car was in spin overdrive. This meant an intense ride experience. I loved it. Same for Winja Fear. The fact that its indoors and extremely well themed adds to an already amazing ride experience. You have to see it to believe it. In my opinion its much better than Spinball Whizzer, and slightly better than Dragons Fury. Mystery Castle is a Free Fall housed inside a heavily themed Medieval Castle building. The story goes that Evil forces have lingered in the castle for centuries and can only be destroyed with a thrust of energy. That’s where we the riders come into the fray. This is definitely one of the best tower rides out there. Feng Ju Palace was another Vekoma Mad House. The theming (Chinese) was stunning. Unlike certain UK parks, Phantasia Land doesn’t scrimp when it comes to detail! The story line is the typical good vs evil type plot line, which of course involves a damsel in distress. The pre-show was pretty good and the ride itself was pretty good too. Still not as good as the one at Tivoli though! Colorado Adventure AKA Michael Jackson Thrill Ride (I kid you not) is a mine train coaster supposedly designed by the man himself. It features about four lift hills, and is actually very good!!! It features plenty of fast helixes and a fake splashdown section I cant help think that he might have been inspired by a certain ride at Disney! If you’ve never been to Phantasia Land before, then I cant recommend the place enough. Thursday 8 July 2004: Day 9 of the Camping and Coasters 2004 tour. The first thing that I noticed about Phantasia Land was how well themed the whole place was. You can tell that the theming here is just as important as the rides themselves, which can only be a good thing. I felt that this park had that magical feeling that Alton lacks. As wells as excellent rides, Phantasialand has some great shows, including Pirates 4D. In Phantasia Lands case its 3D. I gave it a wide berth! One of the great things about the park is that there are loads of people in costumes who interact with the visitors. Something else which Alton lacks. The trolls in Mystery Castle were particularly amusing! The ride ops also wear themed uniforms. Anyway. Onto the main rides themselves. First up is River quest. Now, Im not going to give too much of away. As the ride throws out loads of surprises at the unsuspecting passengers. And to say too much would ruin the experience for those who have not yet ridden it. All Im going to say is that the ride is on several storeys, features articulated boats, has a vertical section, and is very wet (depending on where you are sitting). The rides Medieval themeing is almost as stunning as the ride itself. Oh, and its probably the best rapids ride in the world. Or at least Europe anyway. A truly magical experience. Winja's Force and Fear ins the Maurer Sohne Spinning Mouse coaster. We decided to head to Force first. Queues were minimal and we got on within 15 minutes. I was in the backwards facing seat which mean that spinning onto the track after the vertical lift hill felt insane! What followed was a mish mash of twisted track, sweeping Helix_s and surprise elements. Our car was in spin overdrive. This meant an intense ride experience. I loved it. Same for Winja Fear. The fact that its indoors and extremely well themed adds to an already amazing ride experience. You have to see it to believe it. In my opinion its much better than Spinball Whizzer, and slightly better than Dragons Fury. Mystery Castle is a Free Fall housed inside a heavily themed Medieval Castle building. The story goes that Evil forces have lingered in the castle for centuries and can only be destroyed with a thrust of energy. That_s where we the riders come into the fray. This is definitely one of the best tower rides out there. Feng Ju Palace was another Vekoma Mad House. The theming (Chinese) was stunning. Unlike certain UK parks, Phantasia Land doesn_t scrimp when it comes to detail! The story line is the typical good vs evil type plot line, which of course involves a damsel in distress. The pre-show was pretty good and the ride itself was pretty good too. Still not as good as the one at Tivoli though! Colorado Adventure AKA Michael Jackson Thrill Ride (I kid you not) is a mine train coaster supposedly designed by the man himself. It features about four lift hills, and is actually very good!!! It features plenty of fast helixes and a fake splashdown section I cant help think that he might have been inspired by a certain ride at Disney! If you_ve never been to Phantasia Land before, then I cant recommend the place enough.

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]]> Thu Jul 8 2004 Toverland http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c253909.html The second half of day 8 on the Camping and Coasters 2004 tour. The Motorbike Coaster was complete but closed. As a consolation we were kindly allowed onto the building site to take a look at the coaster up close and personal. We were allowed to sit on the motorbike cars, which were extremely comfortable. From what I could see, the train is launched out into a double helix before returning over some airtime hills back to the station. It will be a fun little coaster when it eventually opens. The rest of the park is pleasant enough, with something for the whole family to do. Wednesday 7 July 2004: The second half of day 8 on the Camping and Coasters 2004 tour. The Motorbike Coaster was complete but closed. As a consolation we were kindly allowed onto the building site to take a look at the coaster up close and personal. We were allowed to sit on the motorbike cars, which were extremely comfortable. From what I could see, the train is launched out into a double helix before returning over some airtime hills back to the station. It will be a fun little coaster when it eventually opens. The rest of the park is pleasant enough, with something for the whole family to do.

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]]> Wed Jul 7 2004 Warner Bros Movie World Germany http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c253897.html Day 8 of the Camping and Coasters 2004 tour. Not really an ‘enthusiast’ park as such as the name suggests. Concentration goes more into the shows and entertainment than the rides, which for a park like this, there are more than enough of. My favourite show was the Hollywood Stunt Show, which puts the pathetic Spiderman Show at Thorpe Park to shame. The Movie Magic show gave a behind the scenes insight into how special effects are used to enhance a movie. Plenty of audience participation took place. This included Jason who got much wetter than he bargained. His set piece involved him standing on the deck of a fishing boat and having gallons, and I mean hundreds of gallons of water thrown over him! Very funny to watch. On the ride side of things: Wild Wild West was the parks wooden coaster. Themed around, you guessed it, the movie Wild Wild West! Nothing special in my opinion. The ride had more laterals than airtime. I also lost my cap (I know. More fool me!). Eraser was the Vekoma SLC which was pleasant enough as far as these types of coaster go. Lethal Weapon Pursuit was the Intamin racing coaster. Although the ‘persuit’ element of the coaster fell flat due to only one of the tracks being open. The ride features two inversions. An enclosed loop and a barrel roll. I loved this ride. It dint seem to go down very well with some people though! The Wild Bunch was a tilting floorless Gyro Drop. Intense and fun. Not very high though. Neverending Story was a highly themed mostly indoor rapids ride. Fand of the film will recognise all their favourite characters. Including the flying oversized dog type thing. Tom and Jerry’s Mouse in the House was an average Wild Mouse ride. Similar to Rattlesnake. Coyote and Roadrunner’s Achterbahn was a figure of 8 kiddie coaster. No was as good as the Flying Fish though!!! Bermuda Triangle was a highly themed, very wet spill water type ride featuring two drops. This is only a selection of the things on offer at the park. One thing I wont recommend is the Batman Adventure ride. Its pants! Wednesday 7 July 2004: Day 8 of the Camping and Coasters 2004 tour. Not really an _enthusiast_ park as such as the name suggests. Concentration goes more into the shows and entertainment than the rides, which for a park like this, there are more than enough of. My favourite show was the Hollywood Stunt Show, which puts the pathetic Spiderman Show at Thorpe Park to shame. The Movie Magic show gave a behind the scenes insight into how special effects are used to enhance a movie. Plenty of audience participation took place. This included Jason who got much wetter than he bargained. His set piece involved him standing on the deck of a fishing boat and having gallons, and I mean hundreds of gallons of water thrown over him! Very funny to watch. On the ride side of things: Wild Wild West was the parks wooden coaster. Themed around, you guessed it, the movie Wild Wild West! Nothing special in my opinion. The ride had more laterals than airtime. I also lost my cap (I know. More fool me!). Eraser was the Vekoma SLC which was pleasant enough as far as these types of coaster go. Lethal Weapon Pursuit was the Intamin racing coaster. Although the _persuit_ element of the coaster fell flat due to only one of the tracks being open. The ride features two inversions. An enclosed loop and a barrel roll. I loved this ride. It dint seem to go down very well with some people though! The Wild Bunch was a tilting floorless Gyro Drop. Intense and fun. Not very high though. Neverending Story was a highly themed mostly indoor rapids ride. Fand of the film will recognise all their favourite characters. Including the flying oversized dog type thing. Tom and Jerry_s Mouse in the House was an average Wild Mouse ride. Similar to Rattlesnake. Coyote and Roadrunner_s Achterbahn was a figure of 8 kiddie coaster. No was as good as the Flying Fish though!!! Bermuda Triangle was a highly themed, very wet spill water type ride featuring two drops. This is only a selection of the things on offer at the park. One thing I wont recommend is the Batman Adventure ride. Its pants!

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]]> Wed Jul 7 2004 Heide Park http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c253739.html Day 7 of the Camping and Coaster 2004 tour. Here’s a rundown of the rides ridden that day: Colossos – Was slow and boring (I kid you not!) to start off with. Especially when the train reached the turn-around and crawled slowly up the hill after it. Definatly not the ‘Balder beater’ that I’d expected it to be. But by the end of the day it had improved a lot and was a joy to ride. The airtime down the first drop was amazing. Still felt a bit slow after the turn-around though. Maybe I shouldn’t have set my expectations of the ride so high. Scream – What a ‘scream’ (boom, boom!). Previously an observation tower, it was converted into a Gyro Drop by Intamin, and a good one at that. I’m afraid I still prefer Detonator! Big Loop – A surprisingly ‘smooth’ Vekoma Looper/ Corkscrew. I know, the words smooth and Vekoma don’t usually go together. This proves that Vekie can make decent looping coasters once in a while. The loading station was interesting. For a start, there was no formal queue line. You basically had to push your way to the train, the only time when I wasn’t too bothered about queue jumping!!! Also the ride ops vision of health and safety left a lot to be desired. They were dispatching trains with restraints half up (including Kirks!), and with people jumping in whilst it was moving!!! Limit, the Vekoma SLC was also pretty smooth. The best one on the tour so far. I haven’t become a Vekoma convert quite yet though! Grottenblitz was a powered Mack Mine Train ride with a weird and wonderful themed indoor section. Mountain Rafting looked like a really wet rapid ride. But it wasn’t. Still a whole load of fun, and better than most of the rapids rides on offer in the UK. Tuesday 6 July 2004: Day 7 of the Camping and Coaster 2004 tour. Here_s a rundown of the rides ridden that day: Colossos _ Was slow and boring (I kid you not!) to start off with. Especially when the train reached the turn-around and crawled slowly up the hill after it. Definatly not the _Balder beater_ that I_d expected it to be. But by the end of the day it had improved a lot and was a joy to ride. The airtime down the first drop was amazing. Still felt a bit slow after the turn-around though. Maybe I shouldn_t have set my expectations of the ride so high. Scream _ What a _scream_ (boom, boom!). Previously an observation tower, it was converted into a Gyro Drop by Intamin, and a good one at that. I_m afraid I still prefer Detonator! Big Loop _ A surprisingly _smooth_ Vekoma Looper/ Corkscrew. I know, the words smooth and Vekoma don_t usually go together. This proves that Vekie can make decent looping coasters once in a while. The loading station was interesting. For a start, there was no formal queue line. You basically had to push your way to the train, the only time when I wasn_t too bothered about queue jumping!!! Also the ride ops vision of health and safety left a lot to be desired. They were dispatching trains with restraints half up (including Kirks!), and with people jumping in whilst it was moving!!! Limit, the Vekoma SLC was also pretty smooth. The best one on the tour so far. I haven_t become a Vekoma convert quite yet though! Grottenblitz was a powered Mack Mine Train ride with a weird and wonderful themed indoor section. Mountain Rafting looked like a really wet rapid ride. But it wasn_t. Still a whole load of fun, and better than most of the rapids rides on offer in the UK.

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]]> Tue Jul 6 2004 Tivoli http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c253670.html Day 6 of the Camping and Coasters 2004 tour. Located in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Beautiful Tivoli Gardens is said to be where Walt Disney got his inspiration. And I could see why. From its impressive entrance to the amazing theming, Tivoli really is a special park. Daemonen was the new for 2004 B&M Floorless coaster. My first experience of a coaster of this type. Its tight, extremely compact layout means that it’s pretty intense. The ride features 3 inversions. A loop, Immeleman (sp?) and barrel roll. All taken at a steady pace. Great fun. Rutchebanen was the second Scenic Railway of the trip. And it featured a lot more airtime than the one at Bakken. It was also very top heavy on tunnelled sections (its themed as a mountain). Valhalla Borgen – Now, I’ve been in a fair few Vekoma Mad Houses in my time. But I have to say that this is the granddaddy of them all (yup, even over Hex and Villa Volta in my opinion!). It has the best MH pre-show that I have ever seen. The storyline is based around Odin, the Norse God of war and death. English is cleverly used under the main speech which made the experience that much more enjoyable. The park also featured a Mack Mine Train, two highly themed and enjoyable dark rides which put some of ours to shame and an insane enterprise/chaos type ride. Tivoli seems to come alive at night, something which we didn’t have time to sample. Would be perfect to visit the place as part of a city break. Monday 5 July 2004: Day 6 of the Camping and Coasters 2004 tour. Located in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Beautiful Tivoli Gardens is said to be where Walt Disney got his inspiration. And I could see why. From its impressive entrance to the amazing theming, Tivoli really is a special park. Daemonen was the new for 2004 B&M Floorless coaster. My first experience of a coaster of this type. Its tight, extremely compact layout means that it_s pretty intense. The ride features 3 inversions. A loop, Immeleman (sp?) and barrel roll. All taken at a steady pace. Great fun. Rutchebanen was the second Scenic Railway of the trip. And it featured a lot more airtime than the one at Bakken. It was also very top heavy on tunnelled sections (its themed as a mountain). Valhalla Borgen _ Now, I_ve been in a fair few Vekoma Mad Houses in my time. But I have to say that this is the granddaddy of them all (yup, even over Hex and Villa Volta in my opinion!). It has the best MH pre-show that I have ever seen. The storyline is based around Odin, the Norse God of war and death. English is cleverly used under the main speech which made the experience that much more enjoyable. The park also featured a Mack Mine Train, two highly themed and enjoyable dark rides which put some of ours to shame and an insane enterprise/chaos type ride. Tivoli seems to come alive at night, something which we didn_t have time to sample. Would be perfect to visit the place as part of a city break.

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]]> Mon Jul 5 2004 Liseberg http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c253653.html Day 5 of the Camping and Coaster 2004 tour. First stop of course had to be the Intamin woodie that was Balder. After the slight disappointment of Thunder Coaster, I hoped that Balder would live up to all the hype that’s been heaped on it since opening last year. And it did. Big time!!! First ride was in the front seat, which provided airtime galore. And I mean galore! The train drops down the steep 70 degree first drop, then tightly turns up into a second airtime filled hill. The rest of the ride is made up of twisted highly banked turns and airtime hill. There are a fair few tunnelled sections to reduce the noise of screaming riders, but these didn’t affect the wow/fun factor of the ride. Balder is now my number 1 woodie hands down. Other rides ridden were: Lisebergbanen – As you know Anton Schwarzkoptf was a coaster genius. And this amazing coaster proves it. Built on a hill, the non looping coaster ascends a 148 foot lift hill, then, using the terrain as a guide, it curves down into the first drop down the side of the hill (providing some nice airtime) before swooping up round the other side and swooping back down and around again. It then encircles the drop tower before going into the final drop and helix. A true joy to ride, and way up my top 10 list. Liseberg Tower – Great views and photo opportunities. Tornado – Like a sit down cage but with lap bars. Provides some nice g force’s. Great fun. Pirate Ship – Boring. Had pointless overhead restraints, even though it didn’t invert. Kallerado – A very wet and extremely fun rapids ride featuring some ‘wild’ rapids sections and plenty of sprays to keep everyone wet! I was dripping! Featured wicked theming too. Pandavision – An impressive WWF sponsored animated 3D film about how man is destroying land and sea. Sunday 4 July 2004: Day 5 of the Camping and Coaster 2004 tour. First stop of course had to be the Intamin woodie that was Balder. After the slight disappointment of Thunder Coaster, I hoped that Balder would live up to all the hype that_s been heaped on it since opening last year. And it did. Big time!!! First ride was in the front seat, which provided airtime galore. And I mean galore! The train drops down the steep 70 degree first drop, then tightly turns up into a second airtime filled hill. The rest of the ride is made up of twisted highly banked turns and airtime hill. There are a fair few tunnelled sections to reduce the noise of screaming riders, but these didn_t affect the wow/fun factor of the ride. Balder is now my number 1 woodie hands down. Other rides ridden were: Lisebergbanen _ As you know Anton Schwarzkoptf was a coaster genius. And this amazing coaster proves it. Built on a hill, the non looping coaster ascends a 148 foot lift hill, then, using the terrain as a guide, it curves down into the first drop down the side of the hill (providing some nice airtime) before swooping up round the other side and swooping back down and around again. It then encircles the drop tower before going into the final drop and helix. A true joy to ride, and way up my top 10 list. Liseberg Tower _ Great views and photo opportunities. Tornado _ Like a sit down cage but with lap bars. Provides some nice g force_s. Great fun. Pirate Ship _ Boring. Had pointless overhead restraints, even though it didn_t invert. Kallerado _ A very wet and extremely fun rapids ride featuring some _wild_ rapids sections and plenty of sprays to keep everyone wet! I was dripping! Featured wicked theming too. Pandavision _ An impressive WWF sponsored animated 3D film about how man is destroying land and sea.

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]]> Sun Jul 4 2004 Alton Towers meet-up http://carlsthemeparkphotos.fotopic.net/c253201.html Alton Towers meet-up Wednesday 19 May 2004: Alton Towers meet-up

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]]> Wed May 19 2004