Yalnix
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Helix
Having now done both rides, there's an easy conclusion as to who "won" this "battle".
We've been screaming out for a modern woodie in the UK, nevermind Towers for so long and we finally had one delivered. We've also gained the most varied and surprising coaster from a park that has long been overdue a modern thrill ride and they've done a fantastic job with it.
Two very solid and enjoyable roller coasters have opened in the country this year, each with their own merits and down sides. Whilst Icon suffers from tacky general appearances such as the turfing and the exterior station visuals, as well as the worst launch of any UK coaster, it has a great soundtrack, transitional pacing, surprising air time and will really benefit from the operations that thus far the team on it have been able to demonstrate they can match.
Wicker Man may not be the most exciting layout we were begging for and potentially could have had, however when it warms up and certainly at night, it's for the most part a very enjoyable ride experience. The theming is undoubtedly of a very different scale of anything we've seen from Merlin for some time with obvious care and attention to detail having been applied to the project.
But who or what is the real winner here?
The two rides are too different to effectively compare on paper so it's down to personal preference; but ultimately the real winner here is us as the riders. We've gained two experiences we struggled to believe we'd see in this country that cater for almost everybody. The only tragedy is that Drayton couldn't pull their plans together to put something else on the table.
Absolutely bang on. Neither park or ride will 'win'. The UK coaster industry did. I love both and really hope the success of WM restores Alton back to it former glory. BPB just need to keep on doing what they are doing. Both are a win for us, the consumers.