Flamingo Land: General Discussion

[Matt N]

To me, as someone in the South West who lives 236 miles and over 4 hours away, it definitely feels like a North East park!

If we’re being pedantic, Flamingo Land isn’t actually in the ONS region of “North East England”, instead being within the ONS region of “Yorkshire & The Humber”, but for all intents and purposes other than statistical, Yorkshire is still the North East. And Flamingo Land is far enough into North Yorkshire that it’s not that far at all from the southernmost parts of the ONS region of North East England, like Middlesbrough, Cleveland and Redcar.

It is interesting how the North East is one of a number of UK regions that used to have a number of semi-major parks, but now has only one that basically holds a monopoly within the region:

• With the considerable downscaling of Lightwater Valley and the closure of the likes of MetroLand, Flamingo Land now effectively holds a monopoly in the North East.
• The North West used to have quite a selection of semi-major parks. However, with the likes of Camelot, Frontierland Morecambe and Granada Studios closing and Pleasureland Southport majorly downscaling, Blackpool Pleasure Beach now effectively holds a monopoly in the North West.
• The East Midlands used to have a few parks. But with the closures of the likes of American Adventure and Pleasure Island, Fantasy Island now effectively holds a monopoly in the East Midlands.
• Wales used to have a few semi-major seaside parks. But with the considerable downscaling of the likes of Barry Island Pleasure Park and Coney Beach Pleasure Park, Oakwood now effectively holds a monopoly in Wales.
• Scotland used to have a few semi-major parks such as Codona’s and Loudoun Castle. But with the closure of Loudoun Castle and considerable downscaling of Codona’s, M&D’s now effectively holds a monopoly in Scotland.

The only regions where there’s really any semblance of local competition these days are the East of England (Adventure Island, Great Yarmouth, Pleasurewood Hills), the West Midlands (Drayton Manor and Alton Towers), and the South East (Chessington, Thorpe Park, Legoland Windsor, Paultons Park and Dreamland Margate).

 

[Shaggy_Dog_]

…but for all intents and purposes other than statistical, Yorkshire is still the North East. And Flamingo Land is far enough into North Yorkshire that it’s not that far at all from the southernmost parts of the ONS region of North East England, like Middlesbrough, Cleveland and Redcar.

Anyone from Yorkshire or Tyneside would vehemently disagree with you over the suggestion that Yorkshire is “for all intents and purposes” part of the North East. They are very different regions and I’ve never actually heard anyone else suggesting that before.

I’m thinking perhaps Matt that you may not have visited the actual North East before?

 

[Matt N]

Anyone from Yorkshire or Tyneside would vehemently disagree with you over the suggestion that Yorkshire is “for all intents and purposes” part of the North East. They are very different regions and I’ve never actually heard anyone else suggesting that before.

I’m thinking perhaps Matt that you may not have visited the actual North East before?

I mainly said it because the southernmost part of Yorkshire (Sheffield) is not really any lower than, say, Cheshire or Manchester, which are both generally considered to be the North West and are considered to be in “North West England” by the ONS. If Cheshire, Manchester and Liverpool are in the North West on the other side of the country, then why wouldn’t Yorkshire be in the North East? Sheffield, Leeds, Hull and York are no lower than the likes of Chester, Manchester, Liverpool and Preston, all of which are generally considered to be in the North West. I thought that the only reason Yorkshire had its own ONS region is because of how massive it is and how many big population centres close together it contains? London also has its own ONS region for similar reasons, but most would consider London to be part of the South East for all purposes aside from statistical.

Heck, I live in Gloucestershire. That is considered to be in the South West, and is part of the “South West England” ONS region, despite it being quite some distance northeast of the likes of Devon and Cornwall; the northernmost part of Gloucestershire, Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds, is as far from Land’s End in Penzance as it is from the Scottish border at Gretna Green! Gloucestershire directly borders both the West Midlands (Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire) and the South East (Oxfordshire) and is quite far northeast of some parts of the South West, yet most people, including the ONS, consider it to be part of the South West England region.

If Yorkshire isn’t in the North East, where is it? I wouldn’t exactly call it part of the East Midlands, as I’d say it’s a bit too far north to be in the Midlands.

I do digress, however, that as you’ve guessed, I have never visited the “proper” North East. Well, I did go to a Dog’s Trust centre in Darlington when I was about 7, which is technically part of the ONS region of North East England, but the bigger places in the “proper” North East like Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead and Sunderland still elude me… the Tyneside region is a 5 hour, nearly 300 mile drive from where I live.

When me and my parents drove to Flamingo Land last year, our halfway service station stop was at Trowell services on the M1, near Nottingham. We all looked slightly incredulous that this was only around halfway given that from where we live, Nottingham itself seems quite far north… and when we drove over proper Northern-seeming places like Sheffield and Leeds on the M1 and the satnav said we still had over an hour to go, it definitely felt like Flamingo Land was a long old journey northeast!

 

[Shaggy_Dog_]

If Yorkshire isn’t in the North East, where is it? I wouldn’t exactly call it part of the East Midlands, as I’d say it’s a bit too far north to be in the Midlands.

Yorkshire is part of its own region, Yorkshire & Humber that contains a large number of towns and cities that share a common cultural heritage and historic ties as well as having shared infrastructure. And that’s the important thing, it’s not just about what part of a map a place physically sits but it’s also about how a place relates to the areas around it and what places “feel” though they go together culturally as well as geographically.

It’s actually a really fascinating discussion as to how we divide the country in to different regions and where we consider the boundaries for each one (especially so for the regions that are at the other end of the country from our own ones), and we define as the characteristics of each. It would be a great one for a thread on here if you wanted to discuss it further.

 

[rob666]

As a good Lancastrian, I consider myself a northerner, and have always considered Yorkshire as the north east (amongst other things)...it certainly is on the map.
If Yorks isn't in the north east, where is it then?
It certainly isn't in the midlands.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

If Yorks isn't in the north east, where is it then?
It certainly isn't in the midlands.

Scotland.

 

[DiogoJ42]

Everything outside the M25 is north.
Especially the bits to the south.

 

[Poisson]

We in Yorkshire are Northerners. Not NE, just North. The North East is a different kettle of fish altogether. We are also the superior land.

Anyone from Yorkshire or Tyneside would vehemently disagree with you over the suggestion that Yorkshire is “for all intents and purposes” part of the North East. They are very different regions and I’ve never actually heard anyone else suggesting that before.

Damn right.

Does Flamingoland have issues? Ofc, much like any theme park and I can name a list but honestly I do feel the park is overhated by enthusiasts to a degree in which I feel that the same crowd can have a snobbery in them about places which can lead to a bias which in the case of Flamingoland make it look and sound worse than it is.

In truth, those who bash Flamingoland clearly have never been to a cesspit like M&D's which deserves more criticism than what Flamingoland has ever done.

I have had the fortune to visit a fair few parks ranging from world class to absolute dives and Mingo isn't good. Poor ops, mediocre to awful hardware and a zoo full of sad animals don't make for anything good, plus it all feels plonked down. Not being a snob, just being a realist. It is a bit depressing to be at and gets downright awful when busy.

 

[Jb85]

@Matt N living in Stratford upon Avon I’m relatively close to the Gloucestershire border. It’s in the Midlands ;-)