• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Pleasurewood Hills

D4n said:
First and only time I visited was when Hobs Pit and Marble Madness were new and even then I didn’t feel any desire for a return visit. This is despite paying an annual visit to Yarmouth. Dread to think what the state of the place is now
Click to expand...
Not good !
 
I’m going to go in with an open mind.

My expectations are quite low; rightly or wrongly, my outside impression of Pleasurewood Hills is something akin to an East Coast equivalent of Oakwood, perhaps with slightly weaker major coasters. Admittedly without having ridden any of them, no major coaster at Pleasurewood looks quite as impressive as Megafobia (which was a UK top 10 candidate for me even pre-retrack, back in 2019), but the overall vibe and lineup of the park looks quite similar.

With that being said, I’ve heard some rather good things about this park’s key unique coaster Cannonball Express, with some reviewers calling it a “hidden gem” and even declaring it “one of the UK’s best coasters”, and I am interested to ride Wipeout so that I can finally try a stock model Vekoma Boomerang over 100 coasters into this hobby! I’m also quite looking forward to Jolly Roger, Pleasurewood’s drop tower; I absolutely love a good drop tower, and I’ve heard very good things about this one! It’s a Fabbri like Detonator and Venom, is it not? Those two are possibly my two favourite UK drop towers!
 
My first time ever "swearing around adults" moment was on the boomerang, and my first experience of one of those god forsaken ufo gravity spinning horrors too. Vividly remember walking back to our caravan down the road feeling slightly queasy to find my Dad cooking liver, which smelled like a urinal to a young me. I have too many nausea-related childhood memories. I took a look at some recent pictures of the place and it definitely doesn't have the charm I (perhaps made up) remember. Still, always good to experience new parks and spread your thoosie legs. Will be looking forward to your report!
 
Pleasure wood hills is a nice place and seems to be getting better each year. Went this year in April and they are really thinking about theming everything and the smaller details to make it a brilliant day out
 
Last edited:
Thomas Denton said:
Pleasure wood hills is a nice place and seems to be getting better each year. Went this year in April and they are really thinking about theming everything and the smaller details to make it a brilliant day out
Click to expand...
The last 10 years has seen a huge downturn, endless things removed and not replaced, endless SBNO areas and attractions, reduced operating hours, reduced operating days, car park charge introduced and a fairly stuck in mud "local reputation"

Whilst recent ride refurbs have been much needed, things should not be allowed to get like that in the first place... then remarketed as "new experience " and yes other parks are guilty too I know
 
Last edited:
Apparently Pleasurewood Hills’ new parking charge system has landed itself in hot water by sending £100 fines to people who’ve paid and parked legally: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cldyper1ng5o

Pleasurewood Hills blames “the cameras being turned on too early” and has now reversed the fine requests sent to those people, but it does (understandably) seem to have caused discontent…
 
Wow, this is the first I've heard of a theme park getting a parking company in to manage the car park and issue fines! Seems like pure greed, especially as they are charging season pass holders an additional £9 to park.
 
Honestly the grief and media interest and social media stuff this had generated has been intense locally here.

Its done huge damage as has the McDonald's that's opened literally at the park entrance....

Should be noted the parking charges would have come from loopings, I am fairly sure that at the local level they would not have wanted them at all...
 
Last edited:
Relife said:
It's hard to believe Pleasurewood and Drayton Manor are owned and operated by the same group. The running and operating of each park is night and day
Click to expand...
Indeed, the car park charge was inevitable as drayton had it introduced yet when pwh has seen nothing yet reductions in ALL areas over the last decade this is one step too far....
 
Last edited:
I do wonder; to what degree does Looping Group micromanage the parks? Do they have a huge say in everything that goes on, or do the individual parks generally have a fair degree of autonomy?

I wonder this about all theme park companies, but the discrepancy between Drayton and Pleasurewood does look like one of the more drastic inter-chain discrepancies I know of…
 
Matt N said:
I do wonder; to what degree does Looping Group micromanage the parks? Do they have a huge say in everything that goes on, or do the individual parks generally have a fair degree of autonomy?

I wonder this about all theme park companies, but the discrepancy between Drayton and Pleasurewood does look like one of the more drastic inter-chain discrepancies I know of…
Click to expand...
I know for a fact that PWH did try to stamp their feet a little a few years ago yet ultimately loopings have the final say so I think they just bow to the pressure...
 
Last edited:
OMG I just checked the price of the season pass and it’s £85 which runs out on the 3rd November. I just renewal my sons Drayton manor Annual pass which runs to 27th July 2025 for £89.10.
Also what makes it worst after the school holiday season they only open weekends 10am to 4pm upto October half term
IMG_4453.png

IMG_4454.png
 
The weekend openings as shown is nothing new.. they have had their operating calender slashed in recent years as well as their operating hours too

Way back it use to be open most days from Easter until mid September, yet over the years more particularly since loopings this was gradually taken away as was the 6pm closes , a lot of 4pm closes put in place too.

The October weekends have not always been a thing as it use to only open for the October half term at one time - with season finale day the only advertised 6pm close now and the last few years too.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top