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Southport Pleasureland

I’ve not been to Southport Pleaureland before but I’ll be in Blackpool next weekend and I’m wondering if it’s worth a visit down the coast there? I’m looking at their list of attractions and apart from a couple of frisbee rides and a Matterhorn it doesn’t look as if there’s too much to get excited about at the park. I see that a wristband is £27.50 but I’m wondering if it’s worth saving the money and using it towards a day at Pleasure Beach instead.
 
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Shaggy_Dog_ said:
I’ve not been to Southport Pleaureland before but I’ll be in Blackpool next weekend and I’m wondering if it’s worth a visit down the coast there? I’m looking at their list of attractions and apart from a couple of frisbee rides and a Matterhorn it doesn’t look as if there’s too much to get excited about at the park. I see that a wristband is £27.50 but I’m wondering if it’s worth saving the money and using it towards a day at Pleasure Beach instead.
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Don't waste your time and stick with PB I'd say. There's nothing at Southport really thats worth the trip.
 
Been to Southport half a dozen times in the last couple of years, including two trips round the park.
Decided not to bother after viewing.
The distance is less than ten miles directly, but getting round the Ribble takes forty, a full hour, often more.
Preston traffic is often crap.
 
So just sent a Facebook message to the official Facebook page asking if the new Coaster would be coming in 2024. Unfortunately it’s not coming this year which was expected due to it not being mentioned for a while ! But they haven’t said it’s not coming at all which is positive , and looks like they have new additions coming this year as well ☺️
 

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Well I'm amazed...
No big new coaster coming to Southport.
What?
Not even Knightmare?
That is three lots of coming next year that haven't.
 
To be fair to Southport it make work in thier favour as if it was opened this year it would be totally overshadowed. Let's hope for 2025 or 2026 for a new coaster.
 
You could argue that maybe Pleasureland Southport were a bit foolish to have mentioned the Zamperla Thunderbird. When the enthusiast community first heard about it the reaction wasn’t totally positive, given the reviews about the one at Coney Island. It sounded intriguing and we don’t get loads of big coasters in the UK these days, but if it rides like the reviews it would have been a one and done. But now a lot of people are disappointed that we didn't get anything.

In fact, maybe it’s the showman in them, but you could argue that they’ve over promised and under delivered several times.

The number of British parks that have added major rides in the last decade is a very small list. Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures, Legoland, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Flamingo Land, Drayton Manor and Paultons Park. That’s about it. Fantasy Island? Oakwood? Lightwater Valley? Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach? Adventure Island? If they hadn’t mentioned a Zamperla Thunderbolt, we definitely wouldn’t be expecting one.

Maybe I’m easy to please, because I went to the original Pleasureland and remember the scorched earth policy used by the Thompson’s. I’m still impressed with what they’ve achieved, particularly without the near £50 million of public funding that Dreamland got. Still, it’d be great if they did get a major coaster.
 
They mentioned it by applying for planning permission to build the thing though. If they hadn't done that no one would've known anything.

If that's not happening, which seems likely now, what about one of those new Vekoma Super Boomerangs. Would take up the same sort of foot print and also again work as a giant advert for the park from the town and those driving along the coast road.
 
I think we’ll be lucky to get a travelling Pinfari at this rate.

In all seriousness though, does anyone know the real reason for so many (all) of these grand plans never actually materialising? You’d think they’d have learnt their lesson by now.
 
They had a travelling Pinfari though...
They erected it, left it to rust without opening for a couple of years, right on the edge of the park next to the road...as dodgy advertising.
Then they took it down again.
Money talks, big unfunded ideas don't get past the planning stage.
Did the advertised new "Discovery" section promised for the zoo area actually open as promised last year?
Lots of bullshit plans that rarely come to fruition.
 
I think it's more a case of them trying and failing. Clearly they just don't have the funding, and when they think they've secured some they drop out. Whether it's viable to expand Southport or not I don't know but I'm glad that at least one small park is trying to do something, at least got some spirit. I would like to see one of there plans actually succeed because it could make all the difference.
 
Should they be doing big announcements if they don't have the dosh set up to make them happen?
"Trying and failing" four full years in a row is a bit duff...
 
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