Danny
TS Contributor
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
Over the past couple of weeks, @Rob, @John, @AstroDan and I have been on the continent sampling some of Europe’s latest and greatest, a wealth of alpine coasters, brand new Brewdogs, Starbucks and perhaps the most efficient river crossing ferry in France/Germany. Many of the parks / alpine coasters on the trip were entirely new to me.
With a spot of “well if we leave a day earlier, we could go here” as well as “well if we modify this day, we could eat/drink here”, as well as a spot of tweaking whilst out there due to unfortunate circumstances, our itinerary turned into this:
I won’t give a blow-by-blow recollection of each and every moment of the trip, more so my musings on the new parks with notable comparisons of previous visits to the most recent in parks I’d previously visited.
We kicked off our European trip, as you do, from the newly opened Brewdog Basingstoke before heading to Paulton’s Park the next day (minus John until the channel crossing).
Given the sheer distance to the park from my neck of the woods, it felt much easier bolting it onto a trip of this calibre than actively seeking it out on its own. Clearly, the park is well regarded (whilst also one of the most expensive of the trip!), so I was very much looking forward to visiting.
Thankfully we weren’t subjected to the headache-inducing traffic issues the park seems to be tanished with, and were swiftly admitted through the motorway services-esque entrance.
Paultons is obviously a park very much of three-thirds. The bare-bones, unthemed collection of rides and the splash play area over by Cobra/Edge/Magma, the delightful Lost Kingdom, Tornado Springs and Peppa Pig World, as well as the beautiful lake walk, animals and historic water wheel.
Starting with Lost Kingdom, I wasn’t blown away by the junior boomerang. Perhaps one of the weaker layouts, and certainly during the reverse portion. Praise be for the vegetation on The Smiler like cattle cage queue. Otherwise, I can’t imagine extensive waiting times in here will be any form of pleasure. The SFC, as with all of these layouts, has some nice punchy moments and the theming is spot on.
Over to the un-themed area of the park, Cobra is fantastic. It’s not the prettiest coaster by any stretch, but the forceful corners and the joyful poppy hills towards the end are a hoot. It was virtually walk-on for our numerous re-rides throughout the day, and it has found itself a firm spot amongst my favourite family thrill coasters in the country.
The Edge however, is an utter shamble. An insufferably slow loading process, mixed with the fact several of us needed to borrow a seat belt extender from the ride host, which also needs to be returned at the end of the ride, further slowing the process. Given I’ve never had this on any other Disk-O, it seemed utterly bizarre this was the case. It really didn’t sound great either. Close your eyes, and you would have thought it was a relic Class 142 pacer train rattling into a station from the sound alone. The vibrations and dipping of the gondola mid-ride did not feel right at all, and it is certainly the worst of the ride type I have ridden. I couldn’t care less if it were to be tossed onto the scrap heap.
As expected, Tornado Springs is a masterclass of thematic design by any UK park standards. With the relatively hot weather this day and sitting with a beer and a burger outside the diner, it certainly had VIBES of being in a park abroad; certainly not back home.
Storm Chaser is great fun and the perfect coaster for its target market. I certainly couldn’t lap it as some people do, but everything from the theming down to the build quality is top-notch.
Cyclonator was possibly the area’s biggest disappointment. A tediously slow loading process, paired with the ride seemingly being ride stopped during the cycle left a rather bitter taste in the mouth. We barely had three full swings before the ride came to a prompt stop which was a shame, as the ride showed some decent promise of being quite thrilling.
Farmyard Flyer is easily the best-themed kid’s coaster in the UK. The first ‘new for 2022’ cred of the trip certainly did not disappoint as far as kid’s coasters go, although the transition back into the station at the end of each lap is somewhat jarring. I cannot stress enough how fantastic the theming is here, with so much care put into the detail. The weeding on the runway isn’t a case of purposeful neglect that you would see in Merlin parks, it feels considered and part of the story.
Naturally, we didn’t experience any of the Peppa Pig attractions, however, we did have a walk through the area. I can certainly see the appeal for younger children, and it’s great to see how well maintained and clean the area remains after being open for quite some time in the grand scheme of things. Whereas some areas of Thomas Land at Drayton feel much cheaper and thoughtlessly slapped together compared to the older parts of the land, Peppa Pig World feels cohesive and seamless in its presentation.
After mopping up the remaining coasters, and a joyful unexpected encounter with penguins, we enjoyed a pleasant stroll through the numerous BIRDS and other animals before popping to the edge of the park for the tranquillity of the historically restored water wheel. This was concluded by a gentle stroll around the lake, set back enough from the park for a moment of peace and to take in the natural surroundings.
We banged in another couple of rides on Storm Chaser, Cobra, and also ticked Magma off before making an early exit from the park.
Paulton’s was the perfect way to start this Euro trip. It really wouldn’t feel out of place abroad, which it does to some extent in the UK. The operations were fine for the most part (with the exception of Edge and Cyclonator), and the level of care invested into the park is evident.
I recently spoke with someone from the industry who had been invited to Paultons and had discussions with the park’s owners. They have deliberately vowed to ensure everything they do is different to Merlin, from their price point to ensure they are offering a premium product, through to the level of detail and care they put into their investments. That much is clear to see when at the park physically, and it’s a damn shame I live so far away. It’s a joyous park to visit, and perhaps as close to perfect as you can get from our somewhat mediocre theme park offering in this country. Am I glad the trip was extended to feature Paultons? Absolutely. Will I be rushing back any time soon? The only thing stopping me from doing so is the distance! Having experienced the product first-hand, my cheers and wilfulness for them to succeed will only be louder.
After our superb day, we headed across the South (stopping off at a newly opened that day Starbucks on the A3 by pure coincidence, much to @AstroDan's joy), we collected John from Ashford before our painless late evening crossing to the continent.
With a spot of “well if we leave a day earlier, we could go here” as well as “well if we modify this day, we could eat/drink here”, as well as a spot of tweaking whilst out there due to unfortunate circumstances, our itinerary turned into this:
- Paultons Park / Channel crossing
- Plopsaland De Panne
- Bellewaerde
- Walibi Belgium
- Walygator
- Nigloland
- Fraspertuis City / Tricky Track
- Europa Park
- Rulantica
- Steinwasen Park / Hassenhorn Rodelbahn
- Holiday Park
KlottenMoselbob / Erbskopf Alpine Coasters- Phantasialand
I won’t give a blow-by-blow recollection of each and every moment of the trip, more so my musings on the new parks with notable comparisons of previous visits to the most recent in parks I’d previously visited.
We kicked off our European trip, as you do, from the newly opened Brewdog Basingstoke before heading to Paulton’s Park the next day (minus John until the channel crossing).
Given the sheer distance to the park from my neck of the woods, it felt much easier bolting it onto a trip of this calibre than actively seeking it out on its own. Clearly, the park is well regarded (whilst also one of the most expensive of the trip!), so I was very much looking forward to visiting.
Thankfully we weren’t subjected to the headache-inducing traffic issues the park seems to be tanished with, and were swiftly admitted through the motorway services-esque entrance.
Paultons is obviously a park very much of three-thirds. The bare-bones, unthemed collection of rides and the splash play area over by Cobra/Edge/Magma, the delightful Lost Kingdom, Tornado Springs and Peppa Pig World, as well as the beautiful lake walk, animals and historic water wheel.
Starting with Lost Kingdom, I wasn’t blown away by the junior boomerang. Perhaps one of the weaker layouts, and certainly during the reverse portion. Praise be for the vegetation on The Smiler like cattle cage queue. Otherwise, I can’t imagine extensive waiting times in here will be any form of pleasure. The SFC, as with all of these layouts, has some nice punchy moments and the theming is spot on.
Over to the un-themed area of the park, Cobra is fantastic. It’s not the prettiest coaster by any stretch, but the forceful corners and the joyful poppy hills towards the end are a hoot. It was virtually walk-on for our numerous re-rides throughout the day, and it has found itself a firm spot amongst my favourite family thrill coasters in the country.
The Edge however, is an utter shamble. An insufferably slow loading process, mixed with the fact several of us needed to borrow a seat belt extender from the ride host, which also needs to be returned at the end of the ride, further slowing the process. Given I’ve never had this on any other Disk-O, it seemed utterly bizarre this was the case. It really didn’t sound great either. Close your eyes, and you would have thought it was a relic Class 142 pacer train rattling into a station from the sound alone. The vibrations and dipping of the gondola mid-ride did not feel right at all, and it is certainly the worst of the ride type I have ridden. I couldn’t care less if it were to be tossed onto the scrap heap.
As expected, Tornado Springs is a masterclass of thematic design by any UK park standards. With the relatively hot weather this day and sitting with a beer and a burger outside the diner, it certainly had VIBES of being in a park abroad; certainly not back home.
Storm Chaser is great fun and the perfect coaster for its target market. I certainly couldn’t lap it as some people do, but everything from the theming down to the build quality is top-notch.
Cyclonator was possibly the area’s biggest disappointment. A tediously slow loading process, paired with the ride seemingly being ride stopped during the cycle left a rather bitter taste in the mouth. We barely had three full swings before the ride came to a prompt stop which was a shame, as the ride showed some decent promise of being quite thrilling.
Farmyard Flyer is easily the best-themed kid’s coaster in the UK. The first ‘new for 2022’ cred of the trip certainly did not disappoint as far as kid’s coasters go, although the transition back into the station at the end of each lap is somewhat jarring. I cannot stress enough how fantastic the theming is here, with so much care put into the detail. The weeding on the runway isn’t a case of purposeful neglect that you would see in Merlin parks, it feels considered and part of the story.
Naturally, we didn’t experience any of the Peppa Pig attractions, however, we did have a walk through the area. I can certainly see the appeal for younger children, and it’s great to see how well maintained and clean the area remains after being open for quite some time in the grand scheme of things. Whereas some areas of Thomas Land at Drayton feel much cheaper and thoughtlessly slapped together compared to the older parts of the land, Peppa Pig World feels cohesive and seamless in its presentation.
After mopping up the remaining coasters, and a joyful unexpected encounter with penguins, we enjoyed a pleasant stroll through the numerous BIRDS and other animals before popping to the edge of the park for the tranquillity of the historically restored water wheel. This was concluded by a gentle stroll around the lake, set back enough from the park for a moment of peace and to take in the natural surroundings.
We banged in another couple of rides on Storm Chaser, Cobra, and also ticked Magma off before making an early exit from the park.
Paulton’s was the perfect way to start this Euro trip. It really wouldn’t feel out of place abroad, which it does to some extent in the UK. The operations were fine for the most part (with the exception of Edge and Cyclonator), and the level of care invested into the park is evident.
I recently spoke with someone from the industry who had been invited to Paultons and had discussions with the park’s owners. They have deliberately vowed to ensure everything they do is different to Merlin, from their price point to ensure they are offering a premium product, through to the level of detail and care they put into their investments. That much is clear to see when at the park physically, and it’s a damn shame I live so far away. It’s a joyous park to visit, and perhaps as close to perfect as you can get from our somewhat mediocre theme park offering in this country. Am I glad the trip was extended to feature Paultons? Absolutely. Will I be rushing back any time soon? The only thing stopping me from doing so is the distance! Having experienced the product first-hand, my cheers and wilfulness for them to succeed will only be louder.
After our superb day, we headed across the South (stopping off at a newly opened that day Starbucks on the A3 by pure coincidence, much to @AstroDan's joy), we collected John from Ashford before our painless late evening crossing to the continent.
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