• 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.

Thorpe Park: General Discussion

Ryan said:
Hardware alone, I'd agree Thorpe is the best in the UK. But for me the vibe is off. The entrance, from car park to whatever your first zone is, is a bit pants. There are few very odd choices, like the ugliest water ride I've ever seen taking centre stage, or the fact that Teacups, Flying Fish, Mr Monkey etc. still cling on, without any real rides for their target audience to ride elsewhere.

In terms of the whole package, From arriving, to staying over, to leaving...I prefer AT. AT is seriously lacking in water rides and flats, and it's approaching the point of needing a new, exciting, big, full-thrill steel coaster. But I genuinely feel like I've had a really nice trip away from home after a weekend there.

Another consideration, is what kind of theme park trip I'm looking for? Am I going out with all my family, Towers all the way. Am I looking for a day out with mates (especially ones from up here in the north who have been to Alton Towers 1000 times), then Thorpe reigns!
Click to expand...
I agree with what you say about the entrance experience, to be fair. I quite like the bridge over the lake with the ride views as you enter, and I think the “island” aspect of Thorpe makes this entrance have quite a lot of potential, but I do think that the entrance currently lacks polish. The Dome is not an overly brilliant first impression, and the way you’re just sort of dumped in the park with weird paths leading off to rides definitely lacks a bit of polish and pizzazz compared to, say, Towers Street in my view. I do feel that the entrance is an area for improvement at Thorpe, for sure.

On a somewhat related point, I also think that park layout is a slightly weird one with Thorpe. For lack of a better term, Thorpe Park has grown organically over the years rather than with any kind of long-term masterplan, which has led to some oddities in the overall park layout. As an example, the fact that you need to walk a fair bit to get between Swarm and Stealth despite them being geographically right next to each other is an oddity. The numerous different paths feeding off the entrance and the random greeting with the likes of Storm Surge and Depth Charge is an oddity. This is quite a pedantic one, though, as I think most theme parks have similar layout oddities to some extent; Towers certainly does!

In terms of why the park has family rides; I see that as them just keeping a core offering running for wider families who want to visit.

I do agree that it ultimately comes down to what you’re seeking and what sort of visitor you are. Ultimately, I am a 21 year old who values thrill rides quite highly. If I were a young family who didn’t want massive coasters, my opinion would probably be different.
 
Matt N said:
Best thrill coaster lineup
Click to expand...
Oh he’s spot on with this. There’s variety in Thorpes lineup. You want intensity and force you go on Inferno, you want inversions you go on Colossus, you want a horror themed torture device you go on Saw, you want height and insanity you go on Hyperia, you want speed and ridiculous acceleration you go on Stealth, you want hangtime you go for Swarm
 
Matt N said:
I agree with what you say about the entrance experience, to be fair. I quite like the bridge over the lake with the ride views as you enter, and I think the “island” aspect of Thorpe makes this entrance have quite a lot of potential, but I do think that the entrance currently lacks polish.
Click to expand...

This is exactly my issue with it. It has the potential to be really special - I actually really enjoyed Thorpe pushing the island angle, and with decent investment the entrance experience could be incredible - but after all these years, it still hasn't shaken the vibe of a late 80s leisure centre.
 
Granted Hyperia failing to open didn't help, but my trip to Thorpe this year (and my first since before Ghost Train first opened) showed very little had actually really changed.

Still unreliable. Still one of the worst entrances. Still a weird vibe to the park. Still an absolute burden.

Even then the quality of some of the hardware is questionable. Mostly Colossus and Saw. But some aspects of it are just so opposite to each other, mostly down to the constant changing in target audiences and styles.

It's a frustrating park. And shows how crap the UK industry has gotten when it's one of the best on offer. Towers has just as many problems of a different nature.

Also Bicko would never admit that Towers is the best. Not over his beloved Blackpool.
 
Matt N said:
I know that simply putting in a YouTube video without comment is frowned upon around these parts, and I’m not going to do that, but I watched a rather interesting video from Your Experience Guide this evening that I’d be intrigued to know people’s thoughts on.

Basically, Scott posted a video stating that he feels that Thorpe Park is the best theme park in the UK at present. Here’s the link:

If you don’t want to watch the video, Scott’s main arguments for this are as follows:
  • Best thrill coaster lineup: Scott feels that Thorpe Park has the best thrill coaster lineup in the UK. He feels that Hyperia, Stealth and Nemesis Inferno are three of the UK’s best roller coasters, Swarm is decent, Saw and Colossus are good fits even though he’s not personally a huge fan of them, Walking Dead covers horror fans well, and Flying Fish is good for younger thrillseekers.
  • Best filler attraction lineup: Scott also feels that Thorpe Park has the UK’s best lineup of non-coaster filler attractions. He feels that the park has the UK’s strongest lineup of flat rides, as well as possibly the UK’s strongest lineup of water rides. He acknowledges that the park is weaker on dark rides, but on balance, he feels that Thorpe Park has the UK’s strongest selection of non-coaster filler attractions.
  • Best Halloween offering: Scott feels that Thorpe Park has the UK’s strongest theme park Halloween offering in Fright Nights. He feels that Fright Nights having scare zones and park-wide entertainment as well as the scare mazes puts it a cut above the likes of Alton Towers Scarefest.
While Scott acknowledges that Thorpe Park lacks family attractions, he feels that Thorpe Park not honing in on families is not problematic for it due to the presence of Legoland, Chessington and Paultons Park within the immediate vicinity, which all focus heavily on young families. He also feels that in terms of theming, the park is “decent enough” for what it is.

I’d be interested to know; do people agree with Scott on this, or at very least see where he’s coming from? I don’t think holding Thorpe Park as your favourite UK theme park is an overly common opinion; around these parts in particular, Thorpe seems like a park that people love to hate.

Personally, I don’t necessarily agree with Scott in thinking that Thorpe Park is my favourite theme park in the UK… but I can definitely see where he’s coming from on some of his arguments. I have long held the view that Thorpe Park is overhated by UK enthusiasts, and I disagree with the commonly held opinion that “everything Thorpe does, Towers does 100 times better” that I’ve heard from quite a few.

In terms of the coaster lineup; I personally rate Alton Towers’ a little bit more highly at present, in terms of both the top 3 and the overall lineup, and Alton Towers having more in the first place gives them an additional edge for me. However, I have not yet ridden Hyperia… and if that’s really, really good as many reviews imply, then I think that could throw a cat amongst the pigeons and make things a little more equal. It could tip the top 3 balance in favour of Thorpe for me, at very least.

In terms of non-coaster filler attractions; I can definitely get behind Scott’s point. I do feel that Thorpe Park has the strongest lineup of UK flat rides; I’m not a great lover of flat rides on the whole, but I do really enjoy a ride on Rush and Detonator, and I definitely think they’re two of my favourite UK flat rides. And if you’re more into flat rides than I am, then Thorpe does at least have a pretty considerable selection, which is more than can be said for most UK parks. I also get where Scott’s coming from on water rides; yes, Rumba Rapids isn’t exactly a world-beating rapids, and Storm Surge and Depth Charge are not particularly ambitious water rides, but 4 water rides is not to be sniffed at in a UK park, and the fact that these rides are there is more than can be said for many UK parks. When you consider coasters and non-coasters together, I think you could make an argument for Thorpe Park quite possibly being the most well balanced UK park, or at very least the most well balanced UK Merlin park.

Overall, I’d say that Thorpe Park is definitely one of my personal favourite UK theme parks. I think the thrill ride lineup is excellent, in terms of both roller coasters and flat rides, I think that while the park isn’t the most cohesive in terms of themed areas per se, it has some areas of strong theming and landscaping, particularly when it comes to individual rides, I think it has a bit more balance in terms of attraction types than many UK parks, and I overall just really enjoy the place and really like the vibe there! I often think it’s a very overhated park by UK enthusiasts, and I personally am very fond of it; I think Alton Towers is probably my favourite UK park, but I’d definitely say that Thorpe Park is a very strong candidate for 2nd place, in my view!

But what are your thoughts? I’d be really interested to know!
Click to expand...


The issue is that Thorpe is still 90% thrill rides, it lacks a proper dark ride (not a train simulator) and a non-inverting coaster. This is where AT still I think is a little better as despite lacking in thrill flats, its very easy to take a break from fast, inverting and spinny things at AT, you can do Thirteen or Wickerman, or just go to the Sea Life centre. The only real option like that at Thorpe is the dodgems and rapids. If Thorpe removed Ghost Train and put a proper dark ride in there and added a non-inverting coaster then I think it would be able to be the UKs best.
 
Matt N said:
I know that simply putting in a YouTube video without comment is frowned upon around these parts, and I’m not going to do that, but I watched a rather interesting video from Your Experience Guide this evening that I’d be intrigued to know people’s thoughts on.

Basically, Scott posted a video stating that he feels that Thorpe Park is the best theme park in the UK at present. Here’s the link:

If you don’t want to watch the video, Scott’s main arguments for this are as follows:
  • Best thrill coaster lineup: Scott feels that Thorpe Park has the best thrill coaster lineup in the UK. He feels that Hyperia, Stealth and Nemesis Inferno are three of the UK’s best roller coasters, Swarm is decent, Saw and Colossus are good fits even though he’s not personally a huge fan of them, Walking Dead covers horror fans well, and Flying Fish is good for younger thrillseekers.
  • Best filler attraction lineup: Scott also feels that Thorpe Park has the UK’s best lineup of non-coaster filler attractions. He feels that the park has the UK’s strongest lineup of flat rides, as well as possibly the UK’s strongest lineup of water rides. He acknowledges that the park is weaker on dark rides, but on balance, he feels that Thorpe Park has the UK’s strongest selection of non-coaster filler attractions.
  • Best Halloween offering: Scott feels that Thorpe Park has the UK’s strongest theme park Halloween offering in Fright Nights. He feels that Fright Nights having scare zones and park-wide entertainment as well as the scare mazes puts it a cut above the likes of Alton Towers Scarefest.
While Scott acknowledges that Thorpe Park lacks family attractions, he feels that Thorpe Park not honing in on families is not problematic for it due to the presence of Legoland, Chessington and Paultons Park within the immediate vicinity, which all focus heavily on young families. He also feels that in terms of theming, the park is “decent enough” for what it is.

I’d be interested to know; do people agree with Scott on this, or at very least see where he’s coming from? I don’t think holding Thorpe Park as your favourite UK theme park is an overly common opinion; around these parts in particular, Thorpe seems like a park that people love to hate.

Personally, I don’t necessarily agree with Scott in thinking that Thorpe Park is my favourite theme park in the UK… but I can definitely see where he’s coming from on some of his arguments. I have long held the view that Thorpe Park is overhated by UK enthusiasts, and I disagree with the commonly held opinion that “everything Thorpe does, Towers does 100 times better” that I’ve heard from quite a few.

In terms of the coaster lineup; I personally rate Alton Towers’ a little bit more highly at present, in terms of both the top 3 and the overall lineup, and Alton Towers having more in the first place gives them an additional edge for me. However, I have not yet ridden Hyperia… and if that’s really, really good as many reviews imply, then I think that could throw a cat amongst the pigeons and make things a little more equal. It could tip the top 3 balance in favour of Thorpe for me, at very least.

In terms of non-coaster filler attractions; I can definitely get behind Scott’s point. I do feel that Thorpe Park has the strongest lineup of UK flat rides; I’m not a great lover of flat rides on the whole, but I do really enjoy a ride on Rush and Detonator, and I definitely think they’re two of my favourite UK flat rides. And if you’re more into flat rides than I am, then Thorpe does at least have a pretty considerable selection, which is more than can be said for most UK parks. I also get where Scott’s coming from on water rides; yes, Rumba Rapids isn’t exactly a world-beating rapids, and Storm Surge and Depth Charge are not particularly ambitious water rides, but 4 water rides is not to be sniffed at in a UK park, and the fact that these rides are there is more than can be said for many UK parks. When you consider coasters and non-coasters together, I think you could make an argument for Thorpe Park quite possibly being the most well balanced UK park, or at very least the most well balanced UK Merlin park.

Overall, I’d say that Thorpe Park is definitely one of my personal favourite UK theme parks. I think the thrill ride lineup is excellent, in terms of both roller coasters and flat rides, I think that while the park isn’t the most cohesive in terms of themed areas per se, it has some areas of strong theming and landscaping, particularly when it comes to individual rides, I think it has a bit more balance in terms of attraction types than many UK parks, and I overall just really enjoy the place and really like the vibe there! I often think it’s a very overhated park by UK enthusiasts, and I personally am very fond of it; I think Alton Towers is probably my favourite UK park, but I’d definitely say that Thorpe Park is a very strong candidate for 2nd place, in my view!

But what are your thoughts? I’d be really interested to know!
Click to expand...

I completely agree with Scott to be honest. Thorpe Park is currently my favourite UK theme park and has a lot of potential to be even better.

The thrill coasters are fantastic and some of the better ones in the UK. I do feel that something in the middle (a coaster with a RCDB Thrill rating) with a 1.1m or 1.2m height requirement is what they need to fill the gap.

Dark Rides, I don't feel they are missing too much however it would be a breath of fresh air to see something like a tracked (or trackless) dark ride in the park. The current dark rides available are lacking in my opinion though.

Water Rides, they are near spot on with and I'd say the only thing I'd add is a Chiapas like flume. I'd be concerned about the reliability of the current line up so thinking another water ride with a splashdown would help ease pressure on Tidal Wave on a warm day. They aren't like Phantasialand's water rides but they are a valued part of the line up.

Family Rides, I know they have less but the park is aimed more towards thrillseekers. I think the next step should be removing the beach and adding rides for the family there covering those between 0.9m and 1.2m. The beach is wasted space and would be better used if multiple family rides are on the site instead.

Halloween, Fright Nights is fantastic and is a very renowned event in the UK theme park industry. It is a massive draw across the board and sees consistent queues every year.

Accommodation wise, Alton Towers is stronger but Thorpe Park are not necessarily looking to be a resort like Alton Towers yet.

Theming, I'd say that Thorpe Park are more of an amusement park and they don't need to have cohesive areas to be successful. It does well when it comes to The Swarm and Tidal Wave.

Alton Towers does have a more balanced rollercoaster line up and a lot more dark rides however the fact that there is no flume style water ride (like Tidal Wave) and a very limited selection of flat rides for a wider or thrilling audience, I'd say Thorpe Park is much better than Alton Towers for this reason alone.

I also say that Thorpe Park runs a Shuttle Bus service which is exactly the same as how Phantasialand do theirs (even with the crowding on the bus to and from the park) and it really helps bring people to the park by Public Transport. Alton Towers is a park that should have that service but doesn't.

This is honestly my thoughts on the Thorpe Park and Alton Towers comparison.
 
owenstreet7 said:
Family Rides, I know they have less but the park is aimed more towards thrillseekers. I think the next step should be removing the beach and adding rides for the family there covering those between 0.9m and 1.2m. The beach is wasted space and would be better used if multiple family rides are on the site instead.
Click to expand...
Yep getting rid of the beach to add a non-inverting coaster and an extra flat ride or two, keeping the beach/seaside theme (so Flying Fish becomes part of the area too) would be a good next step. Even if not just to add something for families, but just something that doesn't invert for a change of pace. I'm sure they can work out how to make it fit round depth charge and flying fish, a bit like Dragon's Fury does.
 
I don’t think Thorpe Park needs to appeal to young families. Its local competition means that thrills is probably a much better niche for it to cover.

However, I do think that at very least, a lower height restriction thrill coaster would not go amiss at the park as its next major investment. Something with a 1.2m height restriction, probably non-inverting, would be a brilliant investment, in my view, and would really round out Thorpe’s lineup and offer more appeal for older families. Something like a GCI wooden coaster would be great fun, have a low height restriction, have no inversions and be enjoyable for a wide demographic while also still ticking the thrill box quite nicely. It wouldn’t even be that difficult for Thorpe to build the Hyperia of woodies and go for loads of UK woodie records; if they built a ride of 100ft, 50mph and a bit over 3,000ft long, that would give them the tallest, fastest and longest UK wooden coaster with ease!

I also fully agree that retheming The Walking Dead back to something less alienating would be an easy win to get a lower height restriction draw back into the park. As well-executed as it looks from videos I’ve seen, that retheme really was a poor move, in my view, and even reinstating something along the lines of the previous X theme would work wonders and instantly give the park another ride with a height restriction as low as 1m.
 
Matt N said:
I don’t think Thorpe Park needs to appeal to young families. Its local competition means that thrills is probably a much better niche for it to cover.

However, I do think that at very least, a lower height restriction thrill coaster would not go amiss at the park as its next major investment. Something with a 1.2m height restriction, probably non-inverting, would be a brilliant investment, in my view, and would really round out Thorpe’s lineup and offer more appeal for older families. Something like a GCI wooden coaster would be great fun, have a low height restriction, have no inversions and be enjoyable for a wide demographic while also still ticking the thrill box quite nicely. It wouldn’t even be that difficult for Thorpe to build the Hyperia of woodies and go for loads of UK woodie records; if they built a ride of 100ft, 50mph and a bit over 3,000ft long, that would give them the tallest, fastest and longest UK wooden coaster with ease!

I also fully agree that retheming The Walking Dead back to something less alienating would be an easy win to get a lower height restriction draw back into the park. As well-executed as it looks from videos I’ve seen, that retheme really was a poor move, in my view, and even reinstating something along the lines of the previous X theme would work wonders and instantly give the park another ride with a height restriction as low as 1m.
Click to expand...
Yep they don't need to consider anything for those under 1m, or even 1.1m really as Legoland and Chessington have younger families covered. But for those with a mix of a 10 year old, 13 year old and 14 year old for example, they need to make sure there is enough for the younger child who might be 1.3-1.4m tall but doesn't want to do the biggest inverting stuff.
 
jon81uk said:
Yep getting rid of the beach to add a non-inverting coaster and an extra flat ride or two, keeping the beach/seaside theme (so Flying Fish becomes part of the area too) would be a good next step. Even if not just to add something for families, but just something that doesn't invert for a change of pace. I'm sure they can work out how to make it fit round depth charge and flying fish, a bit like Dragon's Fury does.
Click to expand...
I'd say even a flume would be fantastic for the site as they could repurpose the land quite easily with what they already have

Although I'd prefer a combination of a flume, family thrill coaster and some flat rides that are at around the same thrill level and height requirement as the Dodgems and the Teacups.

Matt N said:
I don’t think Thorpe Park needs to appeal to young families. Its local competition means that thrills is probably a much better niche for it to cover.

However, I do think that at very least, a lower height restriction thrill coaster would not go amiss at the park as its next major investment. Something with a 1.2m height restriction, probably non-inverting, would be a brilliant investment, in my view, and would really round out Thorpe’s lineup and offer more appeal for older families. Something like a GCI wooden coaster would be great fun, have a low height restriction, have no inversions and be enjoyable for a wide demographic while also still ticking the thrill box quite nicely. It wouldn’t even be that difficult for Thorpe to build the Hyperia of woodies and go for loads of UK woodie records; if they built a ride of 100ft, 50mph and a bit over 3,000ft long, that would give them the tallest, fastest and longest UK wooden coaster with ease!

I also fully agree that retheming The Walking Dead back to something less alienating would be an easy win to get a lower height restriction draw back into the park. As well-executed as it looks from videos I’ve seen, that retheme really was a poor move, in my view, and even reinstating something along the lines of the previous X theme would work wonders and instantly give the park another ride with a height restriction as low as 1m.
Click to expand...
I do completely agree that the park is best suited as a 1.1m-1.2m and above park and doesn't need to majorly focus on families in the same way as surrounding parks. It is in a unique position to focus on thrills fully.

A woodie would be fantastic for the next coaster as it would complement the ride line up well. It is something very different and wouldn't necessarily jeopardise the potential for an RMC if it ever happens.

A non inverting major rollercoaster like Wickerman is something that is missing in the line up.
 
Thorpe would really benefit from a 1m height restriction vekoma mine train could easily be based on swarm island with a themed mountain/ rockwork to create a sense of speed and thrill and also these can be people eaters when done properly!

Phantasia has Colorado adventure, Disney has BTM, its something that would scream success in the UK market bringing younger thrill seekers into Thorpe but above the toddler market.
 
owenstreet7 said:
II also say that Thorpe Park runs a Shuttle Bus service which is exactly the same as how Phantasialand do theirs (even with the crowding on the bus to and from the park) and it really helps bring people to the park by Public Transport. Alton Towers is a park that should have that service but doesn't.
Click to expand...

Ran by a independent operator(and not a very good one at that) not the park themselfs, Alton does have a bus ran by the same company they contract out the employee buses to, but they say there's not enough demand for such a service, personally I think a uttoxeter shuttle could work fairly well if well publicised.
 
Thorpe has the luxury of being pretty close to a station with frequent trains from London and half decent services to Reading and other fairly major destinations which means a bus company can easily snap up large volumes of travellers. Towers doesn't really have that as Uttox is a poorly served station and most people have to make at least one change to get there, plus it's not even that close to the park anyway. A park the size of Towers should have better public transportation options but it's very hard to make a business case for anything specific unfortunately.

A for Thorpe, it's probably the UK park I've enjoyed the most this year. I hesitate to go so far as to say it's the best but it's offered a far better guest experience than Towers has on my visits so far. Queue times have been generally reasonable (and even the longer queues moved fairly consistently) and whilst I've noticed quite a lot of downtime at least the park is small enough that you don't have to plan your day around it.

There are, however, glaring issues at the park - the car park and security setup is woeful and Hyperia down time fairly embarrassing. Despite that it seems to be holding together slightly better than Towers is at the moment. BPB used to be a contender for UK's best park IMO but they've clearly got major issues right now and I've really lost enthusiasm towards the place, despite visiting it much less than the Merlin parks.
 
I don’t get the idea Thorpe has a good mix of rides these days.

Stealth is great but it’s basically on par with Oblivion, Inferno is poor man’s Nemesis, Collosus is crap, Saw is poor also. It’s only pluses are it’s flats survive.

Plus every time I visit Thorpe it’s a stress, and the entrance has council leisure centre VIBES.
 
One thing I never understood is why don’t they retheme samurai to fit in more with saw? It has the colour scheme now all it needs is a name change and themed to like a torture device or something
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top