TR: First Visit to Legoland Windsor and Bekonscot Model Village

[East Coast Mariner]

First Visit to Legoland Windsor and Bekonscot Model Village​

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Day 1: Bekonscot Model Village & Railway​

For one reason or another, I had never been to Legoland. I remember hearing about the Danish park when I was young, but I never went. And of course, here in the UK we had Windsor Safari Park. I always wanted to ride the African Queen Riverboat Ride, but again, I never went. And then came along Legoland Windsor, in 1996. I was very much a young adult by then, and thought I had grown out of both Lego and family coasters. Well, it turns out I was wrong on both counts!

So I decided to put this right, and planned a visit to the Windsor resort. But first, I thought I would check out another place I had rather wanted to go to - Bekonscot Model Village.

01)Entrance by East Coastering, on Flickr

It is a funny place to have a tourist attraction - a residential street in the town of Beaconsfield, with no dedicated car park of its own. There are, however, a great many spaces by the church opposite. I parked and entered the model village, which dates back to 1929 and is apparently the oldest in the world.

One of the first things that greeted me was Chessnade Zoo, with its elephants, rhinos and bears. There are also plenty of churches and castles; and numerous shops, all with the sort of pun names you’d expect from a model village. There’s also a funicular railway, cable cars and a big pond in the middle, complete with large fish. The highlight, though, is arguably an elaborate model railway that runs around the site, complete with numerous stations.

02)Bekonscot_view by East Coastering, on Flickr
03b)Village_green by East Coastering, on Flickr
04)Lighthouse by East Coastering, on Flickr
05)Windmill by East Coastering, on Flickr

I wasn’t sure if the name “Bekonscot Model Village & Railway” referred to this model railway, or something you can actually ride. And as it turns out, it does indeed have a miniature railway too. For a small extra fee, you can experience the Bekonscot Light Railway - a fantastic little ride with a very clever layout.

From the station, you head round a left curve and then go through a sort of sheltered tunnel. Then, it is a right-turn into the main portion of the ride, which is a figure-eight. There are so many points and switch tracks, you actually go round it a couple of times in different directions, all the while going past garden ornaments, hidden displays and between two high-sided walls. And then, back through the tunnel to the station. I found it charming and inspiring, the sort of thing you could put in your own garden.

06b)Bekonscot_Light_Railway by East Coastering, on Flickr
07b)Bekonscot_Light_Railway by East Coastering, on Flickr
08)Bekonscot_Light_Railway by East Coastering, on Flickr

So, after an enjoyable two or three hours, I left the model village. The place was packed on the day of my visit, and I must say, here I experienced possibly the worst manners from other visitors that I have ever seen at a tourist attraction. It could be because of the narrow paths that model villages tend to have, but I noticed that so many of the tourists just pushed past without saying “excuse me.” I understand space is at a premium, but there was definitely room to politely manoeuvre around each other if desired.

Overall, I was just pleased to finally visit this historic model village. Is it the best? Probably not quite, but it’s certainly up there with my other favourites of Godshill, Merrivale and Babbacombe.

With some time to spare, I headed into Windsor. I walked past a little gatehouse for the castle, then the Monument Water Fountain; and then the 100ft Curfew Tower came into view. Ahead of me was the King & Castle, a fantastic Wetherspoon’s that’s set in an old chemist’s. I went upstairs, tucked myself into a corner and enjoyed a meal and soft drink.

I then went on to Bracknell, where I had some overnight accommodation booked. I left my bags in my room, and set out to explore the town centre. I was impressed, as it was nice and pedestrianised, with lots of security on the evening of my visit.

The night getting on, I made my way across town to… another Wetherspoon’s! Set in a Tudor building, the Old Manor is another great rabbit warren of a pub. I can see why people like these, as you feel connected with the past as you relax. I was hungry, so I had another meal; and as there was no more driving to be done today, I also had two pints of Guinness! I had a big day ahead of me tomorrow, as I was finally going to visit one of the most major theme parks in the UK I had not yet been to. All that was left was to get into bed and have sweet dreams of Lego…

 

[East Coast Mariner]

Day 2 - Legoland Windsor​

As I drew closer to Legoland, I realised that even the approach is exciting. Lego deer adorn the roundabout, and oversized minifigures line the sides. I parked near the front and walked to the entrance, where “Everything Is Awesome” was playing, and the October sun bathed us with a solid, gentle warmth. The weather couldn’t have been better. Through the gates, you get a cracking view on the plateau over what must have been the old safari park, with Windsor Castle in the distance.

01)Entrance by East Coastering, on Flickr

I decided to go round the park clockwise, and so following the stream downhill, I soon arrived at my first ride - Minifigure Speedway. They were letting us choose which side, and I walked straight onto the front car of the blue track (Team Legends). Immediately, I understood why Merlin went to Zierer for this coaster. The seats were a lot roomier than those found on the Vekoma Family Boomerangs, and you can easily fit two adults side by side.

We rolled down the ramp, and through what I hoped was mist (but wasn’t!) Then, a drop over the edge, which wasn’t anything like as sheer as it looked from the station, and through a selection of wide, banked turns. It was smooth as glass. We then went up the other hill - again, it felt more “heavy duty” than the Vekoma, as you actually go all the way up the reversal ramp. We rolled backwards and completed the ride. Excellent!

I then decided to try the red track (Team Allstars) right away, which was of course similar, except this time I sat near the back. For me, this ride is better at the front, as whichever end gets pushed (rather than pulled) through the backwards section is more boisterous, and slightly less smooth. Overall, a perfect family coaster, although I think the shuttle nature of it edges it towards “family thrill”.

02)Minifigure by East Coastering, on Flickr

Next, I was desperate to get the Duplo Dino Coaster cred, so I went on it by myself! I was very impressed with this ART Engineering ride. It doesn’t throw you around (apart from slightly sharp station braking, perhaps), and so in my opinion is the perfect kids’ coaster.

Another ride was nearby that I’d wanted to go on for so long - Fairy Tale Brook. I love a good boat ride, so for me this was unmissable. Admittedly, the boats are very small, and I do think it would be better if more adults could ride together, but still… I thought this was very charming, as we went past the Three Little Pigs, through Aladdin’s Cave and around Little Red Riding Hood confronting the Wolf! Overall, a great ride that probably would have fascinated me even more if I’d been younger.

03)Coastguard by East Coastering, on Flickr

I chose another aquatic experience next - Coastguard HQ. It’s a low-capacity ride, admittedly, and so the queue line was the slowest-moving of the day, although it does have two stations. Like Robin Hill’s Crocodile Creek, these are electric boats that you can steer yourself, except they do only have one row of seats, and it’s worth pointing out you absolutely need two people. Rather than different speed settings (or reverse), there is a pedal that you have to keep pressed.

I soon realised the steering was not very tight, and so I decided to take the next corner from the outside - the one with the water-squirting elephant. Only trouble is, some kid overtook me on the inside, and barged me to the right - into the elephant spray!

In all seriousness, I thought the ride lacked something. Possibly it didn’t quite have enough theming, or perhaps it was because there was not actually much choice in where to steer the boats, but I wouldn’t rush to ride it again. A nice ride, but not great. I felt sorry for the member of staff who had to constantly wade through the water, realigning the boats!

04)Deep_Sea by East Coastering, on Flickr

Thankfully, the next ride would be much better. I headed towards my next priority - Deep Sea Adventure. There is a great Lego shark in the queue line, and it was also nice to see a giant version of their crab Lego piece. Soon, I was in the station and boarded the submarine.

I thought this ride was absolutely amazing - a real adventure. As the sharks glided past, it was so much more effective than a standard aquarium. As well as the real fish, I enjoyed the Lego hermit crabs and the like. It must be said, though, that it is very short. When the operator yanked open the door and asked us to get out, I genuinely thought the ride had gone wrong and it was some sort of evacuation!

I had completed the first section of the park, so to speak, and was very impressed with what I’d seen. I walked past the hotels and lake, and onto Lego Mythica. Set in the lowest point of what is some quite hilly terrain, my mind boggled at how it used to be a safari park, which tend to be quite flat, surely?

05)Castle_Hotel by East Coastering, on Flickr

After a quick look round the Magical Forest, I decided to see what else this zone had on offer. I had wanted to try a flying theatre ever since I heard of the Soarin’ rides, and so this was my chance. I headed for the building with Maximus coming out the front, and boarded my next ride - Flight of the Sky Lion. I was assigned the lower tier of seats, which I’d heard wasn’t ideal, but I got in, buckled my seatbelt, and waited to see what would happen. The lights went dark and we were turned round 180-degrees to be presented with a giant, domed screen.

Ever since Cine 180 at Pleasurewood Hills, I have always thought curved screens were much more effective than 3D glasses, and so here it proved to be the case. I thought this ride was absolutely incredible. You really feel “in” the screen. We swooped about, left and right, forward and back, with wind, mist and the occasional shuddering. Monsters snapped at us, and we dropped off cliffs. It was like being on a giant inverted coaster - I really felt we were hundreds of feet in the air.

Unfortunately, it did seem to be too much for some in my row. Although the film is not deliberately scary, the flight and immersion are just so realistic. Physically, the ride is not intense, and I rode the whole thing with my hands resting on my lap. Quite honestly, I thought this was one of the best rides I’ve ever been on. I’ve been riding for a long time and it’s not often there’s something that’s genuinely different, but the flying theatre is the real deal.

06)Harbour by East Coastering, on Flickr

As good as it was, I did need to give my head a rest, and so boarded the Legoland Express. I hear this has been refurbished for this year, with many new models at the sides. Thankfully the water-squirting ones didn’t get me (if they were even turned on)! The layout is sort of a pinched oval, and I thought the models were great, especially the ones toward the end of the ride, such as the monster plant.

Having ridden what I’d wanted in the middle portion of the park, I had to focus on my next priority. My favourite type of Lego is Classic Pirates, and so I headed to Pirate Shores. I thought the zone really brought the theme to life, with its cannons, barrels and parrots. Thankfully, Pirate Falls: Treasure Quest was closed for maintenance earlier than expected, which I wasn’t going to complain about!

Instead I boarded the Jolly Rocker. Some of the queue line was blocked off by a bin, and for reasons I don’t understand, some of the guests ducked under the railing and insisted on queuing in that one! Regardless, I was assigned the back seat, and we started swinging. It went very high and steep indeed, much steeper than you tend to get on pirate ships nowadays. I really do think, when it comes to this type of ride, you just can’t beat a Huss.

07)Jolly_Rocker by East Coastering, on Flickr

I would have been happy to ride the Spinning Spider as well, but I really did want to get those last coaster creds, and so I headed to Knight’s Kingdom. It was great to finally see the castle in real life, which at the moment was decorated with pumpkins. Of course, I first chose to do the Dragon (or should that be Disco Dragon?), which is a ride by WGH Transportation. Well, I don’t know why they only made six coasters, because this is excellent.

The queue line really is like exploring a life-size Lego castle, and I made my way around the battlements. I was assigned the back row, and took my seat. Again, like Minifigure Speedway, this was very roomy for adults. We went into the dark ride section, which had a disco overlay at the time of my visit, and it seemed like the castle residents were having a party. I don’t often go on dark rides, so it made a nice change, and the dragon model is impressive.

Up the lift hill we went, and then down the big first drop. Around a turn and then up the next lift hill. We dropped into a tunnel and then banked to the right, which produced some strong laterals to the left. Around some more turns and up a lift hill back to the station, which you seem to stop on every time. This was another great family coaster, and like Minifigure Speedway, I thought the two big drops edge it towards “family thrill”.

The only cred left was Dragon’s Apprentice, and so I headed to that. Again, I was first in the queue and headed towards the back seat. I saw, however, that two children were disappointed I’d got it, and so I let them have it instead. I thought this was another good coaster - scarier and wilder than Duplo Dino, with some quick direction changes.

08)Castle by East Coastering, on Flickr

I had finally got all five coaster credits at Legoland, but I thought I would just try Merlin’s Challenge whilst it was nearby. I’m not sure I have been on a Mack Rides Sea Storm before, so it was good to give it a go. I thought the ride was entertaining enough, with some strong laterals, and the forward motion actually felt quite wild for the park.

There were more rides I could have gone on, but time was running out, and so I headed towards Miniland. This was even better than I expected, and the bits representing Britain were exceptional, especially the enormous buildings of London and the quintessential Cornish coastline. Frankly, you could spend a couple of hours just here.

But I didn’t have that long, unfortunately, and so I boarded the Hill Train. Up we went this funicular railway, which dates back to Windsor Safari Park. As I went up the hill, I got a good view of Viking River Rapids to my left, which is a big space that’s going unused. It will be interesting to see what they build there.

With the park closing soon, I had a look around the Lego shop, but managed to resist spending too much money. Instead, I retired back to the Old Manor, Bracknell. I sat amongst the pictures of Henry VIII, with a pint of Doom Bar in my left hand and an Abbot Ale in my right, and reflected on the day.

I had enjoyed an excellent first visit to Legoland Windsor. Leafy and colourful, the park was better and nicer than I expected. I thought it was perfectly well balanced, and it’s hard to think what type of new additions would most benefit it.

The park has a kind, wholesome feel, on a par with Paultons. Everything feels well maintained and done properly, even right down to the way the staff assign your seats and shout “secure!” when they’ve checked your restraint. The clientele seemed like nice people to be around as well, even down to the way they innocently cheered for their team in the pre-show of Minifigure Speedway!

Overall, I couldn’t criticise a thing about it. Legoland Windsor may have been my last UK Merlin park to visit, but I think it’s my favourite. I look forward to seeing how it develops, and hope I will one day be able to visit again.