What is your favourite non-Merlin UK coaster?

[Matt N]

Hi guys. In the UK theme park industry, Merlin theme parks are a very dominant force, and this is arguably most apparent in the arena of roller coaster hardware. If you were to ask an average enthusiast what their favourite UK coaster is, there’s a good chance that it would be at a Merlin theme park, and I dare say that most people’s UK top 10s would be relatively saturated with Merlin-operated coasters, with parks like Alton Towers and Thorpe Park in particular arguably having two of the UK’s most revered thrill coaster selections. With this in mind, I’d be intrigued to know; what is your favourite UK coaster not located at a theme park operated by Merlin Entertainments? Of the coasters at independent UK parks and UK parks owned by smaller chains such as Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Drayton Manor, Oakwood, Paultons Park, Flamingo Land, Fantasy Island, and numerous others, which is your favourite?

As for my own answer to this thread, my recent first visit to Flamingo Land, and my first ride on Sik in particular, got me thinking about what my favourite non-Merlin UK coasters actually are.

My favourite non-Merlin UK coaster is quite comfortably Icon at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, which is actually my favourite UK coaster even including Merlin parks, as well as my #8 overall out of 107 ridden coasters. I love the airtime, I love the fun twists and turns, I love the inversions, I love the smoothness and comfortable restraints… I just think it does a number of things very, very well! I know that liking Icon is a somewhat unpopular opinion, but I absolutely love it!

After that, though, only two other non-Merlin coasters actually slot into my UK top 10, meaning that non-Merlin coasters make up 3 of my UK top 10. With this in mind, my top 3 non-Merlin UK coasters, and the 3 that make my overall UK top 10, are:

1. Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (10/10, UK #1, #8/107 overall)
2. Sik - Flamingo Land (8/10, UK #8, #22/107 overall)
3. Megafobia - Oakwood Theme Park (8/10, UK #9, #25/107 overall)

If you’re interested, my overall UK top 10 (with non-Merlin rides highlighted in bold) is:

1. Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (10/10, #8/107 overall)
2. Wicker Man - Alton Towers (10/10, #10/107 overall)
3. Oblivion - Alton Towers (9/10, #11/107 overall)
4. Nemesis Inferno - Thorpe Park (9/10, #17/107 overall)
5. Rita - Alton Towers (9/10, #18/107 overall)
6. Stealth - Thorpe Park (8/10, #19/107 overall)
7. Nemesis - Alton Towers (8/10, #20/107 overall)
8. Sik - Flamingo Land (8/10, #22/107 overall)
9. Megafobia - Oakwood Theme Park (8/10, #25/107 overall)
10. Thirteen - Alton Towers (7/10, #28/107 overall)

But I’d be interested to know; what is your favourite non-Merlin UK coaster?

 

[Enter Valhalla]

Big One.

 

[Shaggy_Dog_]

Icon, though it really isn’t quite the coaster it could and should have been.

Storm Chaser and Kumali would probably round off the top 3 for me.

 

[shakey]

Existing - Big One
All time - Wild Mouse

 

[BigShadowtinytree]

Storm Chaser at Paultons.

 

[Trooper Looper]

I've not been to Paultons, but my favourite has to be either ICON or The Big Dipper.

 

[Zeock]

Icon for me.

 

[Itgoeshowhigh]

Havnt done many non Merlin parks apart from the kiddie parks in Devon/Cornwall and Brean (dump) so at the moment probably Icon. Closely followed by Storm Chaser (love that thing).

Special mention to Grand National which I thought was way better than I expected.

Keen to get on Megaphobia at some point

 

[pluk]

I disproportionately enjoy Rage, great compact layout, but I'd probably give it to Storm Chaser overall.

A couple of years ago it was, of course, the mouse.

 

[BooMT]

Icon & Storm Chaser for me!

 

[Poisson]

Existing? Grand National

All time? Wild Mouse

 

[Thameslink Rail]

Hmm... I'll go for Big Dipper at Blackpool. Not just because it's turning 100 this year.

 

[MattyH]

Having to do an all time list due to some of them being removed because we love destroying heritage in this country,

Non Merlin top 10:
1. Wild Mouse (RIP)
2, T' Ultimate (RIP)
3, Grand National (Not quite RIP yet)
4, Big Dipper (Saved from being RIP)
5. Nickelodean Streak
6. Odyssey
7. Sik (Ew)
8. Big One (Deserves to be RIP)
9. Rage
10. Avalanche

 

[Hyperia Super Stan]

My favourite non-Merlin UK coasters:

1. Storm Chaser
2. Icon
3. Revolution.

I'm expecting Megafobia to join my UK top 3 when I do eventually make it over to Oakwood.

 

[Funcone]

Best current: The Big One
Best of all time: Titanium 3000 (I can't wait for it to open at Borg Borg Land in the year 2082)

 

[John_P]

A few favorites in no order

Grand National
Sik
Storm Chaser
RollerCoaster (Great Yarmouth)

And to be pedantic Nemesis as it was installed under Tussauds.

 

[rob666]

Still the Reel.

 

[Johnny_5]

In no particular order. Odyssey (fantastic coaster, super smooth and great layout), Grand National (shame how BPB have let the majority of the ride rot, but it’s a fantastic coaster - worthy because of the double drop alone), Megafobia (just fantastic fun) and an honourable mention to Shockwave - front row, first drop, never fails to make me smile!

 

[Matt.GC]

Shoot me, I like Speed at Oakwood.

 

[D4n]

Megafobia out of the ones that have survived.

After the retrack, it's probably my UK number one even when taking Merlin parks into account.

As above, Speed is also very, very good. The best Gerst in the country by some distance and a very strong contender for best non Merlin coaster.

Honourable mentions to Icon and Sik.