Wicker Man - General Discussion - Part Two

[Steve74]

Wasn’t that part of the planning agreement though - that the woods area got returned to being …. Well…. Woods

Yeah and they're protected which is while most if not all of the concrete footers of the flume - including the tunnel bit visible from the rapids queue - are still in place.

 

[Jb85]

Yeah and they're protected which is while most if not all of the concrete footers of the flume - including the tunnel bit visible from the rapids queue - are still in place.

That’s what I thought - you can see a fair bit from haunted hollow

Interesting how they’ve effectively been told just to leave it to rot

 

[DiogoJ42]

Interesting how they’ve effectively been told just to leave it to rot

Gotta leave something mysterious for future youtubers to make videos about.

 

[DistortAMG]

It's crazy to think that Wickerman essentially sits on what was The Flume's station and queue line, with most of the layout (of what was once the world's longest log flume) unbuilt on.

Totally agree, the lake too. You would never know a lake even existed now. I always liked the fact that the turnaround near the entrance of the ride, roughly follows the footprint of what was the station of The Flume.

 

[DiogoJ42]

Hypothetical question: can us scum access the woods where the old flume was? It's not an active ride area, so I don't see how safety would be an issue. But I can also see how taking a single step off an official path would get you rugby tackled by security jobsworths. I'm sure you could make an argument that if there's no moving machinery, it is part of the gardens, thus we should be able to wander.

 

[BarryZola]

I don't think you'd be able to without actively ignoring no entry signs and/or fences etc. Physically I think you'd be able to (probably from near the end of Haunted Hollow towards Curse) but you'd probably have to hop a waist-height gate. Although saying this I genuinely havn't looked at doing it so I could be wrong.

 

[immelmanloop]

I believe there is fencing lining the whole bit off of various heights, so you'd probably get nabbed by security. Best to leave it rather than winding up the park.

 

[DiogoJ42]

Oh, I wasn't saying I have any intentions of trying. Just curious. (I visit so rarely these days I don't have time for such shenanigans).

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

Oh, I wasn't saying I have any intentions of trying. Just curious. (I visit so rarely these days I don't have time for such shenanigans).

If you happen to be the owner of two glorious wings and generally look a bit fowl, you can have a waddle around to your heart's content.

🪿

 

[DiogoJ42]

If you happen to be the owner of two glorious wings and generally look a bit fowl, you can have a waddle around to your heart's content.

🪿

Can you hold a go pro in your beak when you do?

 

[Loui Richards]

Wicker man was evacuated after the section of track after the first big bob pass through was smoking!!!

 

[Danscott22]

Tut tut, smoking is not allowed on rides!!

Jokes aside, saw the video online, looked like a tiny fire maybe, was extinguished relatively quickly

 

[Skyscraper]

Here's the video for those interested;


From: https://x.com/Only_A_Relax/status/1816790455759065231

 

[caffeinesplash]

Not at all where you'd expect, I guess it could just have been from some sparks or something.
Hopefully not too much damage.

 

[Matt N]

I read on Twitter that the wood is apparently treated with a fire-resistant coating, so if that’s true, there hopefully shouldn’t be much damage.

Even if not, though, it only looks like a very small fire, and it sounds as though it was extinguished quickly.

 

[Dhev123]

Think we're gonna have to kiss those flames goodbye for the time being or else they'll have a PR disaster on their hands

 

[Manchester1894]

When you think of all the main rides, they all close or shut down for some reason. It feels as unreliable as it's ever been for a guest but is it? Or are the modern safety systems responsible for detecting more faults than the older systems?

 

[Dhev123]

When you think of all the main rides, they all close or shut down for some reason. It feels as unreliable as it's ever been for a guest but is it? Or are the modern safety systems responsible for detecting more faults than the older systems?

definitely the latter, I think post smiler the UK industry, especially merlin has definitely upped their game when it comes to technical faults, better safe than sorry.

Also, most of the ride hardware at these parks are ageing as well which would impact reliability, notably for rides such as stealth and rita with hydraulic launches becoming a thing of the past and a nightmare to maintain and keep reliable. Basically all coasters at merlin parks are over 15 years old bar saw (which is 15), swarm, th13teen, smiler, wicker, mandrill, hyperia and minifigure

 

[GaryH]

I know we moan sometimes about lack of themeing but fair play , adding fire effects to the track is pretty cool.

On a more serious note though, hope there isn’t any damage. Wonder what could have started that - friction and sparks from car wheels?

 

[Matt N]

For what it’s worth, there doesn’t immediately appear to be any drastic damage based on this image on Twitter:

This is not good for PR, though… there are already people on Twitter lamenting that “Merlin park safety has fallen drastically” and calling for the whole park to be closed for an investigation…