Thorpe Park, UK [PICS]

[Chris J]

I am guessing most of the users here are from the USA, so I am going to show off the great Thorpe Park in this thread as I am sure most of you have never heard of it :D (pictures included)

Thorpe Park is in Surrey, UK. Until 2000, Thorpe Park was probably one of the worst Theme Parks in the country but Tussauds bought it and turned the place around. In just over 3 years, Thorpe Park has become one of the best theme parks in the country, and had its first 2 major rollercoasters built in just 2 years: Colossus and Nemesis:Inferno (the little brother of Nemesis at Alton Towers).

Thorpe Park is set in a sort of island. A lot of theme parks are set around a large lake (like a lot of the scenarios in RCT), but Thorpe is the other way around. It is set IN THE MIDDLE of a lake. It is a very small island and they have used the limited space really well to cram in all sorts of big thrill rides and coasters.

There is a sort of story that fans use for the park, that explains what all the different zones are about. The zone with the big thrill rides is the Lost City at the bottom of this post.

Port Atlantis - Photo (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/portatlantis/pics/poratlan.jpg)
As you enter the park, you walk across a bridge from the gates to Port Atlantis, the name of the big dome that has been there since the park opened in 1979. The dome is Thorpe's Main Street of Disneyland Paris in a way, as it has all sorts of shops and cafe's.

Neptunes Kingdom
As you exit the dome you enter the sandy Neptunes Kingdom. Neptunes Kingdom is a nice relaxing "beach" with swimming pools and water slides.

Depth Charge (dinghy slide) - Photo (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/depthcharge/pics/depthcharge3.jpg)

Amity Cove
This is where the modern day people live and work (or used to anyway!) but the small fishing villiage has been hit by a freak tidal wave! Everything has been destroyed, even the KFC restaurant has been badly hit. This has to be one of the best themed areas in the UK, not many places actually theme fast food restaurants either! The KFC has watermarked walls and the ceiling is in pieces. As for the villiage, houses have been washed away and the church is submerged under water. The only way out is to go up the "mountain" (the ride) and over the other side. Sorry I can't really find any photos of the area, only the ride:

Tidal Wave (splash boats)- Photo 1 (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/tidalwave/pics/tidalwave7.jpg) |

Photo 2 (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/tidalwave/pics/tidalwave8.jpg)

Calypso Quay
Behind the fishers villiage is the tropical jungle where there are volcanoes and big rocks, aswell as water rapids. There are a few older rides here, so they don't really fit in with the Calypso Quay theme, but nevermind!

Nemesis:Inferno (inverted B&M coaster) - Photo 1 (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/nemesisinferno/gallery/pics/volcano.jpg) | Photo 2 (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/nemesisinferno/gallery/pics/panarama.jpg) | Photo 3 (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/nemesisinferno/gallery/pics/corkturn.jpg)
Detonator (freefall tower - it might look small but it has a difference to other towers, it actually pushes you down before falling! very intense) - Photo 1 (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/detonator/pics/detonator2.jpg) | Photo 21 (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/detonator/pics/detonator8.jpg)
Flying Fish (an old kiddies powered coaster) - Photo (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/flyingfish/pics/flyingfish7.jpg)
Pirates 4D (a 3D Cinema, the 4D is there because you can feel everything too! used to be part of a Pirate themed area, but that is now long gone, Pirates 4D is changing into something new in a few years) - Photo (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/pirates4d/pics/pirates4d.jpg)
Storm in a Teacup (a traditional old tea cup ride, soon to be moved into Amity Cove) - Photo 1 (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/stormteacup/pics/stormtea3.jpg) | Photo 2 (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/stormteacup/pics/stormtea.jpg)
Ribena Rumba Rapids (water rapids. by the way, Ribena is a very big blackcurrent juice drink in the UK, hence all the purple and green) - Photo (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/rumbarapids/pics/rumba9.jpg)

Ranger County
Before Thorpe was turned into a thill seekers park, the mascots of the park used to be the "Thorpe Park Rangers" which were different animals like a monkey, hippo, giraffe etc. This area is slowly dying. There was once a boat ride here called Tropical Travels which was the Bunny Rabbits ride. It was removed to expand Calypso Quay and to build Nemesis Inferno.

Mr Monkeys Banana Ride (pirate ship - monkey rangers ride) - Photo (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/rangercounty/pics/bananaride.jpg)
Chief Rangers Carousel (carousel - the Chief Rangers who was an elephant) Photo (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/rangercounty/pics/carousel.jpg)
Miss Hippo's Fungle Safari (car ride - hippo rangers ride) - Photo (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/rangercounty/pics/fungle.jpg)

Canada Creek
Behind the Lost City, the jungle and the fishers village, there is an area where works from the village go to mine coal. This is where Britains highest logflume is!

Loggers Leap (log flume) - Photo 1 (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/loggersleap/pics/loggers5.jpg) | Photo 2 (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/loggersleap/pics/loggers4.jpg)
Rocky Express (spinning ride) - Photo (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/rockyexpress/pics/rocky2.jpg)

Lost City
And here is the big one! Lost City is jam packed with thrill rides. Here is the ancient area of the island where the ancestors from thousands of years ago lived. Here are the rides in this area:

X:\ No Way Out (a really bad rollercoaster backwards in the dark - not to do with Tussauds!) - Photo (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/xnwo/pics/xnwo2.jpg)
Vortex (an afterburner) - Photo (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/vortex/pics/vortex3.jpg)
Zodiac (an enterprise) - Photo (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/zodiac/pics/zodiac2.jpg)
Quantum (a magic carpet) - Photo (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/quantum/pics/quantum5.jpg)
Eclipse (a ferris wheel) - Photo (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/eclipse/pics/eclipse2.jpg)
Samurai (a mondial topscan) - Photo (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/samurai/pics/samurai6.jpg)
Colossus (a record breaking 10 loop rollercoaster) - Photo 1 (http://www.thorpeparkguide.com/parktour/attracts/colossus/gallery/pics/panarama.jpg) | Photo 2 (http://240gp.ovh.net/~parkfunw/coasterdumois/2002/colossos3.jpg)

And that is the end of the tour! What do you guys think of the big coasters / thrill rides? Must be nothing compared to the US!

These photos really don't do the park much justice, it really does look amazing and every open space has a ride on it. But these photos make the park look quite bare and very spaced out. Trust me it isn't! Although it is very small.

[jonnyrocks]

Originally posted by Chris J

X:\ No Way Out (a really bad rollercoaster backwards in the dark - not to do with Tussauds!) -

X - bad???
what are you on? its a great coaster, perfect for warming up your day and is a great laugh with your mates. All they need to do is spruce up the themeing and stuff and it will be fantastic. Also tussauds have made a bit of a hash of the management this year with the bad effect of samauri and rising ticket prices with lowering attendance, also have you heard the rumours of budget cuts of the new coaster etc??
tussauds may have made the park good but they are messing it up now

[Chris J]

Originally posted by jonnyrocks
X - bad???
what are you on? its a great coaster, perfect for warming up your day and is a great laugh with your mates. All they need to do is spruce up the themeing and stuff and it will be fantastic. Also tussauds have made a bit of a hash of the management this year with the bad effect of samauri and rising ticket prices with lowering attendance, also have you heard the rumours of budget cuts of the new coaster etc??
tussauds may have made the park good but they are messing it up now

Hmm I think it's awful but thats just my opinion :D

No I haven't heard about the budge cuts for the rocket coaster. But to be honest I'm not surprised, they have been adding an average of 2 rides each year since 2000, 2 of them being major coasters. I think they are having cash problems as not many people are visiting the park. They have had to raise the entry price by £6 this season!

[David Ellis]

Of course, Thorpe Park is now (in)famous for holding the world record for most naked people on a roller coaster!
:haha:
David.

[leonardofury]

I might visit Thorpe Park one day. Ata the mom I have Alton Towers and Blackpool Pleasure Beach only an hour and a half away ;)

[jonnyrocks]

i think the falling attendences are to do with the ticket prices rising......
Leonardofury thorpe os well worth the day out but if you live quite far away i sugest you wisit chessington too, just for 1/2 a deay, but rattlesnake, vampire and dragons fury are all really good (non inverting) rides

[leonardofury]

I'm sure that I will find myself on holiday down there at some point.

[VapourMike]

Hey

Great little park with a nice mix of rides for all ages and styles but personally give me Blackpool Pleasure Beach anyday, although a 6 hour drive for me its worth it!


Cyas
Mike

[leonardofury]

Ah but would you prefer BPB or Alton Towers, Mike?

[VapourMike]

Ah

Dont make me choose, lol each park in its own right has good and bad, for example I love the selection of flat rides at thorpe but alton towers has some unique coasters but there again blackpool has loads of coasters and is all close and packed in!

At the end of the day Id choose BPB because of the layout and 'soon to be' large selection of rides, as you can probably tell they have a nice set of woodies plus the norm big steel'ys such as PMBO and SI2 and then some of the older stuff such as the wild mouse, steeplechase and bobsled.

What I love about BPB tho is that they have recently started increasing the amount of flat rides and yet still managing to squeeze them all into one small space which is pretty amazing, all the rides are soo close to each other you can jump off one straight to the other giving BPB that unique and wonderful atmosphere.

There again its still a tuff descion but one that Ive made on purely personal preferences, but all the major parks in the Uk have some really good points.


Thorpe Park
Nemesis Inferno, Collosus, Nice Flat Rides

Alton Towers
Oblivion, AIR, Nice all-round park

BPB
Woodies (Grand National, Big Dipper, Rollercoaster, Woodpecker), Big overall selection in a compact area


Ah well Iam rambling again, its best to visit all 3 :P Even Chessington world of adventures has something for everyone although its aimed at the smaller (15 & below) riders, oh well :D



Cyas
Mike

[leonardofury]

I'm surprised you didn't mention Nemisis as a plus of Alton Towers, Its still my favourite coaster. Personally I Prefer AT but I can see why you like Blackpool.

[jonnyrocks]

the only problem is that

[jonnyrocks]

the only problem is that you have to pay for every ride.........

[Chris J]

I prefer Thorpe over them all, because of the atmosphere. Once you walk across that bridge onto the island it feels really err magical I guess. And you can see everything from the dome as it is so small. But lots of rides.

Next year 2 more flat rides are going in Canada Creek, apparently one is a Sky Swat. And in 2006 there will be a rocket coaster in Model World (which will probably be Calypso Quay or AMity Cove by then).

[VapourMike]

Jonnyrocks, what do you mean pay for everyride? They do a wristband and I get the 2 day one when I go to BPB and it works out great, cheaper than most of the other parks in the UK and theres a much wider selection of rides.


Regards
Mike

[leonardofury]

I still like Alton Towers the best. Each to his own but I'm going back next week for the third time this year. I feel I will have to try for all the coasters this time.

[Lostinhollywood]

Originally posted by jonnyrocks
X - bad???
what are you on? its a great coaster, perfect for warming up your day and is a great laugh with your mates. All they need to do is spruce up the themeing and stuff and it will be fantastic. Also tussauds have made a bit of a hash of the management this year with the bad effect of samauri and rising ticket prices with lowering attendance, also have you heard the rumours of budget cuts of the new coaster etc??
tussauds may have made the park good but they are messing it up now

I LURVE thorpe park! im only and hour away and it has some of the best rides in the country (Collosuss, samuri and new "project stealth" rocket coaster) i go there at leat once a year to test all the new rides but i have no this year cos they obly has sky swatter and that other 1 i cant remember what its called.

i dnt think tussauds is messing it up , i agree with ya that 6Quid price rise is stupid but i dont care ill still pay that to get into the park, and i havnt herd any rumors bout "project stealths" budget cut i think ill have to look into that.

[Small Print]

I would really lik to go to thorpe park, but its a 5 hour drive. Alton towers is 25 minutes away and bppb is about 1h 20m away. Alton towers is my favourite one, the scenery and theming is better than any where i have ever seen (staffordshire countryside is the best in the world.)