6 days Ago
Blackpool Pleasure Beach - home to a 235ft tall rollercoaster, and various other white-knuckle ride experiences - an absolute nightmare for anyone scared of rides or heights. I decided to go, despite being scared of both - what could go wrong? Persuaded by some thrill-seeking friends, my arm was twisted to put my fears aside and visit what is one of the UK's largest theme parks. I have been before when I was a kid, and been on some of the rides, but ever since being scared on the pirate ship ride with my then eight-year-old cousin in Skegness a few years ago, I've shunned rollercoaster It was a Sunday in November, and the conditions were cold and grey, just like my mood as I pulled up to the park and was greeted by a bunch of terrifying structures.
The park was set to open at 11am, so a Wetherspoons breakfast was in order to ease the nerves. A terrifying experience on the Wallace and Gromit ride (Image: NQ) Sitting around the table, being in a pub did anything but that. "Why don't we just spend the day in the pub instead?" I said in a desperate plea to my pals.
"No, we're going," was the response. The clock struck 11am, and it was time, and we entered the queue for the park. Once in, the first item on the day's agenda of terror was the Grand National rollercoaster.
Now, I'm sure Blackpool Pleasure Beach is very stringent when it comes to safety, and that all rides are routinely checked. But oh my word, it genuinely looks about 150 years old, a quick Google search says it was built in 1935, so actually only 89 years old, but how can it still be going? Blackpool's newest coaster - Icon (Image: NQ) Cramming myself into the ride train - both me and the friend next to me are around six feet three inches tall, so we very much resembled sardines in a can - we set off out of the station. 'Clunk, clunk, clunk' the ride dragged us around 60 feet up the wooden structure.
Then, for around 90 seconds, we were genuinely beaten up. The Grand National (Image: Blackpool Pleasure Beach) Imagine you're driving over a cobbled street at 50mph and times that by 10. The Grand National didn't exactly dispel my fear of rides, I didn't enjoy it in the slightest.
Next up, Infusion, a 108-feet blue rollercoaster that leaves riders with their feet dangling over the edge of their seat, and then proceeds to go upside down several times. After making sure my shoelaces were nice and tight, we got straight on it with literally no queue. Infusion from the queue line (Image: NQ) The over-the-shoulder restraints weren't what I would call comfortable, although to be fair they are probably made with someone of average height in mind.
Going up the lift hill, adjacent to a very foggy-looking Irish Sea, was a real test of my fear of heights, as I was getting battered by the weather up in the sky. What followed was around 60 seconds of being tossed and turned in every direction. For me, really not that enjoyable, but in fairness I can see how a braver individual may like it, this one at least seemed more modern.
A few more rides followed, again without any queueing at all. Icon, Blackpool's newest rollercoaster was actually quite enjoyable. It was very smooth and believe it or not, very comfortable, I could have had a nap on it it was that nice.
But all this time, I was ignoring the elephant in the room, I knew at some point I was going to be dragged on the behemoth that is...
The Big One. Just a few facts: It's about two and a half times taller than Darwen Tower, reaches speeds of 85 mph, and was at the time of its opening in 1994, the tallest rollercoaster in the world. It was the only queue we had to go in all day, so we had to wait around 25 minutes - 25 stomach-churning, nail-biting, horrific minutes.
A misty-looking Big One (Image: NQ) In what felt like seconds, I was on the ground getting strapped in, to being hoisted up a never-ending steel structure. '50ft, 100ft, 150ft,' the ride has signs telling you how high you are, whose sick idea was that! '200ft,' I was terrified, I could see the whole of Blackpool - as if the day couldn't be any scarier! Then we were sent hurtling at a ridiculous speed down to the floor, then straight back up. The ride is then pretty much up and down for a minute or so, before you pull back into the station.
You know what? It wasn't that bad, I even went on it again! I didn't feel unsafe at all and I was actually enjoying myself come the end. We left the park after about four and a half hours of continuous rollercoaster riding, it was a good day out despite my initial apprehension, the rides over on the south side of the park redeemed it. Sure some rides look old enough to have been enjoyed by Queen Victoria, but it's all part of the fun I suppose.
I'm not heading back in a hurry mind, I'll at least wait for the bruises to heal!.
